Guardians of the Galaxy Comics

Issue #1

Well I'm just going to dive right in here and say that if you don't want to be spoiled about any of the Marvel comic book stories, then I definitely wouldn't read anything else on this blog.

Okay, this issue started off in a great way. It immediately introduces you to ladies man Peter Quill who's trying to get a Kree girl to go home with him, when his dad, J'son, King of the Spartax Empire, walks into the bar that Peter's in and tells him that Earth is off limits to everyone. Peter, of course is furious because he figures that the Badoon or another enemy will make a move to try and take over Earth if they hear it's unprotected. 

Gamora bursts in and takes down a couple of J'son's guards because she thought Peter was in trouble and J'son makes a point to say that he's jealous that Peter is hanging around with the most dangerous woman in the galaxy. 

We then cut to Tony Stark outside of the Earth's atmosphere enjoying some time alone in his Iron Man suit when suddenly he stumbles across a Badoon ship and fights them off with the Guardians of the Galaxy which show up and show everyone who's boss. The Badoon ships gets a little blown up and then the rest of it crashes down towards Earth; London specifically, and we end with Gamora telling Peter that she thinks that it isn't just a coincidence that this conflict happened right after Peter was told by his father that Earth is off-limits and no longer under protection. Is J'son behind this attack? Is he working for someone that's behind the attack? We will find out!

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Okay, my initial reaction to this issue was a good one. I loved the immediate introduction of the somewhat cold relationship between Peter and his dad. Peter is the literal Star-Lord of Spartax and he doesn't want to be. He just shrugs off all his responsibilities and wanders around as a rogue in the galaxy with his Guardians of the Galaxy gang. Compared to the movie, I liked the movie better in that he got his Star-Lord nickname from his mom, but I don't mind the comic book version. 

I also know that James Gunn has come out and said that Peter's dad will not be the same in the movie as it is in the comic books. He is either lying, or we have a different character than J'son to look forward to. That reveal should be REALLY good. I'm really hoping that it will be someone that we have already been introduced to in the cinematic universe to make the reveal even more earth-shattering. But so far, I like the unknowable motives of J'son and the banter between him and his son. We've got some really interesting twists ahead for sure.

Seeing Iron Man in space fighting alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the highlights for me. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing Tony Stark in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but if that's going to happen he's going to need a serious upgrade from the suit he used in the Avengers when he took the nuke into space. I wonder if the Mark 42 has better out-of-atmosphere capabilities. The suit in Avengers shut down pretty quickly. But otherwise, I think he could add something good to the dynamic as long as the snark between him and Peter doesn't clash or sound too similar; but it worked in the comic book so I guess anything's possible. 

Groot looked SO cool! He was almost scary. They made him very easily likable in the movie, but here he looks like he means business. The camaraderie between Groot and Rocket is probably still the best dynamic within the Guardians. They will always have each other's back. 

Okay, last, but not least, check out this SWEET outfit that Quill was toting. It reminds me of the Nova Corps symbol; and I would pay a lot of money to see outfits similar to these for everyone in the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.

Overall, I really liked the introduction to Peter's dad, to the team, and to this part of the Marvel Universe. I can't wait to read them all and find out what secret J'son is hiding from Peter and the gang! Feel free to let me know what you guys think.

Next week: I will be reading Guardians of the Galaxy Issue #2

Until then, be the type of person that Hydra would see as a threat. 

Photo credit goes to marvel.com

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Issue #2

So this issue starts off in London where the Badoon are continuing their attack from the last issue. The remaining Guardians (Groot was kind of obliviated into a small twig in the last episode) and Iron Man take down one ship just in time to minimize the casualties of the humans on the ground. They each cause the various ships to blow up over water and Iron Man saves Drax and Gamora at the last minute, though Drax does leave with some injuries. 

