Grootfall/Grootrise might be one of the most perfect examples of succinct, self-contained super-team stories in recent years. In just eleven issues – less than a single year’s worth of comics – the Guardians of the Galaxy undergo every beat of their particular brand of narrative epic:
- A Cosmic Weirdo (in this instance Groot) threatens (or appears to threaten) the galaxy.
- The Guardians, perpetually finding themselves the underdogs, engage in roguish (or apparently roguish) behavior, generally resembling a heist (in this instance, a great train robbery).
- Rocket Raccoon experiences trauma and/or tragedy.
- External forces, generally in the form of tangential assholes, compound an already overwhelming pressure.
- Ever-present self-doubt collapses the morale of the group, and Something Terrible Happens.
- The Guardians subvert the Terrible Thing, generally by Getting Their Groove Back.
- Surprise! The tangential assholes are the true villains!
- Hijinks and/or space battle that runs alongside the character’s redemption.
- Self-sacrifice by a major character.
- Salvation.
This sounds formulaic because it is. However, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Kev Walker subvert just enough expectations that the story feels reinvented and streamlined.
Marvel Comics
Grootrise, the second and final volume of the story, contains the final five beats – from subverting the Terrible Thing to Salvation. All fat has been trimmed, and despite a quick appearance by Hulkling and Wiccan and a minor trip to Earth, narrative distractions are nearly completely done away with by way of minimizing B- and C-plots and making such diversions necessary character development.
The book is so laser-focused, in fact, that it requires no foundational reading – while the story does concretely follow the previous volume of the series, the most relevant connection lies in the recent Groot miniseries, in which Groot’s home world is briefly explored. In that story, Mar-Vell endeavors to hide the planet, creating an intentional galactic ignorance of Planet X; it is this blank space that Nebula determines to be the greatest threat to the galaxy.
Marvel Comics
That Groot is that threat — our Cosmic Weirdo — provides enough subversion on its own; that Groot is also the root (no pun intended) of the Salvation is all the better. As is often the case for the Guardians, they misunderstand the cosmic forces at play. In their exploration of the events leading up to Grootfall, the creators (and their characters) come to realize that the source of all this destruction and death is a force of glorious rebirth. Like seeds opening only under the extreme heat of a forest fire, the devastation is critical for the cyclical life of the Floral Colossi.
Walker’s dusty, Old West vibes somehow marry perfectly with the high-concept science fiction that Groot’s woodsy, organic nature is meant to contrast. It’s a visual delight, furthering the book’s inclination to epitomize this corner of the Marvel Universe.
Marvel Comics
Surprising and heartfelt, Grootrise concludes what might be the perfect example of this story. If fans were to recommend a single Guardians of the Galaxy story for new readers, this should be that recommendation.
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