Godzilla’s triumphant return to the Marvel Universe is now upon us, as the first issue of Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe has arrived. Written by Gerry Duggan, who is known for his work on Deadpool and Nova, and illustrated by Javier Garron, the five-part Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe features the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe joining forces to stop the King of the Monsters from destroying their world after the giant lizard emerges from his slumber and proceeds to topple everything in his path.
The official description of the comic from Marvel.com also teases that Godzilla will have a connection to Vibranium in the series, so we can expect Black Panther and the Nation of Wakanda to play central roles. Other characters who make appearances in the series include Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, Wolverine, Iron Man, and the Hulk. Therefore, it sounds like all of Marvel’s A-list heroes will be stepping in to stop Godzilla, and their efforts will no doubt result in some spectacular action scenes as they watch them use their own unique powers and abilities to fight the King of the Monsters. And the stunning cover by Mark Brooks shows many of Marvel's heroes charging into battle against Godzilla, giving us an eye-catching idea of what is to come throughout the series.
The first issue was released with several variant covers, by artists such as E.J. Su, Leinil Francis Yu, and John Tyler Christopher. Sean Galloway provided an amusing variant cover which depicts the Hanna Barbera incarnation of Godzilla with his notoriously annoying nephew, Godzooky, who came to be loathed by fans. And Dave Wachter’s variant cover depicts Godzilla’s body covered with the orange, rock-like substance which also covers the body of the Thing from the Fantastic Four, and seeing Godzilla merged with the Thing is certainly a spectacular sight to behold. Each variant cover is profoundly unique in its own way, although you will need to spend a fair amount if you want to collect them all.
Marvel previously published an ongoing Godzilla comic series in the 1970s, before losing the license to the character for many decades. Given Godzilla’s recent resurgence in popularity in the west, it comes as no surprise that Toho would want to partner with Marvel to create more stories featuring Godzilla. And Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe will be accompanied by various one-shot Marvel comics in which Godzilla faces various characters from Marvel’s first catalogue, with the first, Godzilla vs. Thor, now on sale.
If you would like to get a taste of the first issue of Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe for yourself before purchasing it, you can check out a preview of the first several issues over on the official Godzilla website. Godzilla is seen emerging in New York City in the preview, and since a large portion of Marvel's heroes are concentrated in the city, a spectacular battle will no doubt ensue.
And if you would like to purchase the first issue of the series for yourself, it is now available from Marvel’s official website and Amazon. Those of you in the UK can also order it from Forbidden Planet. And make sure to buy your copy quickly, because this series is going to fly off the shelves.
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