Godzilla in Hell

IDW's Godzilla

by James Stokoe, Bob Eggleton, Ulises Fariñas

Godzilla meets his greatest adversary of all time—the impossible tortures of Hell! Each issue of this special miniseries will see Godzilla enter a new level of the underworld to do battle with the impossible by a variety of today's best writers and artists!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 2016

About the author

James Stokoe (born September 4, 1985) is a Canadian comic book artist who is known for his work on such titles as Wonton Soup, Orc Stain and Godzilla: The Half-Century War.
Along with Corey Lewis, Brandon Graham and Marley Zarcone, he's a part of a studio/collective called "Yosh Comics".

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok..let me be clear- no matter what the blurb says: Do Not Believe It. Do not buy this for the story. There isn't much of one, except the barest outline of a premise- Godzilla in Hell. So how could this awful premise still rate three stars from me? Simple- I took it as an art book.

There are five different stories in this collection. Each one is drawn by a different artist and also has a unique setting (or consider a different level of Hell-almost like Dante). The art styles are all uniformly good. There is very little prose and even less dialogue. Instead you are treated to various panels of artists impressions of Godzilla fighting different hellspawn and demonic versions of his enemies.

The art in the first and last stories is truly exceptional. I really enjoyed the style. But that's really what this is about- a pastiche of different artists interpreting Godzilla fighting in Hell. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea-I understand. But, the more nerdy among you might be interested. Those who enjoy different styles of comic art will certainly enjoy it. If you are looking for a real story- don't bother. There really isn't one.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never read a Godzilla comic before so I’m not sure if this is like Hellboy in Hell where it’s the next part of a years-long story or whether Godzilla in Hell is just a one-off, standalone Elseworlds-type deal. It seems self-contained anyway so newbs like me can experience comic book Godzilla in a done-in-one book.

Godzilla’s in Hell – never has a title been so apt! A different creative team handles each of the five issues, all of which are silent except for issue two, which makes sense – Godzilla shouldn’t have any inner or outer monologue! Each issue he fights some of his deadliest Kaiju buds until the weird Buddhist ending.

There’s not much to the story, characters, etc. – the major (and really only) selling point is the amazing art in each issue. James Stokoe writes/draws the first issue which was definitely my favourite. Besides the epic scale, confident, clean line and beautiful detail in the comic, I liked how Stokoe drew Godzilla’s eyes which wordlessly and brilliantly indicated a keen intelligence and wary personality.

Bob Eggleton writes/draws the second issue, the only one with narrative boxes, which is also apparently the first painted Godzilla comic ever. Eggleton’s inspirations for this issue come from artists like John Martin, Gustave Dore, and JMW Turner, giving Hell this rich, classical look with icy tundra, roiling seas and a foreboding sense of horror – wonderful!

The third issue, written by Ulises Farinas and Erick Frietas with art by Buster Moody shows us how Godzilla came to be in Hell (which is of course OTT), while the fourth issue (written by Brandon Seifer with art by Idrahim Moustafa and Marissa Louise) is a classic Godzilla story with lots of Kaiju fighting in a city. It’s definitely the weakest in the collection for falling back on this indistinct, generic approach.

The final issue written/drawn by Dave Wachter has some pretty cool imagery even if it doesn’t shed much light on what the book’s story was supposed to be! Then again, maybe Godzilla fans don’t care about that sort of thing? Throughout, Godzilla battles the likes of Rodan, Anguirius, Varan and King Ghidorah, whipping his tail and using his fire breath to defeat them all – isn’t that all the fans want? If so, fill yer boots here! I suppose in that regard he’s quite a limited character too.

There may be the barest of stories here with no effort at characterisation and the lack of words makes for a very quick read, but Godzilla in Hell is a visually spectacular book. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of amazing art featuring Godzilla and his rogues gallery.

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I heard the title, I thought this will be great. Oh, how wrong I was. While the art in the book was quite good, what is the point of it? There is no plot. It's just Godzilla walking through Hell fighting demons that attack him. He can't be killed. It's pointless.

Received an advance copy from IDW and Netgalley.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The anthology nature of this essentially wordless (with the exception of one installment) comic makes it bound to be a mixed bag, but for the most part Godzilla in Hell is visually inventive, weirdly meditative, and, of course, a quick read, because it's a relatively thin comic containing almost no words.

