Guardians Of The Galaxy

In the Bendis-written portion of this issue of Avengers Re-packaged…..er…..I mean, GotGINO (Guardians of the Galaxy In Name Only), we drop in on a bored, horny, lovelorn Star-Lord lying in his bunk lost in a pity-party over his love life and letting his entire world fall apart around him.  Tell me Star-Lord fans, does this sound like the Peter Quill you know and admire?  Never let it be said that Bendis lets continuity, consistent characterization, or (especially) plausibility get in his way.

It gets worse.

Quill is fantasizing about Kitty Pryde who would be about half his age if Marvel hadn’t somehow regressed Quill in age from his late 30’s-early 40’s to 21.  Now this has to be one of the dumbest hook-ups in comic book history, and obviously done purely to try to capture some X-zombie dollars.  Anyway – his self-indulgent negligence allows daddy’s Imperial forces to capture him, Rocket, and Groot, which paves the way for Bendis to again pull out the hackneyed daddy issues and have Quill and Jason tell each other how disappointed they are in each other.  Yawn.

Venom is shoe-horned onto the team with no real explanation in an obvious attempt to capture some Spider-zombie dollars.  Drax is way too easily captured by the Shi’Ar.  Gamora is  – again – way too easily bested by the lame bounty hunter who bested her a few issues back.  And then Captain Ms. Marvel is shoe-horned onto the team in an obvious attempt to capture some Avengers-zombie dollars.  I’ll say this much for Bendis, he doesn’t miss a chance to capitalize on the zombie virus.  He’s already hit the Avengers-virus (multiple times), the Spider-virus, and the X-virus (multiple times).  What’s next?  Deadpool, Wolverine, The Thing, or one of the Hulk family on the team?  I’d bet good money on it.

The Bendis portion of this faux-100^th-issue-Anniversary of GotGINO is a disjointed mess that accomplishes exactly what Alonso and Brevoort set out to accomplish.  When they say there is no more Marvel Cosmic – only the Marvel Universe – they mean that everything must be reduced to Earth-centric, street-level dramatic, derivative super-heroic fantasy.   Congratulations Bendis and Bonso (Axel Alonso and Tom Brevoort) – you’ve succeeded in removing everything that was unique and special about Marvel Cosmic – and replaced it with forgettable, generic tripe.

The Lanning-written portion of this issue is probably the highlight.  It chronicles young Groot’s early childhood and escape from Planet X.  It is cleverly written and entertaining, but is quite brief. 

Abnett’s portion is essentially a brief introduction to the original Guardians of the Galaxy for those unfamiliar with the original team.  The story is just a little skirmish to introduce the freedom fighters to those unfamiliar with Guardians of the Galaxy history. It was great to see Major Victory and his team once again, but for those of us familiar with that version of the team, it felt un-necessary.  Perhaps if Abnett had been given much more space and freedom to write, we would have gotten a real adventure featuring the classic team, and that would’ve been quite welcome.

When I say Abnett’s and Lanning’s portions are brief – I do mean brief – as in over in a few pages.  Apparently, the editors wouldn’t let Lanning or Abnett near the team concept of this book for (realistic) fear of them overshadowing Bendis.  So they were stuck with doing brief background on one character or on the history of the original concept.

The art and coloring are certainly acceptable across all three stories, but there’s really little else to be said about that aspect of this book.  It’s nothing about which to either rave or complain.

In summary, the Lanning and Abnett portions vastly overshadowed Bendis’ phoned-in effort, but their portions were way too brief and editorially constrained.  Even Abnett and Lanning can’t turn this book around from the nose-dive into the ground course set by Bendis and Bonso.  Save your money and leave this one on the shelf.

Rejoice my friends and all hail the antithesis of Bendis!

Hey Bendis – you paying attention? Ignore all the Marvel hype about you and attend DnA’s master class about how to write a good cosmic comic book. Same to you, Brevoort and Alonso (hereinafter referred to as “Bonso“).

Mind you – this is not the Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy Volume II. Nor is it any other Gamora comic book incarnation – especially (Blessedly! Thankfully!) not the Bendis-fied cardboard cut-out GotGINO version of Gamora wearing the trademark GotGINO cheap Japanese anime “costume.” This is the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Gamora, and for the first time since Bonso decided to fire DnA for DnA’s success in creating an innovative new property that defined itself by defying super-hero cliches, I feel like we have a Gamora that is finally back in recognizable character. If this book is any indication of the quality of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, we have a great deal to look forward to when the movie is released this fall.

