Review: ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ #17 Goes To War
by Tony Thornley
The last enemy I thought I would ever see in a Guardians of the Galaxy story was probably Dormammu. Thankfully, not only is the unexpected making for an incredible challenge for our heroes, but it’s also a hell of a read.
“The Last Annihilation” continues here, and it looks like the event is living up to its name. It’s one hell of a cosmic event, thanks to Al Ewing, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee, and Cory Petit.
The War against Dormammu has taken a turn for the worst, claiming the lives of interstellar heroes like Captain Glory. Now, the Guardians have to make a desperate counter attack to stop the demon lord. If they can’t make it, then the entire universe will fall.
Ewing continues to go all out in this event, and it’s just a blast. He blends together the magical laws of the Marvel universe with technobabble and intergalactic politics, and it’s just a hell of a lot of fun. The cast is somewhat unwieldy, but the characters he is using are being used extremely well. Plus, his Doom-and-Rocket interplay is an absolute delight.
Frigeri continues to come into his own more and more with each issue. While his figure work does tend to lean a bit towards Marvel house style, he has a great dynamism on the page. Even in the issue’s early briefing, the characters are never static. He’s also great at character expressions, such as Doom constantly looking down his nose at everyone, or Gamora rolling her eyes at Rocket’s apparent sarcasm. He’s also great at showing the scope of the events unfolding, panning back to show the scale of starships, or setting the POV behind a character so you can see the space behind them. He’s learning more with each issue, and that’s exactly what the art needs.
Blee’s colors are also continually improving. He makes locations feel otherworldly just by using different combinations of colors and palettes. Petit is able to make a very talky issue very clear to understand. Overall, it’s a great book.
I can’t wait to see where this ends up because it’s pretty dire at the moment. And that’s the best it can be for readers.
Guardians of the Galaxy #17 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Overview
The universe is in peril and that means great things for readers. The story is fun, the characters are sharp and the art gets better with every issue.