TokuNation.com Reviews Godzilla Awakening

** HEAVY spoilers for Legendary's Godzilla 2014 film below.

"The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around." - Dr. Ichiro Serizawa in Godzilla
Clearly this line sets the tone of Legendary pictures 2014 Godzilla film. And actor Ken Watanabe delivers it with such gravitas that it's instantly become classic.

"It all began with something no one thought could happen. But it soon became something no one would ever believe" Dr. Serizawa (Ichiro's father) in Godzilla Awakening
This line too sets the tone for what is to come in the Godzilla Awakening prequel graphic novel to the blockbuster film Godzilla. Albeit in a more obvious way. If you haven't seen the film by this point then read no further, we delve into the secrets of the film and how they relate to the book from here on.

Godzilla Awakening as a prequel to the film sets out to elaborate on some of the more rushed over history of Godzilla and the MUTO's. The story is presented in 3 central chapters.

Chapter 1
Here we begin with the rather simple trope of a father and son reuniting after some time apart. In a sense mirroring the way in which Bryan Cranston's Joe and Aaron Johnson's Ford meet once again after being estranged in the film. Here however we are presented with 1980 Japan. A young Ichiro Serizawa, later to become the poetic character played by Ken Watanabe, has come home to his father, the elder Dr. Serizawa. His father has summoned him with urgent business, in his twilight years he now wishes to tell his son the truth about his life and career. Not as a worker for a shipping company which was a mere cover, but as a researcher haunted by the ghosts of monsters, one who hunted them.

What follows is Dr. Serizawa recounting his life from August 6th 1945 at 8:15 AM on the island of Hiroshima. Avid fans will note that in the film Ichiro still has his fathers compass, which he explains stopped functioning on this exact time and date, which is course when the atomic bomb was dropped. The elder Dr apparently was on the island when the bomb went off, though he survived. Only to witness the horror of a flying MUTO before finding and saving his infant son.

1 year on we see that Dr. Serizawa is involved with the Japanese navy, and although he can speak and translate English he (rightfully so) harbors hatred for the american military. Ironic given the circumstances by which he must now help aid an American ship which has somehow run aground in the middle of an island. After encountering a survivor of the ships wreckage, Shaw, our party finds the ship and it's indeed grounded. Halfway up a mountain. The reason for which is soon made clear when claws begin to tear through the crew and remainder of the ship. Clearly this creature is a MUTO though it has yet to be officially named/recognized as such at this point in 1946. It should also be noted that the design of this MUTO is VERY different from the films depiction of the male or female. It looks very much like a flying Manta Ray with claw like tentacles and ram horns around it's maw, as well as 2 eyes on each side of it's head.

As the creature destroys the wreckage we at last see the text "ROARRRRRR!" which sounds the oncoming force of nature that is Godzilla. Next we get one full page spread of the risen Godzilla ready to face off against the MUTO, but much like the film this is merely a tease of the main event to come. Serizawa has survived and been drafted into the first post WWII mixed American/Japanese military unit. This team will be known as the Monarch Unit. It's sole reason for existing? To hunt and kill these creatures. This unit would also have Shaw in it, cementing a friendship which would stay with Serizawa through his death. This is also the first time that the term MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) comes into use.

The next several pages feature a montage of various locales around the world. From 1946-1950 we see the Monarch Unit make there way to these places in search of the MUTO. As they search though Dr. Serizawa begins to assemble a theory, one which he can't yet substantiate, one that no one yet believes. He believes another creature has been fighting the MUTO over the years, though not necessarily defending mankind. But up to now no one credible has seen this second creature which he's found to be called Gojira by some survivors who've seen it. Handily explained for us as a conjunction of the words for whale & gorilla in Japanese. But the legends of this beast span generations and civilizations, once he was merely a monster of myth and legend. But now Serizawa believes him to be real.

