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IDW's Godzilla
Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths
Detective Makoto Sato is on a quest to bring down the Takahashi crime syndicate. Sato''s efforts earn him a one-way trip to a tropical getaway, courtesy of the Tokyo criminal underworld. The exotic locale? MONSTER ISLAND! Alone and facing death at the hands of both gangsters and goliaths, Sato must use his wits to survive -- and enlist the aid of some most unusual friends.
Join superstar creators John Layman (Chew) and Alberto Ponticelli (Unknown Soldier) for this unusual and exciting mini-series of monster mayhem!
Join superstar creators John Layman (Chew) and Alberto Ponticelli (Unknown Soldier) for this unusual and exciting mini-series of monster mayhem!
120 pages, Paperback
First published November 22, 2011
10 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
John Layman
821 books588 followersJohn Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer. Layman is most known for writing Chew, published by Image Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 18, 2013
If there’s one thing you can’t fault the Godzilla franchise for it’s the writers’ willingness to try completely new things. While nearly every story will come down to a monster fight, the plot, themes, ideas and even the Big G himself will often radically change. He’s been written as a hero, anti-hero and villain (not to mention a zombie possessed by Second World War troops), and has fought everything from robot clones to cyborg space monsters. As such the idea to include kaiju in a street level war between a cop trying to clear his name and a mafia boss isn’t entirely unsurprising. The fact it works as well as it does however, that’s where the real shock comes in.
Set in an amalgamated universe of the Toho and Heisei era series, Gangsters and Goliaths follows the story of aged Detective Makoto Sato. When his investigation of Toko’s criminal underworld gets too close to bringing up hard evidence against the Takahashi Crime Syndicate, he is framed for his partners murder and sent to Monster Island to die. Unfortunately for them, not only does he evade his fate but manages to somehow blackmail the kaiju Mothra to assist in his war against Takahashi. However, Sato is playing with powers he doesn’t understand and soon everything is put at risk by his actions.
As you might have guessed from that description, the comic reads like a John Woo hardboiled crime film mashed together with Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters. While this would usually be a recipe for disaster, it manages to work here but placing emphasis upon the mythos behind Mothra and the reason for the kaijus’ existence. Rather than being freak accidents or by-births of accidental weapons, they instead exist to create a balance between order and chaos. We learn of its existence through Sato and his mistakes when he unintentionally disrupts this order. As such, for much of the story the kaiju are kept in the background, often only seen briefly to display their raw power and foreshadow what can happen if the balance is disrupted. Usually through Mothra when she’s called in by Sato in a manner similar to tactical air-strikes.
The lack of kaiju leaves much of the narrative’s drive to the characters and their personalities, mainly Sato himself. While a relatively uncomplex and straight forwards character, Sato thankfully works as a protagonist due to the self-awareness of the story’s clichés and the man’s likability. While he is clearly driven past the point of reason, he retains his morality. Refusing to go through with threats to innocents when he is forced to make them and giving final chances to some in Takahashi’s payroll to walk away from it. Even to those who are largely responsible for his partner’s death and unlikely to even consider doing such a thing. As such while he might be on a clichéd rampage of revengance, it’s still easy to sympathise with him. As a whole the story reads as if John Layman is saying: “What if the vengeful characters in these pulp crime comics had access to real firepower? How would they react?”
The artwork seems to reflect upon the mixture of two very different genres with Alberto Ponticelli’s gritty detailed style feeling reminiscent of crime comics, but shifting subtly when it comes to the kaiju themselves. Turning into far more detailed designs which make them stand out well from their environments and impresses how truly alien they are in a mob story. Both in terms of presence and overall impact. These fleeting moments of when we see them are often splash pages or little more than massive scenes of description only lasting a page, but it’s more than enough to show how potent they are.
The real problem is that the comic never really moves beyond this with the kaiju.
Centred upon the human characters, the kaiju often feel more like a means to an end when it comes to the story and are never properly focused upon. Any moments of destruction, glorious as they might be, are fleeting and even the fights between monsters are only in the background. Even in the explosive climax when the Japanese military becomes involved and multiple kaiju are rampaging across Japan, we barely see them on the way to have Sato combat Takahashi. The major issue with this beyond the lack of goliaths among the gangsters is that the criminals just aren’t compelling. Takahashi himself is relatively flat, a generic mob boss without any distinguishing traits, and his two reoccurring goons seem more like darker versions of Bulk and Skull than complex figures. The story does mostly work in spite of them, but between the second act and the final pages of the last issue it’s disappointing they’re the focus rather than Godzilla’s lot.
