Comics & Brews Episode #32 – The Drunk History of Godzilla
If you think you know Godzilla, you probably know the roar, the atomic breath, and the destruction. But what most people don’t realize is that the King of the Monsters has one of the wildest and most overlooked histories in comic books.
In this episode of Comics & Brews, we break down the complete comic book journey of Godzilla — from his shocking debut inside Marvel Comics in 1977, to modern crossover chaos where he’s throwing hands with superheroes again in 2025.
Grab a beer, press play on the episode below, and let’s stomp through history.
Watch the Full Episode
First. Beers of the Episode!
Wandering Monsters Brewing Co. in Collaboration with Narrow Gauge Brewing Company — The Wander Line
Taz rated this one 4.0 out of 5. This New England / Hazy IPA clocks in at 6.8% ABV brewed with a massive hops bill with the addition of Nelson Sauvin (my fav) and citrus, freestyle Motueka Subzero hop chief, and simcoe. Safe to say the hops are popping but it didn’t make the IBUs absolutely smoke your tongue off at all. Crispy, hazy. Delightful. Just abby may or may not have hogged this entire bottle but luckily I was able to snag a few sips before she did so.
Moonraker Brewing Company – The Great Coneholio
I crushed this entire thing and barely shared with Abby. Once I had a sip of this sweet nectar I couldn’t let her have it which is why I was totes okay with her hogging he entire massive bottle of The Wander Line. I prepared some TP for my bunghole before crushing this bad boy to be safe and oh man I was not disappointed. I rated this thing a solid 4.5 out of 5 on Untappd. Not only was this incredible brew delicious but it came with some stellar can art. But back to the details. This bad boy is a Juicy Double New England IPA with Mosaic, Motueka and citrus. These three hops were destined to be together based on the way this thing quenched thy thirst for a hazy banger. Smooth, tropical and great. If you ever see this bad boy on the shelf it’s a must grab!
🍺 From Nuclear Horror to Comic Book Icon
Godzilla wasn’t created to be cool.
He was created to be terrifying.
The character first appeared in 1954 in Gojira, a Japanese film born from the real-world fear of nuclear devastation following Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Lucky Dragon No. 5 incident. Godzilla represented something deeper than destruction — he represented humanity losing control.
But as the decades went on, Godzilla evolved. He became a pop culture icon. A franchise. A global phenomenon.
And eventually… comic book publishers took notice.
🦖 Godzilla Enters Marvel Comics (1977–1979)
Godzilla’s comic book debut in the United States came from an unexpected place:
Marvel Comics.
In 1977, Marvel launched “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”, a 24-issue series written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Herb Trimpe.
Instead of retelling his origin, Marvel dropped Godzilla straight into the Marvel Universe.
The first issue places him in Alaska, immediately triggering a S.H.I.E.L.D. response led by Dum Dum Dugan. From there, the series becomes a running disaster narrative as Godzilla travels across the United States.
Key Moments from the Marvel Run
- Issue #1 (1977): Godzilla arrives in Alaska, and S.H.I.E.L.D. mobilizes.
- Issue #4: Introduction of the Red Ronin, a giant mech built to fight Godzilla.
- Issue #7: Godzilla encounters the superhero team The Champions, including Hercules and Iceman.
- Mid-run (#10–15): Godzilla grows in size and begins encountering stranger, more cosmic scenarios.
- Final issues (#23–24): Godzilla approaches New York as the series ends due to licensing issues.
For two years, Godzilla existed inside Marvel continuity — interacting with superheroes and becoming one of the strangest licensed characters Marvel has ever published.
🌎 Dark Horse Era — A Return to Cinematic Storytelling
After Marvel lost the license in 1979, Godzilla disappeared from American comics for nearly a decade.
He returned in the late 1980s through Dark Horse Comics, and the tone shifted immediately.
Gone were the superhero crossovers.
Dark Horse focused on:
- Military response
- Scientific investigation
- Environmental consequences
One of the earliest entries, Godzilla: King of the Monsters Special (1987), reintroduced him as a cinematic force rather than a superhero-adjacent character.
And Then… It Got Weird
In 1992, Dark Horse released Godzilla vs Charles Barkley — a promotional comic where the NBA superstar plays basketball against Godzilla.
Yes. That is real.
And it perfectly captures the unpredictable nature of Godzilla comics.
👑 IDW Era — The Golden Age of Godzilla Comics
In 2011, IDW Publishing took over the Godzilla license and ushered in what many fans consider the greatest era of Godzilla comics.
This is where the storytelling became deeper, more creative, and more ambitious.
🌍 Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters (2011–2012)
A 12-issue series where multiple kaiju appear across the globe, throwing the world into chaos.
Governments collapse. Cities fall. Humanity struggles to survive.
Godzilla isn’t the only monster.
He’s just the strongest.
🧠 The Half-Century War (2012)
Written and illustrated by James Stokoe, this five-issue series follows a soldier who encounters Godzilla repeatedly over 50 years. Each issue jumps forward in time.
Godzilla never changes.
The human does.
