Guardians of the Galaxy as of late has been focused on a single member, which is odd because I thought this was a team book! Last issue it was Groot and this time Gamora gets all the attention…is it good?
Guardians of the Galaxy #17 (Marvel Comics)
So what’s it about? Read our preview.
Why does this book matter?
If Gamora is good enough for her own book I’m sure she can carry this issue. With her goal to find and kill Thanos she’s motivated, but the acts during Civil War II have made it a lot trickier. This issue delivers when it comes to getting tricky.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Time to wreck.
I went into this issue with absolutely no idea what to expect, but Brian Michael Bendis entertains from cover to cover. From an opening action sequence that’s exciting, filled with fun banter, and a surprising twist ending to the finale that is at once crushing and interesting, you can’t lose if you read this book. It opens with Gamora seemingly waiting to be attacked, but if you look closely her mission is staring right back at her in the water. This is one of those issues where you should keep your eyes peeled, because there’s a bit of sleight of hand at work. You’ll also come away with some additional respect for Gamora as she can truly hold her own against multiple trained heroes.
Captain Marvel fans should be picking this issue up too. While many folks on the internet ridicule her from being a straight up villain, it’s issues like this that remind us she must make hard choices even when it goes against her friends. She gets the chance to speak her mind and you get a strong sense of her valor whenever she speaks.
Valerio Schiti draws a solid comic with colors by Richard Isanove. Schiti can draw a mean panel that captures the depth and the action-packed dynamic of a scene. Layouts break down well, allowing you to follow the action–and when things calm down, the facial expressions–to a T. The color by Isanove pops quite nicely, with nice purple glows to Gamora’s staff, twinkles in the eyes of characters, and the vastness of space (I wish space had so much green in it!).
It can’t be perfect can it?
Again, it’s sort of odd Marvel can call this series Guardians of the Galaxy and yet only have one Guardian in the issue! And when it comes to Gamora, she gets very little to say. She’s a machine on a mission, which is cool, but it’s too bad she didn’t get to speak her mind at all. These elements add up to this issue feeling like an interim story that is buying time until the next arc truly begins.
Fun action.
Is It Good?
Gamora (and Captain Marvel!) fans need this issue in their life. Not only is the action fun and fast, but the issue itself has some tricks up its sleeves you won’t want to miss.
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