Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #1: Dinner, Romance, Kaiju

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #1 is a fun set up to this Elseworlds story. Combining several IPs under the Warner Bros umbrella fans will surely be happy to see the Justice League versus the biggest and baddest kaiju monsters around.

The issue kicks off with Clark and Lois having a romantic meal on the helipad of the Daily Planet. (A fun throwback to their origins in several mediums.) They reminisce and flirt and right when Clark gets down on one knee, Godzilla explodes onto the page and into Metropolis.

Written by Brian Buccellato there is a lot of build up in this issue. While the pacing manages to stay steady, and the connection as to why Godzilla and Kong are brought into the DC Universe is explained, I couldn’t help but feel like I was hoping for a bit more action for a kickoff issue. However, like most monster movies, part of the fun is the build up to the major conflict and so it’s easy to be patient.

There are a lot of characters in this issue with the Justice League and the Legion of Doom handling their respective plots. This leads to some cliche moments like Lex claiming something was “part of the plan,” but it doesn’t detract from the overall experience. After all, this series is going to be about super powered beings taking on classic monsters—there has to be some focus on getting to the good fight.

The art by Christian Duce and colors by Luis Guerrero are a great combination. Superman is very much the focus of this issue and his design and colors are nothing short of having a classic and vibrant design. With several locations throughout the issue, there is good display of artistic skill from both Duce and Guerrero. While on the topic of the art, Drew Johnson (art) and Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colors) put together an epic cover and while I wish this scene was in this first issue, I commend the two for putting together a battling combo once thought unimaginable outside of fan fiction.

A minor spoiler: Don’t go into this first issue expecting to see Superman punching Godzilla in the face. Part one of seven, there is still plenty of story and action for upcoming issues.