Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Dark Horse)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a 16 issue comic series written by Randy Stradley and published by Dark Horse. It was first published in 1995 and ended in 1996. It is an expansion of the Godzilla story published in Dark Horse Comics #10 and #11 and stars the G-Force team introduced in Godzilla: Color Special. Professor Yoshiwara and Burton Helzer from Godzilla: King of the Monsters special also make an appearance as supporting characters. Like Marvel, Dark Horse was unable to license any other of Toho's kaiju, so Dark Horse created new monsters for Godzilla to battle. Godzilla's design and behavior takes inspiration from his Heisei counterpart: a mysterious and destructive force of nature whose opponents sometimes represented the greater of two evils. Unfortunately due to low sales, the series ended partway through a story arc, which would have featured an army of monsters created by the mad scientist Dr. Yamazaki.

In 1998 Dark Horse reprinted the series alongside some of it's other Godzilla Comics such as Godzilla vs Hero Zero in two black-and-white trade paperbacks. Godzilla: Age of Monsters includes Godzilla: King of the Monsters Special, Godzilla: Color Special, Godzilla vs Hero Zero, "Godzilla's Day" from Dark Horse Presents #106, and issues #0-4 and #16 of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Godzilla: Past, Present, Future contains issues #5-15 of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, along with "The Origins of a Species" from A Decade of Dark Horse #4.

Issue #0 - Blast From The Past
Professor Noriko Yoshiwara arrives in a PBY-5A Seaplane flown by Burton Helzer at the mid-Pacific site where G-Force's research boat is anchored. Beyond the boat, Godzilla floats upon the sea, in a comatose slumber. As Yoshiwara boards the ship, G-Force member Kino discovers that the scientist is carrying a stinger missile launcher in her gear. Helzer pulls a gun and holds G-Force at gunpoint while he explains what Godzilla means to those who survived his Tokyo rampage.

Yoshiwara is determined to kill Godzilla and avenge her parents. From the monster's scale she has developed a poison which she will inject into Godzilla by means of the missile launcher. Yoshiwara puts her plan into effect, firing the hypodermic missile into Godzilla's hide. Kino takes the opportunity to disarm Helzer but before Dr. Kagaku can decide what to do with Yoshiwara and Helzer, Godzilla awakens. G-Force and the pair of Tokyo survivors race aboard the seaplane, getting airborne just as Godzilla destroys the G-Force ship.

Bleeding profusely, Yoshiwara's toxin appears to be taking effect as Godzilla sinks back into the depths.

Issue #1 - Dramatization
Take' of G-Force is a guest on Kate Koshiro's "Giant Eye" news program discussing Godzilla and rumors of his whereabouts. Godzilla has not been seen since Professor Noriko Yoshiwara poisoned him ten months ago. All of that changes when Godzilla appears on the coast of British Columbia, still bleeding profusely from the Yoshiwara's toxin.

Kino sets out in a VTOL plane to fetch Take' and attempt to use a new sonic lure to subdue Godzilla. Kate Koshiro overhears Kino and Take' discussing Godzilla's return and hurriedly gathers her crew together to get the story. Back at G-Force headquarters, Dr. Kagaku convinces Colonel Cameron to hold his forces back and let G-Force give the beacon a try. Canadian warplanes briefly engage the stricken Godzilla before the VTOL arrives on the scene. The beacon seems to work at first, but then it shorts out, enraging Godzilla further. A blast of radioactive flame downs the aircraft, the beacon falling into the forest. Take' and Kino survive the crash and are rescued by Kate's news helicopter. They recover the beacon and Kino determines that it was sabotaged.

Canadian military forces battle Godzilla until Cybersaur, the United Nation's anti-Godzilla robot, arrives.

Issue #2 - Property Damage
While Cybersaur battles Godzilla, Kino and Take' watch the fight and Kate gets footage for her news program. Underestimating Godzilla’s power, the Cybersaur's crew diverts power from their shields to their weapons. Godzilla lands a powerful blast and downs the robot, causing the death of Cybersaur's captain. Ignoring the fallen robot, the poisoned Godzilla lumbers on. Kate lands her helicopter and the G-Force members race to Cybersaur's cockpit to check on the crew. Kino stays to help Cybersaur's crew get the robot functional again while Take’ escorts Kate and her camera from the scene.