[Venus Maneater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big fan of the segment drawn by Dave Wachter. The visual of Godzilla trotting through the Torii is really beautiful and I need that printed and framed ASAP.

It's a Godzilla comic, so extremely action-packed, but still a very meditative read.

I agree with something another user mentioned; I would have loved to see more Hieronymus Bosch-esque visuals.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles."
Godzilla rocks, but this collection felt pretty light in content. It is more like a collective art book with a single overarching theme than a straight forward story. With that said, all of the art was spectacularly done, and the battle scenes were well executed. It may have an introduction sequence by Stokoe but overall it did not satisfy me the way his Half Century War did.

Honestly reviewed for Netgalley. (Honestly)

[Drew ‘Brick’ Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really cool take on Godzilla. The opening James Stokoe issue is brilliant... I want a whole book of that! The second tale is painted and has some Divine Comedy style text. The others aren't very strong, and don't even appear to be set in Hell. Still lots of fun monster battles, it's all the good bits of the movies with none of the boring talky stuff.

[Dima Vesnin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cложно относиться к этому комиксу серьёзно. Годзилла. В аду. Безмолвные битвы с чудовищами, цитаты Будды и Данте, и мощь кайдзю, переданная в картинках. He is big. He is green. He is lovable. Godzilla in Hell.

UPD. на второе прочтение 4 года спустя кажется, что первая и последняя история абсолютное великие, но всё что между ними совершенно не дотягивает

[Robert JH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of an oddball read for me because I don’t typically read comics but with the title ‘Godzilla in Hell’ I had to take a look. The art of the first two stories within the comic, as well as the final one, are really great (I guess I’m a fan of hellscape art) but for the most part the interesting stuff ends at its premise.

[Alex Sarll]

In one sense, inexplicable. In another, obvious. Godzilla smashing cities up and fighting other monsters is cool - so having him smash up Pandemonium and fight horrible weird-ass infernal beasts will obviously be even cooler. There's little in the way of plot, just an opportunity for the five artists to go wild with the concept.James Stokoe has already demonstrated how well his ghastly, intricate style suits this sort of stuff; his colleagues do just as well in styles ranging from homage to the original films, to a John Martin pastiche so dead-on it even has the slightly shoddy lightning. Gloriously pointless.

[Francesca Giardiello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cinque racconti brevi su Godzilla correlato all'inferno.

Alcuni sono davvero belli sia graficamente e pieni di poesia, metafore e simbolismo, altri invece risultano essere mediocri, una mera perdita di tempo. Complessivamente il volume non è valido, ma se avete l'opportunità di leggere i singoli capitoli, allora approfittatene!

[Erik Waiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting to see a comic from this vantage point. Several seemingly interwoven tales that seldom have any words, only the trumpeting roar of our lead character. Non-traditional comic, but very fun and interesting to take in.

[Brendan McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a challenge to review. The series doesn’t really have a story, but is rather a series of events and adventures that Godzilla has while in hell. Even these tend to be vaguely defined (who are what is the “Lust” Monster?), which does help give the series an interesting if vague tone. I should also note that there is basically nothing to read, meaning you can blaze through all five comics in about 10 minutes.

The real stand out part of this series is the art however. Each comic is done by a different artist and in a different style. All are good in their own way, but 2 and 5 are particularly stunning.

So what would I rate this? Probably 5 for the art and the idea warrants maybe a 4, but it just feels a bit too short to really give it much more than a 3.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't really much of a story so much as an artist showcase, with each issue/chapter drawn by a different artist. Just based on the first two artists I'd give it 4 stars, but in the end it evened out to a respectable 3 stars.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I imagine more hardcore Godzilla fans will enjoy this. Its exactly what it says on the tin: different depictons of Godzilla fighting in hell. No plot, just mind-numbing gratuitous action. Enjoyable in the moment, but leaves no lasting impression.

[молодо́й челове́к · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a hint of a story, only incredible art and scenes of Gojira fighting in hell. My stupid thirteen year old me loves it.

[Carocompagno · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
5 ⭐️ per le illustrazioni (in particolare quelle del secondo capitolo)
2.5 ⭐️ per la storia

[Scoot Swain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to follow at times but still incredibly fun. Issue 2 is absolutely gorgeous! Wonderful for anyone who loves monster fights and has about a half hour to spare.

