What do you think?
Rate this book
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #1
In the 1500s, before humanity had successfully traveled the entire globe, it was believed that monsters ruled the oceans just beyond the horizon. “Here there be dragons…” was written on maps to denote the areas people dared not go. That is, until Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the seas, visiting foreign lands and collecting treasure. That’s what history tells us, at least, but history does not have the full tale. Monsters did lurk yonder, living on an island that still doesn’t appear on any map, and among them was the king of them all…Godzilla! From Frank Tieri and Inaki Miranda, the incredible team behind Old Lady Harley, comes a Godzilla adventure like no other.
29 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 21, 2023
10 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 29, 2023
I had plenty of fun with this one!
The only down side was the obvious lack of Godzilla in this issue but I'm here for the pirates.
Artwork is actually way better than I was expecting so I really enjoyed reading this!
Definitely keen for the next issue!
The only down side was the obvious lack of Godzilla in this issue but I'm here for the pirates.
Artwork is actually way better than I was expecting so I really enjoyed reading this!
Definitely keen for the next issue!
February 12, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and the published for a copy in exchange for review.
A pirate is captured and sentenced to the gallows when all of a sudden he captures the ears of the Queen's aide with his tales of mythical beasts out at sea. Our pirate stalls his trip to death with a long tale of a mysterious beast protecting his treasure in an uncharted island. This beast goes by many names, but is most commonly known as Godzilla. We hear Godzilla's story of protecting his treasure from the pirates that fight for the riches. Does anybody win? You'll have to read to find out.
I enjoyed this take on both Godzilla and Pirates. Although the story itself bored me at times, the art was enough to keep my going. It was colorful and super detailed- all you would want in a comic book about Kaiju. 3.5 stars rounded up.
A pirate is captured and sentenced to the gallows when all of a sudden he captures the ears of the Queen's aide with his tales of mythical beasts out at sea. Our pirate stalls his trip to death with a long tale of a mysterious beast protecting his treasure in an uncharted island. This beast goes by many names, but is most commonly known as Godzilla. We hear Godzilla's story of protecting his treasure from the pirates that fight for the riches. Does anybody win? You'll have to read to find out.
I enjoyed this take on both Godzilla and Pirates. Although the story itself bored me at times, the art was enough to keep my going. It was colorful and super detailed- all you would want in a comic book about Kaiju. 3.5 stars rounded up.
September 22, 2023
‘Here there be dragons’ is a phrase that will conjure very specific images, of old maps and charts with monsters drawn in the corner, with the phrase written below to indicate unknown dangers and threats. Whilst this phrase is something of an anachronism, it has been around for centuries, and has been used throughout fiction. And it seems that now it’s the turn for one of the greatest monsters ever made to appear on such a map: Godzilla.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is a historic set story, taking readers back hundreds of years to the British controlled Caribbean of the 1500s, where pirate Mr Hull is awaiting execution for a list of crimes. However, in a bid to delay his death, and possibly prevent it, be offers his captors a tale that can lead to a hoard of fabled treasure, and the hidden mission of English sailor Sir Francis Drake. Thus, we’re treated to flashbacks of pirates, navies, and the fabled Monster Island, as Hull tries to buy his life with his story.
The premise of Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is one that I’m surprised isn’t used more. Godzilla and his fellow Kaiju are a staple of the times that their films were made, with stories set between the 1950s and the modern day, and it’s not unusual to see stories set in the future (usually some monster-created post-apocalypse future). But you rarely see these iconic monsters in the past. Perhaps it’s the idea that Godzilla was an unknown quantity when he debuted in the ’50s that puts people off setting stories earlier than that but it seems like a big missed opportunity. This book seems to be trying to cash in on that.
And for the most part it really works well. A good portion of the book plays out the way any kind of historical pirate story would, and it’s not until we see the image of a ship’s course being shown on an old map that has monsters such as Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Rodan dotted around it that you’re reminded that this is a Godzilla story. And I liked that. I liked that the story didn’t feel the need to throw monsters onto the page as soon as possible and instead relied on making a decent story to keep the reader interested. And it is an engaging and interesting narrative that ends in such a way that you want to be able to pick up the next issue straight away.
