Note: My apologies for missing the review for Issue #2 of this series. I didn’t know this was a weekly, so I wasn’t looking for the second issue last week. Seeing this issue, and noticing my error, I’ll be on top of things for the remaining issues.
The cover: There’s a fight going down in Starlin’s Bar and the Guardians are right in the center of it. However, something’s not right with some of them. Groot looks like he’s throwing punches, Pip is also using his fists, Drax is hiding under a table, and Peter looks lost. This is not the typical actions for the Guardians. Maybe it has something to do with them switching bodies last issue? Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, and Matt Yackey have created a fun cover with these heroes in action, granted not in their usual form. I have to give a special shout out to the Gamora punching a Skrull — one of the Marvel’s classic aliens! Overall grade: A
The story: Get ready to keep track of this: Peter is in Groot’s body, Gamora is in Rocket, Drax is in Pip, Rocket is in Gamora, Groot is in Peter, and Pip is in Drax. All are in a different plane of existence before Mother Entropy, who is trying to determine which of them should be chosen for a special task. She explains, “Unnatural situations are the best way to determine which of you should become this reality’s Mother Entropy.” This upsets all the heroes, who rush the creature before they disappear. They reappear within Starlin’s Bar. Their appearance sparks nothing but hate from the patrons, who use their weapons and fists to take them out. What follows is a six page battle with one character becoming the best choice in Mother Entropy’s eyes. Writer Jim Starlin makes the fight fun with characters acting and speaking unlike themselves. The dialogue from Rocket, now as Gamora, was hilarious. The “winner” for Mother Entropy’s gift quickly learns that being chosen is not a prize. A very cosmic event then occurs, leaving the survivors rushing to stop the winner’s actions. This leads them to a very familiar world in the Marvel Universe, with its most famous character appearing on the final page. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from next issue, because there’s going to be one heck of a confrontation. This was fun read that will please long time readers and those who are only familiar with the characters from the films. Overall grade: A
The art: The pencils on this book are by Alan Davis and the inks are from Mark Farmer. The cosmic setting of the first two pages is well done. I want to see a location that I’ve hadn’t seen before in a Marvel comic, and this duo delivered something new. The partial double-paged spread of 3 and 4 has the Guardians arriving in the bar in a large panel, while below is a smaller panel showing the angry patrons’ reaction to their appearance. The heroes look fantastic, with the bodies of Pip, Drax, and Peter stealing the show. The aliens that they’re among look awesome, with several familiar species popping up. Seeing Pip enjoying a fray is a wonder to behold, but then again, it’s not really him in there, is it? Groot and Rocket strike their familiar battle pose, with the mammal on the shoulders of the plant, which is always a joy to see. When the numbers get overwhelming on Page 9, it’s impressive to see how Davis and Farmer create this crowd, and the vertical panels on 10 look exceptional. The reaction in the second panel on 13 is deliriously full of the devil. The final four panels on 14 show a tremendous amount of quick movement, with the character’s emotions being done very well. The tumble on 17 is really cool, making the narration that accompanies it even more haunting. A major character appears on the final page and it had me screaming in anticipation of next week’s issue. I’ve loved this character since the 1980’s and he looks sensational. I’m dying to see him in action. Overall grade: A+
The colors: Matt Yackey makes this book galactic with his coloring. the first page uses some cool blues to show the true faces of the Guardians, and those blues become otherworldly at the top of the second page with amoeba-like shapes looking spooky, while day glow reds counter them. The transporting of the heroes in the third panel have a different shade of blue to show their departure. The final panel on the page is outlined in red, giving a colorful clue to the reader that the characters are now in a very different location. With all the different species of aliens in the bar, it’s neat to see that Yackey is able to have each stand out without melding into the characters next to them. Note how he keeps the Guardians more brightly colored than their foes so that the reader can instantly focus on them. Sounds and yells also get some bright colors to make the characters’ exclamations loud. Mother Entropy has some icky dark greens to make up her body, putting the reader in a state of unease. Though it’s only four panels long, the fall of a character on 17 features some really beautiful violet work for the sky. There aren’t many reds in this issue, but when they appear on one character on the final page it certainly fired me up for the next installment. Yackey is doing good work. Overall grade: A
The letters: Dialogue, Mother Entropy speech, yells, and the tease for next issue are created by VC’s Cory Petit. The yells are the real stand out efforts from Petit, with them being created in several different fonts, showing some excellent screaming. There are several different version of this on display on Pages 3 and 4. I do wish that there had been some sounds during the fight at Starlin’s, as guns are blasted and punches are thrown. It seemed odd for this to be occurring in silence. This wasn’t Petit’s decision to make, but I would have loved to see what he could have included. Overall grade: A-
The final line: The Guardians are over the heads in danger, but end up having to save the universe, again. The story is fun, the action big, and the visuals beautiful. This is a Guardians story for everyone to enjoy. Overall grade: A
To order a digital copy of this go to https://www.comixology.com/Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-Mother-Entropy-2017-3-of-5/digital-comic/494447?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC90b3BSZXN1bHRzU2xpZGVy
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