DnA’s Guardians of the Galaxy was basically a science-fiction version of The Dirty Dozen. It was para-military science-fiction which respected the characters, gave each a defining role and voice, and took the subject matter seriously. The characters were not meta-humans, but were instead characters who possessed abilities greater than those of humans because of having evolved on planets other than Earth. In other words, it was respectable science-fiction, and while it represented a change for the characters/concept – it was a change for the better. In contrast, Bendis and Bonso deliberately decided to simultaneously super-hero up and dumb down the team. GotGINO abounds with super-hero team cliches, the characters have lost their defining roles/voices and have been reduced to generic and interchangeable roles/voices just like any Avengers or X team you care to name, and perhaps most egregiously – the entire concept has been reduced to the level of farce with Rocket and Groot just around to shout catch-phrases, make lame jokes, and perform “zany antics” which would be right at home in any Looney Tunes cartoon. DnA created a powerful team full of interesting characters who were capable of addressing universal threats. Bendis and Bonso reduced said team to a sad, 3rd-rate, Avengers-wanna-be team that is a shadow of its former self and deliberately portrayed as weaker than and subordinate to any of the (way too many) Avengers or X Teams you care to name. DnA talked up to their readers. Bendis and Bonso talk down to theirs. DnA’s version was a change for the better. Bendis‘ and Bonso’s version is a change for the worse.

I’m happy to say the the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Gamora draws her inspiration from DnA’s portrayal. In this prequel to the upcoming movie, we’re introduced to Gamora shortly after the events portrayed in the Thor: The Dark World teaser for Guardians of the Galaxy involving Sif and Volstagg delivering an Infinity Stone to The Collector. It seems The Collector has in mind collecting all the Infinity objects, and he manipulates Gamora into begrudgingly helping him. Along the way, Gamora, dressed (thankfully) in clothes reminiscent of her Volume II portrayal, proves exactly why she deserves the title of “The Most Dangerous Woman in the Galaxy.” At the end, we get a glimpse of Star-Lord, Yondu, Ronan, Rocket, Groot, and Thanos as portrayed in the upcoming movie to complete the whetting of our appetite for the movie.

Andrea DiVito returns to cosmic for this book, and his art is truly magnificent to behold. I’ve missed seeing his work, and his return is truly welcome. Villari turns in a great job on coloring.

If I had one criticism of this book it would be that it ended way too quickly. I was left really wanting more – and that’s a drastic and welcome departure from my reaction to each new issue of Bendis‘ GotGINO. Pick this book up and get your Bendis Antithesis today!

Yawn.

This issue of X-Men……er……..I mean, GotGINO (Guardians of the Galaxy In Name Only), is one enormous anti-climax (in every sense of the word) with a few lame jokes thrown in along the way.  And that about sums it up.  Seriously.  All that build-up, and then it’s over in a few panels after a minor scuffle and teenage Cyclops throwing around a few threats that he couldn’t possibly back up in his wildest dreams or at his most powerful. Plus, it’s so slow-paced and boring that if it could be bottled, it would be a miracle cure for insomnia.  For the life of me I can’t see why this crime against the Guardians of the Galaxy’s good name continues to sell well enough to keep it afloat.  Has to be the movie hype.  If Gunn and Feige are keeping track of the downward spiral this book is on in terms of writing, they have to be pulling out their hair in worry over a soured audience leading up to the movie’s premiere.

This issue epitomizes everything that’s wrong with Bendis’, Loeb’s/Duggan’s, Brevoort’s, and Alonso’s Marvel “Pseudo-Cosmic” Universe.  Under DnA, the Guardians were big players in an enormous truly cosmic universe.  Under Bendis/Brevoort et al, the Guardians are insignificant players in a tiny Earth-centric pseudo-to-non-cosmic “universe.” 

Case in point: This issue would have read exactly the same if the Guardians hadn’t appeared in a single panel.  They were incidental, throw-away, supporting characters to the X-Men.  The Guardians of the Galaxy really didn’t contribute anything important to the story.  In the single brief and boring fight, Rocket is used in cliché manner – just there to tote a big gun and talk some smack.  In the denouement, Rocket and Groot are used as the butt of some extraordinarily lame jokes that made me cringe and roll my eyes at the same time (i.e.  Groot attempts to put the moves on some non-sentient Earth trees; Rocket yells at some non-sentient Earth raccoons to “Put on some krutacking pants!”).  Basically, Bendis keeps Rocket and Groot around simply to provide lame comic relief and a chance to push Bendis’ made-up curse word, and both come across looking like idiots. Also in the denouement, Starlord – resplendent in his cheap-Japanese-anime-inspired “costume” (which he apparently stole from a Battle of the Planets character) – awkwardly (creepily – considering their true age difference) hits on Kitty Pryde.   The rest is all X-Men character development mixed with a bunch of smarmily sentimental dialogue flying back and forth between X-characters.  Totally boring unless you care about the X-characters, and nearly totally boring even if you do care about the X-characters. 

You want to know why I call Bendis’ take GotGINO?  Just read this issue.  It’s got Guardians of the Galaxy smeared across the cover – but inside it’s anything but GotG.  In the “pseudo-cosmic” universe of Bendis/Brevoort/Loeb/Alonso, only the Marvel big-seller headliner characters are important.  Everyone else is just a supporting character.  Bendis pretty much tells you in how much esteem he holds the cosmic characters when he has the Guardians of the Galaxy make only cameo appearances in their own book!

You know what else really bothers me about the pseudo-cosmic universe created by Bendis, Brevoort, Loeb, Duggan, and Alonso?   They think any cosmic character is inherently funny just because they are space-centric – and that’s the mark of silly, campy, BAD storytelling in general and bad “cosmic” or “science-fiction/fantasy” in particular.  They want to turn Guardians of the Galaxy into a space farce – simply because the characters live and work in space.  They take a Norse God, a WWII super-soldier, a billionaire inventor, and mutants who shoot destructive energy beams out of their eyes (where does that kind of energy come from anyway?) totally seriously and give them heavy dramatic stories.  But if it’s an alien that looks like a tree, and in the past has been portrayed as both highly intelligent and a magnificent warrior, they reduce him to idiot level and have him try to bang a real tree for some cheap laughs from the imagination-challenged zombies who are so far gone that they actually think Bendis’ GotGINO run is worthwhile.   If it’s a humanoid cosmic character (e.g. Starlord), they have said character act like an idiotic, bumbling nerd who couldn’t get laid on a bet.  Tell me – would anyone be celebrating Captain America: The Winter Soldier nowadays if it had been written and played like the 1960’s Batman TV series? A campy farce deliberately making fun of comic books?  I think not.  That day has long passed, and it passed quickly even back in the 60’s.  So why, Brevoort/Bendis/Duggan/Loeb/Alonso/Young, are you reducing cosmic to the level of farce now?  Why?  Because – as I’ve said from the start – none of them understand science-fiction/science-fantasy.

The art and coloring are certainly acceptable – nothing to write home about.  The art and coloring have always been the best parts of the Bendis/Brevoort/Loeb/Duggan/Alonso/Young pseudo-cosmic universe – but I liken it to putting lipstick on a pig.  It makes the pig look a little better, but you still don’t want to kiss it. Unless, of course, you’re an imagination-challenged zombie and/or you’re Bendis/Brevoort/Loeb/Duggan/Alonso/Wacker/Young – in which case you’re first in line at that kissing booth.

Just when I thought GotGINO couldn’t get any worse, Bendis steps up and pushes it down to rock bottom.

It’s very clear that Bendis doesn’t have any idea how to write cosmic in general and Star-Lord, Rocket, Groot, Drax, and Gamora in particular.  The Guardians are really just used as generic supporting characters for the X-Men – just as they’ve been used as generic supporting characters for the Avengers in several past issues.

With the exception of Rocket – whose rendering leaves much to be desired – Pichelli, Immonen, and Ponsor give us some pretty, colorful pictures that resemble the Guardians of the Galaxy of old (even though I still resent Star-Lord being de-aged by about 10 years).  Unfortunately, Bendis has extracted the heart and soul of the team.  It’s the perfect American product – all style and no substance.  It’s sad really.  Volume II of this book had the style and substance of greatness – but Alonso, Brevoort, and Bendis threw that away in favor of a “Guardians of the Galaxy in Name Only” Volume III made to appeal to children and Avenger-zombies/X-zombies with the mentality of children.  Unfortunately their strategy worked in terms of sales as the zombies keep buying it – so, sadly, we’re in for a lot more of this GotGINO because the exact wrong message is being sent to Marvel.  To them, the sales figures say that this is what comics buyers really want.  I say – it’s apparently what the zombies want – including the handful of cosmic-zombies who’ll buy anything with Guardians of the Galaxy smeared across the cover.  It isn’t what the true cosmic fans want.  Let’s hope that Bendis has to give GotG up to focus on Star Wars now that Marvel will be taking over that franchise.   When he turns Star Wars into SWINO, that enormous group of fans will give him the (figurative) tarring and feathering he deserves for crimes perpetrated against cosmic.

Pretty much nothing happens in this issue except for Scott Summers and Star-Lord’s catharsis about their daddy issues.  What is this obsession with daddy issues?  Are you trying to work something out for yourself Bendis?  If so, please take it up with your analyst and stop inflicting it on the rest of us.  Invite Loeb, Alonso, Wacker, and Brevoort along.  Maybe you can get a group discount.

Of course, more characters return from the dead with no explanation as to how.  Yes – I’m talking Corsair and the Starjammers.  Don’t get me wrong – I ‘m happy to see the Starjammers alive and well.  They and Magik are really the only X-characters I care much about.  I just resent every dead cosmic character being inexplicably resurrected EXCEPT Rich Rider and, of course, Mar-Vell, Genis-Vell, and Phyla-Vell.  Apparently – if you’re a cosmic character and there’s more than one “R” or one “L” in your name, Marvel has some sort of rule stating that you can’t be resurrected.  Not that I want Bendis to have anything to do with resurrecting Rider or any of the Vell’s.  But I would like to see a truly capable cosmic writer (e.g.  DnA, Starlin, Giffen) tell those stories.

Save your money on this one guys.  The GotGINO barely appear in their own book – and when they do they don’t do anything of consequence.  They’re really just Butlers for the A-list X-characters.  Besides, this one is a snooze-fest even by Bendis standards.

Well – I have to begrudgingly give this issue a “best of the worst thus far” nod in Bendis’ entire garbage of the galaxy run.  But – that’s only because I have a weakness for old-fashioned “Bad Girls,” and this issue focuses on Gamora and Angela going berserk and killing everything in sight in a real “up close and personal” way.  The fight scenes and near over-the-top viciousness of these two Bad Girls would have been like a walk down memory lane if only the violence had been a bit more graphic, and the viciousness had really achieved over-the-topness. 

For the first time, I felt like Bendis got Gamora’s characterization right.  I’d also have to say the same about the characterization of the rest of the team; though viewing Star-Lord’s atrociously redesigned uniform did kind of wet blanket the moment of seeing his glimmer of correct characterization finally manifest itself.   Never fear Bendis-zombies and Avengers-zombies – I’m sure Bendis just accidentally fell bass ackwards into getting the characterization right, and next issue Rocket will be back to desperately trying to find a catch-phrase to shout, Star-Lord will be back to channeling Adam West, and the rest of the team will be once again unrecognizable caricatures of their former selves.

The interior art and coloring are vast improvements over the last two atrociously illustrated/colored issues.  What can be said about the cover?  Sigh.  Gamora and Angela were beautiful.  Star-Lord’s illustration was beyond awful. His uniform looks like something from a cheap Japanese cartoon, and his hair looks like somebody dropped a bowl over his head and scissor-cut around the perimeter.  Hey Bendis/Maguire – the mop-top went out in the 60’s!  Pathetic.  And what’s with the smug, self-satisfied little Burt Reynolds smile and chin tug?  Is he really suggesting he’s going to bag one of the babes on either side of him?  Really?  Not this version of Star-Lord.  He might bag Squirrel-Girl – but Gamora and Angela are way out of this Bendis-fied version of Star-Lord’s league.  Now Inglehart’s and DnA’s version of Star-Lord is an entirely different story.  Both at once would’ve been a definite possibility.

And no letter’s page!  What a relief not to have to suffer through anything Wacker writes.  And this should be one of his last issues.

Hey Bendis – do us all a favor and leave GotG to more capable hands.  I’m sure you’ll want to add the Star Wars notch to your belt.  Why not move on and get started on that early?  If you think us Marvel Cosmic fans have been tough on you – just wait until the Star Wars fans start reacting to your situation-comedy-ing of their favorite universe.

I didn’t think it could get any worse.  I was wrong.  It could and it did.

You know one of those situation comedies that you occasionally watch a few minutes of as you flip through the channels and think to yourself, “How did this trash ever get on TV?”  Guardians of the Galaxy #9 is kind of like that.

It’s literally written like a bad situation comedy.  Bendis is trying to be funny and he thinks he’s writing snappy dialogue between Star-Lord and Rocket or Star-Lord and Agent Brand.  In actuality, it comes across as forced, silly, and totally out of character for all concerned.  Yes – Rocket, Quill, and Brand are all smart-asses and their smart-assy-ness can be funny if it’s done right.  In this case it isn’t done right.  It’s like fingernails on a chalk-board.  It’s like silly “G-rated Family Hour” TV comedy.  It’s nauseatingly stupid and hackneyed.  It talks down to the readers.

Of course, all the Guardians do is act as a second-string team to clear the way for the all powerful and all wonderful Avengers to return to Earth and save the day.  Literally – that’s all they do.  The Guardians just act as door men for the Avengers.  And once the Avengers get back to Earth, they start ordering the Guardians around as if they’re second-raters.  Between Loeb/Wells/Duggan writing all Novas as second-rate or less to The Avengers and now Bendis turning the Guardians into second-rate or less flunkies for The Avengers, I’m starting to get the idea of exactly where cosmic stands in the eyes of Marvel Editorial (as if I didn’t already know).  It bodes ill for the future of Marvel Cosmic as long as it’s in the hands of the so-called “creative” teams of Brevoort, Wacker, Alonso, Duggan, and Bendis.  Hey geniuses at the “House of Ideas” – even if you (mistakenly) believe a character/team is “second-rate” or even if they are in fact second-rate you SHOULD NEVER write them that way.  It makes them look like they have a self-esteem problem.  It makes them look unimportant or only marginally competent.  It turns off readers (ie your CUSTOMERS) and makes readers turn elsewhere for entertainment.  Surely you’d like a few more high sellers to bolster all your Avengers titles as inevitably those sales will fall someday.  Let another team shine in their own corner of the universe far away from Earth and The Avengers – you know, like Guardians of the Galaxy USED TO BE prior to Bendis/Wacker and like Nova USED TO BE before you Lo(e)botomized and NINO’d it.

Even the “action” scenes are lackluster and hackneyed.  You’ve seen this story before – in a couple of Star Wars scenes.  Of course, Bendis’ wholly inadequate understanding of SF is limited to popular SF so it’s no surprise he’d “borrow” those scenes. 

Star-Lord and Rocket basically blunder through the situation all to just press a button and lower the force field so the Avengers can get through.  There’s none of the brilliant tactical skills for which both are notorious.  And Bendis just can’t seem to move beyond treating Rocket as a “joke” character.  He has to keep pointing at Rocket and shouting, “Hey!  This is hilarious!  It’s a raccoon carrying a gun!  Get It?!  It’s funny I’m telling you – FUNNY!!!!!!!”  At least he didn’t attempt to inflict any more catch phrases on poor Rocket this time out.  Thanks for that one small favor, Bendis. 

So Bendis, since you don’t seem to get it – let me tell you.  You don’t have to keep underlining that Rocket is a gun-carrying Racoon.  We all get that joke because it’s inherent to the character.   The best way to write Rocket is to IGNORE the inherent joke and write him as an intelligent, insightful, brilliant, smart-assy tactician and leader of men.  By the way, that’s the best way to write Star-Lord, too.  Star-Lord is not a 20-something feckless imbecile with boyish good looks designed to make the teenage girls swoon.  He’s an approaching middle-aged complex, grizzled, irritable, intelligent, leader of men.  So quit mangling the characterization and get it right for a change.

I know that various comic book snobs at a particularly Craven Bootlickingly Repugnant website’s forums will insist that the art/coloring in this book is absolutely heavenly.  Of course, they’d also defend in like manner a book with art/coloring of the quality typically found on the refrigerators of parents with pre-school-aged children.  While Francavilla’s art/coloring is certainly not refrigerator quality, I will say that it is not well-suited for cosmic.  Drax is slightly more defined than a green amorphous blob – but only slightly more defined.  There’s very little definition to distinguish among the facial features of most of the humanoid characters.  The villains are interchangeable and so poorly defined that I couldn’t tell who or what they were other than just random humanoid-like creatures shooting at the protagonists.  The coloring is jarringly un-appealing to say the least.  For certain books, this art/coloring style would work well.  This is not one of those books.

At least there’s no letters page so we’re spared any grating comments from so-called “editor” Stephen Wacker and we’re spared from carefully selected letters full of fawning praise from persons who have never read Volume II of GotG (aka The REAL Guardians of the Galaxy rather than Bendis’ Volume III cheap imitations).

Once again, I’m sure the Craven Bootlickingly Repugnant website and the Ingratiating Gonad-less Ninny website will fall all over themselves praising this garbage of the galaxy.  But of course, they’re just like Marvel Editorial in only being satisfied with repetitious super-heroic fantasy and failing to appreciate the better quality super-heroic military science-fiction such as that found in Annihilation, The Thanos Imperative, Nova Volume IV, and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume II.   Maybe there is something we can all agree on though.  I think Bendis would be happier writing family hour TV sit-coms for the Disney Channel.  For his own personal satisfaction, let’s all encourage him to move on to the TV sit-coms and leave cosmic to someone else who actually likes and UNDERSTANDS cosmic and the cosmic characters.