[IvanBat · Rating 1 out of 5]

No es ni la mitad de entretenido de lo que esperaba.

[Devalin Galloway · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an art book? Incredibly sick.

As something with story or plot? You won’t find that here

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it delivered on the premise.

[mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big lizard . In hell. Fighting other big Kaijus .

[Sef Can't Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

*SKREEONK*

[David Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag, but some terrific art.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Que se passerait-il si Godzilla se retrouvait en enfer ? Chaque chapitre livre une partie de cette histoire contée par des auteurs différents.

Particulièrement appréciée et citée par les fans de Godzilla, je suis content d'avoir les références mais reste un peu sur ma faim. Chaque mini histoire est assez courte, naturellement le scénario est surtout visuel, c'est bien dessiné mais ça n'utilise pas spécialement bien le médium bande dessinée.

Je reste clairement sur ma faim.

[chrysaanthmms · Rating 5 out of 5]

i generally have two distinct modes when getting into godzilla stories, either a) i'm expecting a story that doesn't really aim further than pure spectacle, generally not susceptible to nitpicky criticisms that concern itself on whether or not the story makes 100% logical sense (it's literally just Big Lizard) or b) i'm expecting a story exploring how the world responds to the sheer existence of godzilla, a story that does think further about the real-world repercussions of a fully-realized force of nature that, regardless of how indifferent or not indifferent it is, still brought immense destruction to the world. it's either let them fight or people actually died when it comes to godzilla stories. a mix of both can be attempted at, but i think this one is a very clear you can't have your cake and eat it too case.

the first issue literally opened with godzilla destroying a stone-sculpted "ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTERS HERE" and with that level of subtlety, it's clear in which category this story falls into. james stokoe is one of my favorite comic book artists working now, and his art style fits this type of story egregiously well. his artwork in the first issue sets off the tone for the rest of the series extremely well and works even more effectively without any dialogue whatsoever. inversely, i wholly enjoy the narration in issue #2 because it gives off the most godzilla-meets-dante's-inferno vibe (and i also always love it when artists openly cite their stylistic inspirations). issue #3 may not be my favorite stylistically, but i think this issue best nails the depiction of godzilla as an indifferent force of nature who has neither obligation nor debt to serve or side with heaven or hell. i particularly love the way a violent death-rebirth cycle is depicted in issue #4, especially in how godzilla experiences and enacts the cycle itself along with his foes. while i was hoping for a continuation of issue #2 (my favorite issue), issue #5 is an extremely strong close to the story. a couple of the first pages in ink makes me really want a short godzilla black and white series. that buddha quote is frankly just the cherry on top.

in general, the art is gorgeous all throughout, especially in issue #2 and #5. love love love how the godzilla design is the classic toho design despite this coming out after gareth edward's 2014 godzilla. this series was made out to be one thing that it truly commits and excels at being.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, only true Godzilla fans will be able to enjoy this as this story is pretty much just an excuse for the creators to have Godzilla fight whatever they want. As the story is pretty basic with just Godzilla trying to escape hell. But the final part of the story is really confusing and hard to understand as it feels the is a part missing. But the artwork in this book is really amazing with so many references not only to the Godzilla franchises but also funny enough to many classics like Dante's Inferno. But again read this only if you want to see Godzilla fight things in cool places.

[Gabriel Wallis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently, I've been trying to watch all the Godzilla films. It's been a goal of mine since childhood. That said, I've also been wanting to read a few Godzilla graphic novels. Thus Godzilla in Hell. And I was impressed with it. It was like a Dante Alighieri's Inferno version of Godzilla. Even though it was a graphic novel of few words, the illustrations were great to look at. Godzilla in Hell? Who would've thought?

[Rizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a stupid idea. What AMAZING execution! I can't believe how well this works. There's barely any words, just a big monster wandering through the various circles of hell. But the tone really sells it, and the different artists really make it come alive. Godzilla comics tend to be doomed to the typical mediocrity of franchise tie-ins, but this rises above for a genuinely new experience.
I also highly recommend Stokoe's Half-Century War. Very different but just as good.

[Andrew Shaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much story, but as an art showcase...whoa.