Editor’s Note: I’ve encountered a tech glitch on my blogspot account. Admittedly, I’m not tech savvy and have learned my way around various apps through trial and error. Blogspot is part of Google, and at present Google is blocking any attempts to insert stored cover images from my laptop. I have yet to figure out how to correct this and the Google help pages aren’t really showing me the way.
Sometime in the future I will either correct this or have to make a decision whether to continue posting reviews. Without images, I feel they are less likely to be reader-friendly.
#64-#68 = GODZILLA: HERE THERE BE ALIENS #1-#5 by Frank Tieri and Angel Hernandez (IDW Publishing,May-October 2025)
While this mini-series could be read on its own and fully enjoyed, it is the concluding arc of Frank Tieri’s GODZILLA: HERE THERE BE DRAGONS trilogy.
While I did not appreciate this as much as previous versions it is still one of the better Godzilla series out there. Too many of them are just smash ‘em up epics. This one has much more substance, depth, and even interesting character development.
However, part of my feeling may be related to the absence of the great Inaki Miranda on art, who really brought some amazing detail to the settings. Angel Hernandez’s style is simpler, although he really excels at depicting various kaiju monsters in large panels throughout this series.
Flash forward to the 1950’s and the presence of UFOs in the night sky. It’s the Xilien invasion force. They have been on Earth as shape-shifters during the time of HERE THERE BE DRAGONS: SONS OF GIANTS (second arc of the trilogy) and have infiltrated into U.S. government. Main character Jones is laughed out of a government hearing and his special project is in jeopardy. Disillusioned, he is contacted by Dr. Kyoto and forcibly welcomed into the ranks of the Sons of Giants, who have been preparing for the Xilien invasion.
Godzilla is presently on a rampage and finally has the attention of government. A prefect time for the invasion. The Xiliens control Mechagodzilla who joins the battle. The Sons of Giants counter with Jet Jaguar, a Godzilla-sized android originally designed by Benjamin Franklin (former member of Sons of Giants).
Before this ends, a boatload of kaiju enter the fray, including Gigan, Space Godzilla, Hedorah, Mothra, etc. Things get wild when the Simians reveal themselves, life-long foes of the Xiliens. They look like characters straight from PLANET OF THE APES.
It’s a crazy story that touches upon Godzilla mythology from back in feudal Japan days. Tieri wraps up his trilogy in very entertaining fashion. FOUR STARS.
#69 = WADE WILSON: DEADPOOL #1 by Benjamin Percy and Geoff Shaw (Marvel Comics, April 2026)
I’m not a huge fan of Deadpool, but I picked this up based on the reputation of writer Benjamin Percy, whose fiction I appreciate. (Check out his print novels.) I was rewarded for my efforts by some stunning colorful art from Geoff Shaw.
I was a regular follower of Deadpool during his very first series in the 1990’s. Then, as other writers took a turn at the character the humor and situations became a little too juvenile and sappy for my tastes. So I only read Deadpool stories randomly.
Fans of the original as well as later iterations of Deadpool can relax, as Percy isn’t going to upset the applecart. The humor is still here, but seems a little reined in, and more adult. Blind Al (a familiar and welcome character) is back. Deadpool still breaks the fourth wall and talks to the reader, in a confessional tone.
The situations are as wild as ever. The mercenary’s first assignment (from crime lord Hammerhead) is to take out a drug gang using cows to smuggle drugs, Deadpool’s entrance is not to be missed.
The issue ends with Deadpool getting a cryptic message about a terroristic group of clowns threatening to murder a trainload of passengers. It’s Wade Wilson’s chance to be a hero for once.
During the story Percy lays some plot threads that something deep may be troubling Wilson. There’s more here to explore, and this is worth watching. FOUR STARS.
#70 = THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN #1 by Jason Aaron and Kewbar Baal (Dynamite Entertainment, February 2026)
I confess to feeling nostalgic for the old Jack Kirby-created cartoon series on which this is based, so I picked this up on impulse - not expecting much but at least satisfying that nostalgic itch.
Both story and art surprised me. A well-written and vividly illustrated action-adventure story - pure escapist entertainment.
Here’s the promotional blurb:
When a runaway planet hurtled between the Earth and the Moon, cosmic destruction was unleashed - and mankind's proud civilizations were cast into ruin! Two millennia later, the planet is nearly unrecognizable - a harsh and savage realm where sorcery and super-science both reign over the powerless masses.
Now, rising up from their ranks, one man is breaking the bonds that restrained him. With the help of his faithful companions, Ariel and Ookla the Mok, he has dedicated his life - and the power of his mystical blade, the Sunsword - to liberating his world from the forces of evil. His name is Thundarr.
I”ll probably stick around for a few more issues. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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