MONSTERS UNLEASHED
Let them fight
Monsters Unleashed’s opening image is a pencil, drawing a simple picture. This focus on art feels deliberate, because if this title is going to be remembered for anything, it’ll be the way it looks. It’s a comic-book artist’s dream, populated by basically every single Marvel character battling giant monsters (named “Leviathons”) – and, boy, do the inkers on this book rise to the occasion.
With basically zero build-up, we’re thrown face-first into the action, as the Leviathons invade every major city on Earth (along with a couple of made-up ones), with each area’s local heroes being pulled into battle. That means the Avengers, the X-Men, the Guardians of the Galaxy and more all make extended cameos, facing impossible odds – odds that shorten with each new creature. Sure, it’s a simple premise (that doesn’t develop much over the course of these first four issues), but we’ve seen blockbusters do less with more – and that’s exactly what this book is; a blockbuster, sheer entertainment on a gigantic scale.
In story terms it’s not all just superheroes punching monsters in the face while making (wellwritten) gags. There are a couple of B-stories that eventually crossover, combining to reveal what’s driving the narrative. But this could be a wordless book and we’d still adore it, with the action setpieces hugely outweighing any attempts at plot. After all, we don’t go to see Godzilla movies for the dialogue; we go to hear the roar of a monster, to dodge out of the way of his atomic breath.
Marvel’s roster also belongs in the category of “things we’d pay money to see destroy stuff”, and they’re lovingly treated here. Captain America is a leader whose tactical skill gives our heroes the upper hand; Spider-Man is genuinely hilarious; Thor’s brave; and Groot is, well, Groot. This is an event book that doesn’t require an encyclopedic knowledge of what’s currently happening in the Marvel Universe, and it even offers the most simplistic explanation of the (baffling) Inhumans we’ve seen. Other small details help to make Monsters Unleashed feel so special, like the B-movie lettering, and the Famous Monsters Of Filmland - homaging magazine that features one of the main characters on its cover.
More importantly, though, this book is filled with very big monsters smashing stuff up. But as huge as they are, what looms largest in Monsters Unleashed is its imagination. Sam Ashurst
This could be a wordless book and we’d still adore it
The Avengers fought Godzilla himself in the late ’70s, in issues 23 and 24 of Godzilla, King Of The Monsters.