Marvels Infinite Comics line - comics made for digital to be read on tablets, smart phones, etc. - turns its attention to the Guardians of the Galaxy as Brian Michael Bendis pens a short featuring the green badass of the team, Drax the Destroyer. Drax is the guy who beat up Thanos (the grinning purple guy at the end of the Avengers movie) so hes the brawler in the group - I know, Marvel have a thing for green tough guys in their superhero teams but whaddayagonnado? And where do all brawlers go? Yup, this story is set in a bar (on Rigel 3 - this is cosmic Marvel), where Drax is getting sloppy drunk when a group of alien townies decide to pick a fight. And Drax, even dribbling his booze at this point, takes them on easily. Marvels Infinite Comics read really well on mobile devices. I read this issue on my iPod Touch and the experience is a cross between reading a comic and watching a cartoon. You get one panel at a time before you tap the right hand side of the screen for the next, but quite often the next panel doesnt appear as youd expect - instead, a figure might change position while the rest of the panel remains stationary, or a speech bubble will appear, or a panel will appear on top of the last one. Its a really clever way of presenting comics that makes for a highly enjoyable and novel reading experience. Bendis writes this issue though I cant imagine it took him long as its light on dialogue and heavy on action. Drax basically fights for most of the comic. Michael David Oeming draws it and his style is very reminiscent of Mike Mignolas so if you enjoy Hellboy then youll definitely like looking at this comic.
While its not the most substantial read, its also a free comic so it seems churlish to complain. To read it yourself, download the Comixology app and do a quick search in their store for Guardians of the Galaxy or scroll down to Digital Firsts to find it, hit download, then read. Or, even easier, click the link at the end of this review! Its worth it for the experience of reading made-for-digital comics as its definitely different from reading regular comics, and shows why Marvel are leading DC in market share when theyre producing innovative new ways of presenting their comics. Also if youre getting into the relaunched Guardians of the Galaxy series and gearing up for the forthcoming movie next year, snap this one up to see one of the team members in action before the series proper starts up next month!
Guardians of the Galaxy, Infinite Comics #1: Drax by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming is out now and available for free download at:
http://www.comixology.com/Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-Infinite-Comic-1/digital-comic/DIG003257