A review of Guardians of the Galaxy #2 By Michael Berry (Lightning Strike) July 07, 2008 Rating: 9.3 / 10

Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artist: Paul Pelletier

Okay, for those of you who haven't been reading this book, here's a quick rundown. There are seven members (eight if you count Mantis who's there strictly for support) that comprise this team: Starlord, Warlock, Drax, Gamora, Quasar, Rocket Raccoon and Groot (a plant being who is still sprouting and not quite ready for missions just yet---no, I'm not joking and yes, he's cool).

They banded together to make it their mission and purpose in life to "fix" anything going wrong with their universe, as well as defend it against any and all attacks, with advanced technology that grants them the ability to teleport to any location in the universe. Their base of operations is inside the severed head of a Celestial in a place called "Knowhere", an interdimensional crossroads in space. All caught up? Good, let's move on.

DnA (that's what Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are affectionately called, for you non-Legion fans) have to be two of the most underrated writers in the business. Everything that I've ever read of theirs has been gold, this book being no exception. The dialogue and repertoire between the characters is stellar, and the team's dynamic is established in how diverse the membership is, but also in how well they work together.

Case in point, before I started reading this book, I knew OF Rocket Raccoon, but didn't really think much of him. I thought "oh, look a talking raccoon, how nice...and silly". Now? I LOVE him (and I mean that in a non man/raccoon-crush way). The Rocket is hilariously funny. He's easily my favorite character of this book, but make no mistake, the other characters are perfect for this team and are as equally interesting in their own way.

The newest addition to the team, Major Victory (of the original Guardians of the Galaxy team) makes his debut in this issue. He's found frozen in a block of ice by the current team while investigating a fissure in space. Starlord can't help but remark how eerily similar this is to how the Avengers first really formed as a team long ago when they found Captain America frozen in a block of ice.

They fix the fissure and return, along with Major Victory, to their headquarters, where he's examined by Mantis. He's very adamant about finding out what the date is and when told it's the year 2008, he sits at ease and says "Then I'm in the right place at last. Thank God", hinting at the fact that he was purposely sent to the team for a reason, and that it wasn't just by chance that the team found him.

There's also a unique thing in this book where the characters are shown being debriefed. These debriefings take place after the missions but are sprinkled throughout the issue as the story unfolds. So while they do give you a small sense of what's to come, nothing is spoiled and some of the funniest moments come from these debriefing logs.

In this issue, Rocket Raccon is being debriefed and he quips "We were off again. And I thought...thank the stars that freaky talking dog isn't coming with us. Talking pets give me the willies" (this coming from a talking Raccoon)

The issue ends with the team investigating yet another fissure in space and when they arrive, a group of beings from the Universal Church of Truth confront them and are prepared to attack.

I also want to point out that, even though I'm biased being a big fan of Paul Pelletier, he does a fantastic job on the artwork. Paul depicts each character superbly and the panels flow quite well so the reader gets a great feel for the story and the characters.

Discuss This Review at:
The Marvel Universe Message Board

Review Archives
All reviews by Michael Berry (Lightning Strike)