Meanwhile, we flashback six weeks previously to the "Negative Zone" where J-Son is having a meeting with various rulers of the Galactic Empires. This includes the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree Empire, Gladiator, leader of the Shi'ar, Young Annihilus who is the leader of the Negative Zone, Queen of the Brood, Freyja, the All-Mother of the Nine Realms, and Y-Gaaar of the Brotherhood of the Badoon. Yeah, I know, the names are a little weird and random at first. 

J-son and the council discuss the fact that the Kree experimented genetically on humans many generations ago which led to super-powered humans that are currently on the Earth. They are worried about how careless these super-humans are in messing with the space-time continuum. They are having to make the tough decisions about whether they should destroy the Earth now before the real threat comes in one generation when they deduce that the Earthlings will have the capabilities to utilize "communal space travel." 

The All-Mother goes face-to-face with J-son to let him know that she will protect the Earth as it is one of the Nine Realms. She teleports (I guess) back to Asgard and J-son tells the council that the Earth is now off-limits while exchanging some shady looks with the leader of the Badoon... 

Back on Earth, Iron Man and the Guardians are recovering from their battle when suddenly armored guards from Spartax show up to arrest them for violating the order that the Earth was not to be visited by them. Peter tries to tell them who he is and the guards tell him they are well aware that he is the Star-Lord of Spartax, but that they were sent with direct orders from J-son to capture them. The comic ends, only to be continued in Issue #3....

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This was definitely an interesting read. There was a lot of story going on in the background that really balanced out the action that was happening. One of the first thoughts that I had was that the "Negative Zone" really seems like a negative place. It's composed of very cold colors like blue and purple. Everyone there must be depressed or evil... or a little bit of both. All the leaders of the various Galactic Empires seemed like they had some hidden agenda. All except Freyja, of course, who promised that she would protect the Earth with her last dying breath. That seems pretty promising to me. And I know that I'm judging just based on looks here but the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree Empire and G-yaaar of the Badoon were pretty creepy looking. They were definitely up to no good. Just look at them!

            

              (Supreme Intelligence)                                 (G-Yaaar)

Anyway, that meeting was obviously a plot for something much bigger. I'm just glad that Freyja is on the right side of things. Though, I definitely see why the council would be worried about the space-time continuum, but also the super-humans on Earth. There are some pretty powerful people on the Earth. Hulk, Magneto, and Doctor Strange just to name a few. It was also mentioned that The Phoenix is all-powerful (anyone who knows X-Men knows this) and when she came to the Earth, she practically disappeared. I think they have a right to fear what has been created on the Earth. I took the mention of the Kree genetic experiments to mean that they were at least partly to blame for the creation of mutants and other heroes alike. 

Now, about the Guardians of the Galaxy. One thing that really stuck out to me is how bada** Drax looks. His body tattoos are as cool in the comics as they are in the movie. Also, he uses this awesome hologram mage-axe to take down one of the Badoon ships and it's pretty much one of the coolest moves ever. I would pay good money to see that in any future movie that includes the Guardians of the Galaxy. And I always have to mention their outfits because they are just the coolest. 

Well, this issue was a lot of talk and a lot of story, but I think we will get into some really good action here soon.

Until next time, remember that while Loki did kill 80 people in two days, he's adopted.

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Issue #3

This issue was really good, you guys! We come in with the Badoon taking orders from J-son to arrest the Guardians and give them no special treatment under any circumstances. The Badoon end up putting the Guardians and Tony Stark into cryotube-type sleep and stripping their ship of all their weapons.

Meanwhile, J-son is at the meeting in the Negative Zone with leaders from various colonies in the galaxy. He chews the Badoon out for barely taking a couple breaths before attacking Earth after the "No one will touch the Earth" policy. J-son leaves the meeting and the other leaders contrive a plot for the Badoon to prove that J-son doesn't have control over them like he thinks that he has. This is the first of multiple conspiracies against J-son. That guy is sneaky and people are starting to realize it. 

Back where the Guardians are being held, Groot breaks in to the facility, frees the Guardians, and they go on a rampage, taking down nearly everyone in their path. They take over the Badoon ship and send out a message to the entire fleet that J-son is not to be trusted and to think about the kind of person who would arrest his son for trying to protect the helpless citizens of Earth the next time J-son gives them orders. 

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This is just the beginning of something much bigger, folks. These small conflicts are escalating and somewhere, they are going to collide and something big is going to happen. I get the feeling that this big "something" is going to have something to do with J-son. It seems like he keeps double-crossing everyone. Who is this guy working for? My original thoughts say Thanos, but I'm just not sure that J-son has the "in" with him. Especially if J-son is giving orders to take down a group involving Thanos' daughter Gamora. It's possible that it could be Ronan the Accuser, but I don't know how closely the movie followed the comics so I guess only time will tell.

I'm really interested in seeing what the other leaders in the Negative Zone have plotted against J-son. The Badoon obviously don't have a problem disobeying his orders. This sub-plot should be really interesting once is really starts to unfold. 

In other news, Peter Quill is pretty upset with his dad. He sent a squadron to arrest them for trying to protect the Earth. That's pretty rude if you ask me. Obviously J-son doesn't want the Guardians near Earth for a very specific reason; or he wouldn't have gone to such extreme lengths to ensure that they were punished for doing so. Tony Stark called for the Avengers to assemble before he was put into cryo-sleep, but I doubt they will do a full-on crossover in the comics. Though, let's be honest. That would be amazing. Maybe in the movies one day.

I really loved that Groot was the big hero in this issue. Everyone knows that he can kick butt and take names like no one else but it was really nice to see him save the day anyway.  I guess he re-grew fairly quickly because in the small space of time between the end of the first issue and this one, he grew from a pretty small sprout into pretty much his full body size. It's really great to see him talking to himself while trying to work out how to free the Guardians. Interpreting what his "I am Groot"s mean is very fulfilling. 

I love the overall air of anticipation that's building over these comics. I can't wait until we get to the climax of the story. But really, the anticipation is the best part, am I right?

That's pretty much all that I had coherent thoughts about while reading this issue. If anyone has any other questions, comments, concerns, death threats, etc... don't hesitate to bring them to my attention.

Until next time, food for thought. Steve Rogers personally knows two Gods and still only believes that there is one God. And he definitely doesn't dress like that. 

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Issue #4

1. 
   
   As you can see, Gamora was in just a little bit of peril in this issue. We open with the Guardians in a bar celebrating Groot for all his hard work in breaking them out of those weird cryotube objects that the Spartax Empire had them in. Groot is happy and adorable, and Peter Quill is sweet-talking some girl of a different alien race. Meanwhile, Tony and Gamora somehow end up sleeping together and Gamora doesn't seem that impressed. She is on her way back to the bar post-coitus and gets shot by a bounty hunter named Maxilin the Accuser. She seems paralyzed for a time, but then she suddenly gets up and starts kicking this guy to the curb. After quite a confrontation, she attempts to ask him who put the bounty on her head and suddenly he gets shot and ends up with a gaping hole in his chest. Gamora is stunned by this and the rest of the Guardians find her a little ways from the bar after their own confrontation with some more members of the Spartax guard. The group is walking away and the last comic panels show the hand of Maxilin the Accuser move and curl up into a fist. He's not dead?! *Dun Dun DUN*
   
   
   
   
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   I thoroughly enjoyed this issue for many reasons:
   
   
   One, I loved seeing a happy Groot. He was genuinely enjoying himself in the bar being with all his friends. Even though the only thing he can say is "I am Groot," the character really has some soul and it's pretty much impossible not to love him.
   
   
   Two, we get to see Tony Stark (on Earth, a total ladies man) fail to impress a pretty alien girl such as Gamora in bed. Tony is a character who holds himself in such high esteem, that this was a real downer for him. It's good to see characters go through ups and downs like this because it brings out sides of their personality that we didn't know they had. Tony uses a galaxy-spanning "cell phone" to call Pepper after the little tryst with Gamora and we see him soften a bit. It was a really good moment for his character to let his guard down a little. 
   
