By: James Stokoe (writer, artist, colorist) & Heather Breckel (color assists)
The Story: Godzilla attacks!
Review: I can’t really comment on the authenticity of the Godzilla story since I’m not much of a Godzilla-fanboy. I know that he’s a big, green lizard-thing that trundles out of the ocean and attacks Japan sometimes….but that’s about all I know.
The attraction for me is the art of James Stokoe. Stokoe first popped up a few years ago with his creator-owned series Orc Stain. In the 2.5 years since, Orc Stain is only up to #7, so a Stokoe sighting is a rare event. With some artists, you can kinda heckle them for their work ethic and assume they’re probably playing too much Skyrim or on Twitter too much. Not Stokoe…..you take one peek at his pages and you can tell immediately why it takes a LONG time to draw when you see the intense detail and attention to design.
Talking about this issue in particular, the big moment that Stokoe needed to nail is the reveal of Godzilla in an artistic and dramatic way. True to my perception of Godzilla stories, we begin the story with some 1950′s Japanese soldiers in a Tokyo that is on alert. They don’t know why they’re on alert and soon they hear the loud sounds in the distance, then they see a foot, they you turn the page and WOW….there’s a double-pager of Godzilla. I’m usually not a fan of double-pagers because most artists waste them….but…my GOD….this is a great double-pager: Godzilla looks big, powerful and he’s “screaming” that weird sound that Godzilla makes. And, the cool thing about the “sound” is that Stokoe doesn’t even try to spell it. If he tried to call it a “SSCCRREEEEZZZ” or something, it would look lame; instead we just get this massive word balloon, with these kinda static-y words….you can kinda make out a few E’s and Z’s, but you know what the sound is if you’ve ever seen a Godzilla movie.
Another thing that Stokoe is a master of is color. He lives in the orange/red/purple part of the color-wheel. I really wish I knew a little more about color theory because there is something special and distinctive about the way Stokoe blends these colors. It’s very unique and I think that if Stokoe decided to work as a colorist, you’d easily be able to pick out his books.
If you’re looking for negatives on the issue: This might not be your thing if you’re not a big art fan and you’re just looking for the next installment in the Godzilla cannon. I mean, the story is “fine”, but the story is virtually irrelevant compared to the art. Another negative is the paperstock. After seeing how wonderful Stokoe’s art looks in Orc Stain where it is printed onto heavy, matte-finish paper, I’m not sure why IDW would put it on coated paperstock. Maybe I’m out of step and everyone else enjoys pages that glare when the lights hit them??
Conclusion: I can see this being a polarizing issue. If you’re just a Godzilla fan, I’m not sure it’s going to do that much for you because the story is pretty routine (so far). But, if you’re a fan of unique and incredible comic art, it’s a “must buy” because Stokoe is just that cool and special.
Grade: B+
- Dean Stell
Filed under: IDW Tagged: Dean Stell, Godzilla, Half-Century War, Heather Breckel, IDW, James Stokoe, review
