Confession time: Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is the first Godzilla comic that I’ve ever read. With that said, I love Godzilla. I love big monsters, so this is right up my alley. The graphic novel that I read collects the five issues of the miniseries.

Our story starts with Mr. Hull, a pirate, in jail being interrogated in the British Territory of the Caribbean in 1556. He’s telling a seemingly fantastic story of famous pirate captains, Kaiju in the ocean, and the mysterious monster Island.

I’m always Team Give Me More Godzilla, because who doesn’t like to see Kaiju battling it out for supremacy? Plus, when the King of the Monsters is involved, everything is just a little bit better. However, as always with Godzilla, less can be more. While I would’ve been happy to have him a little present, I’m very content with what we got.

This is a cool concept for Godzilla writers (and maybe films?) to explore. Similar to how I liked what they did with Prey in the Predator franchise, why not have Godzilla or other Kaiju throughout different lives in history?

The artwork and coloring from Inaki Miranda and Eva de la Cruz was fantastic. I really liked it.

If you like Godzilla and other Kaiju, this is for you. Give it a read.

Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I loved this. I am such a godzilla fan but I was worried I wouldn't like this. Good think I was wrong. The story was an interesting take compared to how we normally see godzilla in movies. I would love to read more comics like this where he is put in different time eras. I think any godzilla fan would enjoy this story. Who doesn't love godzilla and pirates.

This was a really interesting story, and I really liked the premise of fitting Godzilla into a western historical setting.  I liked the art stlye and the use of full colour.  I alos enjoyed the narrative style of a man telling the story from prison. Conspiracies are always fun.

A typical comic version of the Godzilla theme, this time including swashbuckling pirates!

If you've seen any of the Godzilla movies, it's basically the same bottom line every time. Monster strikes, the battle ensues and chaos reigns. At minimum, this title is fun for flipping through on the ipad to check out the artwork. Is it anything spectacular? No. It's pretty standard.

When I was in middle school, I really enjoyed history, learning about explorers and I was incredibly fascinated with Sir Francis Drake in particular. Of course, the other side of my personality was a love for cheesy Godzilla movies. Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons merges these two together for an incredibly enjoyable tale that left me wanting much, much more. I enjoyed how much this felt like those classic Godzilla movies I loved so much, with the wacky human storyline alongside the monsters. I really hope that we get another tale that explores the world of Elizabethan Kaiju in more detail. I would pick the sequel up in a heartbeat. I've read a lot of the IDW Godzilla books and will be counting this one among my favorites.

Special Thanks to IDW Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

A pirate waiting to be hung is spared the gallows when he spins a tale of treasure, monsters, and Sir Francis Drake. Instead he is brought before Sir Francis Walsingham, the spymaster for Queen Elizabeth I, to report on the voyage of Sir Francis Drake around the world and the strange island they visited. A very nicely illustrated tale of greed, monsters, and conspiracy that has an ending that twists the whole tale. A nice addition to the tale of Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

Thank you Netgalley and IDW for the the opportunity to read this tale!

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher IDW Publishing for an advance copy of this graphic novel featuring the King of All Kaiju in one of his earliest and destructive adventures.

Godzilla has been many things over his long career. Destroyer of Tokyo, more than once. Foe and later ally of the ape known as King Kong. Last defense against an invading alien attack force. And Uncle of one Gadzooky. In this new adventure Godzilla acts not only as a giant watch-kaiju for a grand treasure against marauding pirates, but as the God for a secret society, who works against the religious and monarchies of the 1500's for a reason only known to them. Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is written by Frank Tieri, illustrated by Inaki Miranda and colored by Eva de la Cruz, and features Godzilla in one of his earliest adventures, a time of pirates and exploration, when the world was a far darker and more conspiracy ridden then most people knew.

Our story starts with a pirate trying to avoid the gallows. For a bottle of rum, he will share a tale with a Captain and a guard, a tale that will keep him free of the noose, and maybe free of prison all together. The pirate tells of a grand raid and a haul of treasure from a wealthy Bishop, one that lead to pursuit past the known world, and unto an island that only dragons knew about. Sir Francis Drake, hearing rumors of an island at the end of the world, with a lot of gold, asks the Queen of England a boon. Drake will lead a ship, the Golden Hind on a cruise of exploration, gain knowledge of the world, and also the missing treasure. Once asea, Drake begins to steal from the Spanish, and a great fleet, an Armada is sent after him. A storm separates them at sea, and when the weather calms, Drake sees an island, Monster Island. However the Armada has also escaped the storm, and begins to close. Suddenly up from the depths, thirty stories high breathing fire, with his head in the sky, is Godzilla. And the adventure truly begins.

A different kind of kaiju story one that deals with what was known about kaiju in the past, with the added flavor of pirates, boat battles, conspiracies and alternate history. The story is well ok. There are a few holes, a lot of passing over of information. I'm not sure if they mean that the Armada deployed here is the same as what was to attack England, but this are little quibbles. The whole point of the story is Godzilla destroying stuff. And a lot of stuff is destroyed. Plus kaiju battles kaiju, and the secret society that worships Godzilla is interesting. And something that can be followed up on. A Cthulu cult of Kaiju if one will. The art is very good, the ships, castles, pirates, and people all are rendered well. Godzilla is modern Godzilla, bigger of head, blaster of larger flame. A story fans of Godzilla should enjoy.

A fun comic perfect for kaiju fans that are tired of seeing the same old city setting. The art is nice and the dialogue clear.

