Secret Invasion Review – “Guardians of the Galaxy #4-6”

This gets this event’s reviews caught up once more. Tonight we’ll have a review of the latest “Smallville,” and tomorrow will see a review of “Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge” to get that event’s reviews caught up again.

General Information

Title: Guardians of the Galaxy #4-6

Authors: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

Illustrator(s): Paul Pelletier (pencils), Rick Magyar (inks) and Guru eFX (colours)

Cover Date: October – December 2008

Cover Price: $2.99 US per issue. $3.05 Can for the first two, $3.50 Can for the third.

Detailed coverage of all applicable issues of all Secret Invasion related titles can be found at this address.

Premise

An explosion on Knowhere takes out the Continuum Cortex, which simultaneously traps people on the station and reveals a Skrull infiltration.

High Point

Drax’s solution to the problem.

Low Point

The “Deus Ex Machina” feel to Cosmo’s final decision.

About The Series

This series launched out of “Annihilation” and “Annihilation: Conquest,” two major cosmic events. It seems those events caused massive damage to the fabric of the space/time continuum, so Peter Quill somehow managed to put together a team with the skills necessary to save the universe, despite their huge personal differences. They set up their base on Knowhere, a space station made out of the corpse of the Celestial that allows access to any point in the Universe.

The Scores

This is a somewhat original crossover, both in Drax’s approach to solving the problem (Skrulls reveal themselves in death? Okay, kill everyone.) and in the intentions of this group of Skrulls. I give it 5 out of 6.

The artwork is solid. There’s a lot of detail, but everything is clearly depicted and easy to distinguish. The characters are consistently drawn and always on model. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story works fairly well, particularly if you’ve read issues 1-3. (I’m not sure how easily it can be followed if you jump on for the Secret Invasion crossover.) The final end to the conflict feels a bit cheap, but the rest is quite enjoyable. I give it 4 out of 6.

The characterization is well done, particularly since this team has no reason to get along, given that it’s made up of Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Mantis the Celestial Madonna, Gamora, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Adam Warlock (with the power upgrades he received in “Annihilation: Conquest”) and the Phyla-Vell Quasar. This is a very diverse bunch, and they get along as well as can be expected. Drax is also handled extremely well, as he has been ever since his own miniseries set up the first “Annihilation” event. I give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response is good, particularly given how the goals of these Skrulls mesh with this location and the whole Secret Invasion storyline. (They are, after all, a long way from the front lines.) There are also some comedic and intense moments, especially with Drax’s plan being put into action. I give it 5 out of 6.

The flow works well. The team has multiple mysteries to deal with, so they do get pulled in different directions, but the narrative flow goes without interruption. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, it’s worth reading, and pretty entertaining, though it won’t have a great impact on the Secret Invasion event in general, so it’s not a “must read” in regards to the tie-in. If you have interest in Marvel’s cosmic playground, check out this and “Nova,” by a very similar creative team. I give it 5 out of 6.

In total, Guardians of the Galaxy #4-6 receive 34 out of 42.

Secret Invasion Review Checklists

Background reviews:

Infiltration reviews:

Main Event reviews (including date the last issue should be available):

Aftermath (Dark Reign) reviews:

  • Avengers: The Iniative #20-?
  • Dark Reign: New Nation
  • Invincible Iron Man #8-?
  • Ms. Marvel #34-?
  • New Avengers #48-?
  • Secret Invasion: Dark Reign
  • Secret Invasion: Requiem #1
  • War Machine #1-?
  • several unannounced titles, I’m sure