Godzilla vs. America: Los Angeles (2025)
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Godzilla vs. America: Los Angeles, internally titled Godzilla vs. Los Angeles, is the second issue of IDW Publishing's anthology comic series Godzilla vs. America. At 48 pages long, it includes four separate stories from different authors, all involving Godzilla in the American city of Los Angeles, California. It was published on April 30, 2025. Planned since July 2024, its release date's coincidental proximity to a series of deadly wildfires in Southern California prompted IDW to donate the comic's proceeds toward the Book Industry Charitable Foundation,[1] raising $40,000 by May 5, 2025.[2]
Description
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Is the city of angels ready for a God...zilla? Fresh off Godzilla's destructive stop in Chicago, the King of the Monsters is headed for Hollywood! Join a superstar team of Los Angeles-based comics creators for four incredible stories all set in the filmmaking capital of the world. A terrified film crew does everything they can to trick our favorite kaiju, residents use a guide to LA's transit system to escape the monsters' attack, and much, much more in the second installment of Godzilla vs. America! This issue includes stories by Gabriel Hardman, J. Gonzo, Dave Baker, and more![3]
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Plot
"Eye in the Sky"
A routine News 7 traffic report from Tom Painter and helicopter pilot Arya Patel is interrupted by a sudden Godzilla attack. The U.S. Air Force launches a massive attack against the kaiju while ordering Tom and Arya to evacuate the air space. Painter, however, tells Patel to turn back, arguing that no one else is positioned to cover the attack and it offers a rare chance to do some genuine reporting before they're replaced by traffic drones. As they near Godzilla, however, a drone clips the helicopter's tail, causing it to spiral out of control. Anya orders Tom to jump; he lands directly onto Godzilla's back. The helicopter crashes into the monster, seemingly killing Arya. Tom then calls the News 7, broadcasting the events live from his phone. The station asks the military if they can do anything to rescue him, but they're unwilling to expend the resources for one person. Tom ascends Godzilla, capturing a nearly first-person view of the monster firing his atomic breath at a drone. But the drone crashes near Tom and he loses his grip. Arya, who also jumped from the helicopter, catches him just in time.
Three fighter jets approach Godzilla and the reporters seem doomed - until a large traffic drone flies up to them and orders them to jump. Clinging to it, they escape just before the jets fire their missiles. Godzilla returns to the ocean, and Tom's footage is replayed on the news, with the anchor calling Tom and Arya heroes.
"The Big Break"
Aspiring actress Kendall drives a group through the Galaxy Studios theme park, listlessly reading her pun-filled script. She reflects on how she grew up loving movies and moved to Los Angeles to become a star, taking classes in acting, stage combat, stunt driving, and even improv comedy. Unfortunately, after five years she's only been hired for a single role: a waitress with one line of dialogue in a low-budget web series. Her job driving trams for the theme park has long lost its luster, particularly due to the giant statue of its mascot, Flunky, who shouts crude catchphrases nonstop. She decides to give one last tour before quitting, a tour where one of the passengers happens to be Jean Tremblay, director of the Fast Family movies.
Trying to catch Tremblay's attention, she reads through her script with all the enthusiasm she can muster. After she drives through the Fast Family 3D Experience, however, she finds herself face-to-face with Godzilla, in the process of mauling an animatronic shark. The shark lands on top of the tram, and Godzilla chases after it. Kendall unleashes a blizzard of puns as she outpaces him, unsure whether she's doing it to reassure the kids on the tram or impress Tremblay. Godzilla is briefly impeded by the Baron Baboon animatronic, but traps the tram in the 3D Experience tunnel. Kendall and her passengers appear doomed until she notices the Flunky statue looming behind Godzilla. Holding down the gas pedal with her employee handbook, she reverses the tram through Godzilla's legs and orders everybody out before it crashes into the tower. Dislodged, Flunky falls towards Godzilla, who blasts it with his atomic breath and tears into it as the humans escape.
Tremblay, impressed with Kendall's bravery and comedic timing, asks her to attend a casting call for the next Fast Family movie, which she eagerly accepts. She gets the part and attendees the premiere of the film in a beautiful dress—although she is again playing a waitress with a single line.
