Kaiju Battle in Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens

 Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens by Frank Tieri; artwork by Angel Hernandez

Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens cover

Author Frank Tieri

Artist Angel Hernandez

Great big kaiju thanks to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of their latest Godzilla collection Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens by Frank Tieri with artwork by Angel Hernandez. I really enjoyed this story as it represents much of what makes the Godzilla stories so fun and entertaining. Not only does Godzilla work to protect the earth from an alien invasion, but he also teams up with some of his other kaiju friends like Mothra, Jet Jaguar, and Rodan to battle the invading Xiliens, a deceptive group of aliens who have the ability to shape-shift and take on human forms, and have been attempting to take over the world for centuries. However, they’ve upped their intensity to attempt to overtake the world by infiltrating various high-level government and military positions in post WWII America. I loved the historical element of the story in that it features President Eisenhour and other references to real historical individuals and events.

The main story follows Bob, a man who is trying to get pentagon buy in to use Godzilla as a defense weapon for Project Colossus. This project is based on the secret society called The Sons of Giants, whose members included Queen Elizabeth I, Ben Franklin, and Napoleon. These individuals protected the kaiju but also used them for defense and protection as well. Bob is interested in learning more about how this group might work to protect American interests and partner with the Pentagon for American defense; however, his supervisor, Director Stone, doesn’t take him too seriously, until Godzilla is sighted attacking Japan, when Eisenhour has renewed interest in seeking out the kaiju for America’s use. On his way to meet with the President, Bob is kidnapped by another mysterious group led by Dr. Kyoto. Bob finds out that this group is the one actually responsible for Project Colossus, and he also learns about the threat that the Xiliens pose to the inhabitants of Earth. As Bob learns more about Project Colossus and Dr. Kyoto’s role, the Xiliens attack various cities around the world, bringing out the kaiju to help defend major cities like Paris, Mexico City, New York, and Barcelona. Dr. Kyoto sends out Jet Jaguar, the robot kaiju, to battle the Xiliens and Mechagodzilla. Other kaiju like Rodan and Mothra battle evil kaiju helping the Xiliens. It’s a great story featuring kaiju battles in different major cities, all while the Xiliens are trying to take over Earth. It’s a fun and exciting story with some good action and great artwork from Angel Hernandez. I loved that the story also takes place during the original Godzilla time period, but the action happens all over the world. I’m also finding that I really enjoy these longer-form Godzilla stories that unfold over several issues. They allow for more plot to unravel, some characters to develop, and some surprises and tension to build. I’m hoping that IDW continues to create more stories like this that unfold over several issues and also feature a range of characters and kaiju. Highly recommended!