Back at G-Force headquarters in Japan, Col. Cameron calls Professor Yoshiwara, asking her about the toxicity of Godzilla's blood, asking her if she considered what effect his radioactive blood will have on the environment and drinking water before she poisoned Godzilla. Yoshiwara has no answers.

Take' and Kate express their mutual interest in one another when Dr. Kagaku and Reiko arrive in a second VTOL. A mid-air transfer is made and Take' and the beacon take their place aboard the VTOL. The Canadian army has filled a lake with gasoline, run electrical lines into the water and assembled a mass of artillery in hopes of destroying Godzilla. The reptile is unfazed by the trap and lumbers on until the repaired Cybersaur arrives on the scene. Employing the massive G-Buster, Cybersaur takes Godzilla down, seemingly killing the monster as Godzilla utters a last thunderous shriek.

Issue #3 - Long Live The King!
Vibrations from Godzilla's final shriek waft out to space where they are sensed by the interstellar vulture Bagorah. As G-Force and the Canadian military examine Godzilla to verify that he is in fact dead, Col. Cameron arrives on the scene. He informs Dr. Kagaku that Professor Yoshiwara is being held responsible for the damage caused by Godzilla’s blood and has been detained by Japanese authorities at G-Force headquarters.

Canadian astronomers sight Bagorah headed to Earth, apparently heading for Godzilla's body. Back in Japan, Yoshiwara decides that the only way to correct her error is to administer an anti-toxin to Godzilla and stop his bleeding.

Cybersaur manages to repulse Bagorah when the monster arrives to consume Godzilla's body, the bat-monster uttering an ear-piercing wail as he retreats to the sea. Burton Helzer helps Yoshiwara escape from G-Force headquarters and the pair are soon flying to Canada. Meanwhile, Col. Cameron and Dr. Kagaku discuss means of repulsing Bagorah when the monster returns. Reiko finds Kate snooping around Godzilla. As she questions the reporter, Bagorah returns. Running to safety, they watch as Cybersaur again battles Bagorah. Then they see something else, Helzer and Yoshiwara standing near Godzilla. Yoshiwara lifts a stinger missile launcher and fires the anti-toxin into Godzilla. Bagorah defeats Cybersaur and is just perching on Godzilla's body, ready to feed, when Godzilla awakens.

Issue #4 - Godzilla vs Bagorah
Godzilla repulses Bagorah, despite being too weak to use his atomic breath. Jets lure the space monster out to sea. As Take' and Dr. Kagaku lead efforts to evacuate Cybersaur's crew, Col. Cameron spies Kate, Reiko, Yoshiwara, and Helzer and orders them arrested.

Bagorah catches one of the jets and after biting one, stops chasing and settles upon a skyscraper in Vancouver. Meanwhile, Godzilla advances on the city. He soon finds Bagorah and the two monsters renew their interrupted battle, Godzilla still too weak to use his fire.

G-Force evacuates Kino from Cybersaur just before the robot's fuel explodes, completely destroying the machine. In Vancouver, Godzilla is finally strong enough to use his flame, blasting Bagorah at point blank range. Severely wounded, the space monster flees and dives into the sea. Godzilla follows Bagorah's example and also heads out to sea.

Later, in a military prison, Col. Cameron questions Professor Yoshiwara. After verifying that no one else can recreate her toxin, Cameron shoots her, telling the guard on duty outside that she has committed suicide.

Issue #5 - Target: Godzilla! Part One
Alien hunters tracking Bagorah head for Earth, now interested in the creature who injured the space monster. On Earth, G-Force, Kate Koshiro, and Col. Cameron watch as Godzilla advances toward Portland. Cameron deploys a new robot to stop Godzilla: the All-Terraintula. The spider robot has a coating that absorbs Godzilla's ray and allows it to be fired back at the monster.