Gangsters and Goliaths’ problem is that it’s so clear what it’s lacking and if it had simply added a bit more focus onto the monsters, this would have been a much better comic. As it stands however, it’s an interesting idea which works well but fails to really stand out from the crowd or make full use of its setting. As a stepping on point for Godzilla comics it works, showing how outlandish some of the plots can be. It’s also a reasonable look into what happens with two vastly different genres collide and it works well. While certainly an okay comic, a perfectly enjoyable one if you like the idea, it’s not a story worth going out of your way to buy.
Set in an amalgamated universe of the Toho and Heisei era series, Gangsters and Goliaths follows the story of aged Detective Makoto Sato. When his investigation of Toko’s criminal underworld gets too close to bringing up hard evidence against the Takahashi Crime Syndicate, he is framed for his partners murder and sent to Monster Island to die. Unfortunately for them, not only does he evade his fate but manages to somehow blackmail the kaiju Mothra to assist in his war against Takahashi. However, Sato is playing with powers he doesn’t understand and soon everything is put at risk by his actions.
As you might have guessed from that description, the comic reads like a John Woo hardboiled crime film mashed together with Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters. While this would usually be a recipe for disaster, it manages to work here but placing emphasis upon the mythos behind Mothra and the reason for the kaijus’ existence. Rather than being freak accidents or by-births of accidental weapons, they instead exist to create a balance between order and chaos. We learn of its existence through Sato and his mistakes when he unintentionally disrupts this order. As such, for much of the story the kaiju are kept in the background, often only seen briefly to display their raw power and foreshadow what can happen if the balance is disrupted. Usually through Mothra when she’s called in by Sato in a manner similar to tactical air-strikes.
The lack of kaiju leaves much of the narrative’s drive to the characters and their personalities, mainly Sato himself. While a relatively uncomplex and straight forwards character, Sato thankfully works as a protagonist due to the self-awareness of the story’s clichés and the man’s likability. While he is clearly driven past the point of reason, he retains his morality. Refusing to go through with threats to innocents when he is forced to make them and giving final chances to some in Takahashi’s payroll to walk away from it. Even to those who are largely responsible for his partner’s death and unlikely to even consider doing such a thing. As such while he might be on a clichéd rampage of revengance, it’s still easy to sympathise with him. As a whole the story reads as if John Layman is saying: “What if the vengeful characters in these pulp crime comics had access to real firepower? How would they react?”
The artwork seems to reflect upon the mixture of two very different genres with Alberto Ponticelli’s gritty detailed style feeling reminiscent of crime comics, but shifting subtly when it comes to the kaiju themselves. Turning into far more detailed designs which make them stand out well from their environments and impresses how truly alien they are in a mob story. Both in terms of presence and overall impact. These fleeting moments of when we see them are often splash pages or little more than massive scenes of description only lasting a page, but it’s more than enough to show how potent they are.
The real problem is that the comic never really moves beyond this with the kaiju.
Centred upon the human characters, the kaiju often feel more like a means to an end when it comes to the story and are never properly focused upon. Any moments of destruction, glorious as they might be, are fleeting and even the fights between monsters are only in the background. Even in the explosive climax when the Japanese military becomes involved and multiple kaiju are rampaging across Japan, we barely see them on the way to have Sato combat Takahashi. The major issue with this beyond the lack of goliaths among the gangsters is that the criminals just aren’t compelling. Takahashi himself is relatively flat, a generic mob boss without any distinguishing traits, and his two reoccurring goons seem more like darker versions of Bulk and Skull than complex figures. The story does mostly work in spite of them, but between the second act and the final pages of the last issue it’s disappointing they’re the focus rather than Godzilla’s lot.
Gangsters and Goliaths’ problem is that it’s so clear what it’s lacking and if it had simply added a bit more focus onto the monsters, this would have been a much better comic. As it stands however, it’s an interesting idea which works well but fails to really stand out from the crowd or make full use of its setting. As a stepping on point for Godzilla comics it works, showing how outlandish some of the plots can be. It’s also a reasonable look into what happens with two vastly different genres collide and it works well. While certainly an okay comic, a perfectly enjoyable one if you like the idea, it’s not a story worth going out of your way to buy.
June 4, 2019
This was an excellent Godzilla story set in a Tokyo crime lords era.
October 18, 2012
It's Godzilla... Art was pretty good. Story was a little light, but not as bad as some of the movies. Would have liked more Mecha-G.
