From writer Van Jensen (Green Lantern, James Bond) and artist Kelsey Ramsay (Dark Spaces: Good Deeds) comes a tale of thieves and skyscraper-sized legends in Godzilla Heist #1. Featuring color art by Heather Breckel and lettering from Sandy Tanaka, this opening issue offers a neat take on a Godzilla story by using classic heist cliches to the story’s advantage. With a predictable but solid script and excellent visual style, Godzilla Heist is off to a fun start.
“What if you could predict when and where Godzilla would appear? What if you knew of the perfect opportunity to pull off the heist of the century? Jai is a young man who knows two things: A heist needs a good distraction, and there’s no distraction like Godzilla. So, when Jai discovers Godzilla responds to specific energy signals he can send into the atmosphere, he creates the perfect opportunity to stage high-profile heists in the middle of Godzilla attacks. But these heists put Jai on the radar of some very dangerous men, men who want Jai to work with them to pull off the most dangerous job the world has ever seen.”
Writing & Plot
Anything involving Godzilla is going to be a good time, which is exactly the mentality Van Jensen takes with his script for Godzilla Heist #1. On the outset, using the world’s most legendary giant monster as a cover for stealing from banks and casinos is a genius concept – but it’s the small touches that really make the story work. Without getting into spoilers, Jai’s (the protagonist) use of Godzilla in this comic is a neat plot detail I didn’t expect. Many of the main plot points – Jai’s backstory, the crewmembers he meets, and all the little heist planning details – are familiar cliches. You’ve seen all of this done before, but now Godzilla is here. Even if much of the story feels like it treads familiar ground, Jensen’s handling of the plot overall still makes the story feel compelling. The final page twists add to the mystique going forward, making Godzilla Heist begin with a promising start.
Art Direction
One of the coolest parts of reading Godzilla comics is getting to see so many artistic renditions of one of pop culture’s greatest icons. This time, it’s Kelsey Ramsay’s turn to show off her take on the King of the Monsters in the pages of Godzilla Heist #1. Ramsay’s tight penciling and heavy use of hatching give this opening issue a unique feeling among Godzilla comics. This isn’t the sort of aesthetic I would normally pick for a Godzilla book, but Ramsay really makes it work. Her version of Godzilla is still big and terrifying of course (she uses the later Showa era and on design as a basis), but where her work really shines is in the more human-focused elements. Her character designs, much like Jensen’s script, come off as familiar stereotypes, but they are well rendered and fit into the comic’s atmosphere. Her facial animations are solid as well, making the cast feel more like people. I found the coolest moment in Ramsay’s work here to be a piece where we see Jai as a child, and the art style completely changes. It’s a great touch that not only fit the story and added to the protagonist as a person, but a chance for the artist to flex a bit as well. Heather Breckel’s color art in this comic really seals its unique atmosphere. There’s a sort of grimy, flat technique that Breckel uses that pulls readers into the smoke and ozone of the urban environments – especially when Goji is in town. Sandy Tanaka’s lettering is solid throughout the book, but really come to life when Godzilla shows up. Her SFX work when the big man shows up and unleashes his atomic breath is great stuff, becoming as much of the artistic backdrop as it does a part of the reading experience. Overall, Godzilla Heist is a solid and unique-looking comic in the Godzilla library.
Verdict
Godzilla Heist #1 is a predictable but fun opening chapter to this unique take on a Godzilla story. Van Jensen’s script takes familiar character concept and genre tropes and creatively throws them in a Kaiju story, creating something that feels a bit safe but still promises some compelling plot points in the future. The visuals from Kelsey Ramsay and Heather Breckel are a unique choice for a Godzilla comic, and offer a great sense of atmosphere to this kaiju-heist tale. Be sure to grab this debut issue when it hits shelves on February 19th!
