Godzilla

Some monsters are surprisingly small, no bigger than a person or smaller still. They intimidate psychologically or with supernatural powers, not with size and strength. But then there are monsters that are big. Giant monsters are easy to understand. They are to humans what we are to ants, and we all know all too well how many ants we've stepped on. With Monsters Unleashed going on at Marvel, and Kong: Skull Island currently in theaters, this feels like a great time to pay tribute to the various giant beasts and kaiju that have graced the covers of comic books for about as long as comics have existed.

In the latest of our galleries celebrating the best covers of the year, we're looking at the best covers from IDW. IDW maintained its impressive and diverse line of licensed properties in 2016, from Ninja Turtles to Little Ponies, as well as ambitiously expanding and collating its Hasbro properties under the "Revolution" banner, and reviving and reinventing the Micronauts, M.A.S.K., and Rom.

They've never really gotten around to the real question that I think we all want answered: What would've happened in the Second Punic War if Hannibal's crossing of the Alps had been stopped by Godzilla? Fortunately, Ulises Farinas, Erik Freitas, Pablo Tunica, and Chris Mowry are here to finally settle things once and for all with Godzilla: Rage Across Time #4, in which the Carthaginian forces run across the King of All Monsters.

Who else but Godzilla deserves the title of favorite monster? Sure, there are lots of great contenders, like werewolves, and Dracula, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. But the Xenomorph and Predator could team up and even they could not topple Godzilla. She has had one of the longest lives of any monster in the world.

A hero is defined by their villains, and the world of superhero comic books is filled with some of the scariest and silliest bad guys around. Rogues’ Gallery aims to settle the score and determine who is the true arch-nemesis for some of your favorite superheroes, and we need your help to do it! You voted to see who the best Marvel Monster is, and we’ve tabulated the results and assembled a video counting down the definitive top 10. Did your favorite make this list? There’s only one way to find out!

While I’ve never really been a big fan of the Godzilla movies, I find the culture of fandom that surrounds the movies absolutely fascinating. There have been so many Godzilla movies over the years  —  so many creatures vanquished by the King of the Monsters  —  that it would seem nearly impossible to keep it all straight. And yet, I know many fans of the Godzilla movies who speak to the various incarnations of the character and his rogue’s gallery of enemies with absolute ease.

Although cosplay has been present for decades within the comics, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy fandoms, social media has played an integral role in the thriving communities of costuming that exist, such as Cosplay.com and the Superhero Costuming Forum. Over the years, the cosplay community has evolved into a creative outlet for many fans to establish and showcase some impressive feats of homemade disguise, craftsmanship, and sartorial superheroics at conventions. In honor of the caped crusaders of the convention scene, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from our years on the Internet, it’s that there’s no aspect of comics that can’t be broken down and quantified in a single definitive list, preferably in amounts of five or ten. And since there’s no more definitive authority than ComicsAlliance, we’re taking it upon ourselves to compile Top Five lists of everything you could ever want to know about comics. This week we’re taking a look at some of our favorite giant monsters and kaiju in comics. Though kaiju are generally more closely associated with the silver screen and its many examples of actors in oversized suits fighting among undersized buildings, comics have an abundance of city stompers to celebrate as well. Hopefully this list will help you settle any and all future kaiju-related arguments.

Ever since I wrote about how great Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo is a few weeks ago, it's been the only comic I want to read. As a result, I've been re-reading the entire run, and it occurs to me that even though I wrote at length about how great it is, I might've actually undersold it a little bit. I mean, I talked about the craftsmanship, the accessibility, the commitment to historical accuracy and the effortless way that it's blended with myth and legend, the instantly engaging characters and all that stuff, but when you get right down to it, that's only part of what makes that comic so great. I mean, I didn't even mention the time that Usagi fought Mothra and summoned the King of All Monsters. That seems like something worth mentioning, right?

Over the past few years, Mondo has put on some pretty amazing showcases of pop-culture inspired art at their gallery in Austin, Texas, complete with limited prints featuring some of our favorite characters, and it looks like they'll be back at it again next month. On May 22, they're kicking off "Pulp Menagerie," a gallery show featuring the art of Tom Whalen, featuring some truly fantastic posters based on Godzilla, Batman, and Mad Monster Party.