Godzilla: Rage Across Time

IDW's Godzilla

by Ulises Fariñas, Erick Freitas, Ryan Ferrier

Move over dinosaurs... monsters used to rule the planet! Travel to different time periods to examine the origin of myths that fueled nightmares! Feudal Japan, ancient Greece, medieval England, and classic Rome by a multitude of today s best creators!"

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

120 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2016

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a lot of Godzilla one-offs, these stories had no depth. It was more about setting these kaiju in historical settings. Some of them were just nonsense like the story with the knights and the plague along with Mothra or all the monsters fighting in prehistoric times before aliens show up and kill them all. At best the stories were just OK like Godzilla in feudal Japan or fighting Hannibal in the alps. Then there's the issue where Godzilla wipes out the Greek gods which reaches Mount Olympus levels of stupidity.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this for my kids since it was free on Amazon, so Inread it too. Pretty typical kind of Godzilla story, no depth. Interesting take on having him battle across different time periods, but nothing much comes of it. Artwork was nice for the most part.

[Drew Canole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an odd one. Archeologists are digging up evidence of Godzilla throughout time and then we get to see Godzilla in historical settings - like how he caused the disaster in Pompeii. Doesn't make too much sense, but it's a good excuse for depicting some fun monster battles.

[Cienna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was the adventure I never knew I needed.

[Brendan McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Godzilla: Rage Across Time is made up of five issues that tell various stories about Godzilla in different time periods, using a globe trotting conspiracy theorist and his assistant as a framing device. The five issues that make up this work are uneven in quality, and I think it is a disservice that the first issue is one of the best as it leaves a lot of the others feeling like a step down. Still, issues 1 and 4 (that is, Godzilla in Feudal Japan and Godzilla vs Hannibal) are standouts (both in terms of art and story) and alone would easily warrant a 5 star rating. The other three do bring them down, though the stories set in Ancient Greece and Medieval England are not terrible by any means (my big gripe with the latter is that it doesn’t have Godzilla in it…it’s a Mothra story!). It is disappointing however that the last story, set in the Mesozoic era and complete with dinosaurs and space aliens, is the weakest; it barely has a plot and is an extremely weak end to the story. Still, the high points of this series are very high indeed and for that alone I will give this a 4. That said, the stories can be read individually just fine and I would thus recommend just reading exclusively 1 and 4 if you’re looking for the optimal ‘Godzilla in history’ experience

[Ben A · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really think I would have liked this volume of historical Godzilla stories a lot more if I hadn't read the much more enjoyable Godzilla: Here Be Dragons mini-series before it.

[Caio Amaro · Rating 2 out of 5]

O conceito/ideia é bem legal, toda a parte de se passar em períodos históricos diferentes somado à artes diferentes, porém a história vai ficando cada vez mais desinteressante.

[Kyle Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is said to be the last Godzilla comic by IDW. Details on why remain a mystery to me at the moment. After the ongoing run that went from Kingdom of Monsters to History’s Greatest Monster and finally the wonderful Rulers of Earth, IDW’s Godzilla has been relegated to 5 issue miniseries treatments. Some good (Cataclysm), some middle of the road (In Hell), and some bad (Oblivion). Rage Across Time is another mini, taking Godzilla through history in five shorts that are connected only by the thinnest of narrative threads as a modern scientist detects the clues on how kaiju shapes Earth’s history. The mini gathers some of IDW’s regular Godzilla talents like Matt Frank, Jeff Zornow, and Chris Mowry, while also introducing some new names, most notably Project Nemesis author Jeremy Robinson.

Part 1 is set in Feudal Japan. Drawn by Matt Frank with extra flair in a style akin to traditional Japanese art, this is not only the best looking piece in the book, it’s one of the coolest collections of Godzilla art I’ve seen. So dang cool. The writing by Jeremy Robinson is solid, too, telling the story of two rival Japanese warriors who awaken Godzilla when the country is under attack by Mongolian invaders.

Part 2 is set in Ancient Greece, complete with Greek Gods like Zeus hanging out atop Mount Olympus. This sounds kinda silly but it surprised me by how much fun it is, and how much they were able to mine from the basic idea. In the story, Godzilla rises from the depths as a new devil to challenge the old gods. It’s a fine mix of fantasy with the Godzilla brand and works surprisingly well.

Part 3 is England during the Black Plague. Knights seeking to cure the plague meet the ‘dragons’ Megaguirus and Mothra. No Godzilla this time. It’s a decent chapter, but more than any of the others it is hurt by being too short. Allowed time to tell more of a story with deeper character work, this could’ve been really interesting and clever. It’s just too short to do the concept justice.