May 31, 2014
Fukken WHAT
August 1, 2014
This was a fantastic Godzilla story, equal or superior to many of the films. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
July 6, 2017
I don't particularly subscribe to the idea that Godzilla stories are only about monsters fighting. I prefer a solid human story as well. Gangsters and Goliaths melds together a gangster/crime story and a kaiju monster bash story, and both parts work well. Detective Sato's obsession is to put an end to the boss Takahashi and his organized crime family, and he will do literally anything to accomplish his goal. When Sato goes too far, it's all of Tokyo that pays the price.
It's a very familiar set up for crime story, used in dozens of movies and comics. But this particular crime story just happens to take place in a world where Godzilla, Mothra and the other Toho monsters exist. That type of approach to Godzilla is my personal favorite. Everyone accepts without further comment that kaiju exist as a natural hazard, like earthquakes or typhoons. Mothra has an unexpectedly prominent role, and I appreciate the way she was presented. The mythos around Mothra can be kind of hokey and corny in the hands of the wrong writer, but here the Shobijin, their relationship with Mothra, and the monsters on the island are presented in a very matter-of-fact manner without a lot of mystical gobbledygook. Everyone accepts that they have certain abilities and insights into the minds of the monsters, because the evidence is right there in front of them. The story is about people and is very human-sized, despite the larger-than-life action going on around them, in pleasant contrast to many of the other Godzilla comics, which tend to emphasize the epic action side of the equation.
It's a very familiar set up for crime story, used in dozens of movies and comics. But this particular crime story just happens to take place in a world where Godzilla, Mothra and the other Toho monsters exist. That type of approach to Godzilla is my personal favorite. Everyone accepts without further comment that kaiju exist as a natural hazard, like earthquakes or typhoons. Mothra has an unexpectedly prominent role, and I appreciate the way she was presented. The mythos around Mothra can be kind of hokey and corny in the hands of the wrong writer, but here the Shobijin, their relationship with Mothra, and the monsters on the island are presented in a very matter-of-fact manner without a lot of mystical gobbledygook. Everyone accepts that they have certain abilities and insights into the minds of the monsters, because the evidence is right there in front of them. The story is about people and is very human-sized, despite the larger-than-life action going on around them, in pleasant contrast to many of the other Godzilla comics, which tend to emphasize the epic action side of the equation.
August 24, 2020
Il fumetto stava cadendo nel cliché in cui moltissimi che trattano di Godzilla rischiano di cadere: quello del caos e dell'appoggiarsi troppo e unicamente sulla rappresentazione dei mostri.
In questo caso invece finalmente emerge l'uomo non come mezzo per mandare avanti la trama ma come vero e proprio soggetto pensante e che agisce secondo una sua etica, emergono i veri interessi della Terra, le "vere priorità".. tutti fattori che mettono il lettore nella posizione attiva di poter giudicare i personaggi e le situazioni in modo approfondito e personale, prendendo posizione e decidendo le proprie simpatie.
Il tema del "bene superiore" in questo caso vede la sua massima rappresentazione fra i vari fumetti inerenti il mondo dei kaiju.
Buoni i disegni, ben dettagliati e che si districano nel caos della gigantesca distruzione che i mostri portano sempre con sé.
In questo caso invece finalmente emerge l'uomo non come mezzo per mandare avanti la trama ma come vero e proprio soggetto pensante e che agisce secondo una sua etica, emergono i veri interessi della Terra, le "vere priorità".. tutti fattori che mettono il lettore nella posizione attiva di poter giudicare i personaggi e le situazioni in modo approfondito e personale, prendendo posizione e decidendo le proprie simpatie.
Il tema del "bene superiore" in questo caso vede la sua massima rappresentazione fra i vari fumetti inerenti il mondo dei kaiju.
Buoni i disegni, ben dettagliati e che si districano nel caos della gigantesca distruzione che i mostri portano sempre con sé.
November 11, 2024
“An uneven mix Godzilla, the Yakuza, and Clichés”
Format - Ebook, Start to End - 7/22/24
Review - 3 stars
Read before? No
As a Godzilla fan, I wanted this to work more than it did. There’s been a lot of Godzilla stories that have already been told, however I can safely say I’ve never seen an ex-cop coerce Mothra into taking out a Yakuza boss by way of taking tiny twin hostages. I just wish that the rest of the book was as interesting as that insane premise without relying on so many over-used cliches.
