When a giant monster attacks a city and swallows a bus full of civilians, chaos and fear reign supreme. Yet, in the heart of this monstrous turmoil, lies an unexpected tale of survival and courage. Behemoth, written by Grant Sputore & Ryan Engle and wonderfully illustrated by Jay Martin, is truly a Kaiju story crossed with the age old tale of surviving the belly of the beast.
When a giant monster attacks a city and swallows a bus full of civilians, Sara, a chef with big dreams, finds herself trapped in the belly of the beast — literally. For years, Sara has poured her heart and soul into her food truck, pinning her hopes on winning the upcoming Food Truck Battle to finally make a name for herself. But as the monstrous kaiju tears through the city, both Sara and her dreams are swallowed up by the towering creature. Stuck inside the kaiju’s enormous stomach, she and her fellow survivors will have to fight for their lives.
Behemoth is not your average monster tale, which is why I gravitated towards reading the debut issue, this on top of my fandom for Martin’s artwork. It takes inspirations from classic Kaiju stories while adding unique twists that set it apart from other monster tales. At its center is our protagonist Sara, an ordinary woman who is whole heartedly a good person gets trapped inside an enormous creature after a catastrophic attack on her city. Bad things happen to good people, but also bad things happen to bad people. How we all deal with these situations, no matter how big and scary they may be, that makes you a truly great person or not.
Sputore and Engle, known for their screenwriting, have crafted a story that goes beyond a typical monster mayhem tale by focusing on character development and tension-building storytelling. Not that monster mayhem does not exist in Behemoth, but their ability to weave suspense and action with moments of dialogue gives depth to this disaster story. You can feel the fear, trust, and hope on each page, elements that resonate deeply with anyone who has faced seemingly insurmountable challenges. What starts as a typical Kaiju attack, is something so much more within the belly of the beast…literally.
While the story at hand is fantastic, it’s the artwork from Martin which is the star of the show. Martin’s illustrations elevates the already outstanding script to new heights (no pun intended), capturing both the large scale of the monster’s destruction but also the emotion and horror on each characters face when faced with insurmountable challenges. His artwork is uniquely him with every panel offering something new for us to gaze at, including some stellar monstrous scenes, both big and small.
Writers Grant Sputore & Ryan Engle along with artist Jay Martin have created something truly special in Behemoth. Those who typically shy away from Kaiju stories, like myself, should not dismiss this story as it has so much more going for it. Behemoth is a compelling tale elevated by fantastic artwork brimming with emotion and disaster alike.
The collected edition of Behemoth is available at bookstores and local comic shops everywhere from Dark Horse.
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