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IDW's Godzilla
Godzilla: Legends Vol. 1
The Legends begin here! Collecting five spotlight issues, each of which explore a self-contained story centering on one of Godzilla's fearsome foes!
124 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 26, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 18, 2023
An enjoyable episodic monster-of-the-week style comic series, Godzilla: Legends manages to craft engaging new stories while simultaneously staying true to the Godzilla mythos. The art here is fantastic and if you can see the fun in giant monsters fighting in the middle of a large city for little more reason than they're both there and around the same size, I'd say this one is worth a read. It's more of a leisurely read as it doesn't require much deep thinking and the episodic format makes it suitable to pick up and read when you feel up to it.
TLDR: Fun comic, big lizards fuck shit up.
June 21, 2021
Five vignettes, each centered around another kaiju. All by subpar creative teams and lacking in context, making it difficult to care about any of them. The best part about this book were the Art Adams covers.
March 7, 2016
Godzilla: Legends is an anthology of single issue comics, each issue focusing on a different kaiju from Toho’s roster. And like most anthologies, Godzilla: Legends is very hit & miss.
#1—The Underdog. This one features Anguirus, that spikey ankylosaur-like creature that kind of reminds people of a puppy. This is probably my favorite story of the collection – or second favorite, not sure. Either way, it’s definitely one of the highlights. The premise is simple: scientists have tried to make a signal that either attracts or repels monsters. They try to summon Godzilla to deal with an enemy monster, but call up Anguirus instead. The art by Matt Frank is exceptional and the story makes the most of the minimal number of pages.
#2—Lifespan. This is Rodan’s episode. . . I didn’t like it. No likable characters, oddball plot developments, and lackluster art. I tried, but there’s just not much to like here.
#3—Secrets. This one features Titanosaurus, easily one of the most overlooked and underrated of Toho’s kaiju. In Toho’s long tradition of reusing monsters over and over, Titanosaurus has somehow only appeared once in all 28 movies (unless you count stock footage). This is the issue that I feel more than all the others screamed for a longer version of the story (I can totally see it as a cool YA novel). There are a lot of good ideas here but we don’t get to see them all fully develop and it feels slightly rushed in the end. It’s interesting to note that Secrets features a human character from the Godzilla films, which is a nice nod to fans. This is my third favorite of the anthology.
#4—Smog of War. Fans can probably guess that this is Hedorah’s story. Hedorah’s always been one of my favorite kaiju, perhaps mostly because the film which it appeared in is so damn weird. Smog of War isn’t as strange as Yoshimitsu Banno’s 1971 Godzilla vs. Hedorah, but it’s a very entertaining short story and ranks as one of the two best in this anthology. Here Mechagodzilla must fight Hedorah and Godzilla at the same time. Essentially the whole issue is an action sequence. The art by E.J. Su is fantastic.
#5—A Great Height. This is said to be Kumonga’s episode, but the giant spider only makes a cameo. A Great Height is a very disappointing way to end the anthology – it’s perhaps the weakest of the bunch. It’s about an aging adventurer who is tasked with scaling Godzilla like he’s a mountain. The art is bad, the story is rather silly, and I just never connected with this story on any level.
All in all, Godzilla: Legends is not one of IDW’s finest Godzilla comics, but some of the stories included here are very enjoyable. Fans should find some things to like – especially stories 1 and 4 – but for those who are new to IDW’s Godzilla comics, I’d recommend you start elsewhere.
#1—The Underdog. This one features Anguirus, that spikey ankylosaur-like creature that kind of reminds people of a puppy. This is probably my favorite story of the collection – or second favorite, not sure. Either way, it’s definitely one of the highlights. The premise is simple: scientists have tried to make a signal that either attracts or repels monsters. They try to summon Godzilla to deal with an enemy monster, but call up Anguirus instead. The art by Matt Frank is exceptional and the story makes the most of the minimal number of pages.
#2—Lifespan. This is Rodan’s episode. . . I didn’t like it. No likable characters, oddball plot developments, and lackluster art. I tried, but there’s just not much to like here.
#3—Secrets. This one features Titanosaurus, easily one of the most overlooked and underrated of Toho’s kaiju. In Toho’s long tradition of reusing monsters over and over, Titanosaurus has somehow only appeared once in all 28 movies (unless you count stock footage). This is the issue that I feel more than all the others screamed for a longer version of the story (I can totally see it as a cool YA novel). There are a lot of good ideas here but we don’t get to see them all fully develop and it feels slightly rushed in the end. It’s interesting to note that Secrets features a human character from the Godzilla films, which is a nice nod to fans. This is my third favorite of the anthology.
