This book tells the story of a prison built specifically for monsters.

Art wise, it’s pretty and definitely inspired by manga.

Story wise, I didn’t feel compelled to keep reading. It isn’t awfully bad, it just didn’t make me feel anything. The whole corrupst cop smuggling drugs didn’t help either, I feel that that whole trope died (or should have died) a long time ago.

Character wise, they didn’t feel real. I know that they’re monsters, but what I mean here is that their personalities weren’t realistic.

Overall, this book wasn’t much.

Rating: 3 stars

I thought this was going to be really cute when I read the description - an island jail for gigantic anime monsters like Godzilla, how could that not be awesome! It turned out to be both boring and weirdly sad. While I thought this would appeal to tweens and young kids, the story itself is pretty dark, featuring themes of police brutality and corruption that made me uncomfortable in this particular presentation.

I started reading this graphic novel but it didn't grip me and I couldn't continue. It wasn't what I expected but younger readers might really enjoy it.

A stunning futuristic graphic novel about a prison fit for monsters, robots, and all other non-humans. The story immediately pulled me in, and the illustrations were beyond stunning. The colors were vibrant, and the illustrations were so detailed. I absolutely loved it, and couldn't wait to read on to volume 2. This will be a huge hit with a lot of my Litsy friends, as there seems to be a ton of graphic novel fanatics.

I have received a much appreciated digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ever wondered what the Japanese authorities or Ultraman superhero teams do when they round up the monsters who have been raging and rampaging through the streets of downtown Tokyo? You haven't? Well, Zander Cannon has and it turns out to be an interesting and fun idea for a comic that has a certain geeky coolness to it. So now that you have had time to think about it, just what the heck are you supposed to do with Kaiju creatures like Mothra and Godzilla once they've been stopped in their tracks?

Well, you could hope that they return to their undersea lair or remote volcanic island, but obviously the better way of ensuring that they or their offspring don't return for a sequel is to lock them up, and for this purpose Zander Cannon has devised the maximum security kaiju monster prison island of Kaijumax. On Kaijumax you find that you have the same problems as any regular prison. More or less. There are tensions between inmates in the cells (craters), some of the more troublesome beasts hide concealed weapons (you don't want to know where, much less go in looking for them), bad things happen in the showers (waterfalls), drug abuse is rife and there are a few corrupt screws who have been bought who are willing to make a little on the side dealing electricity pylons, smog and a few old-school virgins, although supplies of 'U' or uranium for the harder users are more difficult to come by.

The idea is sound then and has plenty of potential, but it's in the execution that really makes Kaijumax work. As the artist on Alan Moore's Top 10 (the most consistent and brilliant of Moore's America's Best Comics imprint), Zander Cannon demonstrated his ability to visualise some of the most imaginative and unusual superheroes and monsters, something that might not have been evident from his earliest independent writer/artist work on Replacement God. What is interesting about Kaijumax however is that it connects right back to Cannon's initial comic inspiration is that Replacement God also had a prison break element, each issue containing a breakdown of an elaborate scheme hatched by Knute to escape from his castle imprisonment.

There's very much the same kind of wild creative imagination at play in Kaijumax, where evidently - as you would expect from any decent prison drama - the inmates plan a prison break at the end of Season One: 'Terror and Respect'. Kaijumax however is more than just a clever geeky one-off idea of running a bunch of Japanese monsters through a set of prison drama routines. Cannon extends the story to strike a number of different chords and moods, with one 'lizzer' monster Electrogor concerned about his children left to fend for themselves following his capture. There's a kind of racial discontent or rivalry brewing between organic monsters and electronically built models, and the relationships between the administrator, the superhero H.E.R.O.I.S.M. wardens and the prisoners also has to be taken into account. If you think there are some nasty types in prison, imagine how much worse it can be with a prison full of kaiju monsters. Cannon recognises that it's not all going to be a bunch of laughs.

What is most pleasing about Kaijumax however is Cannon's artwork, his visual style and creative panel narrative. It's clear that he is having a blast with the opportunities to create and draw kaiju monsters and find a way of working with them that - in Season One at least - doesn't just involve the regular city-crushing tropes. It has to be said there are some terrific ideas and visual jokes that play on such imagery however, such as the customised gym equipment used by the K-max inmates, but there's plenty of vengeful city wrecking to come in Season Two. Season One is not short of monster rage however, which tends to be sharp and violent in the confines of a prison crater or waterfall and usually involves the wardens powering up to monster proportions to break things up, and Cannon rises to the task with some bold splashes and colourful panels.

The thought of a prison full of Kaiju (Japanese movie monsters, like Godzilla) was fascinating. I don’t know much about Kaiju, so I’m certain there were several in-jokes I missed, but I was able to follow along even without that.

This first collection of issues starts with the arrival of a new group of Kaiju to the prison, including one named Electrogor. While some of the other Kaiju are career criminals, he was captured while trying to get food for his two kids – apparently he was gnawing on the Trans-Pacific cable – and it’s through his eyes that we are first get introduced to the prison.

There’s a lot of smart and hilarious parallels to prison life, from using waterfalls as showers and weightlifting skyscrapers, to prisoners getting high off uranium, to the mech Kaiju preaching about the “Cloud” and nonviolence. The art is absolutely beautiful, cartoony and inked with bright colors, and the characters are widely expressive. It’s a weird juxtaposition, though, because this is at heart a gritty prison story, full of various gangs jockeying for position, corrupt guards, and prison rape and its consequences. Based on the art, I was not expecting it to be so dark. Watching Electrogor’s transformation from a single dad just trying to provide for his kids to the “mon” he’s forced to become in the prison was simultaneously horrific and sympathetic. There’s so many plot lines going on that it was initially hard for me to keep track of everything that was going on, but I think that may have been due to my lack of familiarity with the source subject matter.