Part 4 is about Hannibal the Conqueror using the angry Godzilla in his fight against Rome. This one didn’t work for me. The storytelling is kind of hard to follow and the art makes it feel like Disney’s adaptation of 300.

Part 5 takes us all the way back to the Cretaceous Period. Jeff Zornow provides some badass art as the kaiju do battle with dinosaurs underfoot. The chapter is decidedly more sci-fi than you’d expect, but I shall not spoil how and why here. It’s a fun final chapter.

Like all of IDW’s Godzilla miniseries, Rage Across Time has its share of ups and downs, making for an enjoyable but uneven book. It’s sad that this appears to be IDW’s last hurrah with Godzilla. It’s been fun.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this graphic novel is interesting--Godzilla shows up in various historical times and places and fights other kaiju, people, and even dinosaurs. But (as many other reviewers here on Goodreads have pointed out), the execution isn't fantastic. I think a big part of the problem is ultimately that there's only the most tenuous overarching connection as a conspiracy-theory believing scientist and his assistant trek around the world looking for evidence of Godzilla at great moments in history. But the stories themselves are okay without being particularly intriguing.
https://youtu.be/uPhxhCoc788

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Godzilla ha tenido poca suerte en las viñetas, oscilando entre su andadura kitsch por el universo Marvel en el período 1977-1979, opacas versiones estilo manga y aciertos puntuales como el especial que firma Arthur Adams en 1992. Por eso agrada ver el resultado de esta miniserie, donde cinco equipos creativos se turnan para registrar la presencia de la criatura a través de la historia (el Japón feudal, la Grecia mitológica, la Inglaterra de Eduardo III, las Guerras Púnicas y la prehistoria); el resultado es naturalmente irregular y decreciente, pero episodios como abre la premisa hacen que su lectura merezca la pena... al menos si se es seguidor del personaje.

[Luke John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series of comics exploring various kaiju events throughout history, going back as far as the Cretaceous era (easily the weakest issue in the volume). The balance of good to bad issues in this collection leans towards the latter, but there is still some enjoyment to be had. Feudal Japan and Ancient Greece were the stand outs for me, although perhaps not worth the price of entry. This series has however been collected with Legends and (the excellent) In Hell, in Unnatural Disasters. A much better proposition overall.

[Doctor Doom · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know how the movie "Forrest Gump" stuck fictional Forrest within all sort of historical events? Well, here the fictional Godzilla is stuck into historical and fictional events that we are somewhat familiar with. It's fun though it doesn't rise to the quality of some of the other Godzilla books that have come out in the past few years. Worth a read if you are a fan [which I happen to be].

[chrysaanthmms · Rating 3 out of 5]

the mere concept of a comic exploring how godzilla has impacted history (and how history is partial, always has and will be but that's a can of worms) is extremely interesting in and of itself, especially with the heavy, period-inspired stylization in the first issue that doesn't really come back again in other issues. four of the issues execute this concept in varying degrees of goodness; i just flat-out hate the last issue.

rage across time starts off really strong with the first issue set during the mongolian invasion of japan. the art style is simply entrancing and deeply charming. the linework and composition is so good it's unequivocally the best-looking godzilla issue i've ever read. the story is simple, but it has a strong narrative and enforces the theme of godzilla as a force of nature beyond humanity's control.

godzilla fighting greek gods can be an entire series in and of itself, and i do think that the scope of it is way too big to fit into a single issue, but the story wrapped itself up pretty cleanly by focusing on just zeus and his downfall. i don't think it's satisfying, but it is a clean end. i also think poseidon should be the greek god the story focuses on instead of zeus for some reason? it is a nagging question how the other greek gods are so easily defeated and how godzilla just fought hydra amongst a huge menagerie of greek mythology monsters. the art style is unmemorable. the concept is interesting, but i think this issue narratively bites more than it can chew.

the third issue is not a godzilla story. it's a classic medieval monster-hunter story with the black plague as a backdrop. i have the least to say about this issue. it's uninteresting and the only standout is the mothra theme song, which i really like.

the art style in the fourth issue may not necessarily be period-inspired, but it is gorgeous. i love how much godzilla is being annoyed with in this issue simply for being in the wrong place and wrong time. i like how hannibal is constantly being called a dumbass idiot by everyone, even his own men. i just love godzilla and this story has a pretty entertaining way of depicting him.

i strongly dislike the fifth issue. i would describe 90% of this issue as a jumble of incomprehensible kaiju fights with no clarity whatsoever, and the rest 10% as a really bad and lazy alien twist that made me happy when the alien's attempt at artificially "planting" a civilization failed. there's also a piece of dialogue that's just...very very cool. very cool. it's an attempt at alternate history that is so....egregious i'm extremely disappointed because this series started off so strong.

