As of yet I don’t have my head wrapped entirely around War of Kings. Don’t get me wrong, it’s inevitable that I will be immersed into it as some point, but I just recall that what came with my initial taste was one of my pet peeves. I love Polaris (Steranko’s X-Men#50 is one of my favorite ever covers) and Havok (and the Starjammers for that matter), but for some season I find X-Men in space to be insufferable. There are just so many great and more naturally applicable characters for Marvel to utilize, and in Guardians of the Galaxy Abnett and Lanning are doing just that. It is from Annihilation and its aftermath that The Guardians of Galaxy were formed. The basic goal of the team is to act as agents to try to identify and neutralize potential threats before they become major crossovers. It has in my mind been a title like a Captain Britain MI: 13 that Marvel has in its current stable and represents this solid mid-list where some great storytelling is being laid down month-to-month. The cast – as it should be – is eclectic and absurdly exotic; there are no limits and shouldn’t be. This issue continues the prison riot/jail break in the previous one. What a setting like this allows for is quite a bit similar to what an unsavory cantina does in such story – highlighting diversity and contrast to our standard terrestrial haunts, creating a unique atmosphere that continues to be so at every turn. The post-Annihilation titles (like this one) have continued the necessary updating of the designs while still maintaining enough homage to be recognizable. The last two issues have revolved around a classic villain, Blastaar, storming 42 (the prison used by the Initiative to imprison those on the opposing side of Civil War) to gain the use of a gate to invade Earth. The real beauty of GotG is having antagonists as multifarious in components as the would be invaders. You have pages with a biped Raccoon carrying a gun he could have stolen from Extreme studios, a Tree alien that could only have debuted in the ‘60’s from a book called Tales to Astonish, a character that even publishers can’t contain in Mantis, a former Micronaut, and Starlord. What is impossible to ignore is that a red-white-blue Cap facsimile always looks right in the middle of the action. You throw in Abnett and Lanning’s own creation of Cosmo the Dog and the base of operations Knowhere (the decapitated head of a damn Celestial!) and you have that personal touch that’s destined to be a mark, and speaks to this speculative prose fan that believes some stories that are implied, alive, and left untold can be as grand as the best being shared. There is something to a telepathic Russian dog living in the dome of a giant god-like being that makes me think that if I found the concept in a novel, I’d find it no less delightful. I kind of think it’s rather brilliant.
The Guardians get away with (former prisoner of 42) Jack Flagg in tow adding another player to the upcoming saga. While there is a rather overt conversation speaking on Cosmic Marvel using Flagg as a reforming skeptic, there is actually a superior moment of dialogue and call back that succinctly describes the relationship of the cosmic corner of the Marvel U. and the Earth 616 involving ‘Dr. Richards’ and Starlord. The Fantastic Four are just knights of a small portion of the board, and when the Guardians block a potential check on Earth they leave with, “Haven’t you heard? We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy”. They have Kings to worry about, and need not worry about the distinction between the mundane, whether they are indeed Fabulous or Fantastic. It is not arrogance or avarice; it is merely a point of fact in true scale and offered with an honest humor.
Finally, the brief appearance of Warlock (with Gamora) on their own mission to the Universal Church of Truth is my anchor. Warlock has always been a favorite of mine and you don’t have to go too far from the Moorcockian basis of the character to know why. In his updated look featuring some similarities to his alternate persona of Magus, he almost looks and sounds like an Eternal Champion. Truth be told Abnett and Lanning can jack everything up and just have Warlock ending up at the top of galactic pile spewing condescending – yet matter-of-fact-humble – vitriol on everyone else, and I’d consider it a success! The end of the issue offers NEXT: Oblivion, and if they mean the return of the one of the Cosmic Pantheon we obviously have more Abnett and Lanning goodness to look forward to as they keep introducing and maneuvering their pieces for War of Kings. From the opening narrative to the last words maintain the feel of full-blown, looming, and proper Space Opera. Sure, this includes instances of overly dramatic dialogue, but this is how we do in Marvel cosmic. Everything is bigger, but we call it grander.
Forsake your terrene wheel chairs, stroll around, and take in the Cosmic Renaissance.
- Jay Tomio
Jan-ken-pon is the time traveling, force-walking, multiverse crossing column of Jay Tomio, owner of 1/3 of everything you see currently on screen, and the editor of Heliotrope. He recognizes no King but Thanos of Titan, Colonel Nathan R. Jessup and the Lord our God. Some call him the Bodhisattva.
