Are you a new reader to Guardians of the Galaxy and are thinking of picking up #1 to start with? Slow your roll, my friend - this may be #1 but youll get more out of it if you get #0.1 which came out last month and gives you Peter Quill aka Star Lords origin story. Also check out Marvels Infinite line of free comics featuring Drax and Rocket Raccoon, which serve as introductions to the characters. Of course, you dont have to read these but if youre new to the series and looking to get acquainted with this odd-looking gang of misfits ahead of next summers movie, then why not get started properly, right? Youll also understand why Iron Mans suddenly part of the team. Wha...?! All done? Then lets begin! If youve been following the casting news for the Guardians movie, youll know Jim Sturgess was in the running for Star Lord before Chris Pratt was cast. One of the comments he made about the vision the filmmakers shared with him during auditions was for the movie to be more Star Wars than Spiderman. Well, the opening scene to #1 immediately feels like the immortal Mos Eisley Cantina scene from A New Hope with Star Lord as a Han Solo-type character - but with emo-hair! The comic builds on the #0.1 issue where we understand more of Peter Quills parental issues and see his difficult relationship with his dad who just happens to be King of the Spartax Planetary System! Gamoras got a great entrance and we get a cool space battle at the end, seeing the characters in action, while establishing their relationships with one another. Readers of the Abnett/Lanning run a few years back will remember the Rocket Raccoon/Groot miniseries and Bendis maintains this strong friendship here which is great. To continue the Star Wars analogy even further, you might even say Rocket and Groot are the R2-D2 and C-3PO of the series - Groot, the tree creature, can only say I AM GROOT! but each utterance means something different with Rocket repeating back what he said and responding in the same breath, in the same way R2 and 3PO interacted. Theres only one minor detail that took me out of the issue and was also something that bothered me about the #0.1 issue - Star Lord essentially says hes only interested in protecting Earth and the way #1 plays out, it seems the action is going to be Earth-focused. The series is called Guardians of the Galaxy, not Guardians of Earth - Idve liked to have seen Earth taken out of the equation altogether and have the Guardians go to some alien world on the other side of the universe. But hey, this is early days, well get there eventually, Im sure. Like I said, its a minor quibble. GG#1 is a solid issue thats great fun to read, has incredible art from Steve McNiven, and an engaging, bright, energetic and enjoyable storyline thatll grab new and old readers alike. New readers in particular wont be overwhelmed by the detail or the series as a whole - its very approachable and understandable, and #1 (coupled with #0.1) does an excellent job of easing you into the series. It sets the tone very well, establishes themes and relationships while providing action amidst the scene-setting - basically everything a first issue should do.
Also worth checking out is the AR content which has an interesting video of writer Brian Michael Bendis and editor Steve Wacker explaining the conception of the series and its background. Bendis in particular provides some insight into his vision of the series and how his own personal experiences shaped this version of Star Lord. Great little extra content to accompany the issue. I highly recommend jumping on board the great space coaster and taking a ride with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvels new brilliant series: its krutacking awesome!
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven is out now at your local comics shop and online at Comixology