Bendis’ “Dark Reign” of Marvel Cosmic continues with the travesty that is GotG #8. The characterization is just bad. That’s all there is to it.  Either Bendis doesn’t understand the characters or he’s hell-bent on creating the perfect antithesis of DnA’s vastly superior characterization. Whatever his motivation may be, he apparently doesn’t understand that what

So Drax is a drunken buffoon, Gamora is an easily beaten incompetent in need of rescue, S

McNiven’s art and Ponsor’s colors are nothing short of magnificent. You’d be hard-pressed to find better “photo-realistic” style art and eye-pleasing coloring in any comic book on the shelves today. That being said, if I had to criticize anything – it would be that Star-Lord has been rendered a bit too much the “twenty-something pretty boy” rather than the older, more seasoned and hardened look of times past.  I actually prefer the older, seasoned, hardened look and feel to the character.  I know this entire series is essentially a prequel to the 2014 movie – so the characters are being rendered to look somewhat like their movie counterparts, but it’s hard for me to take this version of Star-Lord as seriously as previous versions as he looks like he should be modeling for GQ rather than leading a guerilla task force protecting Earth from incursions from the great empires controlling the local group of galaxies.

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:2949:]]

Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

Artist: Brad Walker

Colorist: Wil Quintana

Cover Artist: Alex Garner

Warning: Contains Spoilers

From the front cover to the last panel – everything – and I do mean everything – works for this comic.

Garner’s cover art is eye-catching and beautiful to behold. I absolutely loved his renditions of Moondragon, Drax, Rocket, and Bug. Hey Marvel, if we can’t have Walker as artist for every issue, how about hiring Garner as fill-in artist for Guardians of the Galaxy?

Speaking of Walker, he really outdid himself with the art for this issue. I’m not exaggerating when I use the word ‘magnificent’ to describe his work. From the small details of a character’s face in a close up panel – to a ginormous double-page spread of Knowhere crashing through the UCT Fleet of ships – Walker proves he is adept at handling every aspect of art that such a sprawling cosmic epic as Guardians of the Galaxy demands. I especially appreciated his attention to detail in every panel. Nuances in characters’ facial expressions, wrinkles in the characters’ uniforms, starships in the background, and the sheer number and variety of Luminals depicted are just the first few examples from a long list of other details that show the care put into construction of each panel. Thank you Mr. Walker – the fans notice these details and admire your work. Speaking of admirable work – Quintana’s coloring of this issue is jaw-droppingly good. I think he deserves an award for his coloring of the combat sequences and especially for the double-page spread featuring Knowhere.

The dynamic writing duo of DnA continue their hot streak for this book’s storyline, weaving a tale featuring action, adventure, humor, character development, and non-stop excitement. In terms of character development, I was most impressed with the attention given to Moondragon and Drax. The healing in their relationship was nice to see – and Drax’s development into a more complex character was a welcome story thread. Drax is a favorite of mine from way back and he’s been past due for some serious character development. Thanks DnA for taking Drax beyond the 2-dimensional bad-ass characterization. I also loved it that Rocket got a chance to lead and to shine – showing once again that he’s a lot more than mere comic relief. Starlord also shines in this issue. The success of this mission is a major step toward redemption for Starlord. His overall demeanor changes for the better in the last part of the story. The twist at the end of the issue is not a great surprise; but it is a welcome development. I was very pleased to see what was depicted in the background of the last panel.

With edge of your seat excitement, snarkily funny humor, gripping drama, engaging characters, and stunning visuals – Guardians of the Galaxy is a breathtaking romp through the cosmos that is light years ahead of the competition. Call your local comics shop and have them reserve you a copy today!

Article by: Bill Meneese

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:2948:]]

Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

Artist: Brad Walker

Colorist: Wil Quintana

Cover Artist: Brad Wilkins

Warning: Contains Spoilers

It was fitting that this issue was released on the eve of Christmas Eve because it certainly felt like a wonderful early Christmas present.

There’s a lot to love about Issue #21 of Guardians of the Galaxy. First, I must once again heap praise upon master storytellers DnA. Only in their hands could a character with as many intrinsic flaws as Moondragon actually carry a story this complex. Amazingly, for the first time ever I found Moondragon interesting, sympathetic, and relevant. I found myself actually starting to like her and beginning to honestly care about what’s happening to her. It was also nice to see her hold her own in a fight against a vastly more powerful foe.