This story is widely considered one of the greatest Godzilla comics ever written. The way you get to see the man himself age but Godzilla stay the same mixed in with this insane artwork is just beautiful. You basically get to live through this Japanese soldiers life as he co-exists with this wild nuclear beast. James Stokoe absolutely crushes this entire series as the writer, artist and colorist. Just look at this insane magic below. Incredible. I need a full wallpaper of this in my house. These spreads are just next level.
🦖 Rulers of Earth (2013–2015)
A massive 25-issue kaiju epic featuring:
Godzilla
Mothra
Gigan
Biollante
MechaGodzilla
SpaceGodzilla
This series expands Monster Island lore and delivers some of the biggest kaiju battles ever put to page. It’s got the full squad just unleashing on every page. If you want big time legend battles this is the storyline you want to dive into no doubt!
🔥 Godzilla in Hell (2015)
A five-issue experimental series where Godzilla literally fights his way through Hell.
Minimal dialogue. Surreal art. Pure chaos.
One of the most unique comic book concepts ever executed. We dive deeper into the back story of this and how Godzilla dies and fights on through. This is a book where you can cruise through the story with minimal reading and get lost in the surreal and sometimes abstract like artwork. Safe to say that godzilla has been done very well in its comic book years. Absolutely incredible. Each issue had a different creative team and each one crushed it so shoultout to them right here (featuring a rotating creative team of writers and artists. The artists for the series Godzilla in Hell include James Stokoe (Issue 1), Bob Eggleton (Issue 2), Dave Wachter (Issue 3), Frank Barbiere/Victor Santos (Issue 4), and Menton3 (Issue 5).
🤯 The Craziest Godzilla Comic Moments
Godzilla comics are full of moments that feel unreal — even by comic standards.
Some of our favorites:
- Godzilla vs Hulk (2025): Two unstoppable forces collide in Marvel’s modern crossover
- Godzilla in Hell: The King of the Monsters battles demons and surreal cosmic horrors
- Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla (Rulers of Earth): Massive kaiju warfare on a global scale
These moments are exactly why Godzilla works so well in comics.
He doesn’t need dialogue.
He just shows up… and everything changes. We mention quite a few more in the episode so if you really are on the hunt for all things Godzilla most def go find those out in the show and comment those here!
⚡ Godzilla Returns to Marvel (2025)
After nearly 50 years, Godzilla officially returned to Marvel Comics in 2025 with the “Godzilla vs Marvel” crossover event.
Each issue features a different matchup:
- Godzilla vs Fantastic Four
- Godzilla vs Hulk
- Godzilla vs Spider-Man
- Godzilla vs X-Men
- Godzilla vs Avengers
- Godzilla vs Thor
This marks one of the most exciting moments in Godzilla comic history — bringing him back into the superhero world where he once caused chaos in the late 1970s.
📚 Godzilla Comics Every Collector Should Hunt For
PIf you’re a collector or just getting into Godzilla comics, here are the key books to watch for:
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters #1 (1977) — First Marvel appearance
- Godzilla #7 (1978) — Early Marvel hero crossover
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters Special (1987) — Dark Horse debut
- Godzilla: Half-Century War #1 (2012) — Critically acclaimed modern classic
- Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong #1 (2023) — Major crossover event
- Godzilla in Hell #1 — Bangin #1 for a series that has some of the brest art of all time
These books represent the evolution of Godzilla across decades of comic storytelling. Plus they’re actually pretty dang cheap! you could walk away with all of these for right around $100! Godzilla is a friend of our wallets that’s for sure!
Godzilla X PBR • Did you collect them all?
Beer and comics are obviously the coolest thing on the planet right? That’s why what Pabst did was one of the coolest things ever. In collaboration with Attack Peter they brought us the beautiful can art for 30 racks, tall boys and so much more. With 4 different can arts it became a scavenger hunt to find them all! I’ve never seen a 30 rack or shorty can that can be anything besides Godzilla so if you’ve seen one that wasn’t most def let us know in the comments! After what felt like months I finally found the last few cans I was hunting for at a Pizza bar out in Newport Beach while I was visiting my dad. Sadly that memory was tarnished with a Rams loss to the Seahawks but I was so fired up to finally find the last few can arts I was hunting for. Touche to Pabst because they had me drinking a zillion more beers just because I was amped up to see all the can arts. This is your sign as a brand to collab with all those glorious artists out there! Wink Wink Nudge Nudge … We’re open for business! But anyways, check out all the sweet cans we found while out visiting my dad back in the homeland.
🍻 Final Thoughts
What makes Godzilla such a powerful comic book character is that he doesn’t change.
Every era adapts around him.
Marvel made him a superhero-scale disaster.
Dark Horse made him cinematic again.
IDW turned him into mythology.
But Godzilla remains the same:
A force of nature. A symbol of consequence.
And one of the most iconic characters to ever stomp through comics. Plus some of the best artwork over time that has influenced so many future artists to create even more magic around this legendary character.
Canzilla Merch Drop
To celebrate this episode, we dropped some brand new items to the CANZILLA capsule — a beer-fueled tribute to the King of the Monsters. Half Can, Half Beast.
This entire capsule Features hand-drawn designs inspired by Godzilla and craft beer culture, this drop includes hoodies, tees, glassware, and more.
👉 Shop the drop here:
https://www.tazalghul.com/canzilla.html
Once it’s gone… it’s extinct.
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