#4—Smog of War. Fans can probably guess that this is Hedorah’s story. Hedorah’s always been one of my favorite kaiju, perhaps mostly because the film which it appeared in is so damn weird. Smog of War isn’t as strange as Yoshimitsu Banno’s 1971 Godzilla vs. Hedorah, but it’s a very entertaining short story and ranks as one of the two best in this anthology. Here Mechagodzilla must fight Hedorah and Godzilla at the same time. Essentially the whole issue is an action sequence. The art by E.J. Su is fantastic.
#5—A Great Height. This is said to be Kumonga’s episode, but the giant spider only makes a cameo. A Great Height is a very disappointing way to end the anthology – it’s perhaps the weakest of the bunch. It’s about an aging adventurer who is tasked with scaling Godzilla like he’s a mountain. The art is bad, the story is rather silly, and I just never connected with this story on any level.
All in all, Godzilla: Legends is not one of IDW’s finest Godzilla comics, but some of the stories included here are very enjoyable. Fans should find some things to like – especially stories 1 and 4 – but for those who are new to IDW’s Godzilla comics, I’d recommend you start elsewhere.
March 9, 2020
there are 4 stories but not complete stories...Not a fan of incomplete stories...
October 31, 2024
One off Godzilla stories some were quite jarring like I'm coming into a story and world that I should already have context for. Some cool covers throughout by Art Adams and painted work by Bob Eggleton. It's fun enough for what it is.
January 13, 2022
Giving tales to those less fortunate monsters in the world like our turtle boi.
November 11, 2013
Oh man, when IDW starts making crappy books based on licensed characters, then I will start complaining. Maybe there Doctor Who stuff hasn't been that great. This book is, though. Adding Depth to Transformers, Ninja Turtles and now Godzilla. It forms a nice closed circle from my childhood to my thirties. Man, that sounds bad.
I love that these creatures have always been called Kaju, but because of Pacific Rim, it feels like a Scientific Term to describe these Giant Monsters. I love, love, love this book.
I love that these creatures have always been called Kaju, but because of Pacific Rim, it feels like a Scientific Term to describe these Giant Monsters. I love, love, love this book.
March 31, 2021
This is a good collection of stories about Godzilla and his rivals. The first match is between Destroyah and Anguirus in "The Underdog", written by Matt Frank/Jeff Perzenkowski and illustrated by Matt Frank. It is the perpetual loser Anguirus against the mighty Destroyah, who can best Godzilla even. The story and art work at a fast paced story about a sonic device developed by a scientist to "attract" Kaiju. However the experiment goes wrong! The manga-esque style art is forceful.
The second story "Lifespan", written by Jon Vankin and illustrated by Simon Gane, features Rodan. The story is well written but breaks no new ground. The artwork fits the story without being cluttered and has good design. It is fast paced with some interesting interplay with the scientist father and his son being bullied and isolated. The story is about Rodan's egg being stolen.
The third story "Secrets", written by Mike Raicht and illustrated by Tony Parker, features the kaiu Titanosaurus and a new way for humanity to defend itself. There are a couple of plot twists that are surprising and makes for a good story. The artwork is serviceable and fairly minimalism.
The fourth story "Smog of War", written Chris Mowry and artwork by E.J. Su, is about a lesser known monster Hedorah otherwise known as the Smog Monster. The story is not a rerun of the film, Godzilla vs Smog Monster, but a take on humanity's answer to Godzilla: Mechagodzilla. The newbie crew controlling Mechagodzilla is on a mission to discover what has destroyed a Chinese city. It is a fun read and good to see Hedorah brought back, along with a old nemesis. The artist does a good job.
The last story "From a Great Height", written by Bobby Curnow and illustrated by Dean Haspiel, is about a mountain climber ,Bryson Allworth, who has done it all and retired. But he is called back to his old passion in order to get samples from mighty Godzilla. This is different take on humanity vs Godzilla. The new adversary is a old adversary the eight legged terror Kumonga. The battle ensues when Godzilla meets Kumonga. How does Allworth survive? The story brings to the forefront the ever present menace of radiation, which is overshadows every Godzilla movie. The artwork complements the story.
The cover variants for the five stories are exceptional in bringing out the various kaiju.
This collection is well written and has very good artists to match the storylines. Well worth a afternoon of reading for the old hands and newbies to the Godzilla Monsterverse.
The second story "Lifespan", written by Jon Vankin and illustrated by Simon Gane, features Rodan. The story is well written but breaks no new ground. The artwork fits the story without being cluttered and has good design. It is fast paced with some interesting interplay with the scientist father and his son being bullied and isolated. The story is about Rodan's egg being stolen.
The third story "Secrets", written by Mike Raicht and illustrated by Tony Parker, features the kaiu Titanosaurus and a new way for humanity to defend itself. There are a couple of plot twists that are surprising and makes for a good story. The artwork is serviceable and fairly minimalism.
