Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot return to the case related to one of the Infinity Stones. Loki is still plotting against them. However, new heroes appear in the game - Nova with his troops and Claws also have something to say. Just what exactly?
We are in no rush …
After the events of No Agreement , it is time for Riders in the Sky . The Guardians of the Galaxy continue the quest given to them by Grandmaster and the Collector and search for the Soul Gem. To this end, they come to Earth and visit old friends who may have valuable tips for them. Meanwhile, Richard Rider, also known as Nova, tries to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of his brother Robert. It turns out that Claws are involved in everything. So the Nova Corps branch is stepping into action. Instead of solutions, things get more and more complicated. Especially since the god of lies has their fingers in them – Loki.
So what about this Stone?
For the script for Guardians of the Galaxy: Riders in the Skyanswers Gerry Duggan, the author who also wrote the story for the first volume for us. The first part introduced us to an interesting story straight from space. The second is more intrigue, new heroes and an unspecified destination. The Soul Stone is supposed to be the binder here, but at times it is also put aside. Instead of him and the title characters, we get a new adventure introducing a branch of Nova Corps and Richard Rider to the comic. If there is not enough fuss, Doctor Strange, Cable, Man Thing, Deadpool and Ant Man are mixed up in everything. It seems that especially the latter will have a lot to do in the next issue, but is it really? Already after the first volume, we could guess that later in the game Grandmaster, Kolekcjoner and Loki will play a significant role. Meanwhile, the Elders of the Universe are only mentioned, and the god of lies only does one mischief. The reader may then start to wonder what it is all about.
It should be added, however, that Duggan is not only confusing. He also devotes a lot of space to the Guardians themselves and explains their previous actions. The plot of Groot and Drax the pacifist is clarified. It is also revealed why Gamora needs the Stone of Souls. Added to all this is a slightly redundant, but fun Star-Lord adventure with John Lennon in the background.
A guardian for everyone!
The second volume of Guardians of the Galaxy contains 136 pages. For a short comic, a surprisingly large number of cartoonists worked on it. They were Roland Boschi, Mike Hawthorne, Frazer Irving, Terry Pallot, Rod Reis, Chris Samnee and Greg Smallwood. Let us also add that none of them was employed to create the previous part. However, such a multitude of artists is in some way justified. Well, almost half of the notebook are flashbacks telling the stories of individual characters, and each of them was created by a different graphic for us. Added to this is the story of Richard Rider and the search for the Stone by Peter and his companions on Earth. You can see in Marvel that if there are so many threads, you can and many people prove yourself.
And it must be admitted that all the gentlemen rose to the occasion. Their works are very pleasant to watch and they are adapted to the situation. So we have a dark and somewhat psychedelic journey into the depths of the Soul Stone, a humorous and retro-styled adventure of Star Lord, a colorful and galactic trip of Rocket and Groot, or the rather harsh and sad history of Richard and Robert Riders. The fragment created by Rod Reis, i.e. the visit of the heroes on our planet, also deserves a big plus. The artist combined clear pencil sketches with beautiful, watercolor colors, and the effect of this treatment is amazing. That is why the graphics of Riders in the Sky deserve a lot of applause.
Quo vadis , team?
Guardians of the Galaxy: Riders in the Sky is a comic book that is very difficult to judge unequivocally. On the one hand, the recipient has the impression that it leads nowhere. We have a lot of flashbacks in it, new threads appear, heroes multiply and new intrigues, and the plot focusing on the Soul Stone goes a bit aside. On the other hand, the title is easy to read and is characterized by humor so characteristic of Peter Quill and his companions. There were also some dark threads, and the whole thing was decorated with beautiful graphics. It also seems to me that we will be able to evaluate the discussed volume only after reading the next part, i.e. Searching for Infinity.. Then it will probably turn out whether the stories and characters proposed by Duggan are justified. Meanwhile, there is nothing left for us to do but embark on a colorful adventure with the strangest defenders of the galaxy!