The book’s art, by Inaki Miranda and Eva de la Cruz, fits this setting very well. The characters and the environments have a realism that’s needed for these settings, and if you ignored the pages with monsters on them it could easily be a story about pirates in the real world. Everything feels perfectly normal and sane, which makes the inclusions of the abnormal all the more jarring and outstanding.
Whilst the scenes of Hull being interrogated in his cell, or images of ships fighting through rough seas look fantastic, it’s the pages where the art team are able to get a bit more creative that really stand out. There’s a page early on where the image has a brave sailor at the top, has Godzilla’s curling tail breaking the page in half, with a shackled pirate sitting in front of the shape of a compass over Monster Island beneath, and the bottom of the page is filled with treasure that looks absolutely fantastic, and sells the concept of the book perfectly. Plus, the design of the Godzilla-stamped gold doubloon is top tier stuff, and something I want in real life.
Whilst the art team has gone above and beyond on this book there is one tiny thing that does let it down a tiny bit (though I’m not letting it affect my scoring). The book is set in 1556, and Hull is telling a story about Sir Francis Drake leading his circumnavigation of the globe, and how it’s a cover for him going to Monster Island. But that doesn’t fit the timeline for Drake’s life at all. Drake was born in 1540, making him 16 at the time of this story, and he didn’t do his first circumnavigation until 1577, and wasn’t knighted until 1588. It’s a small detail, but one that history buffs will pick up on, and does take you out of the story somewhat. A simple change to the date where Mr Hull is telling his story to something like 1596 would eliminate this issue, and I did end up checking and rechecking the date given to make sure I’d not misread it.
Despite the issue with where this story could fit in history, Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is an incredibly fun and inventive book with a solid first issue. I was instantly intrigued by the concept, and found the execution to be very well done. I’m looking forward to seeing where the next part of the story takes things.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is a historic set story, taking readers back hundreds of years to the British controlled Caribbean of the 1500s, where pirate Mr Hull is awaiting execution for a list of crimes. However, in a bid to delay his death, and possibly prevent it, be offers his captors a tale that can lead to a hoard of fabled treasure, and the hidden mission of English sailor Sir Francis Drake. Thus, we’re treated to flashbacks of pirates, navies, and the fabled Monster Island, as Hull tries to buy his life with his story.
The premise of Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is one that I’m surprised isn’t used more. Godzilla and his fellow Kaiju are a staple of the times that their films were made, with stories set between the 1950s and the modern day, and it’s not unusual to see stories set in the future (usually some monster-created post-apocalypse future). But you rarely see these iconic monsters in the past. Perhaps it’s the idea that Godzilla was an unknown quantity when he debuted in the ’50s that puts people off setting stories earlier than that but it seems like a big missed opportunity. This book seems to be trying to cash in on that.
And for the most part it really works well. A good portion of the book plays out the way any kind of historical pirate story would, and it’s not until we see the image of a ship’s course being shown on an old map that has monsters such as Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Rodan dotted around it that you’re reminded that this is a Godzilla story. And I liked that. I liked that the story didn’t feel the need to throw monsters onto the page as soon as possible and instead relied on making a decent story to keep the reader interested. And it is an engaging and interesting narrative that ends in such a way that you want to be able to pick up the next issue straight away.
The book’s art, by Inaki Miranda and Eva de la Cruz, fits this setting very well. The characters and the environments have a realism that’s needed for these settings, and if you ignored the pages with monsters on them it could easily be a story about pirates in the real world. Everything feels perfectly normal and sane, which makes the inclusions of the abnormal all the more jarring and outstanding.
Whilst the scenes of Hull being interrogated in his cell, or images of ships fighting through rough seas look fantastic, it’s the pages where the art team are able to get a bit more creative that really stand out. There’s a page early on where the image has a brave sailor at the top, has Godzilla’s curling tail breaking the page in half, with a shackled pirate sitting in front of the shape of a compass over Monster Island beneath, and the bottom of the page is filled with treasure that looks absolutely fantastic, and sells the concept of the book perfectly. Plus, the design of the Godzilla-stamped gold doubloon is top tier stuff, and something I want in real life.