The fourth story "Smog of War", written Chris Mowry and artwork by E.J. Su, is about a lesser known monster Hedorah otherwise known as the Smog Monster. The story is not a rerun of the film, Godzilla vs Smog Monster, but a take on humanity's answer to Godzilla: Mechagodzilla. The newbie crew controlling Mechagodzilla is on a mission to discover what has destroyed a Chinese city. It is a fun read and good to see Hedorah brought back, along with a old nemesis. The artist does a good job.
The last story "From a Great Height", written by Bobby Curnow and illustrated by Dean Haspiel, is about a mountain climber ,Bryson Allworth, who has done it all and retired. But he is called back to his old passion in order to get samples from mighty Godzilla. This is different take on humanity vs Godzilla. The new adversary is a old adversary the eight legged terror Kumonga. The battle ensues when Godzilla meets Kumonga. How does Allworth survive? The story brings to the forefront the ever present menace of radiation, which is overshadows every Godzilla movie. The artwork complements the story.
The cover variants for the five stories are exceptional in bringing out the various kaiju.
This collection is well written and has very good artists to match the storylines. Well worth a afternoon of reading for the old hands and newbies to the Godzilla Monsterverse.
May 23, 2024
compared to godzilla in hell, some of the stories in legends certainly attempt to be a more retrospective godzilla story, especially in issue #5. i find issue #1 and #2 disappointingly devoid of charm in both the writing and art, although not actively grating and annoying to read. surprisingly, i don't mind that the stories generally aren't completely wrapped up short stories. most of them are structured like a set up for whatever will commence thereafter, and because it lets off the story at just the right point with intriguing information, i find myself more interested than annoyed.
i was initially quite put off by the telepathic elements in issue #3. however, once aliens were introduced, i understood what the story was trying to be and it became the one story that i was most interested in to know what would happen next. i'll always love a godzilla plot armor that boils down to "he's godzilla and we have worse enemies to kill," and the ending of issue #4 is just so deliciously apocalyptic, similar to the way shin godzilla ends (although less impactful). the last issue is my favorite. it has a believable premise that humanity will have just that one guy somewhere who's unhinged enough to climb up godzilla's back. i love the bits of character study on godzilla in this issue and how it uniquely wraps itself up perfectly when compared to the lack thereof in the previous issues.
two underwhelming issues out of five is usually pretty damning for a series, especially in a continuous series, but i choose not to remember the first two because i don't think their mediocrity overwhelms the three good issues. it's a good series overall that doesn't lose or gain anything from its first two issues.
i was initially quite put off by the telepathic elements in issue #3. however, once aliens were introduced, i understood what the story was trying to be and it became the one story that i was most interested in to know what would happen next. i'll always love a godzilla plot armor that boils down to "he's godzilla and we have worse enemies to kill," and the ending of issue #4 is just so deliciously apocalyptic, similar to the way shin godzilla ends (although less impactful). the last issue is my favorite. it has a believable premise that humanity will have just that one guy somewhere who's unhinged enough to climb up godzilla's back. i love the bits of character study on godzilla in this issue and how it uniquely wraps itself up perfectly when compared to the lack thereof in the previous issues.
two underwhelming issues out of five is usually pretty damning for a series, especially in a continuous series, but i choose not to remember the first two because i don't think their mediocrity overwhelms the three good issues. it's a good series overall that doesn't lose or gain anything from its first two issues.
August 17, 2020
Cinque racconti brevi (troppo brevi) che hanno come protagonisti anche gli altri mostri.
Idea carina se non fosse che in un numero così ridotto di pagine è difficile trasmettere emozioni o essere di impatto. Non c'era la pretesa di un approfondimento dei personaggi, ma considerando che l'unico personaggio noto e su cui esistono pensieri riguardo al carattere è Godzilla, leggere i persone o mostri che agiscono giusto per combattere e sopravvivere, rende il prodotto meno curato e soprattutto meno meritevole di essere acquistato.
L'ultimo racconto su Godzilla arriva a picchi abbastanza alti da essere definito poetico, una vera chicca per quanto riguarda trama e grafica, ma altri racconti sono già stati dimenticati appena terminata la lettura.
Idea carina se non fosse che in un numero così ridotto di pagine è difficile trasmettere emozioni o essere di impatto. Non c'era la pretesa di un approfondimento dei personaggi, ma considerando che l'unico personaggio noto e su cui esistono pensieri riguardo al carattere è Godzilla, leggere i persone o mostri che agiscono giusto per combattere e sopravvivere, rende il prodotto meno curato e soprattutto meno meritevole di essere acquistato.
L'ultimo racconto su Godzilla arriva a picchi abbastanza alti da essere definito poetico, una vera chicca per quanto riguarda trama e grafica, ma altri racconti sono già stati dimenticati appena terminata la lettura.
July 17, 2024
A wonderful collection of short stories regarding various monsters without Godzilla present.
