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Godzilla: Cataclysm #1-5
Godzilla: World of Monsters
Monsters rule the world in this compendium collecting three graphic novels--Gangsters & Goliaths, Cataclysm, and Oblivion!
In Gangsters & Goliaths by John Layman and Alberto Ponticelli, Detective Makoto Sato is on a quest to bring down the Takahashi crime syndicate but Sato's efforts earn him a one-way trip to a tropical getaway, courtesy of the Tokyo criminal underworld--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 unusual friends.
In Cataclysm by Cullen Bunn and Dave Wachter, years have passed since a monster apocalypse nearly destroyed mankind. Now it is merely a distant, nightmarish memory for Hiroshi, an elder in one of the few remaining tribes of humans. Little does Hiroshi know that the apocalypse is not over, and that his memories of the past may yet save the future!
In Oblivion by Joshua Fialkov and Brian Churilla, a scientist has created a portal to another dimension--one where monsters rule supreme! An expedition begins into a world where hope has died and Godzilla is the unrivaled King of the Monsters. But what happens when a baby kaiju hitches a ride back to the original, monster-less dimension?
In Gangsters & Goliaths by John Layman and Alberto Ponticelli, Detective Makoto Sato is on a quest to bring down the Takahashi crime syndicate but Sato's efforts earn him a one-way trip to a tropical getaway, courtesy of the Tokyo criminal underworld--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 unusual friends.
In Cataclysm by Cullen Bunn and Dave Wachter, years have passed since a monster apocalypse nearly destroyed mankind. Now it is merely a distant, nightmarish memory for Hiroshi, an elder in one of the few remaining tribes of humans. Little does Hiroshi know that the apocalypse is not over, and that his memories of the past may yet save the future!
In Oblivion by Joshua Fialkov and Brian Churilla, a scientist has created a portal to another dimension--one where monsters rule supreme! An expedition begins into a world where hope has died and Godzilla is the unrivaled King of the Monsters. But what happens when a baby kaiju hitches a ride back to the original, monster-less dimension?
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2021
79 people are currently reading
69 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 24, 2025
Alright so here’s the issue with this collection of just fine Godzilla comics. Each one fails in one of the key Godzilla/kaiju ways and makes the whole collection kind of a drag. I love Godzilla so it wasn’t horrible but every story could’ve (should’ve) been better.
Gangsters and Goliaths: I just didn’t like the protagonist. His motivation was fine but this felt like a bad Godzilla story wrapped in a fine movie starring Jason Statham- the human characters made this one feel like a bore. I also hate when anyone is being disrespectful to Mothra, wtf!
Cataclysm: the best of the bunch/ Godzilla is more of “beyond human understanding” here and that part is always interesting BUT I just didn’t feel like it worked. I can’t exactly explain why but the whole thing was just ok, even though it had potential.
Oblivion: having read this one recently, I just flipped through. The art here really feels lackluster compared to the other two stories. The cartoony designs are fine but take away from the drama and heartbreak of the story.
This whole collection was mildly disappointing but that’s why I love the library. I’d recommend you check this out if you are a Godzilla fan and want more but I think there are better comics that feature him or other kaiju.
Gangsters and Goliaths: I just didn’t like the protagonist. His motivation was fine but this felt like a bad Godzilla story wrapped in a fine movie starring Jason Statham- the human characters made this one feel like a bore. I also hate when anyone is being disrespectful to Mothra, wtf!
Cataclysm: the best of the bunch/ Godzilla is more of “beyond human understanding” here and that part is always interesting BUT I just didn’t feel like it worked. I can’t exactly explain why but the whole thing was just ok, even though it had potential.
Oblivion: having read this one recently, I just flipped through. The art here really feels lackluster compared to the other two stories. The cartoony designs are fine but take away from the drama and heartbreak of the story.
This whole collection was mildly disappointing but that’s why I love the library. I’d recommend you check this out if you are a Godzilla fan and want more but I think there are better comics that feature him or other kaiju.
