The King of All Monsters meets the Children of the Atom, and it’s an unfair fight… for The X-Men! Your Major Spoilers review of Godzilla vs. X-Men #1 from Marvel Comics awaits!
GODZILLA VS. X-MEN
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Emilio Laiso
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editor: Darren Shan
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 14, 2025
Previously in Godzilla vs. X-Men: When a robotics firm draws a kaiju’s anger, the X-Men are called in to protect a world that hates and fears them from the counterattack of… GODZILLA! But what are the reasons for Godzilla’s attacks? And are the X-Men on the right side? Follow the X-Men as they take on The King of the Monsters before humanity sends forth the Sentinels to finish the job!
INTO THE MIND OF A MONSTER
After years of inactivity/licensing rights issues, the monster called Godzilla has returned to menace Japan once more! The mutant protector of the nation, Sunfire, faces off against the kaiju one-on-one, but finds that his own radioactive fire pales against atomic breath. As Sunfire falls into the Pacific Ocean, he realizes that, for the third time, the big guy has targeted a Tsugunai Robotics facility. After an emergency meeting between Tsugunai’s CEO, William Henry Gyrich, Val Cooper of the US Government, and Charles Xavier, a team of X-Men is dispatched to Tokyo to face the creature. Of course, there is the problem of how to fight a 250-foot-tall (at least in the ’80s) spiked lizard beastie, but the answer to that is remarkably simple.
Well, “remarkably simple” in Marvel Universe terms, anyway, as the X-Men face Godzilla as a mind-gestalt, controlling a Super-Adaptoid that has been made Big G-sized thanks to a dose of Pym Particles.
“TURNS OUT IT WAS MAN”
This story may not take place in the reality of X-Men ’97, but it features the same designs and aesthetics as that show, with leather jacket Cyclops leading a team of Beast, Gambit, Jean Gray, Storm, Professor X, and Wolverine in battle, and making interesting use of that team’s power dynamics. Notably, the telepathy of Jean and Xavier allows for our first real look into the mind of Godzilla himself, whose actions are reasonable, as he is an intelligent creature. Xavier finds it difficult to communicate, as Godzilla doesn’t think in words or concepts, but in pure emotions, leading the battle to an interesting place.
Artist Emilio Lasio gives this issue a unique look, halfway between comic book and cartoon, making the out-of-date ’90s designs look really good. (Well, maybe not Sunfire, but there’s not a lot that could shame the “big chrome shoulders” version of Shiro’s costume.) On the writing front, Nicieza’s grasp of character-driven writing is spot-on here, allowing Godzilla and the X-Men to find their common ground. Turns out that the King of Monsters knows what it’s like to be hated and feared by a world that doesn’t understand him, and the creation of a new Tri-Sentinel using the remains of Godzilla’s robot adversaries is quite ingenious.
BOTTOM LINE: GO, GO, GO GET ONE
The unspoken part of the backstory here is that both Godzilla and The X-Men were initially based in the uncertainty of the nascent Atomic Age, making Godzilla vs. X-Men, perhaps the best conceptual match-up of the Godzilla vs. series to date, and makes for a very entertaining read, even if you haven’t been following the previous one-shots, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. Honestly, if you only read this Godzilla crossover, you’ll still have a satisfying comic experience, especially with that perfectly thematic ending.
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GODZILLA VS. X-MEN #1
Tapping into the similarities between the two properties, this issue gives us some of the most interesting Godzilla story of the return-to-Marvel era, and also makes for a lovely one shot adventure tale.
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Writing8
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Art9
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Coloring8
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.