A Star-Lord Rode Into Town One Day: Reviewing ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ #1

When it comes to creating or telling space-centric science fiction stories, there are various popular flavors to choose from. Not really a Baskin Robbins level of flavors but a good menu of ones that are pretty easily recognized conceptually. It’s only natural for stories to sample from those that came before, finding a new way to take a familiar flavor and do something different with it.

Marvel’s latest relaunch of Guardians Of The Galaxy is an attempt to change up the flavor of these space-farcing characters once more.

Right away I was picking up big-time Firefly-like vibes from this debut issue. Whether that was an influence or not is not something that I can say at this point, writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have mentioned things like the film Unforgiven as well as the early mid-2000s comic series Nextwave as things to compare their series to. Either way, the Western vibes are strong in this series as we find the former galactic heroes at their lowest still trying to save lives but cutting corners and racing against the clock to do so. Something happened off-panel during a lost year that has led them to this point as they try to stop something very familiar looking known as Grootfall as it ravages through systems, peoples, and cities.

I throw out Firefly as a comparison because of the whole space western, a crew of varying personalities and proclivities for violence and other ‘crimes’, while still having hearts of gold and trying to help when they can situation that matches up in various ways. It’s a natural fit for the duo of writers and likely scratches another space-related itch that is quite different from the one they are scratching with their fantastic work over on the new Star Trek series.

Overall, the debut issue is pretty simple and to the point in laying out the situation and showcasing the threat that they are going up against. Yet, it’s also not simple because of the fact that this series is a case of in medias res, where we’re joining the story after it has already begun and are having to catch up. No lie I read it once and then had to go back to read it again fully before I began this review because I wanted to make sure I caught every single bit that was put out there as there is a lot to take in. These characters are still the ones we know but are also quite different and in different spaces than when we last saw many of them, not all that long ago (the lost year of time plays into a general sense of wonky time at Marvel lately with year jumps and yearly galas in & out of universe).

I’m really curious about Mantis who not only is different appearance-wise but seemingly has rapid personality shifts going on. That’s just one of many questions that are lingering about these characters and how they got to this point that surely will be answered as we flash back to their heroic downfall and the origins of Grootfall (such as if it is indeed Groot who is not with them, nor is Rocket) and the danger it poses to everything.

One thing that the Hivemind – as Lanzing and Kelly are known as – has proven with their recent titles is that they have plans upon plans that they hope to bring to fruition. Nothing is as simple as it seems and generally, the first stories are just a chapter of all the bigger things to come. One thing I really like about their approach to long-form storytelling is that it works within the format of comics.

By that I mean the monthly model doesn’t hurt their plans because each issue is a complete bit of a story and has plenty to nourish the reader rather than holding things back for some far down-the-line revelation that might hit or might fall flat depending on the overall execution.

Superhero-type stories always come with the ability to depict a lot of wild fantastical locales and beings, but throwing in science fiction on top of that really opens up what a person can build visually. Kev Walker is a good artist to tap for a book like this because the sort of inherent grittiness and less photo-realistic style of artwork is perfect for a space western. All the various beings and locales are given that sort of appearance that right away makes sure you know they are from beyond what we normally see and experience, yet they are also given enough detail and weight to make sure that they feel quite real as they take up space.

One thing that I really like about Walker’s artwork is that while it does have that gritty sort of feeling I mentioned previously, as the seriousness of some of the later scenes really hits hard, there is a sort of instant feeling of fun that comes from it at the same time. Characters’ proportions or depictions are not concerned entirely with reality as we might think of it, going for the feeling and creating a larger-than-life welcoming feeling that mixes well with the darker elements.

Some of that can also easily be attributed to the color palate that Matt Hollingsworth brings to the party. We’re dealing with alien beings as well as space heroes so there are a variety of colors on display with different skin tones and costumes, but none of the colors are of the popping out vibrant variety for the most part.  We’re in a dusty Western-esque space so there is a toned-down nature to everything, fitting that aforementioned seriousness that works alongside the more fun elements.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some brighter pops of color that are worked into things as the story goes on, but they are used judiciously at the right moment where they smoothly fit into the overall tonal style of the rest of the story. We see those splashes of vibrancy saved for the Guardians at times and the reveal of Grootfall and some of the action sequences. It gives those elements a bit of something extra that makes our eyes move right toward them as they stand out from the more neutral spaces and features around them.

I almost forgot; I really like the panel choices going on here. There is a franticness to a lot of the panels as the issue moves on, sliding over and around each other as things begin to pick up as the Guardians try to save people and their plans crumble apart. Some of the other choices earlier on are just great at setting the mood giving great close-ups and bouncing between moments to keep the whole story just buzzing along.

Speaking of setting the tone and…well speaking, it’s always great to see Cory Petit’s name in the credits for lettering because he brings great energy and style to any book. There is a subtleness on display as things begin with a very neat neutral sort of tone established for the bits of dialogue and the SFX, helping draw us in as things seem tense but uncertain at first. Just like the rest of the artwork as the story moves on this begins to swiftly change. We start to see far bigger bits of font and bubbles as characters get louder and more animated, the SFX following suit as it takes up more and more space.

Guardians Of The Galaxy #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.