January 7, 2024
With a great influx of fans to Godzilla on the back of Godzilla Minus One, this book was a relatively light-hearted reminder of the absurdity of the franchise while still taking it's narrative seriously.
The quality of the writing and the art is always functional but certainly has its highs and lows. My pick of the bunch was "Gangsters and Goliaths," which creatively pits crime lords and crooked cops in control of Mothra against Godzilla. An insane concept that is played completely deadpan and is the richer for it.
There's very little of the handholding that hampers movie adaptations of Godzilla. It's straight into the insanity and variety of Godzilla's "rogues gallery." Cataclysm is a Biollante story set against the ruins of humanity while mankind hangs on by its fingernails. Godzilla feels like a guest spot, which again shows the strength of the Kaiju pantheon that you're unlikely to see outside of original Japanese film releases.
The quality of the writing and the art is always functional but certainly has its highs and lows. My pick of the bunch was "Gangsters and Goliaths," which creatively pits crime lords and crooked cops in control of Mothra against Godzilla. An insane concept that is played completely deadpan and is the richer for it.
There's very little of the handholding that hampers movie adaptations of Godzilla. It's straight into the insanity and variety of Godzilla's "rogues gallery." Cataclysm is a Biollante story set against the ruins of humanity while mankind hangs on by its fingernails. Godzilla feels like a guest spot, which again shows the strength of the Kaiju pantheon that you're unlikely to see outside of original Japanese film releases.
October 19, 2021
Gorgeous artwork, and 2/3 of the stories were a fun trip. One wasn't my art style and didn't do it for me but well worth the read.
April 27, 2024
In this collection I’ve read most of these and really the best overall of the three is “Cataclysm”. “Oblivion” has cool potential but annoying characters.
I would just find the “Cataclysm” TPB and read that and skip the others.
I would just find the “Cataclysm” TPB and read that and skip the others.
October 23, 2021
3.5
I love Godzilla but I'm not going to pretend the comics are some important part of the medium. They are mostly hit or miss from what I've read. This collection has tha fully gathered three pretty solid arcs. They're not anything deep and transformative like Half Century War or Godzilla in Hell, but they're a great ride for any Kaiju fan.
I love Godzilla but I'm not going to pretend the comics are some important part of the medium. They are mostly hit or miss from what I've read. This collection has tha fully gathered three pretty solid arcs. They're not anything deep and transformative like Half Century War or Godzilla in Hell, but they're a great ride for any Kaiju fan.
February 28, 2025
Godzilla: World of Monsters is a collection of 3 out of print miniseries from IDW Publishing:
Gangsters & Goliaths is about a framed detective who finds himself on Monster Island. In his vengeance to take down Japan's biggest crime lord, who got him in this situation, he decides to lure the kaijus to Tokyo. Only he doesn't realize the forces he's playing with.
Cataclysm takes place in an apocalyptic world when humanity made the wrong decision to have the monsters fight each other. Civilization is barely surviving, but when hope for rebirth is found, the monsters return for their hatred of humanity still rages on.
Oblivion has a group of scientists creating a portal that leads to the discovery of an alternate Earth, where kaijus wreck destruction and only Godzilla is the unstoppable force to keep them in check. But upon returning back, they discover one of the kaijus had followed through the portal and now their world is in jeopardy.
I grew up watching Godzilla movies, so I was excited to get my hands on American comics. I was a little cautious because of how the 2014 & 2019 Warner films were not how I expected an American production for Godzilla. Luckily, these comics kept more in faith to the original film series. All 3 series were surprisingly dark in their storytelling and kind of gritty, much like the early Godzilla films.
Gangsters & Goliaths is an interesting take on using evil forces to take on other evil forces. It has a cool buildup and is pretty much like a heist movie with giant monsters. The illustrations, despite their gritty style, is pretty neat too and adds to the slow, sinister pacing of the plot.
Cataclysm I found to be the best of the 3 comics, with its bleak tone and awesomely detailed art style. It's a thoughtful story on redemption and of whether kaijus are truly evil or just forces of nature that should not be toyed with. The morals of humanity adds to a deeper layer in this story. The art is heavy in shades of red and orange, which I wish could have more vibrancy in the color scheme, to be honest.
