Written by Nick Marino
Illustrated by Jack Lawrence
This Sonic/Godzilla crossover is a cash-grabbing venture that milks the trending “multiverse” trope to death by mashing together franchises with no similarities that justify a crossover. Despite efforts in the writing and art, the first issue is proof that some crossovers don’t work.
As a massive Godzilla fan, I’m excited at the prospect of Godzilla crossing over with several franchises. I enjoyed Godzilla x Kong vs Justice League, Godzilla’s rampage in the Marvel universe, and the many takes on Godzilla in re-adapted stories like Romeo & Juliet and The Odyssey, because the intention was clear and the execution was solid. However, the execution of this crossover feels random because the intention wasn’t as substantial as the ones I mentioned. This crossover was advertised as “The crossover we didn’t know we needed,” but the real question is, did we really need it?
I don’t believe Sonic is similar enough to Godzilla to justify a crossover, so this first issue felt flat to me. It felt like a generic Godzilla story, and the “human story” is just Sonic reducing casualties and saving the day. When I think of Godzilla crossovers, I think of Pacific Rim, Gamera, Cloverfield, Iron Giant, Power Rangers–actually happened, by the way, check it out! These examples show how crossovers can work when the universes share themes or tones. While both Sonic and Godzilla may share the same genre in science fiction and fantasy, they’re two entirely different pantheons that can’t benefit from the same space
Sonic was the last franchise I thought of crossing with Godzilla, so this issue was oil on water, two chemicals that can’t mix because they’re opposites of each other. Before I go on, I must admit I know nothing about Sonic other than the SEGA games I played as a kid, the cartoon, and the movies, so that I may come off as biased, but I don’t see the appeal in what feels like a forced collaboration.
The first issue of this crossover starts like any other generic crossover involving two separate universes: multiversal portals!
In the middle of a big battle between Sonic and Eggman in Station Square, Mothra and Mechagodzilla randomly appeared in the city through a portal with a battle of their own, forcing Sonic to shift his attention to saving civilians caught in the sudden brawl. At the same time, Eggman admired Mechagodzilla’s design like the mad scientist he is, already scheming how to capture and control it. While the action is there and the art is very entertaining to look at, the lack of substance is clear in the forced chemistry of these universes. Other than Eggman’s admiration for machines, I don’t see a bridge that connects these two universes in a way that shows chemistry. Godzilla barely shows up in this issue, which is another reason why I’m skeptical about this crossover.
While I understand wanting to hold off on his appearance to build him up, this gave me the impression that Sonic fans are expected to know what Mechagodzilla and Mothra are, rather than introducing the monster directly connected to them. Not every Sonic fan watched Godzilla, and not every Godzilla fan is familiar with Sonic, so it was an interesting choice to introduce two of Godzilla’s most important kaijus without a crumb of context that could ease any new fan into either franchise. This could leave new readers wondering if they need prior knowledge of either franchise to enjoy the crossover.
If there are a few things I can acknowledge about this issue, it’s the creative team's effort. The art complemented the story through vibrancy, and the intensity of the fight between Mechagodzilla and Mothra was felt through the pages. I loved the callbacks to their signature moves and how explosive the fights were, but it seemed a little out of character for Mothra to attack as recklessly as she did in this issue. The writing felt like it struggled to relate the Sonic characters to the kaijus. Mechagodzilla felt like something Eggman would have already built, and Amy just having the guts to tell that Mothra was benevolent felt random. Still, Eggman’s obsession with Mechagodzilla was as cheesy as it needed to be.
Just from the multiverse plot device, the first issue tells me it isn't taking itself seriously, and I hope that isn’t the case, because crossovers should always be fan-serviceable rather than just a business collaboration.
I hope to see more substance in the next issue that will convince me that a Godzilla and Sonic crossover looks a lot better than it sounds. If you’re a Sonic fan, you might not like a kaiju-heavy issue, and if you’re a Godzilla fan, you might not understand why this crossover exists in the first place. If you’re a fan of both, this is just another addition to respected lore that won’t be memorable until the next issue proves otherwise.
Overall, I give the story a 4/10.