This year marks the 70th anniversary of Godzilla’s first movie, or at least its debut in Japan (where the King of the Monsters is known as Gojira). So what better time to revisit the time when Godzilla was officially part of the Marvel Universe; a period that’s incredibly bizarre even in comparison to some of the kaiju’s weirdest cinematic outings.

This first issue of Godzilla’s very own Marvel comics saga was first published in 1977, a year which shook pop culture up so much that it was never the same again; for example, it’s the same year in which Star Wars was released, as was the Judge Dredd-starring British sci-fi anthology comic 2000AD, and it also just so happens to be the year I was born too.

This edition reprints that first issue on glorious modern paper, making the colours truly pop, making it look truly wonderful; better than it has ever looked before.

Godzilla’s 70s comic book run kicks off in quite spectacular fashion, with the monster waking up in Alaska before wandering across America, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. With SHIELD’s Nick Fury transporting three Japanese scientists, who have prior experience of dealing with Godzilla, across the country, it’s left to second stringers Dum Dum Dugan and Jimmy Woo to head up the mission to stop the rampage.

In fairness, though these Marvel Godzilla comics do get increasingly bizarre as they go on, the first issue is played relatively straight, despite a typically campy 70s tone.

It’s good stuff, and one of the coolest things about this Facsimile Edition is that it reprints the entirety of the original issue, including its ad pages. So it really feels like a jaunt back in time, and it’s a wonderful snapshot of exactly what comics were like in that era.

The full run of Marvel’s Godzilla series is being reprinted in a single Omnibus volume in October this year, and this first issue is a fantastic taster for just why the full collection will be such an essential purchase for Godzilla fans. We kaiju stans are not averse to campy, daft storylines, and Marvel’s Godzilla provides that in spades. If you’ve never seen these comics before, you’re in for a real treat, as Godzilla #1’s Facsimile Edition ably demonstrates.