The latest event from Marvel Comics ends this week as a giant queen of the monsters comes to Earth to end everything. Only a boy stands in his way (his superhero name Kid Kaiju coined by Miles Morales) but is it destiny to defeat her? We find out!
Monsters Unleashed #5 (Marvel Comics)
So what’s it about? Read our preview!
Why does this book matter?
Joining Cullen Bunn’s script this week is Adam Kubert who has been a staple of the comic book industry for some time. At this point it’s safe to say the artists on this series have been fantastic and rightfully so as this is a visual first sort of story that’s all kinds of fun.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Even our best heroes are exhausted (but strangly not dead). Who ever will save us!?
As many conclusion issues go the chips are down for our heroes and a call to action is in order from one of the remaining characters. It’s of course Kid Kaiju as this series has been telegraphing for some time. Bunn throws Fing Fang Foom at the queen monster at first though, which helps raise the stakes just a bit more. Can a kid defeat something even Fing Fang Foom can’t? Based on this kid’s ability to conjure monsters out of thin air I’d say yes!
About halfway through this book it gets all Power Rangers in its plotting with Kid Kaiju conjuring some wickedly fun monsters who end up working as a team. The design of these monsters is reminiscent of the ones you probably doodled when you were still in elementary school, which gives the scene and the concept a lot of charm. Ultimately it goes down a route that feels all too familiar, but given the level of childish sort of fun this series brings that’s not a bad thing.
The conclusion of the series pretty much aligns with what I was expecting though there’s a new element added to the Marvel universe that should allow for different stories. In some ways this series ends as if it were a kid version of Pacific Rim. It’s totally silly, really made for kids, but with monsters and a monster universe opened up for other writers to explore.
Kubert does a good job throughout, with a more old school vibe compared to the other artists on this series. He does a great job when Kid Kaiju’s monsters work together and the action is clean and understandable. Bloodstone is a particularly insane proportioned body, but it jives with the vibe of the book.
I think I know who will save us.
It can’t be perfect can it?
If you look at this series as a starter for Kid Kaiju and possibly more inclusion of monsters in the Marvel Universe you’ll take it for what it’s worth and enjoy it. That said, it’s not going to win any awards for complexity or even balancing out the multitude of heroes in the book. The heroes really have been taking a back seat the entire series and the opening of this issue–with the characters falling over in exhaustion–continues that theme. The fact that Kid Kaiju finally does the thing Bunn has been alluding to for awhile now simply because he’s the last stand seems a little too easy. That makes portions of this series feel like filler.
The visual storytelling is good, but I’m not sure the darker tone works. Given this feels like it’s for a younger audience–and can be enjoyed by an older audience who respects that–the heavy use of inks and less colorful art seems to suggest this is a much more serious and adult book than it is. Something tells me if Marvel went all in with a lot of bright colors and a more fun tone this series could have been that much better.
Is It Good?
I enjoyed this series for its ability to develop a new corner of the Marvel universe in a fun way. It’s kid friendly for sure, but that’s not a bad thing necessarily. While the end certainly could be seen coming, it’s been delivered in 5 issues and doesn’t feel overly stretched out. Monsters Unleashed is a bubblegum comic series that hits the spot if you’re in the mood for it.
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