collection of all issues of Godzilla Skate or Die
4 years after a group of friends build their own DIY skate park, Varan a mysterious kaiju, appears in the middle of Australia at the exact same time Godzilla has started to swim in their direction
with the kaiju's on track to meet in the city, the friend group must race to save or die with their beloved skate park
a cloverfield storyline(switch girlfriend for park) x godzilla monsters in a high death, low stake teen comedy
i was terrified for their lives yet confounded as to why the park mattered more then saftey but its a odd lesson on what we value in life

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

When I first saw the title, Godzilla: Skate or Die, I was consumed with a need to imbibe this comic and I am so unbelievably happy to report it lived up to my unfathomable hype!

When their dream skatepark is threatened by being the arena in which Godzilla and Varan showdown, four Aussie teenage skaters of various kinds take the phrase, Skate or Die, to the most extreme, including infiltrating a top secret military base, trucking a magical meteor, and backing up the big guy.

It's as ridiculous and epic as it sounds and the artwork is a glorious attack on the senses with myriad style and effects.

I really had fun with this and bloody loved it!

Godzilla’s never exactly slowed down in media. But in recent years, more and more creative takes on this monster’s world have been coming out. One of the latest is Godzilla: Skate or Die!, a comic miniseries from IDW Publishing. Released in 2024, the five-issue series will be available in a single volume later this month.

While the pairing of kaiju and Australian skateboarders may seem a little strange at first, trust us: this is a fantastic Godzilla story. From the art to the characters to the fights, it’s a great read for kaiju fans. Read on and find out what makes it so special!



The Story
The monsterverse

As with all the best Godzilla stories, Godzilla: Skate or Die! is chiefly about the human beings at its core. Our four protagonists are teen skate punks in Australia. The crew has just finished restoring the Coin Toss, their own dream skate park. But even in a world where kaiju attacks are the norm, they couldn’t have foreseen this incoming disaster. Varan has surfaced off the coast, and Godzilla isn’t far behind. The two behemoths are preparing for a showdown. The point of impact? The Coin Toss!

Across the five issues, these teens step up to save their park. But their explorations lead them to a shocking discovery about what lies beneath the Coin Toss. What started as a mutual mission to save their park has escalated into world-ending stakes. Now, they’ll have to team up to save their hard work and the world as they know it.



The Art
SKREEEEEONK!

Godzilla: Skate or Die! comes to us from writer/artist Louie Joyce. Past works include A Fistful of Pain and the award-winning Haphaven, but you don’t need any familiarity with his previous work to appreciate this series. In addition to being a fantastic look into Australian skater culture, it’s just gorgeous to look at. The art is rough, colorful, and exciting—the perfect look for our heroes!

One of the best things about seeing Godzilla brought into so many different genres is seeing how this classic design looks in other styles. Both Godzilla and Varan (a classic monster whose major film appearances include 1968’s Destroy All Monsters) look unbelievably cool in Joyce’s style. The kaiju fights are, frankly, enhanced by the art, turning into the sort of awesome scene you’d love to have painted on your own skate deck.



The Magic
Skater heroes

In all his best outings, Godzilla is a metaphor. A changing metaphor, but a metaphor nonetheless. He’s the backdrop against which the hopes and fears of humanity play out. And that’s why Godzilla: Skate or Die! works. Once again, the kaiju battling it out are only part of the story. The real stars are the Coin Toss Crew: four teens trying to do what they love in a world that’s caving in around them.

Even if you’re far outside the culture of the characters in this miniseries, it’s easy to get in tune with them. Louie Joyce brings them to life in dialogue as evocative and colorful as his art. The kaiju aren’t the only larger-than-life characters in this comic. You’ll come away loving everyone.

I enjoyed this comic book, even as someone who is not wildly into kaiju mythos.

Overall the art is absolutely killer, the colors were great, and the movement was fantastic. I loved more than anything that this was a distinct art-style that really fit the story that was being told. I unfortunately, did have some issues with reading some panels, due to the formatting, but it wasn't too big of an issue once the story really got going.