Is there a more epic combination than Godzilla and pirates? What about Godzilla, pirates, a monster island, and a secret society involving the Queen of England herself? Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is a conspiracy-filled story that will keep you reading cover to cover.

Told as a hangman’s confession by a desperate pirate, Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is a story where you’re never quite sure of the truth. The pirate relaying the tale is the epitome of an unreliable narrator, and no one else seems to believe him. A story involving the Queen, Sir Francis Drake, a secret society, a monster island, and the Spanish armada? Surely, he’s lying. Right?

The story in Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is fast-paced and fun. If you enjoy historical action romps, this is perfect. Many monstrous creatures show up (Godzilla is not the only one!), which makes each issue in the volume exciting. I enjoyed the bits of historical context, though they were, admittedly, few and far between.

Art:

The art in Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is larger than life. The proportions of the monsters and humans were perfect, and I loved the coloring throughout the series. The colors perfectly match the dank and dark pirate theme. The lush monster island is bold and green, especially compared to the pirate’s dark cell. I loved the sailing maps in the volume, which made Godzilla almost feel like a secret pirate logbook.

Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed my time with Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons. This is perfect for you if you like Pirates of the Caribbean, King Kong, or Godzilla. However, this is also for you if you enjoy the historical secret societies of Assassin’s Creed or the Francis Drake bits in Uncharted.

Thanks to IDW for providing me with an advanced review copy. All the above thoughts are my own.

*** The review will go live on Back Shelf Books on April 3, 2024, at the link below.

Historical Fiction meets Kaiju.
The story takes place in the 1500s, where a pirate regales the story of how he and his fellow crew mates ended up on Monster Island and lived to tell the tale.

I have pondered the question of how humanity has dealt with the kaiju problem during the past millenia. Especially without the advantage of modern technology that has been introduced to the lore in recent years. And how was the knowledge about these the huge monsters able to be kept hidden?
This story explores those questions.
I enjoyed reading it. Something felt of, while the pirate is telling his story, and by the last pages, it's revealed why.

I believe that people who enjoy Kaiju stories will also enjoy this graphic novel, as will people who enjoy historical monster hunting fiction.

This graphic novel combines two epic things: Godzilla and pirates. It also contains a sliver of history. I really liked that this was a hangman's tale: a pirate tells the tale right before he's about to be executed. I loved the old comic style used. It totally has old school Godzilla vibes.

If you like pirates and Godzilla, this is the graphic novel for you!

You had me at pirates! Pirates!! The art feels like you are looking at an old map. Everything has an antique feel to it and when you get that big reveal! Perfection. I really enjoyed it.

5 stars

I've been rather uber-critical of recent (Past 20 years) comics. I find this above most. There is a very good story included. The conspiracy theory angle is as much a part of our wonderings of history as that documented. I just wish this volume had better explored the ideas, intertwining the conspiracy with the drive of the book. I'm just very glad the angle was presented and included in the tale.

The plotting is wonky with far too much real estate dedicated to interior prison scenes and too much silly fighting of monsters. Structuring the story via the Queen and Drake to the prisoner to the monster would've worked better.

The critique of the artwork is about the same as I've written of other recent comics. The style is Lladro where Armani was needed. A grittier style was essential to give the book the weight it needed. Full sets of teeth and perfect nails are impossible of any working pirate back then.

There are a series of historical inaccuracies begging why use historical figures at all to avoid the trap? Example was mention of mutinies, which rarely occurred. The Media presents such silliness which makes little sense when cooped on a finite area of a ship. Democracy reigned with ships' crew to keep all alive.

Still an admirable effort to present the story. The ability to read this prior to publication is due to access via NetGalley.com

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.

Godzilla fights pirates. Does that sound good to you? If so, read this. It's exactly what it sounds like. Godzilla, the big nuclear dinosaur living in the center of the earth, comes out and just WRECKS pirates. I mean, Godzilla totally decimates today's modern Navy. Of course, he owns the pirates. They go to Monster Island and see some guys there, too. If you're a Godzilla fan (be ye child or manchild), you'll like this one because Godzilla smashes pirate ships. Thanks, IDW Comics + Netgalley, for the ARC.

Sir Francis Drake taking the Golden Hind to Monster Island while circumnavigating the world, and running into its enormous inhabitants? Cool. The sailors using dynamite? Not cool. Pulling stunts like that, and this is far from the only example, then trying to get clever with "We pirates... don't actually really do that" after a reference to walking the plank, made two centuries before anyone ever referred to walking the plank? About as cool as Rishi Sunak. On the other hand, if there's one thing funnier than the real fate of the 'invincible' Spanish Armada, it might be seeing them get kaijued to fuck.

(Netgalley ARC)

I felt pretty quickly this was going to be a matter of, if not good than fun. Unfortunately it is also not that much fun. There’s a lot of exposition. Also a kaiju cult?

⭐️: 3.5 / 5

Publication Date: April 9, 2024

I want to thank IDW Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to get an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The first collection does a great job of hooking you into the story and establishing the setting of this Godzilla tale.

One of the coolest aspects of this story, is GODZILLA AND PIRATES. Is it cheesy? Absolutely, but I’m into it. The art is beautiful especially with regards to monster island. There’s a monster fight, of course.

As for my reservations, the ending felt oddly out of place. Along with how one comic would go into the next wasn’t smooth and felt like a page was missing to assist in the transition. The human characters felt pretty flat.

Overall I mostly enjoyed this collection of comics. I’d never delved into Godzilla media outside or the movies and this was a fun time for sure. I wish the ending had been better but I would still recommend this for a quick read.

Would recommend for those who are fans of
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Godzilla
- Conspiracies