Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. (2024)
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Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is the 12th installment in the IDW Publishing one-shot comic series Godzilla Rivals. It was released on February 21, 2024.[1]
Description
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Mothra is a great protector and friend to humanity, but not everyone believes the monster is always going to be on our side. When an anti-kaiju group controlling the powerful robotic Mechagodzilla and M.O.G.U.E.R.A. attacks Mothra’s home, it’s up to a few brave souls, an injured Mothra, and a little extra robotic help to save the day![1]
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Plot
Tokyo, 2024. Ebirah flings debris at Mothra, scoring a hit on her wing, while a W.K.O. aircraft carrier sits helplessly offshore. Aboard, Dr. Saito bemoans their recent loss of Mechagodzilla as Guadalupe "Lupe" Ramos reports that while Mothra has little energy left, her last attack seemed like a feint. Just then, Mothra releases her poison spores above Ebirah, incapacitating him long enough for her to grab him and fly up high. Ebirah revives and swings his claws wildly, slicing off one of her antennae; she counters by spinning them around at supersonic speeds and hurling Ebirah back down to earth, knocking him unconscious. The W.K.O. celebrates, but quickly pivots to a medical rescue mission after Mothra thuds to the ground. Ramos, despite her extensive knowledge of Mothra, recommends a colleague for the job. Sergeant Nick Young asks Saito for permission to lead a squadron of fighter jets in a search for the stolen Mechagodzilla, wanting to redeem himself, but is denied due to the need to guard the W.K.O. staff helping Mothra. Saito promises to call for reinforcements, however.
Mechagodzilla surfaces near Infant Island, with its pilot, Axel, under orders to destroy a target quickly before the mech attracts Godzilla's attention. Young and Ramos meet next to Mothra, as she reassures him that the kaiju isn't radioactive. She lets him feel Mothra's heartbeat, so massive it makes him shake. She describes the relationship between Mothra and humanity as symbiotic; causing Young to question what humanity does in return for Mothra's protection. Mechagodzilla begins its attack on Mothra's home, unleashing its eye lasers on fleeing Infant Islanders. Young and Ramos stay with her as she is brought aboard the W.K.O. aircraft carrier. Ramos explains that when she was a child in El Salvador, Mothra saved her and her family from Rodan. Because of her debt to the kaiju, she fears making a mistake in her care. Just then, Mothra cries out in alarm. Ramos contacts Saito, who through satellite imagery learns of Mechagodzilla's raid on Infant Island. Ramos is unable to explain how she knew to ask about the island. A large "R" has been carved into Mechagodzilla's arm, the symbol of the Restorers, a terrorist group seeking the destruction of all kaiju to allow humanity to become Earth's dominant species. Ramos concludes Mechagodzilla is seeking Mothra's egg, as its destruction would end her cycle of rebirth. Saito dispatches Young to the scene, but their backup, Jet Jaguar, arrives first. With a flash of light, he stuns Mechagodzilla's pilot before he can fire on Mothra's egg, then kicks it in the chin. Carrying the egg, he evades several missile salvos before taking a hit. He dodges Mechagodzilla's tail, lands a charged backhand, then shrinks down before return to his giant size and clobbering Mechagodzilla with a surprise uppercut. Axel is ready to retreat, but his own backup arrives in the form of M.O.G.U.E.R.A., who emerges from underground.
Young picks Ramos as his copilot aboard the Garuda, despite her lack of piloting experience, due to her Mothra expertise. He shares with her that he's responsible for losing Mechagodzilla, having refused orders to ignore a suspicious distress call and flying the mech into an electromagnetic field. He and Saito both tell Ramos to trust herself to protect Mothra's egg. Jet Jaguar goes down hard after a jolt from Mechagodzilla's Shock Anchors, but he uses a spinning technique to send Mechagodzilla and M.O.G.U.E.R.A.'s missiles back at them. He weathers Mechagodzilla's eye lasers to knock the machine over with a knee strike, only for M.O.G.U.E.R.A. to attack from behind with a drill through his chest. The Garuda and a fighter jet squadron fire on M.O.G.U.E.R.A., with the mech quickly shooting down the latter. Jet Jaguar recovers and breaks off M.O.G.U.E.R.A.'s arm, then is floored by a punch from Mechagodzilla. With all three mechs too damaged to fly, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. and Mechagodzilla chase Jet Jaguar, again carrying Mothra's egg, on foot. Young takes the Garuda in close and fires on Mechagodzilla's damaged chest, exposing the pilot. Despite the warnings of his superiors, Axel admits defeat and ejects from Mechagodzilla, only to be vaporized by M.O.G.U.E.R.A. The Garuda docks with Mechagodzilla, allowing Young and Ramos to control the mech, and they come to Jet Jaguar's defense, locking beams with M.O.G.U.E.R.A. The rogue mech appears to have the more powerful weapon - until Mothra appears overhead and infuses Mechagodzilla with energy. Its supercharged ray blasts M.O.G.U.E.R.A. into pieces. The W.K.O. celebrates their victory as the heavily-damaged Mechagodzilla's jaw falls off.
That night, Ramos awakens Saito and Young. Watching a mysterious green streak in the sky, she concludes that Mothra telepathically told her about the attack on Infant Island - but also transmitted a warning.
Appearances
Monsters
Characters
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Weapons, vehicles, races, and organizations
Locations
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Gallery
Covers
Cover A by Winston Chan
Cover B by Michael Vasquez
Cover RI by Ray-Anthony Height
Online exclusive cover by Tom Whalen
Trivia
- In a 2024 podcast interview, author Johnny Parker II revealed that he had wanted to include Medical Jet Jaguar in this issue as a piloted mecha. The concept, however, was turned down by Toho, resulting in the inclusion of the traditional Jet Jaguar instead.[4]
- Jet Jaguar spins around to create a tornado in this issue, which is similar to his rage attack from the 2004 Atari/Pipeworks video game Godzilla: Save the Earth. Unlike in the game, however, the tornado deflected projectiles instead of absorbing them.
- This is the first instance in an IDW Godzilla comic in which the Garuda is its own separate vehicle and docks onto Mechagodzilla, as the other instances of Super Mechagodzilla appearing had the Garuda already attached to it or part of it by default.
- This issue marks the first confrontation between Mechagodzilla and MOGUERA (beyond fighting game matchups), as well as the first time MOGUERA has turned its hands into drills, since Shogakukan's 1994 manga adaptation of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.
- This issue ends with an advertisement for the next installment of Godzilla Rivals, Mothra Vs. Hedorah, as well as advertisements for Godzilla: Valentine's Day Special and Godzilla Library Collection, Vol. 1.
- The Restorers are similar to Alan Jonah‘s eco-terrorist group from Godzilla: King of the Monsters in that they also use stolen weapons and technology to carry out their goals. However, Jonah's group wants to restore the Titans as the dominant species while the Restorers want to destroy the kaiju, making the latter more like Apex Cybernetics, which also controlled a Mechagodzilla.
External links
References
This is a list of references for Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A.. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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