Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for this arc

4/5 stars

This was a pretty entertaining read. By the time I read this I forgot anything about the description, and it was a wild ride at the start for me 😂😂 This was a funny crossover with an all star literary cast, from Jay Gatsby to Sherlock to Dracula. I really enjoyed the art style, it really encapsulated the style and colouring of vintage comic books so well. A fun read for fans of classic literature and Godzilla alike!

The blurb pretty much summarises the story perfectly, I wasn’t overly keen on how much the text ended up blending in with the illustrations, I found that detracted from the story, the humour was entertaining and the plot was reasonably enjoyable. Overall there wasn’t much to say about this story it did what it said on the tin, and did it reasonably well!

Published by IDW and available July 22, 2025, Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre is another entry in IDW's mission of "Let's see how many crazy situations we can put Godzilla in before someone calls the cops on us" and I am all for it. I actually got one of the individual issues at a local comic store earlier this year so I'm excited to see the full collection released. The first thing you notice is the art-- it's reminiscent of Golden Age comics and it really fits the subject of Godzilla interacting with classic literary characters. Even my dad commented on how it looks like an old comic. Then we get to the story. Jay Gatsby's party is interrupted by a Godzilla attack. Sherlock Holmes, now retired, and Jules Verne (who's a cyborg, naturally), join Gatsby and his G-Force in fighting the monster. And then Dracula appears, the Mummy, werewolves, Frankenstein... I sound crazy trying to explain it in a review but just believe me it's a fun monster mash that takes the premise seriously. It'll appeal to fans of the classic literature portrayed, as well as goofy reworkings of familiar stories.

This was completely bonkers! My partner had picked up the first issue when it was released and I foolishly thought it was just another Godzilla story. BOY WAS I WRONG. It's a great silly time and I loved every second of it. The art style is stunning.

In the midst of Gatsby's yearning over Daisy in New York comes a greater problem - Godzilla! Chasing Godzilla, Gatsby used his money to try to come up with a force to fight Godzilla. Accompanied by Daisy and Tom Buchanan, they travel to England where they join up with an aged Sherlock Holmes, then to France where Jules Verne has a Nautilus submarine waiting for the monster. The Time Machinist keeps trying to aid the crew of adventures with some success. Eventually a grand fight breaks out in Eastern Europe with Dracula making an appearance along with a mummy and various wolfmen. An interesting mash-up of American literature and kaiju culture illustrated in Golden Ages pencils and ink!

Thanks Netgalley and IDW Publishing for the chance to read this title!

I really wanted to love this - it has a mix of literary characters, Universal Movie Monster iterations of characters and, of course, Godzilla - all my favourite things. The illustration design is made to look like an old vintage comic which suits the content and characters but there was something about it that just didn’t quite work for me.

It has all the camp of a Universal monster movie but not much of the heart. Things move fast and there’s almost TOO much going on with the amount of characters crammed in and the conclusion is a bit lacklustre.

The team of Jay Gatsby, Jules Verne, The “Time Machinist” (HG Wells, I assume, though they never name him), Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson, along with Tom & Daisy Buchanan chase Godzilla around the world after he attacks West Egg and Daisy is presumed dead. She’s found alive, but Gatsby promises to be revenge against the creature by destroying him.

It all culminates in a climactic fight in Transylvania thanks to Dracula taking Daisy to be a new bride and luring Godzilla there (which then also brings in the Mummy, Frankenstein & his monster and the Wolfman.)

I give the author an A for effort at an attempt to add all these characters into one cohesive story and it’s a fun idea but there was too crammed in with all the characters to make it work well. It might’ve worked better as a multiple part series focused on introducing a couple of them each time. I love Dracula but adding him and the others in towards the tail end was just another overloaded part of the story (albeit the most interesting to me).

I enjoyed the art for being tied to the time periods - Godzilla looked great and goofy, as he should. But sometimes the art was a bit off - occasionally the facial expressions didn’t match the wording and the continuity was lacking between panels. It was a bit odd, but I can forgive that as having some of the charm of older comics where there may have been some gaps in continuity and style.