Both the story and the characters were a lot of fun, and I loved what skating represented to the group, and their backstories which were briefly and efficiently explored. Highly recommend this comic book.

***ARC from NetGalley***

With the exception of two movies, I have seen all of the Godzilla films. Some are better than others, but are all entertaining in their own way. Some are scary, or have brilliant special effects, or are so comically bad, they are funny. I wasn't sure what to expect reading a Godzilla manga, but was very happy I did. Fast-paced, exciting, and action packed.

This ARC collects all five issues in the limited series that came out in 2024. It is based in Australia and the main characters are four teenagers who love to skate, either on skates or skateboards. The art work perfectly embodies who the characters are and the culture that they represent. It is bold, bright, and brash. There were a few times I found it almost overwhelming to see the story amongst the color, but I think that just adds to the atmosphere of chaos and destruction that Godzilla imbues. The story is highly improbable, but again, that's why it is a comic. If it were a movie it would not work at all.

Godzilla? Awesome. Skating? So cool. Friendship? The best.
This has it all. It's so refreshing. The art style was eye catching. The use of colors is incredible. We need more bright colored Godzilla stories.
Also, I love Godzilla stories that focus on kid/teen characters besides the big guy himself. It's the power of being young and full of fight.

As a big fan of Godzilla, I definitely was interested to check this out. I really enjoyed the artwork and liked the characters. If you enjoy Godzilla and have been interested to check out the comics, I think this would be a good starting point. The story is definitely a fun time.

I’ve really been enjoying the Godzilla comics that I’ve been able to check out, so I jumped at the chance to read Godzilla: Skate or Die from IDW Publishing.

A group of skaters built their own skatepark. Now, Varan has awakened and is terrorizing Australia. Godzilla heads to face Varan, and the estimated collision spot is, YOU GUESSED IT, the skatepark.

Can these skaters save Australia and their skatepark (mostly their skatepark) from destruction?

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

This story was different and cool.

I was super pumped to read this, because I’ve really been digging all of the Godzilla books that I’ve read. I think I liked even more than they said “We’re putting this in a specific place in Australia.” and didn’t do a generic-looking place without even giving you a vague idea of where it was set.

Varan being shot into space was awesome.

The big battle between Godzilla and Varan ended with Godzilla shooting him… INTO SPACE. This was one of the coolest things that I have seen in these Godzilla comics.

I loved the Kaiju artwork, but I didn’t love the human artwork.

I thought the artwork for Godzilla and Varan was top notch. The colors, especially, were gorgeous. All of the coloring for the big fight spreads was fantastic.

With that said, something about the way the people were drawn in this book didn’t really work for me. That didn’t distract from the overall book though.

I Loved this Graphic Novel!! I have loved Godzilla for years, and this take on Our favorite Kaiju added to the great legacy. I also loved the Skate Park atmosphere. This had a true Skate Rat Pack mentality. When you have each other's back. I can not express how much I loved this. NOW, Let's just talk about how the Art Style is just an element all its own. Godzilla's look is so distinctive and stylized that it makes these a must-have. I will be buying this Collection as soon it comes out for my Collection.

Godzilla and skateboarding, what’s not to like? Really adds the camp factor back to Godzilla which is a classic element missing from some adaptations of Big G.

Godzilla: Skate or Die was a fun read that ultimately didn't do a lot for me, but I've really enjoyed that IDW has taken such care to give us multiple and unique takes on the Godzilla mythos. I did end up liking it much more than several other Godzilla stories I've read from the company. I'm really hoping that they continue to take chances, I'll keep reading.

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

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy. The following opinions are my own.

5 stars

I love the strangeness of Godzilla skate or die! The concept, the narrative, the art... Everything feels transgressive - as if the very idea is a slap in the face to what you expect when you imagine a Godzilla comic. This is the kind of comic that I pray to heaven there are more of in a market saturated with sameness: IP owners letting new voices run (in this case, roll) wild with their characters, because you never know when new visions can become special things. In my opinion, this is a special comic.

Godzilla skate or die by Louie Joyce is a great triumph in my opinion. More of these, please!