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Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors—All Hail the King! #1
It’s been a year, and to Cedric’s dismay, there have been no more Godzilla sightings. Sure, that means no destruction, but it was also his vlog’s most popular series of videos. He needs new content! His views are dropping, and he’s running out of ideas. He’s being called out for lying by cyberbullies Dragon, who is trying to see if Cedric really has the Godzilla chops, and Karen Higa, who has her own agenda. There’s more going on beneath the surface, but will Cedric find out what before something deadlier than Godzilla rears its head?
- GenresComics
25 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 12, 2022
5 people are currently reading
1 person want to read
About the author
Erik Burnham
684 books74 followersErik Burnham is a Minnesotan writer and artist that first broke into comics with a series of humorous short stories in the Shooting Star Comics Anthology. These stories featured his original creation, Nick Landime, and culminated in a one-shot: Nick Landime vs. the World Crime League, published by Shooting Star in 2005.
Off and on, in this same time period, Erik also produced a short run of an online strip, The Down Side, until technical issues wore him down. He aims to return to the strip one day.
In 2007, Erik found produced work for two other anthologies – a short humor piece for History Graphics Press’ Civil War Adventures #1, and a horror story for Gene Simmons’ House of Horror #3, produced by IDW Publishing.
This lead to several other projects for IDW, up to and including his critically acclaimed run on the ongoing GHOSTBUSTERS comic book.
Erik has worked on other projects not related to comic books, and hopes one day to share those with the public at large. In the meantime, he still lives quietly in Minnesota; any rumors about this being because he’s completely afraid of the forty-nine other states (and Canada) remain unverified at this time.
Off and on, in this same time period, Erik also produced a short run of an online strip, The Down Side, until technical issues wore him down. He aims to return to the strip one day.
In 2007, Erik found produced work for two other anthologies – a short humor piece for History Graphics Press’ Civil War Adventures #1, and a horror story for Gene Simmons’ House of Horror #3, produced by IDW Publishing.
This lead to several other projects for IDW, up to and including his critically acclaimed run on the ongoing GHOSTBUSTERS comic book.
Erik has worked on other projects not related to comic books, and hopes one day to share those with the public at large. In the meantime, he still lives quietly in Minnesota; any rumors about this being because he’s completely afraid of the forty-nine other states (and Canada) remain unverified at this time.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 17, 2022
I was not much of a fan of the original run of Monsters & Protectors, though I really liked the art, and when I got to the end, I kind of hoped it would get a continuation because there was an inkling in the concept that I thought was really interesting.
That inkling was that the kids would have the future of the earth on their shoulders. It would be up to them to ensure that Godzilla doesn't come back and destroy everyone. I thought it would be interesting to see them deal with that incredible pressure, especially given that they are just kids with no really outstanding qualities. How would they deal with that?
I don't think the sequel is going to really delve into those heavy themes, though. If anything, the first book seems to be doubling down on the qualities that made the main character annoying (he is more concerned about his vlog and its popularity rather than saving the world or helping people or even being kind to his friends). I was really glad to see Gabara, though, and there are several shoutouts to Godzilla fandom and a few funny lines. Personally I was amused at the Xilien troll.
I am not very optimistic, though. Maybe the story is moving a little faster this time. Maybe it will have a better arc.
Maybe it will be really awful, I don't know. Not a great beginning.
That inkling was that the kids would have the future of the earth on their shoulders. It would be up to them to ensure that Godzilla doesn't come back and destroy everyone. I thought it would be interesting to see them deal with that incredible pressure, especially given that they are just kids with no really outstanding qualities. How would they deal with that?
I don't think the sequel is going to really delve into those heavy themes, though. If anything, the first book seems to be doubling down on the qualities that made the main character annoying (he is more concerned about his vlog and its popularity rather than saving the world or helping people or even being kind to his friends). I was really glad to see Gabara, though, and there are several shoutouts to Godzilla fandom and a few funny lines. Personally I was amused at the Xilien troll.
I am not very optimistic, though. Maybe the story is moving a little faster this time. Maybe it will have a better arc.
Maybe it will be really awful, I don't know. Not a great beginning.
October 19, 2022
Cute book.
January 18, 2023
Earlier this year IDW Publishing released a graphic novel for the first volume of Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors, a new series aimed at a younger audience that proved to be a fun and enjoyable read. Now, IDW have given fans a new series set in the same world with Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors – All Hail The King, and it looks set to be bigger and better than what came before.
As with the first volume, the story opens with Cedric chasing the high of being internet famous, this time having made a small, animated gif about Godzilla protecting the environment. His friends, who lived through an adventure alongside the titular monster, still think that advertising their connection to Godzilla is a bad thing, and encourage Cedric to just let it go. The problem is, Cedric is being constantly messaged online by a troll named Dragon who keeps demanding that Cedric prove his claims of having a connection with Godzilla.
Whilst this might just seem like your average internet rando, it is in fact an alien invader! Agent Dragon is a member of the Xillian invasion force that’s preparing to attack the Earth, but is trying to gather information that can help them do so. Dragon is trying to get info on Godzilla from Cedric, and claims that “If the boy’s connection to Godzilla is true I’ll make him reveal it with the powerful technique the humans call trolling.” This might be one of the most evil men in any Godzilla media.