Format - Ebook, Start to End - 7/22/24
Review - 3 stars
Read before? No
As a Godzilla fan, I wanted this to work more than it did. There’s been a lot of Godzilla stories that have already been told, however I can safely say I’ve never seen an ex-cop coerce Mothra into taking out a Yakuza boss by way of taking tiny twin hostages. I just wish that the rest of the book was as interesting as that insane premise without relying on so many over-used cliches.
January 21, 2019
IDW does Godzilla books so well. The art is always fantastic, the creature battles lots of fun and there are strong human characters to ground the story. In this volume a criminal dumps a cop on monster island assuming he will be killed instead the officer gets control of a Kaiju and vows vengeance on the crime boss that wanted to kill him. This was a quick enjoyable read. I'll be diving into more Godzilla reads on Comixology soon,
February 28, 2020
It's certainly a novel idea, and I'm willing to believe the worlds of Japanese crime drama and kaiju could interact somehow, but here the big guys just felt like props or set pieces in an extremely typical crime revenge story with a very generic villain. I wasn't always thrilled by the artwork either, but it at least had a coherent, original style to it. The panels on Monster Island itself were quite nice.
June 21, 2021
Despite the very dumb title this is actually not a bad story as it involves a detective who tries to use Shobijin (Mothra's Priestesses) to get Mothra to help him take down a crime lord in Tokyo and seeing trying to justify using Kaiju to stop a mere Crime Lord is kind of interesting especially when things get worse.
August 16, 2024
Detective Sato partner is killed by crime lord Takahashi, and once Sato escapes a similar fate, he is the suspect. After fleeing via Monster Island, he meets a monk who has a box containing two fairies who control Mothra. Sato's obsession for revenge sees him returning to Tokyo
August 3, 2022
I think this is the only IDW Godzilla story that manages to balance all its parts and pieces really well. I haven't read the rather acclaimed Half-Century War yet, but aside from some kinda wonky art, I have very few (if any) complaints about Gangsters & Goliaths.
November 25, 2023
My favorite thing about this book is the absolute refusal to give Sato's partner a name. "My partner," "you killed your partner," "he's the cop who killed his partner," "I framed you for killing your partner..."
August 15, 2024
After the mediocrity of the previous Godzilla volumes, I really enjoyed this one. It wasn't quite a four, but a higher three stars for the fun throwback to the more 1970s Godzilla plots with their crazy human storylines.
December 17, 2017
The artwork was good, cover art was ok. The storyline was a bit of a stretch, but enjoyable to read.
July 17, 2019
Great story and art
May 22, 2020
An interesting take on how humans would be able to manipulate monsters in a quest for vengeance.
July 23, 2020
This was a fun take on the Godzilla comic. It’s a one off series. A framed cop uses Mothra to help get justice and ends up creating too much chaos. Well worth hunting down.
October 24, 2021
Surprisingly good story, great graphics and I finally learned what that one old (50s? 60s?) movie failed to explain about what the Elias are and what they do n stuff.
February 3, 2023
Such a fun and wacky idea for a story! Essentially Mothra vs. the Yakuza.
November 25, 2023
Ta bien.
La historia es muy simplona, aunque me ha hecho gracia ver a las Elias, protectoras de Mothra en un cómic.
La historia es muy simplona, aunque me ha hecho gracia ver a las Elias, protectoras de Mothra en un cómic.
January 24, 2024
Would've been a solid Godzilla movie!
April 22, 2024
Its a good godzilla story. The gangsta character was interesting.
April 28, 2024
Not much Godzilla overall and the story was all resolved pretty quickly and easily.
June 16, 2024
Trippy
July 17, 2024
This is a kooky, weird Godzilla story that would've been so delightful and charming if it was done in the Showa Era of Godzilla films
June 23, 2025
Godzilla is an afterthought in the story, with Mothra being the big bad and a Japanese gangster story being the main plot.
November 12, 2025
This is so wild and out there that I don’t know what to think. A cop is trying to stop a crime boss so he steals the Elies and forces them to have Mothra attack and it’s just strange.
June 9, 2021
This, and "Kingdom of Monsters" weren't good starts to what IDW was offering with their recently purchased Godzilla license, leaving a bitter taste for a long time. Godzilla, the title character, the King himself, is superfluous to the plot, and only real point in the story is for him to stomp on a bad guy (a task any of the Kaiju could have done) and obvious name-recognition. It's a thinly veiled Mothra story, though even she isn't given a lot to do and is as much an after-thought as the rest of the Toho monsters. Not very good, but better than the alternative...a little bit, at least.
Long live the King!
Long live the King!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews