Post by goldenfist on May 15, 2008 10:09:36 GMT -5
Ign.com reviews Guardians of the Galaxy #1.
I assume most Marvel readers are in agreement that Annihilation: Conquest was an overall bore of a mini-series that had little in the way of payoff. It was a bore, certainly, and offered little other than a handful of purty-looking covers. However, you'd be wrong to claim that Conquest had no payoff. It was just a delayed one. Conquest has no given us Guardians of the Galaxy. Anything that can inspire such a terrific first issue is deserving of some acclaim.
Guardians of the Galaxy is every bit as quirky and entertaining as I could have hoped. The lineup, which includes Conquest faves like Warlock, Quasar, Drax, Gamora, and Star-Lord's crew, is is one of the greatest assembled in years. The issue starts off annoyingly slow (which is odd considering it's all action), but once the personalities start to clash I was immediately hooked. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning avoid one of the major pitfalls of team books and bypass most of the setup that dominates first issues. By borrowing the talking head framing device of The Order and using some very scattered chronology, the team essentially complete its first mission before you see them come together. It works very well, and never once did I feel like I was being served an appetizer instead of a main course.
The characters are what make or break a book like this, and Abnett and Lanning appear to have a good grasp of them all. Star-Lord and friends are every bit as raucous and entertaining as ever. Drax fills that obligatory Wolverine slot nicely. I'm not entirely sold on Quasar still, but she does have a nice moment or two in this issue. The important thing is that Rocket Raccoon and Cosmo the talking space dog not only appear in the same issue, but appear together. Their brief interaction is hilarious, and I'd happily stick with the series just for their scenes.
Paul Pelletier continues to impress with his art, even if it's not without its flaws. Pelletier displays a level of imagination to match his off-the-wall writers. There are some breathtaking shots in this issue, and plenty of detailed and unusual architecture. I only wish he showed the same level of imagination in his figure work. Most of his characters are pretty standard and a bit lacking in style. It certainly doesn't ruin the appeal of the book, but the presentation suffers because of it.
Guardians of the Galaxy further proves there's plenty of life in the Marvel Universe out among the stars. With a rip-roaringly good cast, trippy visuals, and a great cliffhanger to cap it all off,this series has all but cemented its place in my pull list permanently.
Review Score: 8.9 Great
Does anyone object to the review since they are not the Original Guardians of the Galaxy.
I assume most Marvel readers are in agreement that Annihilation: Conquest was an overall bore of a mini-series that had little in the way of payoff. It was a bore, certainly, and offered little other than a handful of purty-looking covers. However, you'd be wrong to claim that Conquest had no payoff. It was just a delayed one. Conquest has no given us Guardians of the Galaxy. Anything that can inspire such a terrific first issue is deserving of some acclaim.
Guardians of the Galaxy is every bit as quirky and entertaining as I could have hoped. The lineup, which includes Conquest faves like Warlock, Quasar, Drax, Gamora, and Star-Lord's crew, is is one of the greatest assembled in years. The issue starts off annoyingly slow (which is odd considering it's all action), but once the personalities start to clash I was immediately hooked. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning avoid one of the major pitfalls of team books and bypass most of the setup that dominates first issues. By borrowing the talking head framing device of The Order and using some very scattered chronology, the team essentially complete its first mission before you see them come together. It works very well, and never once did I feel like I was being served an appetizer instead of a main course.
The characters are what make or break a book like this, and Abnett and Lanning appear to have a good grasp of them all. Star-Lord and friends are every bit as raucous and entertaining as ever. Drax fills that obligatory Wolverine slot nicely. I'm not entirely sold on Quasar still, but she does have a nice moment or two in this issue. The important thing is that Rocket Raccoon and Cosmo the talking space dog not only appear in the same issue, but appear together. Their brief interaction is hilarious, and I'd happily stick with the series just for their scenes.
Paul Pelletier continues to impress with his art, even if it's not without its flaws. Pelletier displays a level of imagination to match his off-the-wall writers. There are some breathtaking shots in this issue, and plenty of detailed and unusual architecture. I only wish he showed the same level of imagination in his figure work. Most of his characters are pretty standard and a bit lacking in style. It certainly doesn't ruin the appeal of the book, but the presentation suffers because of it.
Guardians of the Galaxy further proves there's plenty of life in the Marvel Universe out among the stars. With a rip-roaringly good cast, trippy visuals, and a great cliffhanger to cap it all off,this series has all but cemented its place in my pull list permanently.
Review Score: 8.9 Great
Does anyone object to the review since they are not the Original Guardians of the Galaxy.
!!!