Oblivion I found to be the weakest in this collection. While the human cast is equally involved in the plot, like the other two, they feel like caricatures and fall kind of flat. Ironically, the involvement of the kaijus come much closer to the end of the last 2 chapters, but it feels rushed, especially the ending. The art is the most vibrant, and cartoon-like, here but it doesn't make up for the weak story. There is a nice homage to Macha-King Ghidorah for those who are fans of that kaiju though.
Overall, it was a fun experience in delving into other Godzilla works besides the films. It appears IDW knows how to write good Godzilla stories that have humans more involved but not taking up all the limelight. And it appears they are still going with other Godzilla comic releases, so I might try more in the future. With 2 solid stories & 1 average one, World of Monsters is cool for any Godzilla fan who wants to try what the famous kaiju is like in a comic form.
Gangsters & Goliaths is about a framed detective who finds himself on Monster Island. In his vengeance to take down Japan's biggest crime lord, who got him in this situation, he decides to lure the kaijus to Tokyo. Only he doesn't realize the forces he's playing with.
Cataclysm takes place in an apocalyptic world when humanity made the wrong decision to have the monsters fight each other. Civilization is barely surviving, but when hope for rebirth is found, the monsters return for their hatred of humanity still rages on.
Oblivion has a group of scientists creating a portal that leads to the discovery of an alternate Earth, where kaijus wreck destruction and only Godzilla is the unstoppable force to keep them in check. But upon returning back, they discover one of the kaijus had followed through the portal and now their world is in jeopardy.
I grew up watching Godzilla movies, so I was excited to get my hands on American comics. I was a little cautious because of how the 2014 & 2019 Warner films were not how I expected an American production for Godzilla. Luckily, these comics kept more in faith to the original film series. All 3 series were surprisingly dark in their storytelling and kind of gritty, much like the early Godzilla films.
Gangsters & Goliaths is an interesting take on using evil forces to take on other evil forces. It has a cool buildup and is pretty much like a heist movie with giant monsters. The illustrations, despite their gritty style, is pretty neat too and adds to the slow, sinister pacing of the plot.
Cataclysm I found to be the best of the 3 comics, with its bleak tone and awesomely detailed art style. It's a thoughtful story on redemption and of whether kaijus are truly evil or just forces of nature that should not be toyed with. The morals of humanity adds to a deeper layer in this story. The art is heavy in shades of red and orange, which I wish could have more vibrancy in the color scheme, to be honest.
Oblivion I found to be the weakest in this collection. While the human cast is equally involved in the plot, like the other two, they feel like caricatures and fall kind of flat. Ironically, the involvement of the kaijus come much closer to the end of the last 2 chapters, but it feels rushed, especially the ending. The art is the most vibrant, and cartoon-like, here but it doesn't make up for the weak story. There is a nice homage to Macha-King Ghidorah for those who are fans of that kaiju though.
Overall, it was a fun experience in delving into other Godzilla works besides the films. It appears IDW knows how to write good Godzilla stories that have humans more involved but not taking up all the limelight. And it appears they are still going with other Godzilla comic releases, so I might try more in the future. With 2 solid stories & 1 average one, World of Monsters is cool for any Godzilla fan who wants to try what the famous kaiju is like in a comic form.
January 6, 2022
Je ne savais pas qu’il existait un « univers Godzilla » en BD.
C’est une belle découverte! « World of Monsters » contient 3 récits indépendants.
Dans le premier récit, Godzilla (malgré tout) semble surtout un prétexte pour faire une histoire de gangsters. Ou on a forcé pour mettre Godzilla dans une histoire de gangsters? Au lecteur de décider. Les dessins, bien achevés, réussissent à garder l’intérêt.
La deuxième histoire, Cataclysm, est la meilleure du recueil. Dans une ambiance post-apocalyptique, un petit groupe essaie simplement de survivre. Pas le scénario du siècle, mais les teintes orangées et cramoisies des pages réussissent à construire une ambiance solide!
