Title: Godzilla: Awakening
Writers: Max Borenstein & Greg Borenstein
Artists: Eric Battle, Yvel Guichet, Alan Quah, Lee Loughridge, and Patrick Brosseau
With the upcoming release of “Godzilla,” the new reboot from director Gareth Edwards, there is a lot of anticipation surrounding the King of Monsters. It’s been 16 years since Roland Emmerich’s “Godzilla” hit theaters with a decidedly poor box office and critical reception, so to wash the bad taste out of the mouths of fans and audiences, Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures are taking a more grounded and realistic approach to the classic Japanese monster movie. In conjunction with the film’s release, Legendary released a new graphic novel that fits in as a sort of a prequel to the new “Godzilla” with “Godzilla: Awakening.”
Spread over three chapters and spanning the decades between World War II and the 1980s, “Godzilla: Awakening” takes a look at what the King of Monsters was up to since the Japanese military discovered him. While the graphic novel could be seen as a pure money grab, it seems that the inception of the story is more thoughtful than that. Max Borenstein, who is one of the reboot film’s screenwriters, wrote the story for the graphic novel, along with his brother Greg Borenstein. While the graphic novel doesn’t include the main characters from the Gareth Edwards film, it does feature the film’s tone and realistic approach to the monster movie.
“Godzilla: Awakening” not only takes a look at the human element of the King of Monsters, but also the monster himself. We learn how Godzilla has survived over millions of years of evolution and how he was awakened to wreak havoc on the Earth. There’s also the idea that many other monsters like Godzilla exists and how each one is related to nature. The graphic novel isn’t essential reading to get ready for the new movie, but it’s a nice precursor to the destruction waiting for audiences in theaters.
“Godzilla: Awakening” roars with delight and showcases brilliant artwork from a team of comic book artists, including Eric Battle, Yvel Guichet, Alan Quah, Lee Loughridge, and Patrick Brosseau. My biggest fear going into “Godzilla: Awakening” was if the graphic novel was going to be rushed and put together only to meet the feature film’s release date, but looking at the story and art, that’s simply not the case. “Godzilla: Awakening” is well mannered and considered without a hint of haste. It’s a story that’s worth reading to expand the movie-going experience and a must for hardcore fans of the monster movie.
Story: B-
Technical: B+
Overall: B-