While Godzilla and the All-Terraintula battle, the aliens arrive. Deciding that Godzilla will not be worthy sport if injured, the aliens decide to destroy the All-Terraintula. As Dr. Kagaku, Kino, and Reiko board their VTOL to check out the alien ship, the aliens land and disable the All-Terraintula with a huge bazooka just after the robot fires a cadmium tranquilizer missile into Godzilla. The fifty-foot tall aliens watch the robot burn.

Issue #6 - Target: Godzilla! Part Two
Godzilla falls, the tranquilizer taking effect. The aliens decide to revive him with an electrical shock so that he will be worth hunting. Godzilla revives on the second attempt, attacking the alien administering the shocks and hurling him away. The cadmium has rendered Godzilla unable to use his fire so he stomps the alien into the ground. The other aliens head back to their ship to arm themselves for the hunt.

Colonel Cameron decides to gain access to the alien while the giants hunt Godzilla through the city. G-Force attempts to convince the aliens to take their hunt elsewhere but the giants are oblivious to their presence. One of them knocks an arrow in his mammoth bow and aims the weapon at Godzilla.

Issue #7 - Target: Godzilla! Part Three
The alien archer fires his weapon at Godzilla while Col. Cameron and his troops, with Take’ and Kate in tow, seek to gain entrance to the space ship. The archer puts a dozen arrows into Godzilla, enraging him and causing the monster to chase the alien. The alien leads Godzilla into a trap set up by his fellows. Soon, a bolo gun is fired, binding Godzilla’s legs together.

At the space ship, Cameron’s men are unable to gain access to the ship and one of them is zapped dead by the ship’s forcefield, horrifying Take’ and Kate. The aliens throw an electrified net over Godzilla, stunning the downed monster. Another alien with a spear leaps onto Godzilla, impaling him with the weapon. Godzilla slams the alien into the ground and rolls on top of him, impaling the hunter on some of the arrows still embedded in Godzilla’s body.

Back at the ship, another alien appears and threatens Cameron's men, but the soldiers shock the alien into unconsciousness. Col. Cameron then reveals to Take' and Kate that he and his troops are Simeons, the ape-like aliens from the Third Planet of the Black Hole and they are still planning to take over the Earth.

Issue #8 - Target: Godzilla! Part Four
Col. Cameron plans to take over the alien ship and use it in his conquest of the Earth. Meanwhile, Godzilla is going to crush another alien hunter beneath his feet when an even larger alien grabs hold of his tail, preventing the blow from falling. Godzilla lashes the hunter mercilessly and finally flings him into a building, causing the structure to bury the alien. Back on the space ship, Cameron reveals that he had G-Force’s beacon sabotaged to prevent the earthlings from gaining control over Godzilla and had Professor Yoshiwara killed to keep her from creating a poison that might be used on the monsters the Simeons might create. The rest of G-Force overhears the entire conversation on their VTOL's radio.

Godzilla turns the tables and starts to hunt the remaining aliens. Meanwhile, the All-Terraintula rises, the Simeon onboard killing his human copilot on Cameron's order. The Simeons lift off in the alien ship, bound for Portland and Godzilla.

The archer alien tries to hold off Godzilla while his fellows try to reach the ship. Godzilla topples a skyscraper on the alien, burying him. The ship arrives as Godzilla advances toward the remaining aliens. The Simeons open fire on both Godzilla and the aliens. The All-Terraintula also arrives and incinerates the alien captain. Enraged, the last alien grabs the All-Terraintula and flings it at Godzilla. Godzilla catches the robot and crushes it, absorbing the nuclear energy that the robot absorbed earlier. The alien onboard the space ship revives and helps Take' and Kate disable the ships shields just as Cameron aims his guns at G-Force's VTOL. Godzilla blasts the space ship with his fire. The alien and humans escape in the ship's lifeboat, but the Simeons perish in the resulting explosion. Thinking himself stranded, the last hunter walks into the falling wreckage and is incinerated.

After depositing Take' and Kate on the ground, the lifeboat makes for the stars. Godzilla slowly makes his way out of Portland.

