Tags
Collin Kelly, Drax, Gamora, GROOTFALL, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy #1, Guardians of the Galaxy #1 review, Jackson Lanzing, Kev Walker, Mantis, Marvel Comics, Nebula, Ster Lord
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (2023)
Marvel teased big things were coming in Guardians of the Galaxy #1, and they sure weren’t kidding either. A year ago, the Guardians of the Galaxy were totally broken. Betrayed by one of their own, their optimistic outlook and future was all but destroyed. Now in this new Marvel Comics series, written by Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelly (Captain America Sentinel of Liberty), and with art by Kev Walker (Predator), the Guardians now ride the lawless alien frontier of the Manifold Territories.They are driven ever onwards, locked in a desperate search to reclaim their heroism and humanity, yet relentlessly pursued by the horrific phenomenon that caused their fall from grace – the GROOTFALL!
Lanzing and Kelly throw us right into the think of the action with The Massacre at Galilee IV, where Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Nebula, and Mantis ride into a ramshackle colony town of refugees trying to eek out a humble existence on a backwater world. But the Guardians have been changed by the chaos that has brought them here. It soon becomes clear they are far from the saviours they proclaim themselves to be, are they really here to rescue these refugees, or are they just running from a burning fire they have no idea how to put out? The contrast between these Guardians and the one’s we know and love is really striking, especially Peter Quill, who seems to have become a gruff high-plains drifter of the space ways, Gamora and Nebula are as edgy as ever, even Drax seems at odds with Quill’s abrasive new leadership style, leaving only Mantis to remain the one bright light at the heart of the team that once was. The action moves along at a fast and furious pace, as the nondescript menace of GROOTFALL descends on the planet, and the Guardians race to evacuate the refugees to safety.
The Guardians have all been given a fittingly cosmic Wild West costume make-over for this new series. Kev Walker’s art really shines, with beautifully rendered characters, expressions, and sublime detail that highlights just how much the dysfunctional joy of the Guardians has been turned upside down by GROOTFALL. It’s all there in the body language and snappy asides as the Guardians mosey on into town in their own inimitable style. Walker captures the grittier nature of this environment of the frontier worlds with sweeping panoramic vistas and dusty run down towns, the colors by Matt Hollingsworth are both subtle and vidid, seamlessly balancing the dramatic and emotional beats of the narrative. The cover for this first issue by Marco Checchetto is also really striking and brilliantly encapsulates the tone of this new series as we journey into the unknown territories of the Marvel Universe.
Sure, the cataclysmic fallout of GROOTFALL looms large for the Guardians, indeed, its hot on their heels, but that’s not to say it’s all doom and gloom. Far from it, in fact. The light, warmth and humour is still there, the Guardians just have to dig a little harder within themselves to find it right now. As comic book relaunches go, Guardians of the Galaxy #1 provides an exciting and bold new era for the team, featuring a gripping story and excellent art, this new Marvel Comics series is definitely one worth adding to your pull list.
Publisher Marvel Comics
Writers Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing
Artist Kev Walker / Colours Matt Hollingsworth
Letters VC’s Cory Petit / Cover Marco Checchetto
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
Sci-Fi Jubilee 
So Groot went bad? Or just hulked out?
Groot has indeed seemingly taken a darker path, but the reasons behind Grootfall is something of a mystery atm. No doubt we shall soon discover what’s behind his terrifying transformation, and perhaps more importantly find out what has happen to Rocket as well.
Turns out this really does sound as good as it sounded when I first heard of this new run and as good as it looks with that cover art! Thanks for sharing, Paul.
Yes, I was intrigued about this relaunch when I first heard about it way back. I’ve always liked the Guardians of the Galaxy, so nice to fin this new direction for the series has turned out so well. I love that cover artwork as well.
Hi Paul, now this series looks interesting. I like the Guardians and this might be a good time for me to get into their graphic novels. I gotta say I really like the colour palette and art style, it reminds me of the art for SOLO – A Star Wars Story (which in turn was influenced by the classic cowboy westerns movies). Great writeup.
Hiya! Yeah, I was interested in this new relaunch as soon as I heard about it a while back. I really like the new Wild West in space direction they’ve taken with the story, and the art is really good as well. Yes, there is a bit of a SOLO A Star Wars Story look to it. Cheers, glad you enjoyed the review.
I can definitely envision the Guardians as Wild West characters!
It’s a concept that works really well and is visually very striking indeed. It’s certainly given this new Guardians of the Galaxy comic series an entirely new and unexpected direction.
I absolutely love your review of Guardians of the Galaxy. You have a way with words. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed the review. 🙂