All-New Guardians Of The Galaxy #1 Review

If there was ever a time to launch a new Guardians of the Galaxy series, that time is now. At the moment, the world’s attention is on Star-Lord and crew like never before. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hit many international markets last weekend, making a phenomenal $101.2 million, and US fans are now eagerly awaiting its domestic release on May 5th. Small wonder Marvel Comics chose to re-launch Guardians of the Galaxy this week, right?

It’s clear the new series is designed to take full advantage of the film’s release. Back after the original’s success in 2014, Brian Bendis reworked the Guardians concept to align with the movie. Now, Gerry Duggan’s gone even further. I mean, let’s face it, you’ve got Baby Groot, Star-Lord’s music, and a psychedelic intro page. Sure, in a weird twist artist Aaron Kuder has given Star-Lord a beard, but that’s about the only difference.

Now, don’t get me wrong; that’s not a bad thing. The truth is that, until 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy were a footnote in Marvel’s history. Now, they’re big news, and that’s largely because of the genius of James Gunn. I don’t blame Marvel for wanting to tap into this, but old school fans of the comic may be getting a little bit irritated.

That said, I do have to admit that Gerry Duggan has given this book his traditional twist. In particular, I love the intro page, which boldly proclaims that this is the ‘A-Team’ in space:

“If you’re in trouble (or you’ve got a line on a score) in the Milky Way, you can call the Guardians of the Galaxy!”

It’s a fun first issue, introducing us to the team as they launch an ‘impossible’ heist. They do it in a manner that you’d only find in comic books, and it works really well. Frankly, at first glance you’re as confused as the Guardians’ victims. Duggan takes the time to establish his characters’ new status quo, although he only drops the barest of hints to the reasons for these changes. Why is Drax a pacifist? What happened to Groot?

The story then takes us to the Guardians’ client, and from there Duggan puts the team smack-bang in the middle of a conflict between two of the Elders of the Universe. Given that the first film introduced us to the MCU’s version of the Collector, that’s a smart move, and continues the MCU-aware approach this comic is taking.

Artistically, All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #1 is satisfying but not remarkable. Aaron Kuder puts in a fairly strong performance, but there aren’t really any stand-out moments. That said, I’m not entirely convinced the plot gives him a real chance to shine.

If you’re a fan of the movies (and who isn’t?), you’re sure to find this comic pretty satisfying. It’s not the strongest story you’ll ever read, but it has the style and tone that’s turned this ragtag band into cinematic superstars, and that’s clearly all it aims to achieve.