It’s only going to get worse.
Creative Staff:
Story: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Valerio Schiti
Colors: Richard Isanove
What They Say:
A new threat to the galaxy has emerged. His name is Yotat the Destroyer and he will have blood.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
While I still haven’t pulled the trigger on a digital subscription yet, opting to make my choice issue by issue as it hits, Bendis an Schiti are definitely doing the best to keep me firmly involved. While I do wish things would move just a bit further in terms of some of the story pacing, particularly the power grab going on in the background as it doesn’t really get a mention here, I can’t complain too much because the book is just plain fun and giving Schiti pages to really explore some great visuals works wonders. Just the two-page spread here with Hala and Gamora fighting is worth the cost of it in terms of advancing the story or more dialogue. It just hits a certain sweet spot that the book needs.
The operation to retrieve Quill went smoothly enough, but we saw the cost of it in Gamora throwing herself off the ship and heading back to get into a brawling fight with Hala. The two of them really go at it over several segments of the book and while Gamora’s power/strength isn’t always apparent in the physical look of her, you get to see it well as the two rumble across the capital and she takes some serious damage. What she’s doing is certainly weighing on Quill’s mind, at least briefly. He’s not one to truly think things through and is more a man of action, which he reinforces by just getting nearly everyone on board quickly to go back and stop Hala and save Gamora. There’s a bond that definitely exists here even after all this team has been through and these quick returns to action reinforces it well.
I can’t even give Rocket any grief about his position, it’s more just his approach to dealing with it. Hala is a high-powered opponent so he wants a plan that they can actually use, not just heading back. The back and forth between them all is solid, including a great query from Ben that gets everyone yelling at him briefly, as it works to remind us of the family nature of this group. When the plan is in motion, it may all execute quicker than you’d expect considering Hala’s power level, but it’s the reinforcement that if they work together they win together and they do it quickly together. Of course, there’s another threat looming, but the way this plays out with some great action for Ben and some solid plays by the team as a whole, it’s a fast read but a great read as it hits a crescendo before things take that turn for the worse.
In Summary:
Guardians of the Galaxy continues to be a solidly fun read that has me wanting more and not minding the irregular/quick schedule that we get for new installments. I typically dislike the bi-weekly approach for financial reasons and that sticks here, but the book has such a good vibe about it that it leaves me wanting more – but still not ready to pull that subscription trigger because of the bi-weekly aspect. Bendis knows the characters and has some fun dialogue throughout and some good bonding material as well, all of which Schiti just delivers in spades with the expressiveness of the characters. Add in some great action sequences and some very fun looking aliens and it’s worth a few read throughs to soak it all up. And that’s a sign of a good book.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: January 13th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