La troisième histoire, comportant des portails multidimensionnels, se voulait ambitieuse, mais tombe un peu à plat. Trop de revirements pour si peu de pages. Le rythme est rapide, ou il y a trop de plan B pour sauver la planète.
À découvrir pour les curieux ou les fans finis!
C’est une belle découverte! « World of Monsters » contient 3 récits indépendants.
Dans le premier récit, Godzilla (malgré tout) semble surtout un prétexte pour faire une histoire de gangsters. Ou on a forcé pour mettre Godzilla dans une histoire de gangsters? Au lecteur de décider. Les dessins, bien achevés, réussissent à garder l’intérêt.
La deuxième histoire, Cataclysm, est la meilleure du recueil. Dans une ambiance post-apocalyptique, un petit groupe essaie simplement de survivre. Pas le scénario du siècle, mais les teintes orangées et cramoisies des pages réussissent à construire une ambiance solide!
La troisième histoire, comportant des portails multidimensionnels, se voulait ambitieuse, mais tombe un peu à plat. Trop de revirements pour si peu de pages. Le rythme est rapide, ou il y a trop de plan B pour sauver la planète.
À découvrir pour les curieux ou les fans finis!
January 4, 2022
Two of the three stories were great, with 'Gangsters and Goliath' being a very unique Godzilla story and 'Cataclysm' having incredible art work of all of the Kaiju we know, love, and hate from the Godzilla-verse as well as an interesting post apocalyptic world that's decently written with it's own mythologies and religion /beliefs. Perhaps the third novel, 'Oblivion' would be better upon re-read. To me it felt rushed, so much time passed on so few pages, it b was hard to really form a connection with any of the characters.
January 5, 2023
I’ve never read any Godzilla stuff, and something about this collection was calling me. Gangsters and Goliaths was fun and was good cause to look up Mothra lore. I loved the concept and artwork for Cataclysm, especially the story’s post-apocalyptic vibe. Oblivion was my least favorite—the story felt too quick and less clear, and the art felt a little unpolished. That said, this is a great collection for someone looking for an introduction to Godzilla comics / graphic novels.
November 26, 2021
There are three stories contained in this volume and I only liked one of them. I felt the human characters were developed more in the second story and it was more compelling. The kaiju fight sequences were fun and the art work is pretty good.
July 2, 2022
Not good at all. Every single story felt like it was poorly thought out and even more poorly executed.
September 15, 2022
Meh. Didn’t do it for me. The writing was not great. The artwork was good which is why it gets 2 stars. Not enough Godzilla. Too many jarring time jumps.
November 13, 2023
Cataclysm was fantastic. Glad to add to my burgeoning Godzilla collection.
December 10, 2023
The King Himself
The characters dialogue were great, but the God Monsters have been amazing! There was so much monster action, which I have always enjoyed.
The characters dialogue were great, but the God Monsters have been amazing! There was so much monster action, which I have always enjoyed.
January 14, 2024
This was not a good book. The stories were not great and the artwork was not anywhere near good. Godzilla deserves better.
I am not sure I want to spend anymore time on this review.
I am not sure I want to spend anymore time on this review.
March 22, 2024
[3.5 stars] I liked the first two books, but I really did not care for the third. I definitely want to read more Godzilla comics.
May 7, 2024
Three stars for Godzilla fighting the mafia, two stars for the other two stories.
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January 11, 2025I really like the big lizard
May 26, 2025
badabum badaboom!
August 29, 2023
Monster size fun
This entire collection was great from start to finish. I'd highly recommend for all rainy fans for a diverse group of stories
This entire collection was great from start to finish. I'd highly recommend for all rainy fans for a diverse group of stories
February 19, 2023
These Godzilla comics have so many creative, cool ideas and would probably work way better as films than graphic novels!
Gangsters & Goliaths was my fave from this omnibus but even that sadly had some strange pacing and forgettable characters.
Gangsters & Goliaths was my fave from this omnibus but even that sadly had some strange pacing and forgettable characters.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews