Nature Bites Back: Reviewing ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ #7

They say there are two sides to every story, and somewhere in the middle lies the reality or the truth. What was left of the Guardians of the Galaxy thought they knew the sides of the story. So did the rest of the galactic powers.

Turns out they were wrong. Some of them were dead wrong.

Taking what we thought we knew and turning that on its proverbial head is just what Guardians Of The Galaxy #7 has done. Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Kev Walker, Matt Hollingsworth, and Cory Petit deliver the latest chapter in their gripping limited series.

The previous issues tore the team apart and even reunited they were torn asunder even more. As they faced a certain doom after being consumed by Grootfall, they contemplated what got them to that very moment. Feelings of failure, loss, and regret plagued their backstories as they all took the blame. Tied to what they thought was the villainous turn of their dear friend.

Truly a lot of changes within this issue that inform where the final three issues will be going. If you haven’t read this one yet, turn back now.

Sometimes reality is in the eye of the beholder just as much as beauty. Kelly and Lanzing did such a wonderful job tearing this team down, and we the audience with them, twisting us right into this issue which is uplifting and heartening. Groot was not compromised in an evil way, because while it can be harmful, nature isn’t truly callous or full of malice. Death and rebirth are two sides of the same coin, and one cannot exist without the other in many cases.

While there is a bit of action at the start, this is the second issue in a row where most of the happenings center upon characters speaking. When speaking is so compelling and well crafted it works. While many need their superhero punching every few pages in these books, I’m one of those who wants as much time to really tear into the characters as possible. Especially since Hulkling and Wiccan- at the head of a combined Skrull/Kree Empire- are criminally underused since they gained those positions.

There is nothing easy about what the characters and the universe have been going through. Walker and Hollingsworth are back to help us truly feel that rough hardness alongside the new hope. Walker just has such a unique sort of style aesthetic. There is a rough sharpness as well as an exaggeration to almost everything, while also feeling very realistic. Emotions are clear and expand beyond even the characters like waves coming off the pages.

Things were very bleak and barren in previous issues, with the visage of Grootfall feeling very imposing and terrifying. Part of what makes the pivot in this issue comes fully from the artwork. Instead of terrifying, the nature elements of Grootfall, and the Guardians that are now part of Groot, are lush and colorful in a welcoming way. It invites us in, and once things are laid out to Hulkling/Wiccan, we feel even more at ease. Hollingsworth allows there to be such vibrant pops in a space that is also quite toned down and still shadowy, keeping the inherent darkness nearby.

Much like I stated in the review for issue five, I really love the way that Walker lays things out panel-wise. A mixture of closeup and wide shots, allowing us to be not a fly on the wall but a participant. Being an observer in all wide shots doesn’t take away from a story, it just creates a certain feeling. With the choice to always put us into the action, saving wider for specific moments, it makes things even more personal. Sure, we’re not truly part of these fictional events, but part of loving stories is that feeling that just maybe we could be.

This series is one that taps into that feeling exceptionally well.

Those choices of paneling make it even more imperative to have someone who can make the letters still work in such a tight space. Petit is an expert at making sure that words flow around the action. Breaking through panels or spaces to deliver what we need without obscuring anything that we need to be seeing. Dropping in plenty of creative elements such as all the speech bubbles of the Guardians now being Groot brown, or SFX that span from big and bold to small and subtle.

Even as the Guardians have a uniformity to their bubbles, their personalities and speech patterns remain. Authentic voices populate the pages and resonate in our heads, feeling comforting and right even though we’ve never actually heard these characters (the comic versions).

Spartax is like the proverbial thorn in the side of not only the Guardians but really the entire universe at large. But we love to see it because they play the role of egotistical antagonists so well, especially Peter Quill’s half-sister Empress Victoria. There is a great balance within the issue as one of the perceived villains is flipped the other way, and a new actual antagonist rises to take their place.

Guardians Of The Galaxy #7 is now available from Marvel Comics.