"How to Use the Los Angeles Metro to Survive a Godzilla Attack"
Hunter and Danny flee from Godzilla as he attacks Hollywood, hoping to get underground. Hunter takes out a pamphlet made by the L.A. Kaiju Survivalist Society on the metro system. It explains how public transportation in the city was undermined by National City Lines after World War II. Despite repeated kaiju attacks, it took decades for voters to approve funding for a metro system. As Godzilla sprays his atomic breath, Hunter is confused at the amount of historical background in the pamphlet, while Danny questions why the metro stops are so far apart. The pamphlet continues, describing the underwhelming size of the metro relative to the massive city it services, and concludes that it is best used to hide from kaiju. They finally reach the Hollywood and Vine metro entrance, where Hunter urges everyone nearby to follow them inside; a bystander questioning why anyone would want to use the L.A. subway is promptly crushed as Godzilla continues his rampage. Hunter and Danny make it safely underground, with Danny surprisingly grateful for the metro.
"Godzil-LA"
Los Angelenos evacuate the city as Godzilla attacks Catalina. Reagan, a studio P.A., breaks into Studio Diamond with her friends, including street racer Hyu-Jin Kim, prop maker Julian, and her rocket scientist brother Anwar, to build something that can save the city. They ponder that the military is likely to prioritize defending the city's downtown area instead of its neighborhoods. As Godzilla storms through the Aquarium of the Pacific, they are found and arrested by soldiers. Colonel Valles intervenes, having assembled his own group of soldiers from the area and NASA scientists to mount a fiercer defense of the city. Reagan's team joins them and they rapidly construct a massive machine named L.A.-Bot, piloted by Kim. Spray-painted arrows direct it to Godzilla. The two titans trade blows, with L.A.-Bot deploying a rocket and Godzilla performing a sliding kick, the latter growing angrier as the fight goes on. L.A.-Bot then fires a laser which kicks up smoke; when the smoke clears, two more machines appear to be flanking it. Startled, Godzilla retreats, turning away before the illusion becomes apparent: the other L.A.-Bots were merely murals spray-painted onto nearby skyscrapers. The city erupts in celebration.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- "Eye in the Sky"
- Written & illustrated by Gabriel Hardman
- Letters by Sandy Tanaka
- "The Big Break"
- Written by Jordan Morris
- Illustrated & lettered by Nicole Goux
- "How to Use the Los Angeles Metro to Survive a Godzilla Attack"
- Written, illustrated & lettered by Dave Baker
- "Godzil-LA"
- Story & art by J. Gonzo
- Additional inks by Scott Hanna
- Colors by Heather Breckel & J. Gonzo
- Letters by Nathan Widick
- Book edited by Jake Williams & Nicolas Niño
- Book design by Sandy Tanaka
- Special thanks to Aaron John Gregory and all of Toho
Appearances
"Eye in the Sky"
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"The Big Break"
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"How to Use the Los Angeles Metro to Survive a Godzilla Attack"
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"Godzil-LA"
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Gallery
Covers
Cover A by Gabriel Hardman
Cover B by J. Gonzo
Miscellaneous
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Trivia
- This issue was released on the same day as Marvel Comics' Godzilla vs. Spider-Man.
- Galaxy Studios in "The Big Break" parodies Universal Studios theme parks, with its attractions and signage referencing numerous franchises featured at the parks: King Kong, Despicable Me, The Boss Baby, Fast & Furious, Harry Potter, and Jaws. Godzilla previously attacked Universal Studios Japan in the 2017 attraction film Godzilla: The Real 4-D.
- The two girls on the comic's B cover reference the original Shobijin: they are twins, wear yellow, and have a red flower in their hair.
- Cover B contains graffiti of the words Mecha, King Ghidorah, Hedora, Rodan, Gigan, Destoroyah, Megalon, Jet Jaguar, and Baragon.
- The IDW Monthly Title Catalog for February 2025 used this issue's Cover A as its cover.[4]
References
This is a list of references for Godzilla vs. America: Los Angeles. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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