Overall, I really wanted to love it but it wasn’t a favourite for me. It was campy and cheesy, but not in a way that had me giddy with excitement as I usually feel with these same characters. Solid effort at a story to bring them together, though.

a weirdly fun and nostalgic monster mash of some of the greatest stories of all time versus godzilla!
Truly earning its name as godzillas monsterpiece theater!!
starting with the great gatsbys story in 1922, godzilla travels the world leaving a trail of horror and destruction
with the recruitments of Sherlock Holmes, The Time Machinist and Jules Verne, they race to stop godzilla from destroying the world
the story becomes even more complex when Dracula steals daisy from gatsby and godzilla heads for Transylvanian

Fun mix of past styles and history with a modern twist of story telling! coming across famous figures in a godzilla story was honestly more fun than I expected. I don’t feel the amount of figures lessens the impact of the story, rather they keep you on the edge of your seat. Overall, fun read and I will be looking for more from these storytellers!

What a hoot. Ridiculous genre mashup in a gorgeously retro style and a tone that does a good job of riding the line of silly sincerity of old-old school comics and poking fun at that same sincerity. Hoping that the "#1" isn't just a title trope of the genre but actually means there will be more of this; there's certainly still some public domain characters left to mine.

An intriguing story and use of some of the great literary figures. The artwork was outstanding and did an excellent job of highlighting the plot. The story itself left me confused and wanting. I feel that too many classic literary figures were used which only muddled the story. Additionally, the ending seemed hurried and left you disappointed. It is worth the read, but I cannot give it more than three stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I did not know what to expect and I was surprised at the story.
It is very absurd, silly, and intertextual.
Gatsby crosses Godzilla crosses, well, the whole world?
The art was excellent.
I probably did not get all the jokes.

I didn't find the story to be very engaging. The selection of characters was ok. The end is quite unfulfilling. The art was reminiscent of the time period.

The story was very different and unique. It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. I give the story itself 3/5 but I added an extra star for the illustrations which were really good.

IDW is doing their part to release as many unhinged Godzilla comics as possible. The King of the Monsters has met everyone from founding fathers to Australian skater punks. And in Tom Scioli’s Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre, he’s facing off against the finest characters the public domain has to offer.

What happens when a kaiju legend goes toe to toe with the Great Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes, and Dracula? Read on to find out!



A Classic Tale

Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre starts out with a narrative every English major will recognize: the early events of The Great Gatsby. But F. Scott Fitzgerald’s legendary story of the Jazz Age and the crumbling American Dream takes a sharp left turn when Long Island is attacked by Godzilla.

In the face of the kaiju attack, Jay Gatsby must backseat his party lifestyle and longing for Daisy. He sinks his wealth into establishing the G-Force: a squad dedicated to saving the world from the massive lizard. And, of course, only the best need apply.

A Star-Studded Cast

Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre is stacked with recognizable figures from the literary canon. Sherlock Holmes is here, albeit much older and in his beekeeping era. Jules Verne joins the fray, depicted here as a genius inventor. And H.G. Wells’s nameless “Time Machinist” also makes an appearance, bearing dire news of the future from which he hails. Even Dracula gets in on the action. Initially, he’s lured by the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. But he also realizes that, should he bring Godzilla under his thrall, he could have immense power at his disposal.

Before the story ends, we also see the appearance of a younger Dr. Frankenstein, accompanied by his forebear’s Monster. Will they be enough combined to stop Godzilla’s rampage? It may take a little bit of divine intervention, but this league of extraordinary gentlemen is more than up to the task.



But How Is It?

One could argue that Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre exists largely to deliver one visual gag in its final issue… and honestly that would be fine because it’s a good one. Fans of classic literature and early 20th century comics will enjoy this pastiche, especially coupled with Tom Scioli’s retro-style artwork. It really does feel like reading a century-old comic.