spectacle can do much for a story, especially for a godzilla story, but it can only cover so much for a weak story. when a spectacle story that aims to entertain stops being entertaining, then there's really nothing left to analyze but the story itself. the blandness is going to rear its own head out and stick out like a sore thumb. i think the only truly worth-reading issues here are the first and fourth issues. the second and third issues are uninteresting and unremarkable, and the last issue is just flat-out bad.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of historical encounters with kaiju is less science fiction based and more in the style of legends. After the first story ends, we see that it is using the frame narrative with a scientist and his assistant in the present day looking back at the historical sites from each story at its close. The scientist has a theory that major events occurred because of Godzilla and related monsters. Parts of this sort of silly narrative are forgivable for being stylized, but some parts are particularly ridiculous --like the belief that the legend of Godzilla was spread across the world and that they all called him Godzilla. It's more than a little preposterous.

I think the best part about these stories is the cover images for each issue. The one for feudal Japan was particularly good (no surprise there since he is a Japanese creation).

The story definitely loses something by being divorced from the traditional themes of man going too far and chemical/nuclear agents. It's part of that slip away from science fiction. The stories suffer from trying to Forest Gump some events in history, notably Hannibal's crossing of the Alps. The stories seem to derive all of their reading titillation from the reveal of the various monsters in the story. There is no moral message. The humans in the story are drab and reveal little about the human existence. There is no exploration of corporate greed (circa Mothra vs. Godzilla) or even anything remotely deeper than surface level monster fighting.

Perhaps the worst story is when the Gods of Olympus decide to fight Godzilla for some reason. And the ending of that story with Zeus straight up Seymoured from Futurama. I can't believe I have to say twice in this review, but revisionist history (especially shitty fantasy revisions) is not good reading for a Godzilla story!

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Godzilla: Rage Across Time is made up of five issues that tell various stories about Godzilla (and/or other Kaiju) in different time periods, centered around an archaeologist speculating about the past. In the Greek storyline he destroys the Greek Gods, then triggers the eruption in Pompeii. The Feudal Japan and the Medieval plague storyline are the most detailed. The final prehistoric story seems to lack detail and is a bit confusing what is happening. It's mainly just a big Kaiju battle but then aliens appear and teach basic survival skills to humans but Godzilla rises and wipes them out. He can't have wiped out human civilization though because there wouldn't be humans in the modern day.

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sections drawn by Matt Frank and Jeff Zornow (Feudal Japan and the Cretaceous, respectively) have the best art and storylines. The whole thing is really sort of silly and worth a smile, Godzilla being the reason for many major historical transitions. Allegorically, it also sort of works as well. In the same way that Godzilla was originally the physical representation of the epoch-establishing atomic threat, here he represents Time--the great kingdom destroyer. The art is cool, the stories are fine. Frank, Zornow, and Eggleston are top notch Godzilla artists.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Godzilla in Feudal Japan? Godzilla vs Hannibal? 5/5. AWESOME stuff.
Godzilla in Ancient Greece fighting Zeus? Godzilla in Medieval England? 3/5 or so. Fun enough kinda.
Godzilla vs Dinosaurs? 2/5 what a disappointment.

Worth it for feudal Japan alone, though.

[Luke Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

As dumb as it is delightful: Very!

Particularly enjoyed the wildly unnecessary framing device of the globe trotting archeologists finding hilariously definitive archeological proof of Kaiju involvement across human history, up to and including a complete fossilized Greek god.

[Deena Wilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting storyline. However, wasn't very consistent at some points. Good to know just who might have caused some of the worlds "big" events. Artwork as always was wonderful.

[Jazmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Brannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun historic look at Godzilla and friends through the ages.

[Jaime Guzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are tales of Godzilla and the rest of the Toho Monsters and how they affected the people they have encountered throughout time.
The stories and art work are a hit or miss.

[Jahir Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick Read

Great artwork for this quick read. I enjoyed the mix of Godzilla with historical events. Enjoyed the addition of other titans as well.

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat compilation of artistry and culture/era story lines.

[Kenneth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was really boring, only liked one issue out of the whole collection

[NerdyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last 3 tales in the book weren't as good as the first two.

[Scott A. Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it wasn't for the last issue, I would give this 3/5, but come on, how can you not love the fan service in that issue?

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

It's crazy to see Godzilla over all the time periods like the romams PR fudeal Japan its was just amazing

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

What does it say about me that I raise an eyebrow over Godzilla fighting Greek gods, but not over Godzilla being in Hell? I did really like some of the art, at least.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't mind an artist jam, but nothing in here did it for me.

Okay, to be fair, Godzilla vs. Zeus was a pretty cool surprise.