Call Of Ancient Duty: Reviewing ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ #8

What was once a space western of fallen characters has become something more. A higher purpose calls to the Guardians. Once protectors of the Galaxy, they are now the only thing standing in defense of Grootspace and the ancient mission Groot has taken on.

The series clock is ticking down as Guardians Of The Galaxy #8 offers some trippy answers to lingering questions. Pulling back the curtain on their intrepid tale are Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Kev Walker, Walden Wong, Matt Hollingsworth, and Cory Petit.

How far the Guardians have come since the opening moments of this series, so many months ago. With the end of the series not far away, a lot of the final pieces began to move into place with this issue. Yet, the rough around-the-edge energy and the great character focus were not lost in the process. Loss, grief, death, rebirth, and self-exploration have been key elements of this run. Thanks to their death and rebirth, we see these Guardians in a rare space of positivity and focus.

In effect, thanks to Grootfall, they are their best selves.

It’s only been eight issues and in some cases, such a turnaround might feel rushed or unearned. Not the case here. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, these characters are pretty well known at this point (both in and out of comics). As are many of their overall personality traits. Most important, though, is the fact that Kelly and Lanzing are great writers who know how to pace a story and how to weave development through it all.

So much of the personality and emotion is tied to the artwork. Walker and Hollingsworth have created such a solid pairing for this series.

Even as the characters are in a better space, Walker brings a sharp roughness to the whole experience. It reminds us of how tough things are around them and the impending danger that is coming for them and Grootspace as a whole. Emotions are clear and heavy upon the faces and body language, each figure feeling real but exaggerated at the same time. The addition of Wong changes things up just a slight bit, but not in a way that is truly off-hand noticeable. Those inks add to the already deep and weighty feelings that are already coming from the artwork as a whole.

A similar overall feeling comes from the color palette in play. Plenty of more vibrant rich colors pop to showcase the more otherworldly or fantastic elements (like powers, phenomena, landscapes, etc.). Mixed into them are darker tones which bring a different heavier weight. Even as the Guardians look somewhat more like themselves this time around, there is still a green hue following them. It reminds us that they are of Groot right now and increases as they bring more of Grootspace into existence.

Along with that hue around them are the choices made for their dialogue. Petit employs a brown speech balloon that again ties them to Groot, bringing that wood coloring to bear. Even with that uniformity, there is still uniqueness. Shifts to the fonts, in size and type, allow the voices of the characters to remain their own even as they operate on a shared wavelength of sorts.

Guardians Of The Galaxy #8 is now available from Marvel Comics.