Guardians 3000 #1/#2
Hey, did you guys know they made a movie out of the Guardians of the Galaxy comics? It’s pretty good! So good in fact, we have SIX Guardians books currently in production or coming out soon. Today we’re playing “Which one of these is not like the others?” and taking a look at the first two issues of Guardians 3000. This books owes is differentiation to bringing back a majority of the original cast from the 1969 debut of the team. These aren’t the Guardians you’re used to these days. Well, with the exception of a fully-plumed Yondu, that is. While on the subject of Yondu, I like to think his Ravager character in the movie had been scalped at some point in the past, explaining the absence of the iconic mohawk.
Coming from the mind of Dan Abnett, featuring the art of Gerardo Sandoval and Edgar Delgado, this book gives us the original team facing off against the terrible Badoon one thousand years into the future. This ongoing spins directly out of a back-up story from the Guardians 100th issue (issue 14 of the current series, if you want to be technical) where the cast freed enslaved human Geena Drake from a labor camp on what’s left of Earth. And killed a bunch of Badoon in the process. This book doesn’t pull any punches. While the violence isn’t graphic, there is a lot of action. The first issue sets up the main hook of the story, the fact that something in the past is directly influences the fluctuation time issues in the story’s present. We are treated to Guardians meets Edge of Tomorrow (Live Die Repeat?), with the sense of time continually repeating itself. Starhawk, the token pre-cog of the group, has seen that Geena is important to what is going on, making her safety a key to the opening storyline.
There is a lot of story here, so I’m going to be brief. The future is a terrible, war-torn place in need of saving. This is a solid basis to the story. I have no qualms. The action is fierce, and the story is pretty deep for just two issues. Abnett knows how to weave a cosmic tale. It is unfortunate that he and Andy Lanning are no longer working together, but Abnett has shown he is more than capable of standing on his own. It has been a while since I read a comic and thought it was a good thing that the story seemed much longer than the actual page count of the issue. Being a team book, there are many, many characters to juggle and they all bring their own individuality to the group, which keeps the pacing moving. If you’re interested in a real cosmic tale where Earth is a distant concept, this looks like it’ll be the book for you. I want to see what happens.
When it comes to art, the powers that be picked a great team. Sandoval’s work is the perfect blend of clean cartoon and sci-fi elements. The action is captivating and well thought out. I was never confused about the direction or what was happening, which is always a possibility in cosmic stories. Delgado brought a welcome vibrancy to the tattered remnants of the universe’s main powers. And special props to the letterer Clayton Cowles for working in all of Abnett’s words without crowding the pages. It was an impressive feat.
Now, we come to the continuity questions inherent with any cosmic/time travel story. In which universe does this story take place? Major Victory was last seen in the aftermath of the Thanos Imperative, seemingly staying in the main 616 universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy after being found frozen in space Captain America-style. However, all these characters are considered to be mainstays of the 691 universe. So, I’m curious as to where this story takes place. As well as if we’re going to be brought back to the current time-period or not. And please, please, please leave Earth out of it.
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Matthew is the resident Marvel Cosmic expert here at Comics – The Gathering. His knowledge is deep and impressive. Sorry ladies, he’s taken. He can also be found on Twitter as @mahargen.
Coming from the mind of Dan Abnett, featuring the art of Gerardo Sandoval and Edgar Delgado, this book gives us the original team facing off against the terrible Badoon one thousand years into the future. This ongoing spins directly out of a back-up story from the Guardians 100th issue (issue 14 of the current series, if you want to be technical) where the cast freed enslaved human Geena Drake from a labor camp on what’s left of Earth. And killed a bunch of Badoon in the process. This book doesn’t pull any punches. While the violence isn’t graphic, there is a lot of action. The first issue sets up the main hook of the story, the fact that something in the past is directly influences the fluctuation time issues in the story’s present. We are treated to Guardians meets Edge of Tomorrow (Live Die Repeat?), with the sense of time continually repeating itself. Starhawk, the token pre-cog of the group, has seen that Geena is important to what is going on, making her safety a key to the opening storyline.
There is a lot of story here, so I’m going to be brief. The future is a terrible, war-torn place in need of saving. This is a solid basis to the story. I have no qualms. The action is fierce, and the story is pretty deep for just two issues. Abnett knows how to weave a cosmic tale. It is unfortunate that he and Andy Lanning are no longer working together, but Abnett has shown he is more than capable of standing on his own. It has been a while since I read a comic and thought it was a good thing that the story seemed much longer than the actual page count of the issue. Being a team book, there are many, many characters to juggle and they all bring their own individuality to the group, which keeps the pacing moving. If you’re interested in a real cosmic tale where Earth is a distant concept, this looks like it’ll be the book for you. I want to see what happens.
When it comes to art, the powers that be picked a great team. Sandoval’s work is the perfect blend of clean cartoon and sci-fi elements. The action is captivating and well thought out. I was never confused about the direction or what was happening, which is always a possibility in cosmic stories. Delgado brought a welcome vibrancy to the tattered remnants of the universe’s main powers. And special props to the letterer Clayton Cowles for working in all of Abnett’s words without crowding the pages. It was an impressive feat.
Now, we come to the continuity questions inherent with any cosmic/time travel story. In which universe does this story take place? Major Victory was last seen in the aftermath of the Thanos Imperative, seemingly staying in the main 616 universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy after being found frozen in space Captain America-style. However, all these characters are considered to be mainstays of the 691 universe. So, I’m curious as to where this story takes place. As well as if we’re going to be brought back to the current time-period or not. And please, please, please leave Earth out of it.
Matthew is the resident Marvel Cosmic expert here at Comics – The Gathering. His knowledge is deep and impressive. Sorry ladies, he’s taken. He can also be found on Twitter as @mahargen.
A Look Inside