The story about the daredevil who scales Godzilla's back and gets cancer from it is my favorite. It's such an impactful human story that is perfectly suited to a format like this, as it would feel weird as a side plot in any of the films.
Also, Hedorah needs a remake. This comic showcases how cool we could make him in CGI.
Some of the others are more middle of the road, namely the Rodan and Titanisaurus shots.
The story about the daredevil who scales Godzilla's back and gets cancer from it is my favorite. It's such an impactful human story that is perfectly suited to a format like this, as it would feel weird as a side plot in any of the films.
Also, Hedorah needs a remake. This comic showcases how cool we could make him in CGI.
Some of the others are more middle of the road, namely the Rodan and Titanisaurus shots.
August 16, 2018
A collection of five stories featuring various kaiju from the Godzilla franchise. All are decently good, although you probably have to be familiar with said franchise to appreciate them, especially the one with Titanosaurus (which was one of my favorites). The stories featuring Rodan and Kumonga stand alone fairly well, however, with the Kumonga story (really a Godzilla story where Kumonga appears) being the most original of the set by far. (B+)
August 21, 2024
A collection of unrelated stories so features various visual and story styles. Each one puts a different monster as the main monster, so you see the likes of Anguirus, Rodan, Titanosaurus, Hedorah, and Kumonga. Well, I suppose Kumonga gets short-changed because Godzilla is the main monster, but plays an non-destructive role. The main characters are the humans though. Most of the stories could do with follow-up comics because they set-up something bigger.
December 12, 2025
I love Godzilla and his world of monsters. I also love the idea of focusing on the other kaiju and was stoked to check it out. While it is fun, a couple of the stories really drag it down. The worst offender being Rodan’s story which is a huge bummer because Rodan is my favorite. I would love more of these, even if they are not the best. Growing up a Godzilla fan who didn’t have much to now where I can complain about Godzilla stuff is actually a great feeling. I love it all.
June 12, 2021
A mixed bag of Godzilla takes, each focusing on a different kaiju from his rogues gallery. Quality is, of course, inconsistent, but there is enough of interest to make this series attractive to Godzilla fans.
August 3, 2022
Pretty hit-and-miss but overall decent enough. I like the Anguirus story and the Hedorah story and the "Kumonga" (it's Godzilla who's the star) story, but the Titanosaurus story was pretty fan fic and lame and the Rodan story is pretty terrible.
June 19, 2023
Pretty uneven series, both with the quality of stories being told and the creative teams involved. That said, I did more-or-less enjoy three of the five books that are collected here in this volume so I figure that three-stars is a respectable rating for it.
May 31, 2017
It's Godzilla. Kaiju fun.
December 16, 2017
The anthology of stories about the different Kosky were good and enjoyable to read. Some of the artwork was a little off to my liking, but overall an enjoyable read.
July 17, 2019
Good alternative views from the Godzilla stories
August 23, 2019
Denis McDonough said that he was not authorized to speak to him random stuff
Yeet it was great awesome kind of funny. The book had all my favorites just if Lumina could win yeet
Yeet it was great awesome kind of funny. The book had all my favorites just if Lumina could win yeet
January 2, 2020
Very nice story
I like it because of the art designs
I rate it because it's awesome
You should make another product of it
I like it because of the art designs
I rate it because it's awesome
You should make another product of it
October 7, 2020
This was my least favorite Godzilla collection. The last two stories were the best. Don’t put too much effort into hunting this one down unless you’re a super fan.
August 21, 2021
Window into another world
An entertaining read that shows a fascinating glimpse into how humans coexist with the Kaiju of their world! 5 Stars all around!~
An entertaining read that shows a fascinating glimpse into how humans coexist with the Kaiju of their world! 5 Stars all around!~
March 29, 2023
Godzilla rogues gallery
If you want to see some one shot comics of some of Godzilla's rivals take center of a comic this is for you my favorite is anguirus :)
If you want to see some one shot comics of some of Godzilla's rivals take center of a comic this is for you my favorite is anguirus :)
August 20, 2023
My favorite was the titanosaurus story, followed by the Hedorah one. The rest were pretty good to forgettable.
August 23, 2023
The last 2 stories (Hedorah and Kumonga) are pretty good. The other ones are really really bad. Can't really recommend this one.
February 6, 2024
Goodzilla
Alrighty...the comics were good. I just wanted a novel. The art was alright, but the stories I just ended...Like Godzilla so will take what I can get.
Alrighty...the comics were good. I just wanted a novel. The art was alright, but the stories I just ended...Like Godzilla so will take what I can get.
March 31, 2024
Fun
The book gets you so interesting and it makes you want to see more and is mainly why I liked it
The book gets you so interesting and it makes you want to see more and is mainly why I liked it
April 22, 2024
3.5 because some of the stories were great but some were bad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews