Thanos is dead but has one last trick up his gauntlet: he’s uploaded his consciousness into someone else and lives on in a new body. But whose? All eyes point towards Gamora, who’s missing, presumed green. It’s a veritable Royal Rumble of the Marvel Cosmic as multiple teams set out to beat the other. This is Thanos’ Final Gauntlet!
The God Country and Crossover creative team of Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw reunite once more to bring us the most entertaining Guardians book in quite some time.
Part of that is in having so much going on with so many characters that there’s nary a dull moment. Hela leads the Black Order in hijacking Knowhere and then looting Thanos’ headless body, before hunting for his head; Eros/Starfox, Thanos’ brother, leads the Gamora kill team of Gladiator, Nebula and the Cosmic Ghost Rider; while Star-Lord and Groot are joined this time by Beta Ray Bill, Moondragon, Phyla-Vell, and Lockjaw (Drax is “dead” and Rocket is on the outs), on the Gamora save team.
Along the way are cameos from the Collector, Annihilus and Richard Ryder’s Nova. It really feels like a celebration of the rich tapestry that makes up Marvel Cosmic. It’s also impressive that Cates is able to keep this many plates spinning and not have any fall - each team’s storyline feels coherent and interesting.
It’s more than just a line-up refresh though as Groot is changed quite radically in this one. He can speak normally now - I think Quill said “I am Groot” more than Groot in this book! - and seems to be in some teen rebellion phase, rocking a mohawk and a small army of tiny Groots called Stab!
Shaw’s art is the strongest it’s been to date. I loved the Negative Zone scene as two great villains - Annihilus and Hela - faced each other down, both looking incredible. There are also brilliant shots of Gladiator and Nova too that showcase how cool those characters are.
If there’s a complaint to be had then it’s the silliness of death in superhero comics. Multiple characters here are presumed “dead” - until they’re not and are walking around fine within pages. Even Thanos, whose “death” the entire story is built around, was never going to be dead, really. Given how pointless the story is, the faux weight the script gives these deaths, only to turn around and undo them moments later, is the only eye-rollingly tiresome quality in an otherwise solid book.
I loved the Gamora scene when Star-Lord et al. catch up with her and she shows how she earned her nickname “Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy” - the fight beats, the art, it all comes together beautifully. In fact, every scene Gamora’s in is flat out great - if you’re a fan of this character, you’re gonna love how Cates has written her here.
But then this book is well worth checking out too if you’re simply after a great comic and/or happen to be a fan of Guardians/Marvel Cosmic. I had no expectations going into this one and had a blast - Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 1: The Final Gauntlet is the most fun this series has been in years.
No comments:
Post a Comment