If there is one flaw, it’s that later issues feel very crowded with characters. The more public domain heroes and villains Scioli squeezes in, the more frantic the pace gets. And the more frantic the pace gets, the less time we have to appreciate what Scioli is doing well. That aside, it’s a great deal of fun. It’s like a better Pride and Prejudice and Zombies—more grounded in its many influences, and clearly taking inspiration from its era as well as its characters. It’s definitely a unique title in IDW’s Godzilla range, and one you’ll have to see to believe.

As both a literature major and a long time Godzilla fan, this had me cackling! The mashup is a lot of fun, with classic characters trying to figure out what Godzilla is and how to stop him. The art style just pops, and the story feels like a fun crossover throwback. I just had a good time with this! It takes a goofy idea and runs with it in the best way.

Deeply deeply silly, but also a lot of fun, with an astonishing visual pun at the end that was probably the raison d'être for the whole book. I can well imagine Scioli cackling to himself as he put each new demented idea down on paper.

A super fun and creative book! I really liked the colourful and detailed illustrations—they bring the characters to life. The clever references to classic literature made it even more enjoyable. A perfect mix of monsters, humour, and famous stories. 5 out of 5 stars!

The Time Machinist, Great Gatsby, and Sherlock Holmes take on the iconic monster, GODZILLA!

When I first saw the description of this comic, I was excited. As a lover of classics and Godzilla, I felt the mashing of the genres would be right up my alley! Unfortunately, that was not the case.

While the artwork was really well done and an ode to old styles, the story was just too disjointed for me. There are multiple scenes that I felt were jumping way too fast and the dialogue felt stilted. I thought the artist could have spent a little bit more time making it flow a tiny bit better.

When it comes to the the chaos of each scene, they were all extremely well done! However, at the end, there were more characters that, truthfully, did not need to be added. It was as if Tom Scioli wanted to create a big universe with this, but not want to have it span over more than 3 issues.

All in all, while there were enjoyable parts, I did not like this as much as I hoped I would.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this early.

Rating: 1 / 5
Release Date: 22 July 2025

What do you get when you put Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes, the Time Machine’s main character, and more literary characters and mix them up with Godzilla? You get GODZILLA’S MONSTERPIECE THEATRE.

This unique graphic novel, written and drawn by Tom Scioli, is my newest review book from Net Galley. I read it on Net Galley’s Reader on their website and before going into my feelings about the book, I just want to say this was not the best way to read this book. The Net Galley Reader is very good for regular books but its lacks proper zoom and page expansions that make reading graphics novels comfortable. I hope Net Galley will work to improve the graphic novel aspect of their e-reader. That said, I still enjoyed the heck out of Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre!

The core concept of his book, teaming up Gatsby with Sherlock Holmes and more is absolutely ridiculous, campy, corny, and a complete joy. This is a wonderful book that you have to go on a ride with. You can’t over think whats happening. Just sit back and enjoy this story. And most of all, enjoy Tom Scioli’s artwork which is completely jaw-dropping. The big two-page splash pages didn’t work well digitally and I think would be amazing in physical form.

Honestly if you are going to get this book, make sure you get a physical copy! You are going to want to hold this book in your hands. The splash pages are amazing. But also panel to panel you don’t know what to expect. The book panels twist and turn, the coloring changes are masterful and the amount of detail packed into this book is breathtaking. The story is a lot of fun, but I do truly believe that is the artwork that makes this book a masterpiece. Oh I’m sorry, a MONSTERPIECE.

As a fan of Godzilla, I got plenty of awesome fights, destruction, and cool moments with the big guy. It was also fun to see how Gatsby, Holmes and more react to the situation. This book is such a treat. I loved every second of it.

Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre is so much fun!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of this book for review. Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre will release on July 22nd, 2025. Hey thats one day before my birthday! GODZILLA FOREVER

Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre was unhinged chaos featuring several classic lit characters. It was over the top and crazy. I loved it. The classic comic art style was really fun and the incorporation of so many famous characters was really entertaining. I was nervous based on the description of this book, but I do recommend it to people who are interested in genre-blending to the extreme.