To prove his theory an expedition is mounted using the nuclear powered sub Nautilus. A team will traverse the depths of Challenger Deep near the Phillipines, the deepest point on Earth. Surely if monstrous creatures of myth have survived into the modern day they would choose to lay dormant here. If only they had stayed a bit longer down there, this theory could have been confirmed. With their deaths. The sub narrowly avoids Gojira/Godzilla himself to return to the surface. Once agin this mirrors the films ability to show us how monster, gods among the creatures of the Earth, can hide right in front of us despite being larger than life.

Chapter 2
January 1953. The Monarch team has returned to headquarters for an apparent important meeting with another biologist. Dr Zamalek appears to be a collector of wild creatures long extinct as he guides the Monarch Unit through his "museum" of sorts. This treats we the readers to at least one throwback reference to classic Godzilla as one of the creatures remains stored here is a giant ape monster. Clearly in reference to the one time foe of Godzilla, King Kong! Unfortunately the other specimens shown range from obviously something to impossible to tell, but none hearken back to classic Toho beasts. Or at least I failed to recognize any, please feel free to prove me wrong here.

The good/insane Dr has quite a few truth bombs to drop on us now. In 1946 a piece of the flying MUTO in the Philippines was recovered. Initially thought to be a severed piece of limb or a scale it would turn out this roughly human head sized thing was a single giant cell of the MUTO creature. At his point Serisawa begins to refer to the Muto as Shinomura, literally, swarm of death. Primarily because each MUTO is made up of millions of these small creatures all working together to survive. This is an insanely appropriate Kaiju type name in the tradition of classic Godzilla, one that was sorely need for the film. But this "swarming" demonstrates further how these creatures have survived and adapted over history. The team then exposes it to radiation, at which point it grows and regenerates to a point where it's extermination is required. Monarch Unit knew the MUTO thrived and reproduced based on radiation over 50 years prior to the events of the film.

The only mystery to this unit is why the MUTO haven't made the world theirs yet. To which Dr Serisawa offers his Gojira theory once more. Expanding on it this time we're given multiple examples of such a creature in ancient historical reference even dating back to 30,000 BC. Serisawa posits that Gojira and the Shinomura were natural predators to one another, keeping each other in check. Maintaining the balance of nature as the Alpha Predator (Gojira) and Parasite (Shinomura/MUTO).

They each thrived on the natural radiation of the Earth which was far higher than it is in the modern world. But these beasts, the ones that survived at least, were forced to live underground and in the seas, closer to the core of the Earth's radiation because of the Permian Impact. The asteroid which wiped out scores of life on the planet. Such a vague premise for survival leaves TONS of room open for more creatures in sequel films to have survived as well. We could easily see more of these prehistoric monsters awakened in similar fashion.

The hibernation these creatures experienced from this point went uninterrupted for eons, until August 6th 1945, Hiroshima. The atomic bomb that day created enough radiation to awaken at least one MUTO and draw it there, where Serizawa witnessed it. Even with his well reasoned yet mostly evidence-less theory, Monarch doesn't buy it. And Shaw can't sell the idea to general MacArthur or the other top military brass. Oddly the focus then shifts to Serizawas home where he and his son are marveling over a black starfish he's found and brought home. What this actually turns out to be is a small MUTO. One which gains sufficient energy to grow and escape their home and run rampant. This is a flimsy plot point at best. Though it facilitates the formative step Dr. Serizawa must take to proving Gojira's existence. He will journey the oceans, alone on a single boat, searching for the truth.

Chapter 3
The third and final act of our story, March 1945. The good Dr is awoken from his weary sleep on the open ocean thanks to a distress call from trusted sources on Moansta Island in the South Pacific. "The Giant Lizard" as these people call him, has appeared, as has his playmate Shinomura. With this undeniable proof Dr Serizawa can at last show his superiors that his Gojira is real. Ordered to stay away form the island, Serizawa gets in close enough to see the battle between two gigantic forces of nature.

What follows for this prequel is a similar climax to that of the film. A pule pounding throw down fight between Gojira and Shinomura. Much like the film the book has saved the plentiful full on shots of the creatures as well as Gojira's iconic Atomic Breath, for last. Though clearly not as impressive because of the medium in which it's represented, this fight is every bit as pivotal to the plot as the final one in the film.

