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| Marvel |
Brian Michael Bendis
Steve McNiven
Sara Pichelli
2014
The Summary
"There's a new rule in the galaxy: No one touches Earth! No one! But why has Earth suddenly become the most important planet in the galaxy? That's what the Guardians of the Galaxy are going to find out! Join Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot and - wait for it - the Invincible Iron Man, as they embark upon one of the most explosive and eye-opening chapters of Marvel NOW! These galactic Avengers are going to discover secrets that will rattle Marvel readers for years to come! But while London deals with a brutal invasion by the Badoon, the fate of the Guardians may have already been decided millions of miles away!"
The Good
I loved the artistry put into it. Even if my primary difficulty was with the flow of panels (you know, those large two page panels generally mix up reading direction), I enjoyed the way it progressed, how the illustrators are able to make your eyes follow the conscious stream of action.
Admittedly, I also liked the characters involved. Although we primarily see the origins and development of Peter Quill (Star-Lord), separate stories are included for the other characters - interludes between adventures that are present at the very end of the volume - that show their activities before their fateful encounter with the Badoon and J-Son, Peter's father.
Character dialogues and interactions were a plus. The characters - Groot, Drax, Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and even Tony Stark - share a familiarity and easiness that's refreshing to find in a team. They interact easily and there's a level of respect and camaraderie that that makes their missions undeniably exciting and reassuringly optimistic. They fight against the odds, but there is a feeling of triumph regardless.
In short, I really enjoyed reading the first installment of Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Bad
I have only one minor complaint: panel layout. The story flowed easily, but some of the double-paged layouts were problematic. Although not a problem on an e-reader, as you could see the entire two pages, it was a minor complaint I had with the physical version. It was pretty easy to overlook and I enjoyed the comic regardless.
The Ugly
Well, Peter Quill is orphaned at a young age. (You'll find out why very early on.) Gamora is the daughter of Thanos, known otherwise as the "mad titan" (and he's a seriously terrible and terrifying creature). Rocket is the only one of his kind, and he feels his solitude acutely. Drax the Destroyer is angry and unfulfilled by his existence. And Groot - well, I don't know much about Groot, but I'm going under the basic assumption that his story is equally tragic, that he's equally damaged.
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