Guardians of the Galaxy #1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils by Steve McNiven
Inks by John Dell
Colors by Justin Ponsor
Review by Adam Shaw
This is why I am enjoying Marvel so much right now! It’s the books like Guardians of the Galaxy that bring the fun. This opening issue from Bendis and McNiven hits all the right notes and creates a wonderful and enjoyable reading experience from start to finish. I was tired and almost fell asleep reading my comics, but reading this issue woke me up and put a smile on my exhausted face.
The issue opens up at a space bar of some sort with Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) trying to pick up an attractive Kree woman. Right off the bat, Bendis has crafted some laughable and witty dialog that quickly absorbs us into the story. Quill’s father makes his appearance after the turn of a page, and the back and forth between the king of the universe and his son contains elements of humor and sincerity that lets a lot of us new readers understand the relationship between these two without any lengthy rehashing of prior events.
The rest of the issue continues to carry on and hit the beats as new characters and members of the team are introduced. This is a Marvel Cosmic tale, so we are treated to some space battle and ships blowing up; just in case you weren’t paying attention to the book, the battle should pull you in. Bendis continues to hit nails on their heads with the interaction between the various Guardians in the battle. The humor is still there, and you get the sense that there is some good chemistry among these characters. There is balance with this team.
McNiven and the art team also knock a lot of balls out of the park. The line work is exceptional, the colors are bright and vivid, the inks… mwah! (That’s the sound of me kissing my fingers like an overly-energetic Italian chef excited about his meatballs would.)
The Verdict
This is buy. Issue #1 is a superbly written and illustrated introduction to the Guardians of the Galaxy. I think Tony Stark says it best. This issue lets you “get away from the ten teams of Avengers… Just take a step way back and look at the Earth as part of the cosmic tapestry.” If you want a fun book that isn’t an Avengers or X-book, then check this out.
Also, if you haven’t checked them out, then be sure to read the digital exclusive Guardians of the Galaxy Infinite series on Comixology. The Rocket Raccoon one was a hoot!