What the battle truly does is finally convince the US military and Monarch that Gojira is real. The other result is that the first MUTO, Shinomura, is dead. It's dormant carcass all that remains. As in the film, the Atomic Breath has packed a punch. However Dr Serizawa saw at least 1 piece of the creature escape, though his compatriots would fail to take this seriously. But the finale of the book would prove it didn't matter anyway.

Mere days later the often mentioned General MacArthur finally appears to put an end to this Gojira business. He fully recognizes what Dr Serizawa has proven, and how significant it is. But the modern world which the general "helped build" is simply more important. And so a plan is concocted in the Bikini Atoll. A nuclear "test" will occur, but this is far from a test. It will be a trap for the creatures. A trail of radiation will be left to allow the surviving Shinomura piece to sniff out so that when the moment is right, an Atomic Bomb can be set off. Destroying the creature and Gojira. This event is of course alluded to and briefly seen in the film. And as we know it didn't really pan out. It more or less gave Gojira/Godzilla an excuse to hide.

We now see that 1 year later in 1981, after the Dr began his tale to his son Ichiro in 1980, that he's passed away. Attending his father's funeral is his old friend and ally Shaw. This surprising meeting spurs Ichiro to try and carry on his father's legacy.The exchange that follows once again sums up perfectly, the point of this book.

Ichiro: "I've been waiting for you to come. I'm Ready."
Shaw: "I'm glad you think so. But I'm not sure anyone's ready for what's coming."

The final shot we're given is of the titular beast rising from the fires of the Bikini Atoll.

Extras
Included after Chapter 3 is a small section of bonus material. The first piece of which is an internal Monarch document, a classified and redacted document which details the Bikini Atoll "test". The document clearly proposes the idea that this Gojira survived so the military had at least some idea that they might see him again in the future.

The rest of the pages are dedicated to the art of this wonderful book. Focusing on Godzilla's design turnaround by Eric Battle, cover work by Arthur Adams, interior art/original pencils by Yvel Guichet Eric Battle & Alan Quah, and one final page which is a reproduction of the film's marquee poster.

Final Thoughts
Godzilla Awakening sets out to expand upon the brief history of Legendary's Godzilla film in a big way. In many ways it succeeds, in others not so much. But one thing is certain, this book will enhance your viewing of the film. I ready it about an hour or so before seeing the movie for the first time, and the insights it gave me into the Godzilla/MUTO relationship were very helpful. In already having partial understanding of this films in universe history I was less distracted by questions I may have had about the film, and could simply enjoy myself more.

What this book does right it does very right. Expanding on Dr. Ichiro Serizawa and his father was the right direction to go in. His character in the film is of course played by the talented and wonderful Ken Watanabe. But he's unfortunately relegated to mostly one-liners and the poeticly beautiful statements of someone most of us would assume is crazy. But by allowing us to see more of his father through this book, it gives us a much better point of view to appreciate Ichiro from. The things which drove his father, now drive him. And how else would any sane person attempt to describe the unbelievable things which he's seen in his life? The book certainly made me appreciate him more.

The whole Monarch Unit thing in the film feels unexplained and a bit unnecessary. But the back story given here for that unit really makes them seem far more legitimate. Thought their assignment to kill the MUTO's seems pointless as they had no feasible way of doing so in the 40's & 50's. And apparently they never really were able to during the teams entire existence. Thus making them even more superfluous as they clearly don't produce results.

However with minor qualms aside this book is an excellent read. It set out to expand the films world and it succeeds. Some of the story does feel rushed but that's primarily because of the style of art chose. With the number of page given to each chapter being just over 20 pages there isn't quite enough space to have all the art necessary to convey each scene. Merely because there's so much content to include on some pages, the art can actually be a little hard to follow. But that's not to say it's un-enjoyable or unreadable, it is neither. If you loved the film then you owe it to yourself to go pick up Godzilla Awakening. If you haven't seen the film yet then you owe it to yourself to read this first and give yourself a jump start on the amazing ride the film will take you on.

In any case this book is available on store shelves now at any of your Local Comic Shops or other fine book retailers!

Great tie-in to the movie.