And thus we get the set-up for this volume of the series; the Xillians are watching us from space, prepared to come and invade the planet and destroy all we hold dear, but are still nervous about doing so thanks to the threat of the Kaiju. However, they discover something deep beneath the surface of the Earth that might help them in their mission, which if you know a bit about Xillians, and can extrapolate from the book’s title, you may be able to guess what it is without even needing to read the book.
This seems like a good solid start to the series, and it works a lot better than the first volume, which had a much shakier beginning, despite no monsters actually appearing in this issue (other than in dream sequences that offer a surprise cameo from Gabara, a monster that existed solely in a child’s dreams in the film All Monsters Attack). But the story doesn’t really need the monsters yet, as it’s doing a decent job of establishing the human characters. The returning cast fit well with what came before, and their development since the first volume feels believable and fits with where they were last time, especially Cedric.
We also get a couple of new characters introduced in this issue too. There’s the already mentioned Agent Dragon, the Xillian tech who’s surfing the web and abusing children. This is a pretty ridiculous character, and his line about using trolling to get things done did genuinely make me laugh. He’s a bit different from what we normally get from his people, so he makes a decent change. In contrast, Commander Z, his superior, is much more what we expect from the Xillians, and seems to be the straight man for Dragon to play against. There’s also Karen Higa, a new student at Cedric’s school who transferred from Okinawa after she asked her parents to move her there. She has an interest in Cedric’s story about Godzilla, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more to her character than meets the eye.
The art on the book, by Dan Schoening, and Luis Antonio Delgado looks really nice, and fits the middle grade style very well. The art is bold and bright, with clear colours and simple to absorb panels. The characters all look dynamic and are easily identifiable, and even the matching Xillians look unique from each other. The monsters that we get this issue also look really good, and I was impressed that they actually made Gabara look like something other than a joke.
For fans of Godzilla, this is a pretty decent start to a promising series. It’s designed to be accessible to younger audiences, but does actually have stuff here that older fans will be able to enjoy too. With hints of bigger, scarier things to come, this could prove to be much better than the first volume.
As with the first volume, the story opens with Cedric chasing the high of being internet famous, this time having made a small, animated gif about Godzilla protecting the environment. His friends, who lived through an adventure alongside the titular monster, still think that advertising their connection to Godzilla is a bad thing, and encourage Cedric to just let it go. The problem is, Cedric is being constantly messaged online by a troll named Dragon who keeps demanding that Cedric prove his claims of having a connection with Godzilla.
Whilst this might just seem like your average internet rando, it is in fact an alien invader! Agent Dragon is a member of the Xillian invasion force that’s preparing to attack the Earth, but is trying to gather information that can help them do so. Dragon is trying to get info on Godzilla from Cedric, and claims that “If the boy’s connection to Godzilla is true I’ll make him reveal it with the powerful technique the humans call trolling.” This might be one of the most evil men in any Godzilla media.
And thus we get the set-up for this volume of the series; the Xillians are watching us from space, prepared to come and invade the planet and destroy all we hold dear, but are still nervous about doing so thanks to the threat of the Kaiju. However, they discover something deep beneath the surface of the Earth that might help them in their mission, which if you know a bit about Xillians, and can extrapolate from the book’s title, you may be able to guess what it is without even needing to read the book.
This seems like a good solid start to the series, and it works a lot better than the first volume, which had a much shakier beginning, despite no monsters actually appearing in this issue (other than in dream sequences that offer a surprise cameo from Gabara, a monster that existed solely in a child’s dreams in the film All Monsters Attack). But the story doesn’t really need the monsters yet, as it’s doing a decent job of establishing the human characters. The returning cast fit well with what came before, and their development since the first volume feels believable and fits with where they were last time, especially Cedric.
We also get a couple of new characters introduced in this issue too. There’s the already mentioned Agent Dragon, the Xillian tech who’s surfing the web and abusing children. This is a pretty ridiculous character, and his line about using trolling to get things done did genuinely make me laugh. He’s a bit different from what we normally get from his people, so he makes a decent change. In contrast, Commander Z, his superior, is much more what we expect from the Xillians, and seems to be the straight man for Dragon to play against. There’s also Karen Higa, a new student at Cedric’s school who transferred from Okinawa after she asked her parents to move her there. She has an interest in Cedric’s story about Godzilla, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more to her character than meets the eye.
The art on the book, by Dan Schoening, and Luis Antonio Delgado looks really nice, and fits the middle grade style very well. The art is bold and bright, with clear colours and simple to absorb panels. The characters all look dynamic and are easily identifiable, and even the matching Xillians look unique from each other. The monsters that we get this issue also look really good, and I was impressed that they actually made Gabara look like something other than a joke.
For fans of Godzilla, this is a pretty decent start to a promising series. It’s designed to be accessible to younger audiences, but does actually have stuff here that older fans will be able to enjoy too. With hints of bigger, scarier things to come, this could prove to be much better than the first volume.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews