STARSHIP GODZILLA #1 / Script by CHRIS GOOCH / Art by OLIVER ONO/ Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU / Design by BRIAN KOLEK / Covers by CHRIS GOOCH, OLIVER ONO, VITOR CAFAGGI & BOB EGGLETON / Published by IDW PUBLISHING

In the distant future, mankind has escaped from Earth to explore the cosmos. They knew they were not alone, for alien beings had visited them before. Most had been unfriendly, and brought their own kaiju seeking to enslave humanity. Thus did the people of Earth learn that kaiju like Godzilla are among the most valued weapons on the intergalactic market.

In this time, Mechagodzilla has been retrofitted into a ship capable of traveling the stars. However, the crew commanding it are not seeking to boldly go where no one has gone before. They are in it strictly for the money. Whatever the job, Starship Godzilla is there to help… for a price.

The third and final of the first wave of the Godzilla Kai-Sei Era comics, Starship Godzilla is perhaps the most far removed from the franchise core. The first book, Godzilla, featured Godzilla as a character. The second, Escape the Deadzone, was a post-apocalyptic survival drama born of a Godzilla attack. The Big G doesn’t feature into Starship Godzilla and even Mechagodzilla isn’t really a character. Instead, we have a collection of sci-fi stock characters.

The first issue doesn’t give us much beyond names and some base personalities traits. Rohan is the world-weary smooth criminal leading the team. Ayan is the animal-loving heart. Lif is trigger-happy muscle. And… well, that’s really all we learn about them as they deal with a rampaging infant kaiju that hatches too early as they are transporting a cargo of exotic eggs.

Chris Gooch delivers an action packed script. Unfortunately, there’s little to distinguish the series from a typical episode of Cowboy Bebop or FIrefly. Those series were defined by having distinct, interesting characters. Unfortunately, Starship Godzilla’s cast thus far seems strictly shallow.

The artwork is more distinctive by far. Oliver Ono gives each character a visually unique design and the action flows beautifully. The colors are suitably vivid, giving the finished art an atmospheric anime appeal. It does suffer, however, in the details getting lost thanks to thin inks past the middle distance.

Fans of space cowboy sci-fi may want to give Starship Godzilla a try. Godzilla completists may also be interested in seeing a series set among the many alien worlds that informed the earlier movies. Unfortunately, it’s hard to see it having any appeal beyond those niche fandoms.

Starship Godzilla #1 releases on October 1, 2025.