   
   Three, I love twists. The fact that this Maxilin the Accuser guy came literally out of nowhere to claim the bounty on Gamora was good. And it leaves even more questions to the imagination like who sent him? How long has she had this bounty on her head? He mentioned that he caught the "daughter of Thanos" so which circles is he running in to know that information? And last, how is he alive? I guess only time will tell.
   
   
   I'm really excited to read the next issue. This story is setting up some big conflicts and story arcs and I can't wait to find out what they are. Until next time, remember that you have not hit the ultimate creepiness factor until you've watched someone while they were sleeping... *cough* Coulson *cough*
   
   

   Sidenote

   I have begun to watch the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes on Netflix and I really love it so far. Since the episodes are so short and sweet, I will report back on my opinions about every 5 episodes. I would recommend watching them for anyone who's a fan of the Marvel Universe. They're light and fun and a little different to mix it up. 

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Issue #5

Oh my Groot! This issue was wild, my friends. Here's a quick synopsis to give you the basic low-down on what happened:

We open on a supposed Angel who's un-originally named Angela taking down some aliens and declares that she wants vengeance for being ripped from her home, which is (surprise, surprise) named Heaven. The scene turns to Rigel 7 where Peter Quill is running from Spartax guards and gets pulled inside the home of Mantis; who he was looking for in the first place. He tells this green-skinned telepathic lady friend about weird visions he's been having and she tries to see what's going on inside his mind. They find out that someone has messed with the space-time continuum. We can safely assume this is how Angela (who then decided to attack Earth) came into existence in this universe. The scene then leads into a fight between Gamora and Angela with a voice-over of someone talking to Peter about the fact that he's lucky that he didn't get sucked into the space-time rips in the universe and get lost forever. The scene goes dark and opens back up with Peter talking to none other than..... Thanos! No one has ever hated a "to be continued" panel more than I did at that moment. 

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Alright. Let's talk these new ladies.

From what I know about the Marvel Universe, Angela first showed up in the "Age of Ultron" storyline (which I will get to later), but this is her expanded story about how she was intercepted by the Guardians. She's a bounty hunter who has a personal vendetta against whoever took her from Heaven where she was to oppose Spawn. They end up becoming frenemies when Spawn fixes the broken reality she was in. I personally think she could be wearing some more clothes, but hey, what do I know? 

Now I really loved Mantis. She is a half-Vietnamese, half-German daughter of Libra who was left at a Vietnamese temple which was a sect of the Kree. She was mind-wiped and later meets the Swordsman who trains her and they both join the Avengers later down the road. The comic book panel that showed what she was seeing in Peter Quill's head was a really interesting interpretation of how her powers were working. I really really hope that we get more of her as this story goes on because I feel like she will get a really awesome chance show off her excellent combat abilities later down the road. 

Thanos! Say What?!

I audibly gasped when we finally got the view of Thanos on the last page of this comic. All I want to is read Issue 6. I am so freaking stoked about this right now. I was thinking that Thanos would show up a little later, but this works, too. I'm looking forward to so many things surrounding the big baddie. How much face-to-face interaction will he have with the Guardians? Is he going to want Gamora to join him on his quest? Was it him who tore the space-time continuum? Does he currently have any of the Infinity Gems? We will find out, folks!

For any of you who need some background about Thanos, I will give it to you now as briefly as possible because I could go on for a while if I wanted to:

Thanos was born on the moon Titan to the race of beings known as the Eternals. However, he was carrying the Deviant gene and therefore had the same physical appearance of the Eternals' cousin race. Later in his life, he fell in love with Death (who, in the comics, appears as a woman) and wanted to impress her. So he goes on a quest to find all 6 Infinity Gems/Stones and eventually wield the Infinity Gauntlet and become the Master of the Universe. Sidenote: Gamora is his adopted daughter.

This issue almost left more questions than answers, but I can't wait to keep reading to get the answers that I am oh, so craving. Also, just a piece of advice: Listen to the Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1 Soundtrack when you're reading the comics. It makes them that much better. Until next time, I'm not always hooked on a feeling, but when I am, I'm high on believing.