Walker’s fine renderings go a long way in re-making Moondragon from an arrogant, self-centered, occasional pseudo-villainess into a more heroic character that might actually develop a fan following. Not only does Walker capture Moondragon’s beauty much better than most other artists have in the past; but he also takes the time to make her facial expressions mirror the various internal and external conflicts and turmoil with which she is contending.

I’ll admit that I was at first nervous about Moondragon joining the team and being the pseudo-narrator and focus character of this arc as in the 36 years that I’ve been reading stories featuring the character I’ve always considered her a “story killer.” My fears have been allayed. She strengthens this arc. One thing though – the big goofy earrings have got to go. I don’t know any soldier or law enforcement officer who would engage in hand-to-hand combat wearing something like those big earrings that could easily be grabbed by an opponent and used to inflict disabling pain (and wasn’t this exact scenario portrayed in a fight scene in the otherwise eminently forgettable Aeon Flux movie?). Even setting aside the practical considerations, the big earrings detract from her looks. Let’s just drop them and focus on the lithe sexy bald chic look such as was so perfectly captured by the Ilia character in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Star-Lord’s portrayal is also noteworthy. DnA nicely capture a Peter Quill who is rapidly “fraying around the edges” from the multiple sources of stress coming at him from every angle as well as the inner demons which have always driven him. Thus, vulnerable both psychologically (from recent and historical events) and physically (having been de-powered some time ago) – Quill is easily the most “human” of the cast of characters and therefore the most intrinsically relatable to the readership. I’ve often wondered why DnA have chosen to keep Quill de-powered. I suppose the “human-ness” that I’ve just referenced is at least one reason – but I don’t think a power tweak would make him less relatable and I confess that in 2010 I’d be happy to see Ship find him and return his healing factor, partial invulnerability, and flight powers at the very least. The other Starlord, Singin Quarrel, can keep the Element Gun as I never cared for that poorly conceived weapon. A projectile weapon is the proper side arm for the Peter Quill Star-Lord.

The final breakout character of this issue was Drax the Destroyer. I’ve been a Drax fan for 36 years (yeah I’m old). My favorite incarnation was the original Thanos-obsessed, purple-cape-wearing, skull-cap-sporting, cosmic powered version. My least favorite incarnation was, of course, the poorly conceived brain-damaged pseudo-comedic version from the Infinity Watch era that was thankfully put out of its misery in the pre-Annihilation Drax mini-series (leading to creation of the modern incarnation).

I do like the modern portrayal even though it’s perhaps occasionally a bit too Wolverine-ish for my tastes. I was glad to see Drax get some character development time in this issue. Too often he’s been portrayed as merely the bad-ass guy who shows up and kills all the villains in the room. Don’t get me wrong, I like bad-ass guys (and girls – see the uncensored Kick-Ass trailer featuring Hit-Girl) who show up and kill everyone in the room – I just prefer them to have a better motivation than “because I can.”

The UCT Matriarch really did a number on Drax with the psychological manipulation trick; but that should trigger character development such as we have never before seen from Drax. As a side note, I’m looking forward to seeing how Drax will exact revenge against her. As another side note – what’s with Drax’s alien-looking facial appearance? I prefer the more human facial characteristics such as depicted in his Annihilation appearances.

Of course, Rocket Raccoon and Groot contribute to the humor of the series with assistance from Bug and Jack Flag – all without going overboard to the point that it interferes with the gravity of the situations in which the team finds themselves. I really hope 2010 brings us at least one Rocket-centric and one Groot-centric plot thread as these two intriguing characters are just aching for further development. Rocket has been stellar in his role as Peter’s second in command; but I want to get to know him a little better – learn more about his background and his motivations. Likewise, I want to know why Groot sticks around on Knowhere rather than making efforts to rebuild his Kingdom. While I’m on the subject of anthropomorphic characters, I’ll just come right out and say it. I MISS COSMO!!! Please DnA, bring Cosmo back in 2010 (and while you’re at it – bring back the easy on the eyes Gamora and Mantis).

As in most good science-fiction/science-fantasy, relevant and topical socio-political-religious issues are addressed. Governmental cowardice on the part of Knowhere’s ruling council, government sanctioned treachery on the part of Knowhere’s official super-powered peacekeepers – The Luminals, and the religious fanaticism of The Universal Church of Truth are all touched upon. The consequences of these issues are presented without heavy-handedness or descent into preachiness; and without DnA necessarily taking a side. In other words, DnA use the situation to provoke thought about these complex issues – letting the reader draw their own conclusions. Thought provocation – now that’s a rare commodity in what passes for news programming and popular entertainment these days.

