Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Aaron Kuder
Color Artist: Ive Svorcina
Lettering: VC’s Cory Petit
All-New Guardians of the Galaxy kicks off it’s first issue, “Smash & Grab,” with a fake Galactus appearance. Right off the bat, the stakes appear very high. It’s a nice ploy to get the Guardians where they need to go. And of course, since it’s a crazy idea, it largely comes from Rocket. Duggan definitely has down the essence of these characters. And in line with Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, we see Baby Groot instead of a full-grown Groot.
Without having seen the movie, it’s hard to say if this is following that storyline or just a similar one that is just for the comics. However, that doesn’t take anything away from how enjoyable of a read this is. Groot is adorable as ever, and a nice distraction for the team. The tension between the Guardians makes them relatable. Anyone who has been on a team of any sort knows that you don’t always agree 100% and there’s some push and pull between fellow teammates. It makes for some entertaining moments.
Duggan adds some nice touches throughout the comic. There’s a reference to “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers when Peter turns on his stereo and that song starts playing. His facial expression as he yells at the team to stop messing with his stereo is priceless. In large part, that’s due to Aaron Kuder’s art, too. He captures the personality of each character very well. Pair that with the coloring by Ive Svorcina and it makes for a nice looking book. The title page alone is something to enjoy because of all of the neon colors used.
We haven’t talked much about the plot yet, which is a solid start for the series. They’re on a job to retrieve an item for someone. They find out who it is upon delivery and it’s the Grandmaster. He has quite the collection os items and traps the Guardians into doing more work for him. It’s safe to say that the team isn’t thrilled about being blackmailed into doing something, but it makes for an interesting story. And it’s one that I’ll have to continue reading.
Verdict: Buy. This issue captures everything that the Guardians are about. With the release of the movie this week, too, it’s nicely timed. If you plan to see the movie, you should plan to read this, as well.