Whilst the art team has gone above and beyond on this book there is one tiny thing that does let it down a tiny bit (though I’m not letting it affect my scoring). The book is set in 1556, and Hull is telling a story about Sir Francis Drake leading his circumnavigation of the globe, and how it’s a cover for him going to Monster Island. But that doesn’t fit the timeline for Drake’s life at all. Drake was born in 1540, making him 16 at the time of this story, and he didn’t do his first circumnavigation until 1577, and wasn’t knighted until 1588. It’s a small detail, but one that history buffs will pick up on, and does take you out of the story somewhat. A simple change to the date where Mr Hull is telling his story to something like 1596 would eliminate this issue, and I did end up checking and rechecking the date given to make sure I’d not misread it.
Despite the issue with where this story could fit in history, Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is an incredibly fun and inventive book with a solid first issue. I was instantly intrigued by the concept, and found the execution to be very well done. I’m looking forward to seeing where the next part of the story takes things.
June 24, 2023
I read this the other day. I love the idea of Godzilla and pirates, though the first chapter here isn't very satisfying. It's basically all set up with zero interesting characters--Basically Jack Sparrow (it really is basically him) has been caught by the authorities and is demanding rum in return for telling a wild story to try to keep himself from getting strung up for his crimes. He ends up telling a rambling tale of various pirates and fights and something about a monster island and Godzilla shows up at the end. I need to read it again, but as a standalone comic, it's very disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2024
Oh this was so fun! Godzilla: Here There Be Monsters is perfect for Godzilla and kaiju fans. The artwork is wonderful and the story is fast-paced and engaging. There is also a lot of humor in this short book. Very easy to read in one day. I loved how the artist made all characters look unique enough so I could always tell which character was talking. Overall, I highly recommend this graphic novel for readers who love Godzilla, need a short book to read to meet a reading goal, and/or readers who love graphic novels
January 19, 2024
Great intro. Instantly hooked. I am here for the pirates and the conspiracy and the Queen being involved.
Heck yes.
Also, it feels very Assassin's Creed. Assassin's Creed mixed with Pirates of the Caribbean. Excited for Godzilla to get thrown into the mix more.
Thanks to IDW for providing me with an advanced review copy of the collected volume.
Heck yes.
Also, it feels very Assassin's Creed. Assassin's Creed mixed with Pirates of the Caribbean. Excited for Godzilla to get thrown into the mix more.
Thanks to IDW for providing me with an advanced review copy of the collected volume.
June 22, 2023
I really liked this. Pirates, treasure, Godzilla!
August 9, 2023
Fun read and unique setting
I'm hooked. Mot too often you see a kaiju story set in a different time period. Art and colors are both well done and I'm tuning in for this one.
I'm hooked. Mot too often you see a kaiju story set in a different time period. Art and colors are both well done and I'm tuning in for this one.
September 14, 2023
Lo compré por que es Godzilla pero creo que será una historia muy floja.
September 21, 2023
Godzilla vs. Pirates! I don't need to say more.
October 16, 2023
Pirates and monsters!
October 24, 2023
Good Start
The open navel battle with Godzilla what else can you ask for can't wait to own The vol next April
The open navel battle with Godzilla what else can you ask for can't wait to own The vol next April
May 30, 2024
Who doesn't love Kaiju fights and pirates
August 3, 2024
As a fan of both Godzilla and Our Flag Means Death I truly loved this comic, however I am very sad Mr.Hull died :/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2025
Have you heard about our lord and savior Godzilla?
August 28, 2023
The premise of pirates of the 1500s encountering Godzilla and it being passed as a tale is an interesting enough concept that I am on board and have yet to have seen a reason to jump ship.
May 28, 2024
This graphic novel combines two epic things: Godzilla and pirates. It also contains a sliver of history. I really liked that this was a hangman's tale: a pirate tells the tale right before he's about to be executed. I loved the old comic style used. It totally has old school Godzilla vibes.
If you like pirates and Godzilla, this is the graphic novel for you!
If you like pirates and Godzilla, this is the graphic novel for you!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews