Godzilla: Here There be Aliens by Frank Tieri and Angel Hernandez

 

 Book Name: Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens

Author: Frank Tieri, Ángel Hernández (Illustrator)

Comic Series: Godzilla

Original Story, Adaptation, or Something Else: Original Story

Published Date: Expected publication April 21, 2026

Official Synopsis: It's total carnage on Earth as the Xiliens invade with the help of kaiju from outer space in this exciting graphic novel!

It’s the middle of the 20th century, and Americans everywhere are terrified of the strange lights hovering above them in the night sky…and they should be. These UFOs are actually the Xilien invasion force! Revealed to have already been on Earth during the events of Here There Be Dragons: Sons of Giants, the Xiliens have been attempting to destabilize the planet with the help of kaiju from outer space. With the aliens’ claws deep inside the U.S. government, will our rogue operatives manage to band together to save humanity? Here There Be Aliens is both a fully standalone limited series and the epic conclusion to the Eisner-nominated Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons trilogy! Brought to us by veteran scribe Frank Tieri (Wolverine, Jughead: The Hunger) and new series artist Angel Hernandez (Star Trek).

Review: Simply put, this sci-fi with kaijus romp is a lot of fun to read. The story follows Bob, a Pentagon worker who is fighting to continue his department, which researches kaiju, but he is having difficulty as they are still secret and have been kept hidden by a mysterious organization over the centuries. Then, in short order, Godzilla attacks Japan, aliens attack the Earth, Bob is kidnapped by a mysterious organization led by Dr. Kyoto, and he learns about the long history of one group of aliens trying to take over the Earth with another working to defend it. Then there are several issues worth of aliens, kaiju, government conspiracy, action, and so forth.

The writing is snappy with excellent retro-styled artwork, and this volume is a lot of fun to read. Godzilla: Here There be Aliens strikes me as what it would have been like if there was an American Godzilla movie that was released in the 1960s...and I mean that as a huge compliment. My biggest complaint is that while Godzilla and the other expected kaiju are present in this book, there is not enough kaiju fighting other kaiju or aliens for me. It was more of a page of a fight, and then had more dialogue discussing it.

What Works: Snappy writing with excellent artwork! Also, there is plenty of Jet Jaguar, one of my favorites.

What Doesn’t: Not enough kaiju action.

Final Thoughts: A fun read for sci-fi and Godzilla fans looking for a graphic novel collection that is adventure-filled. I have read several of IDW's Godzilla series, and this has been my favorite so far. This collection is good but not great, and in my opinion, with just a bit more kaiju action, it would have been improved.

Rating: 7 of 10 atomic breaths.

MISC

Version Read: Electronic copy

How Acquired: Advance copy via NetGalley

Special Notes: An advance copy was provided by IDW through NetGalley; my opinions are my own.