Marvelzilla, 1976

 

In 1976 Godzilla attacked America.  Sort of.  He was later just shown to be wandering through the countryside, causing accidental damage while battling monsters, villains and various superheroes.  A misunderstood monster, if you will.  Fortunately writer Doug Moench gave him a personality, or, as Damon Foster used to say, a monsterality.  Thus he was more than an mere animal, which makes for a far more compelling character to be the star of a comic book series.  This picture never actually appeared in a story, but I am glad they included it in the introduction note from the late Archie Goodwin.

This was later the basis for most of the second series Godzilla films, minus the cool monsters and superheroes.  I think it will be apparent which series I preferred.  I have come around on many of those second series movies and enjoy them all to some degree, but they don't have the appeal to me of the original run of movies.  That's the nostalgia of youth, right there.