Introduction to Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is awesome—Sir Francis Drake's quest to find Dead Bishop's treasure, only to find the forbidden seas filled with kaiju of the Godzilla franchise, presented in story form fairy tale about a pirate by a survivor of the voyage. It's a great setting that explores a different perspective of Godzilla's world—how long the kaiju have been around, and how many famous explorers traveling the world have encountered various monsters ?
At first, the comic introduced this premise but failed to stick to its objective. There are too many plot elements that spoil its strong setup and execution. The story of Here There Be Dragons, a clever and engaging title with roots in ancient exploration maps, is told by Henry Hull, a soon-to-be hanged pirate who seems to be looking for a way to escape the died (and drank) by telling a story to his captors about his journey with Sir Francis Drake to find Monster Island.
There's a lot to love about this particular element of the comic — the setting and storytelling create an interesting, engaging look at the beliefs and myths of the time period. In the 1500s, the giant lobsters and turtles that Hull tells about in his stories were imaginary, but what about dragons? Those things are real, they are in the bible after all. Denying their existence is blasphemy! Lines like “Next you're going to tell me that you believe the earth revolves around the sun!” and calling pirates superstitious in response to major events in Hull's story were just laughable. That period just helped solidify the story there. The encounters on Monster Island could very well have happened in the minds of these people, and the inclusion of Godzilla as an ancient legend is a great premise.
However, the story quickly moves away from the fun and potential of interactions between humans and ancient animals. To be fair, the intrigue of Hull's story is well done—I was captivated even when Godzilla wasn't in focus, but that only kept me going as more and more layers (in unnecessary to my eyes) added to the plot: Specifically, the revenge tale of Captain Cortez Blanco and the Sons of the Giants—a kaiju-worshipping plot.
Blanco's revenge plot doesn't amount to much; His wife and children die when Drake's attack on a Spanish supply ship kills them, and he accidentally (there are a LOT of coincidences in this book) washes up on the Island's shores. Monster. He then hunts down Drake while they search for treasure and deal with kaiju. Nothing. It's an element embedded in the shoe that only serves to cause a dual fight at the climax: Blanco and Drake fight while Godzilla and Ebirah fight. The idea is neat but the execution is bland.
Then there's The Sons of Giants. They have existed for centuries, seeking to protect and worship the kaiju—especially honoring Godzilla as their king. Their presence is enhanced throughout the first few issues and expanded in Issue #4 before appearing in the final arc. And that's my problem with it–The Giants' Children are just there for the confusing ending.
It feels out of place and undermines the enormous potential that comes from the concept born of the phrase “Here There Be Dragons”—that is, what if the dragons we once drew on the map not just a representation of where men fear to go but instead marks where the REAL dragons are. Instead, it's a “treasure hunt and a war of revenge… and Godzilla is here, too.”
Maybe I'm just thinking about how I would do it instead of offering criticism, but if Godzilla can be erased from your story and very little changes, is it really a Godzilla story? ? This is what finally made me leave the series. It feels like Godzilla is just an obstacle and not a very big one, and if the recent Godzilla movies (Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One) have shown us anything, it's that Godzilla is more that too. So far, having fun with the setting and nature of the pirate story can only take this premise — and after the first three issues, there must be an unfortunate and disappointing downturn.
Here There Be Dragons also suffers from a significant problem with coincidence and coincidence, resolving conflicts or providing information accessible to the characters. The aforementioned coincidence of Blanco washing up on the shores of Monster Island is too convenient and provides little benefit. Likewise, there was a voyage in the 1500s that happened with dynamite from a ship in the 1300s (dynamite wasn't invented until 1867) at the exact moment they needed it to defeat Ebirah. Additionally, all the information they need to know about the island is quickly drawn from a diary they found in the Dead Pope's Treasury—and ancient temple ruins they found on the paralyzed island. literally list all the monster names in English for them. It doesn't sound like a broken record, but the title is”Here There Be Dragons,” they shouldn't know anything about these monsters, and that should be the fear factor—don't introduce them to character unknown scary things and immediately follow up with full explanation about it.
Despite all my issues with the story, Inaki Miranda's art and Eva de la Cruz's colors are fantastic. Miranda is great at portraying the kaiju as animalistic, with effective blank stares akin to Minus One's Godzilla. I really like the design of Henry Hull and the other pirates. Cruz's colors are breathtaking, balancing bright monster colors with classic Godzilla colors and the sepia tones we all associate with antique maps and pirate adventures. On the surface, this book is excellent, which makes its missed potential all the more disappointing.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons on paper is an excellent premise, and while I don't care how it turns out, I will say that you should check it out to form a judgment on the execution a cool idea—as well as great art.