Marvel’s gamble paid off and Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the year’s biggest hits, critically and commercially. Part of the big screen magic rubbed off on Skottie Young’s superb debut issue of Rocket Raccoon as it ended up being July’s biggest selling comic.
Rocket discovers he’s not the last of his kind alive, except the other Raccoon-alike is trying to kill him! And that’s not all – Rocket’s many, many exes are on the warpath, as well as the authorities. With the help of his bestie Groot, he’s got to break out of jail and escape without getting murdered.
Fans of the movie should check out this comic not least because Young’s lively treatment of the character and his world mirrors the energy and fun of the film. As Rocket says in the movie, he’s broken out of dozens of prisons, and we see him breaking out of one in this issue – with a little help from his little (and then suddenly massive!) friend Groot. That’s after a brilliant interrogation scene with Rocket’s jailers as they try to squeeze him for info only to be met with movie quote after movie quote.
Young’s art is beautifully stylish in this issue like it always is. If you haven’t seen it before, it’s highly exaggerated and warped but perfectly presented and cool – it’s also perfectly suitable for kids. Young handles the jailbreak scene imaginatively, drawing a board game-esque splash page that takes the reader’s eye around the pages in a perfectly compressed and brilliant sequence.
That Rocket, Groot and another mad alien criminal drive off in a space Cadillac quoting classic TV shows at the end is part of the reason why I’m enjoying this free-wheeling series so much. It’s such fun and feels like Young’s having as great a time making these comics as the audience is reading it. RR#2 is an excellent second issue in this wonderful new series – it appeals to a very broad range from fans of the movie, who will find it very accessible, to Marvel zombies, to anyone who simply enjoys a good comic.
2014 is turning out to be the year of the raccoon!
Rocket Raccoon #2
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