Walker’s photo-realistic style art is among the best I’ve seen in the business. I always look forward to opening up an issue of Guardians of the Galaxy and enjoying the eye candy when I see Walker’s name on the cover. Quintana’s coloring makes the art pop off the page and command your attention – adding another layer of depth to the comics reading experience. Wilkens’ cover art is successful in being both attractive and in accomplishing the difficult task of a one-frame capture of the action characteristic of each issue of Guardians of the Galaxy – providing the initial temptation for potential readers to pick this book off the shelf and for long time readers to continue buying it. That’s the acid test for the quality of a cover in my comics worldview.

In closing, I’d like to thank Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Brad Walker, Wil Quintana, Bill Rosemann, Joe Quesada, and all the other Marvel Artistic and Editorial staff who have worked hard to bring we fans each wonderful issue of Guardians of the Galaxy throughout 2009. Thanks especially to the loyal fans who buy each issue of Guardians of the Galaxy so Marvel can keep these incredible adventures coming to us each month. Guardians of the Galaxy doesn’t just set the storytelling and art bar for Cosmic comics; it sets the bar for all comics. Let’s all continue to work together to make 2010 an even better year for Marvel Cosmic. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Marvel Staff and the Cosmic Fans.
 

Article by: Bill Meneese

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:2947:]]

Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

Artist: Brad Walker

Colorist: Wil Quintana

Cover Artist: Alex Garner

Warning: Contains Spoilers

Awesome. Amazingly, jaw-droppingly awesome. I felt as though I had just finished reading a chapter from a dramatic, exciting, well-constructed novel.

Issue #20 is both an aftermath story for the previous arc and a prologue for the next arc. Transitional issues of a series are often times among the weaker stories in a series; but in the highly talented hands of writers Abnett and Lanning, Issue #20 is one of the dramatically strongest of the series thus far.

We are treated to an issue filled with a blend of action-adventure, plot advancement, and a unique form of character development through the eyes of the newest telepath addition to the team, Moondragon. Moondragon “gets in the heads” of several of the characters to explore their motivations and their struggle to cope with the deaths of so many teammates last issue. There are some particularly somber and touching scenes featuring Starlord and Rocket where their pain is evident both in their words and their faces.

Speaking of Moondragon, I have to say that I was a bit concerned with her addition to the team at first. I’ve never really liked that character. To me, she always sucks all the air out of any storyline where she appears. Not so this time out. I was pleasantly surprised all the way around. She really worked in this storyline both as an individual and as part of the team. In fact, this storyline wouldn’t have worked as well as it did without her and her private struggle to cope with the loss of Phyla.

The tenuous political standing of the Guardians on Knowhere station is also explored a bit more; with fan favorites, The Luminals, guest starring as foils to Starlord’s plans. It is during this sequence that we get another tantalizing clue as to who is in the cocoon being held by the Universal Church of Truth.

My personal favorite visual scene takes place in Starlin’s bar. Rocket on a booster seat and Groot with a giant-sized umbrella drink being absorbed through his roots will hold a special place in my visual memory for a long time.

Speaking of visuals, let me rave about the art. First off, Garner’s cover art was well-constructed, eye catching, and intriguing. It almost looked like a poster for a SF horror film. It would tempt me to buy this book when it caught my eye on the shelf; and that’s the yardstick I always use to judge a cover.

Walker’s interior art was magnificent. I was excited to have him back on this book and he did not even come close to disappointing. Every page was eye candy. Walker brings back the intricacy, depth, and all around eye pleasing beauty of the characters and the settings that has been missing for the last several issues. He even made me see Moondragon’s beauty for the first time as normally she does nothing for me. I was struck by his ability to capture the emotions of the characters in their postures and facial expressions. He also perfectly captured the weird and wonderful environment of the fault and its denizens. I hope Walker stays on this book forever. To round out the visual extravaganza, Quintana perfectly captures the mood of each scene with his coloring and shading. Comics art and coloring don’t get much better than this.

If you’re not buying this book, you’re missing out on one of the best comics being published by any publisher bar none. It is truly head and shoulders above most of the stuff that makes it to the shelves – including the best sellers. The dynamic writing duo of DnA paired with the incredible artistic talent of Brad Walker make this book a top quality must read every month. I know it sounds fan-boyish, but I’ll admit that I generally read it for the first time in my car on the parking lot of my local comics shop because I can’t wait until I get home to see what DnA and Walker have created. Seriously, if you ignore everything else I say, take my word on this one. Buy Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, buy two copies and put one in the hands of a friend who is not currently reading the book. It will leave both of you happy; and you’ll make a friend for life.

Article by: Bill Meneese