Issue #9 - Lost in Time!
Godzilla rampages in Orange County, resisting the attacks of G-Force and the army when suddenly he vanishes into thin air. Professor Mason has teleported the monster out to sea for his own purposes. Dr. Kagaku decides that Mason is responsible for Godzilla's disappearance. Time travel was mason's obsession, like Kagaku's before Godzilla appeared. With Godzilla in place, Mason attacks Pompeii moments before Vesuvius erupts. Mason and a team of raiders stand ready to loot the Roman city in Godzilla's wake.

Kagaku reveals to G-Force that he has been working on a time machine of his own. G-Force realizes that Mason intends to use Godzilla to loot the past by striking at past disasters. As G-Force tries to determine what events Mason may have targeted, Mason's men and Godzilla disappear from Pompeii just as the volcano erupts. G-Force sends Kino and Take' to 1906 San Francisco while Burton Helzer and Dr. Marina Meltev depart for 1588 England.

Issue #10 - Horror On The High Seas!
Helzer and Meltev arrive in Elizabethan England while Mason awaits the Spanish Armada's battle with the English before unleashing Godzilla's wrath. Godzilla destroys the Armada with mason's submarines collecting the sinking loot. Helzer and Meltev, distracted by an encounter with William Shakespeare in a pub, are too late to stop Mason's men, but they are seen by Mason, who realises that G-Force is after him.

They do capture Mason's accomplice Dixon, however. Helzer, Meltev and Dixon are teleported back to the present from the deck of Sir Francis Drake's ship. Meanwhile, Godzilla appears in a subterranean grotto beneath San Francisco and is angered, causing the ground above to shake.

Issue #11 - Terror On The Titanic
As Kino and Take' flee the San Francisco earthquake, Godzilla appears within an iceberg in the north Atlantic in 1912. Kino and Take' arrive on the deck of the Titanic when G-Force convinces Dixon to tell them Mason's next target. Kino and Take' try to deter Godzilla from attacking with an energy weapon. As Mason prepares to collect the ship's loot, he and his sub are teleported to the far future of 2299. The futurians ask that Mason bring them exotic animals from the past, especially Godzilla. Mason agrees to help them.

Meanwhile, Godzilla's attack alters history and he is credited with the sinking of the Titanic. As Godzilla again disappears, Kino and Take' along with two Titanic passengers are transported back to the present. Mason and his men loot a Victorian zoo while Godzilla rampages through the city. Helzer and Meltev arrive and try to stop Godzilla with a sonic cannon. As they drive him away, Mason hurriedly transports his men, the animals and Godzilla to the future.

Issue #12 - We Have Seen The Future, And It Has Been Destroyed By Godzilla
In Harmony Cluster Nine, Mason's men are warned against descending below the 80th level and that they remain indoors after dark. After the futurian game show hosts who hired Mason agree to provide him with weapons of the future, mason agrees to secure Godzilla for them. Dixon arrives, being controlled by G-Force and asks Mason what his plans are. Mason receives the weapons. The mad scientist immediately transports Godzilla to the futuristic city. With the weapons, Mason plans to conquer Harmony Cluster Nine, perhaps transporting other monsters to the future in a bid to conquer the pacifistic and decadent futurians.

The imbecile futurians are unaware that Godzilla cannot be controlled as he smashes their city. Dixon argues with Mason that he cannot let Godzilla destroy the future, causing Mason to blast him with one of his new weapons, revealing Dixon to be a robot. The futurians impress on Mason to get his men to stop Godzilla, since the futurians are incapable of violence. As Mason leaves, G-Force emerges from the robot's head and returns to normal size. Elsewhere, Helzer and Meltev subdue mason as he addresses his men from a hovering platform. He falls into the armory just as Godzilla arrives.

Before G-Force can capture Mason, he activates his time machine, but Godzilla swallows the mad scientist and starts to fade, headed for wherever Mason was going. G-Force leaves the future and returns to the present and tries to determine where in time Godzilla has wound up.

Issue #13 - Turf Wars
An unseen monster attacks San Javier, Peru. Believing it to be Godzilla, G-Force heads for Peru. Helzer is the only one who expresses the opinion that it may be another monster that is responsible. G-Force questions the village survivors and doubts begin to rise. There is no radioactivity in the area. G-Force finds a deep fissure far inland which is where the monster's trail leads. They determine that it is a new monster and name it Burtannus after Burton Helzer.

