Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre Presents: The Kaiju Of Oz #1 (IDW Publishing)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the FIRST issue of The Kaiju Of Oz from IDW Publishing!
We’re off to see the wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz! Except there’s one thing in our way! Godzilla is on the rampage in Oz! Just what does this mean for the land of Oz? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: IDW Publishing
The Kaiju Of Oz #1 by Mike Costa (Writer), Ryan Browne (Artist) & Tom Cioli (Cover); Godzilla vs Robin Hood by Tom Cioli (Writer & Artist)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
What happens when you take one of the most beloved and well known tales of all time and mix it together with one of the most famous kaiju that’s every graced the big screen? You get a tale for the ages in this fun mash up of Godzilla & The Wizard Of Oz! This book is just so much fun to read from start to finish that I could not put it down once I started it. So without further ado, let’s get into it.
Right from the start, this feels like the Wizard Of Oz story that we all know and love. Dorothy’s house gets lifted off the ground in Kansas, and lands on top of the Wicked Witch of the East in Oz. Glinda greets her and starts to explain what’s going on, but from there it takes a complete left turn and diverges from the story we all know. Because it is at this moment that Godzilla shows up and starts it’s destructive rampage across the land of Oz.
The thing I really loved about this issue is how Mike Costa took such a well known story and was able to add in a character like Godzilla and made it work. The story is NOT the same as the one from the book by L. Frank Baum, or even the any of the various iterations across film and tv. However the core is still there and some of the same plot beats are still there as well. In a way, it reads like an extreme version of a what if story. In this story Dorothy is not the main character but rather the Wicked Witch of the West takes center stage.
If you’re at all familiar with the story of The Wizard Of Oz, you’re going to love this story because it provides such a unique perspective on things from a different angle. Yes, Godzilla is in it but that’s not what I mean. Getting to see the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion interact with the Wicked Witch Of The West was such a cool thing to see and gave such a different take on the story. Mike did such a great job bringing these two franchises together in such a fun way that I’d love to see an animated short of it.
The other story in the book is Godzilla vs Robin Hood, and it was written and drawn by Tom Cioli. This is another one that much in the same vein as the Kaiju Of Oz story, it brought together two incredibly well known franchises in such a fun way. It was incedibely well written and made for a fun read.
The Artwork
Ryan Browne did the art for the Kaiju of Oz story, while Tom Cioli did the art for the Godzilla vs Robin Hood story. I really loved how both Ryan and Tom were able to capture the classic looks of both franchises. Ryan did such a great job capturing the look from the L. Frank Baum story and bring Godzilla into that world. The artwork has all the magical whimsy you’d expect from the Wizard Of Oz, but also has a sense of unease to it that fits with the story being told. Tom also did a lot of great work with his story, and really made it feel like some of the old artwork you’d see from medieval times in England and made it work so well with Godzilla.
Overall Grade: 8/10
An incredibly fun read that brings together Godzilla with The Wizard Of Oz in an incredibly fun way. A tremendous story together with artwork that emulates the original source material so well, make this a story you need to add to your collection!
