Cool Ass Comics: Marvel Godzilla Edition! Part 3

This is the third, and concluding chapter for the covers to the Marvel Godzilla comic series from the late 1970s. There's also one back cover that will be of interest to nostalgia buff. I'm missing issue #19, so I got that cover online for completion. During these last few issues, Godzilla is shrunk down to size and ends up battling a sewer rat, battles the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and finally, is transported back to prehistoric times where he meets up with Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy! Double click a pic to see the images in full size.


At top and above are the covers to issues #17 #18 featuring 'The Incredible Shrinking Godzilla' wherein Japan's native atomic son is shrunk down to tiny size by a shrinking gas created by Yellowjacket and must fend off the advances of 'Dum Dum Dugan' and his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and even a pesky and very hungry rat.

Here's a back cover from one of the last issues of this series. Those who remember the first airings of the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA will get a kick out of this ad.


As noted above, this is the only issue I am lacking so this cover comes from google images.


Issue #20 continues with Godzilla's "shrinkage", but he begins to grow back to normal size from here and is one pissed off radioactive lizard.


Dr. Doom's time machine is employed to send the 'Leapin' Lizard' back to prehistory days where he teams up briefly with Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy, a creation of Jack Kirby which only lasted for 9 issues (I'll be posting all those covers next). Godzilla did the dinosaur for two issues before returning to modern times. Above and below are issues #21 and #22.



Issue #23 sees Godzilla taking on some of Marvel's most famous hero teams such as The Avengers and The Fantastic Four.


Issue #24 is the last, and like this entire series, echoes much of what made the famed film series from Toho so memorable and so much fun. A little boy halts Godzilla's rampage, the great beast then returns to the sea. Throughout this series, other staples of the movie series were employed such as races of evil aliens, the construction of a giant robot to counter Godzilla and other allusions to the film series. Spiderman puts in a cameo appearance in this last issue.

UNTIL NEXT TIME....

Famous Monsters Memories: 5 Monster World Covers & Assorted Behind the Scenes Photos

When Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine reached issue #69, they skipped issues number #70 through #79 to switch over to this companion mag, Monster World. In what would have been ten issues of FMOFL anyways, this short-lived project ended after ten issues. Famous Monsters re-started with issue #80. The editorial in that issue explains the situation.

***DOUBLE CLICK A PIC TO READ THE TEXT***

The following are five covers and behind the scenes photos from various films scanned from the five issues of Monster World I have in my collection. The cover at the top is from the first issue and its back cover is shown above.

Behind the scenes shot of Lon Chaney Sr. testing out his monstrous movie molars.



Issue two featured a lead story on the hit, but short-lived television series, THE MUNSTERS. Check out that issues back cover for yet another cool ghoul model kit from Aurora! Did anybody ever get one of those?

This photo above is a behind the scenes shot from the aborted television series from Hammer, TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN (1958).

Issue #6 features a big spread on Tor Johnson and his affiliations with Ed Wood Jr. particularly BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (1956).

Boris Karloff photographed behind a slew of monster masks, some of them molded to his features in films he appeared in.


Issue #8 features the creature DR. X (1932) built. There's also a double feature of JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER and BILLY THE KID VERSUS DRACULA (both 1966).

Roger Corman gives instructions to the contaminated creature from DAY THE WORLD ENDED (1955).


Issue #10 is one of the best of this brief run of monster issues before Famous Monsters resumed. The cover ghoul is from Hammer's THE REPTILE (1966).

UNTIL NEXT TIME...