Kino and Take' don jet packs and descend into the fissure while the rest of G-Force heads back to their ship to get supplies for the villagers. Suddenly they see the Peruvian air force engaging Godzilla on the coast. Godzilla is headed inland, hunting the other monster. Back in the fissure, Kino and Take' discover a pair of baby monsters.

Soon the adult Burtannus shows her angry face. Kino and Take' blind her with their lights and race away down the tunnel. They escape just as seawater rushes into the tunnels. Godzilla has dug his way into Burtannus' lair. The two monsters are soon battling in the coastal waters. Godzilla abandons his fight with Burtannus as the other monster swims out to sea with her young. Godzilla follows suit, only headed in a different direction.

Issue #14 - To Climb The Highest Monster
Godzilla makes landfall in the South Pacific. G-Force follows him, planning to mount Nervous System Suppressors on Godzilla to shock him into unconsciousness. To do this, Kino and Take' will have to climb Godzilla's body and mount the electrodes on Godzilla's skull. While Helzer and Reiko distract Godzilla with the VTOL, Kino and Take' mount the monster's body with grappling hooks.

Wearing radiation suits, they climb Godzilla's back. While climbing, a parasitic sea louse, mutated by Godzilla's radiation, attacks Kino, barely being fought off. The electrodes are mounted and as Kino and Take' parachute off Godzilla, Dr. Kagaku shocks the monster. The impact of Godzilla's fall activates the island's volcano, the hot lava awakening the monster. After attacking the volcano and removing the electrodes, Godzilla returns to the sea, leaving G-Force to deal with the angry islanders

Issue #15 - The Yamazaki Endowment
Several nuclear physicists arrive at a South Seas island at the behest of Dr. Yamazaki. Leaving their families aboard a ship anchored in the harbor, Yamazaki shows her guests her facilities, including a nuclear reactor. She shows them her crowning achievement, a giant monster which she releases into the sea. The beast destroys the anchored ship. Dr. Yamazaki has the outraged scientists removed by her guards.

The monster heads away from her island. In Australia, Godzilla stands on Manly Beach, apparently sleeping while the Australian army and G-Force observe him. While watching Godzilla, reports come in that something big is headed toward them. Dr. Yamazaki's monster attacks Godzilla and the monsters' battle takes them inland, into Sydney. Godzilla finally kills the other monster and heads back to sea. Back on Lord Howe Island, Dr. Yamazaki plans her next creation.

Issue #16 - Thunder In The Past
Deep beneath the sea, Godzilla sleeps only to suddenly have the earth's tectonic plates shift, the resulting energy engulfing Godzilla. He awakes in the Mesozoic era, dinosaurs fleeing from his towering form. A handful of tyrannosaurs attack Godzilla but are brushed away by Godzilla's tail. Elsewhere a titanic space monster hunts dinosaurs for its dinner. When it spys Godzilla, the monster senses a challenge and attacks.

The monsters battle, unaware of the sudden approach of an object from space, a giant meteor. The meteor slams into the earth, sending a destructive shockwave across the world. As Godzilla fades back to his own time, the space monster tries to escape earth but is engulfed in the shockwave.

On the bottom of the sea, Godzilla awakens, the tip of the space monster's tail still clenched in his claws.

Monsters

 * Godzilla
 * Soran (mentioned)
 * Inagos (mentioned)
 * Kamerus (mentioned)
 * Cybersaur
 * Bagorah
 * All-Terraintula
 * Lower-level mutants
 * Sabre-Toothed Gorilla (cameo)
 * Burtannus
 * Burtannus Offspring
 * Shockirus
 * Lord Howe Monster
 * The Stranger

Oragnizations

 * G-Force

Characters

 * Noriko Yoshiwara
 * Burton Helzer
 * Doctor Kazushi Kagaku
 * Doctor Reiko Kagaku
 * Také Fukuda
 * Kino (Tadihisa Kinoshita)

Locations

 * Pacific Ocean, south of Japan

Races

 * Humans
 * Dianii

Links
https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Godzilla,_King_of_the_Monsters_(Dark_Horse)