I’m not usually a fan of prison dramas, but I finished this book desperate to know what happens with Electrogor and Whoofy, the not-too-bright son of a gang leader, so I will definitely be picking up the next one! If the thought of a gritty prison drama mashed up with Japanese monster movies sounds appealing, then you will definitely enjoy this!

This fun story brings empathy out for giant rampaging monsters. It's a look into their side of the story. This comic book takes place in a giant prison full of these kaiju. The designs of all these characters are cool, fun and original while still referencing well known giant beasts.

I give this comic a 3/5. The book didn't keep my full attention, but that could be because I'm not very familiar with kaiju.

This is a genius concept. A mashup of Godzilla and prison shows like Oz or Orange Is the New Black. Kaijumax is an island where Kaiju (giant monsters like Godzilla) are captured and sentenced to. It's full of clever ideas like using waterfalls as a shower room, a weightlifting room where the monsters lift skyscrapers, using the hulls of ships as shivs, Ultraman as the guards, prisoners getting high off uranium and smog.



There's so many concepts here that just made me straight out laugh. But there's also this weird juxtapose, because Zander Cannon takes this shit seriously. It gets incredibly dark in places, like kaiju on kaiju rape dark. The artwork is not as defined as I've seen from Cannon in the past. He's opted for a simpler, cartoonier style in the book, full of bright colors.

I'll leave you with my favorite moment in the book, when a guard comes up to two monsters who are about to fight. One of the monsters replies to the guard, "We just redking around, no reason to go five lion on us." That right there sums up the warped genius of this book.

'Kaijumax Season One: Terror and Respect' by Zander Cannon seemed like an interesting premise, but by the end, I felt like it had worn out its welcome with me.

A remote island in the South Pacific serves as a supermax, or kaijumax, prison for out of control monsters. They all live here in uneasy peace. There are radioactive monsters and robotic ones and weird natural ones like giant goats and a bigfoot. The guards manage them using powered suits that help them grow to a size that helps give them an advantage. Not all the guards are clean though. Some have their own cons and blackmail going on.

I really liked the concept. I liked how it mimicked a prison story. I even liked the slang and profanity that was made up for the story. The art is pretty average, and the writing just left me wanting it to be over. I have the next volume to read, and I'm hoping that one is more interesting.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

This is an interesting premise. All the large monsters and robots, from B movies of the past, are all sentenced to live on an island prison. Many of the monsters, I don’t recognize, but many I do. One has a family and does not want to be parted from his kids. But us evil humans are not giving them any chose. Great fun.

I readily admit that not every graphic novel is suited to every reader, but every book has an audience. My concern with this one is one of misleading first impressions. This is a book about prison. Yes, it's a prison for monsters and whatnot but it's a prison nonetheless. That means we have drugs, gangs, racial tension, violence, and systemic corruption. It's thematically dark and unsuited for young readers but visually cartoony. It looks like a middle grade book.

This wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't what I was expecting. Mainly I wasn't expecting it to be as dark and depressing as it was. I mean it's a really good story and it's interesting how they've used the kaiju as a metaphor for real-life prisons [although honestly I think a lot of kaiju related references went straight over my head, suuuper casual fan over here] but the whole thing is just ...so depressing. I mean I knew it was going to be serious but I thought they would try to balance it out or something and just ...nope. So if you want to read something super depressing and you think you will get all the in-references that I feel like I missed then this is probably for you, but it just wasn't for me.

This is an idea that is a lot more fun in concept than execution. I thought that this was a great opportunity for Cannon to riff on a lot of worn-out prison drama tropes, but instead of playing with them in fun ways, he pretty much just told another typical prison drama, it just happens to be about Kaiju megafauna and machines. There is a little humor to be gained from this, but it ended up just being a lot more dark and gritty than I hoped it would be. I really had high hopes because this is such a clever concept, but yeah, just didn't do it for me.
That said, I will say that the world building is very well done and convincing. I just wasn't the kind of book I was hoping it would be.

This was a pretty funny graphic novel, although not exactly for me. The majority of the references seemed to go right over my head, probably because I've never been to prison and have never watched any TV shows about or featuring prison life. The jokes I did catch and understand were pretty funny though and I loved the dichotomy between the two gangs and all of the different cronies. I also somehow want to continue just because I want to know what happens to the kids. The artwork was also great. The whole thing was super colorful and I loved the inventiveness of the monsters. This is definitely not one for kids though. Even though there's only mild swearing since everything is either slang cursing or censored, you still know what they were saying. There's not any sexual content besides innuendo but there's a decent amount of violence. Even though it's not realistic looking (it is against giant imaginary monsters after all), I still found myself bothered by it, mainly because of who much of it was against but also just the way the violence occurred. This could just be me but proceed with caution. The biggest reason I'd say this isn't for kids is because I see them having the same problem I did and, unlike me, not pushing through to the end. If you're even a tiny bit more well-versed than I am, I'm sure you'll enjoy.

I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kaijumax Season One is awesome sauce! Great gags, both written and visual. Lots of attention paid to the details. For example, several Godzilla-like creatures working out in a "gym" of skyscrapers to practice tearing them down. Another creature comes in saying "sup, lizzas? Can I rotate in?" Dash paced and quick witted in a dead pool sort of way. Bring on Season two!