The Hunters Become The Hunted: Reviewing ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ #3

The galaxy’s biggest heroes are at their lowest. How much further will they fall as Grootfall looms over them all? Turns out the lines might be even blurrier than they thought.

We’re only three issues into this new run and it’s making a big statement. A statement that reminds us how much of a departure this overall run is from what we know. In the sense that the Avengers-like heroes situation we’ve seen for years is out the window. Everything about this feels like how the modern-era Guardians first formed. A bunch of prisoners brought together during Annihilation: Conquest to fight the Phalanx.

Visually, we get that feeling too as Kev Walker’s style has that rough and tumble sort of feeling that Timothy Green II’s did in that original miniseries. These are rough around the edges characters at their lowest and we can feel that. Everything around them is sharp and shadowy, but also big and wide. It gives all the amazing vistas and spaces their due.

We’ve visited quite a few different settings in these three issues, and they all are fantastic. There are elements to them that of course feel familiar, but they are also very alien in design to remind us that we’re far from Earth. Personally, I like it when the Guardians are far from Earth as possible, and this series plays well in that regard.

As I noted in the previous review, there is still a slight sense of awe and lightheartedness within Walker’s style. This pairs well with the mixed-color palette of Matt Hollingsworth. It isn’t too bright or vivid, but also not too dark. It’s a space where plenty of eye-catching colors pop up to bring those vistas and settings to life, while also feeling heavy. Encroaching darkness reminds us of the ever-present threat.

And that is where the lightheartedness of the affair plays in. We still remember these characters as heroes and expect certain things, but the threat they face is so dangerous and personal. Things steadily get darker through the issue and reach their crux when Star-Lord makes a choice. His decision falls into a gray area where we might not be as certain about how right or wrong it might be, just that it’s a choice that shows how far they have fallen.

That also speaks to how well Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing are pacing this story. It would have been simple, and probably preferred by some, to instantly explain and showcase how Groot became Grootfall. Instead, we’re thrown into the middle of the story and must witness our heroes at their lowest. Stories can be done in different ways. Sometimes we know more than the characters, and other times it’s reversed or we’re all in the dark.

The characters are in the know this time around and we’re the ones trying to catch up, which is compelling. Our images of them are shattered and we’re picking up the pieces while they are, just different pieces.

This also speaks to another strength of the run so far. As I noted, these are not the heroic Guardians from most of the last decade. And since they are not those same heroes, they are not getting the same wins that heroes often get. So far each of their adventures in this series has been rough and painful and they end up walking away with very little to celebrate.

A hard darkness permeates everything in this story, including the lettering. Cory Petit matches the tone perfectly once again, making sure that we feel and hear everything. There is an ominous about the way that Groot’s speech bubbles are formed while the arrogance is dripping from every bit of Spartax hunters’ dialogue. Not only does it all of course flow around the page in a logical way for our eyes to follow, there is something more done. In a couple of spaces, Petit pulls back on the overall size of font and bubble because the overall graphics demand our attention. Such as when the Spartax captain destroys the avatar of Groot, with a tiny Huzzah cry that doesn’t take away from the brutal agony on the page.

In fact, it plays into the idea of how small-minded these hunter characters are. Just as Drax has been saying this whole time, and we witnessed. Just simple things with the lettering can be done to enforce overall themes/tones.

Guardians Of The Galaxy #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.