I am a huge fan of Godzilla (Gojira) and a sucker for anything that involves giant monsters causing widespread destruction and havoc. We can add giant robots to that list as well.
Needless to say, I was hyped when the monsterverse hit the big screens with: Godzilla, Kong, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Godzilla vs. Kong (GvK). Godzilla: King of the Monsters is my absolute favorite as we get to see most of the franchise players of the monsterverse play a role in the story. An added bonus was the unforgettable experience at the theater and the sight of my wife, who grew up watching Godzilla in Japan, well up in tears from pure nostalgia.
Post Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021, amidst the pandemic hitting its peak (and continues to go strong), I was craving for more monster material to digest.
I eventually found out that Legendary Comics did exactly that in their release of the Monsterverse Titanthology graphic novel. That is what I will be reviewing today.
The best part of the Monsterverse Titanthology is that it perfectly caters to new readers of the Monsterverse as well as fans who wish to discover the backstories of the two titular characters holding up the franchise: Godzilla and Kong. The Titanthology was released in June 2021 but its contents actually bring together previous released graphic novels (that slipped under my radar) in Skull Island: The Birth of Kong (2017) and Godzilla: Aftershock (2019) in one volume.
The tone and pacing of both stories vary. This is a positive as it keeps the reader hooked moving from one story to another in what is essentially a shared universe. Yet, despite the shared universe, there is also a lot of contrast in the backstories of Godzilla and Kong and if you are a fan of stories that reference and work off of inspirations from ancient mythology, the Titanthology is a perfect treat.
One of the best aspects of the movie series was the world building. There were so many cool elements such as the hollow earth and ancient civilizations interspersed in a story that is grounded, not by the pure spectacle of the monsters, but by the human experience when confronted with this reality. The movies had their share of flaws but when it came to pure entertainment factor they ticked all the boxes for me.
Now, while the movies could only show so much, the Titanthology provides a lot more by building on the mythologies and worlds introduced in the movies while spinning them within various cultural subtexts. This makes for an intriguing and interesting read made even better by incorporating a journal or mystery file element to the stories. Altogether, the Titanthology adds to the history of its titular monsters and their motivations, prior to their appearances (in the films), and their climactic confrontation.
With that said, for any Godzilla or Kong fans out there, this is an anthology you don’t want to miss. The Monsterverse is still going strong with two television series concurrently in development and hopefully more movies too! A few more graphic novels have also been published since the release of the Titanthology including GvK Kingdom Kong and GvK Godzilla Dominion which serve as specific prequels to 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, so make sure to check them out as well.
The Pensive Reverie 