With Peter quill’s “death” the Guardians kinda fell a little bit apart. But it’s ok because he’s back from the dead quicker than you can say “Jean Grey!” Of course, with this team being the poorly adjusted misfits that they are you just know that their leader coming back is not going to paper over the cracks. Which is shame really as the Dark Olympians are on the way to, well, destroy the universe…..again!
Al Ewing has gained major plaudits for his Immortal Hulk run which mixed the trauma of the Hulk with a creepy, horror monster vibe. Here though you get “Empyre” Ewing with possible not as much nuance or cleverness as his Hulk work. There are some emotional elements in play for certain. This is the penultimate issue before a big revamp of the team….again! There is an air of despair, of closure that permeates through the normal joking and chaos that seems to be this books stock in trade. This feeling is greatly enhanced by a more thoughtful, if still inconsiderate at times Quill. It is good to see some of the lesser characters like Moondragon getting some panel time, but even that break from the main thrust has dark underpinnings.
The art is provided by Juann Cabal, whose art I don’t think I have seen before. Cabal’s art works hard on the settings of the book and the posing of the characters. There can be a distinct lack of facial elements though, which can be a bit of a problem if you have characters enjoying a heart to heart. Thankfully, this less is more approach doesn’t apply on close up shots or camera angle. The colors by Federico Blee are suitably galactic in style, with the black and white pages adding a clever contrast as much as a change of pace. Finally, letters are provided by VC’s Cory Petit, one of Marvel’s mainstays, who is such for a reason. Here Petit does well to give the various topics of conversation the gravitas they require.
There is a lot going on in this issue as it serves to try and deal with the recent arc’s whilst also prepping for the big fight to come. Fans of the book may well enjoy the last battle of this group of Guardians; for readers wanting to jump on, you are either going to have buy a few back issues or wait until April for the next organic jump on point.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art 3.5 Stars
Col0r – 4 Stars
Overall – 3.5 Stars
Written by; Al Ewing
Art by; Juann Cabal
Colors by; Federico Blee
Letters by; VC’s Cory Petit
Published by; Marvel Worldwide Inc.
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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