War in war, war against pagans – review of the comic book “Guardians of the Galaxy” vol.2

The second volume of adventures of the new Guardians of the Galaxy concept is a real rollercoaster of various events, heroes and even realities. Is it worth reading the next volume of this extraordinary story from the end of the first decade of the 21st century?

Charged with testosterone and action packed adventure

From the first pages you can see that without knowing the adventures that appeared in the first volume, it is impossible to understand what the new is about. What’s more, the story is presented with a kind of tie-in to a comic book event called The War of Kings. The conflict between the Kree Empire and the Shi’ar Empire echoed widely throughout the galaxy, with many deaths, threats of various kinds, and even temporal and interdimensional problems. The galaxy is just about to collapse …

A short run by Abnett and Lanning of just 25 numbers may be unsatisfied with readers, but it’s probably better that there was no more, as the Guardians of the Galaxy could evolve into another crazy incarnation. Most importantly, they are The Watchmen, who have not been changed by the image of cinema, who have remained beyond the influence of James Gunn’s mainstream and subsequent productions after 2014. The story itself may be interesting and addictive, but its greatest advantage is the action-packed filmmakers that force the reader to faster and faster shift of frames. I believe that the comic book is devoid of any deeper reflection, however that does not mean that we are dealing with something wrong. This is a good superhero comic set in space realities, exploding from constant displays and clashes.

Toward another galaxy

The graphic design of this volume is mainly due to Wes Craig, who allowed the reader to admire outstanding cosmic boards in which you can feel the ubiquitous cold, unfathomable darkness, and at the same time one huge carnage on the part of our heroes, which will warm even the most cold travelers.

While many reviewers believe that the drawings from the second volume are similar to those from the first, I dare not agree with that. It seems that despite the lack of exposure to something unique and memorable, the artists tried to provide even more details, we also get the impression of watching the story on a screen with a resolution not Full HD, but Ultra HD. Really good and solid work by cartoonists. Outstanding craftsmen in their profession!

All’s well that ends quickly

Was it worth spending the Abnett and Lanning runes through Egmont? I think so. First of all, we got a little interesting story, but with very dark and pathetic pictures, for which the fashion began in the twenty-first century. Secondly, Marvel fans in Poland could get to know the original Avengers space team, who are the backbone of the MCU.

It is important that we did not have to reach for the story from the War of Kings to know many threads . The reviewed volume (which not only I, but also most reviewers pay attention to) lacks the humor typical of the Guardians. No banter of any kind. Apparently the action sphere took over everything and there was not enough room for jokes. There could also be more additions, and if the publisher did not take care of it, why did it not come out in a paperback, thereby lowering the price of the comic? All in all, the 2008 volume of Guardians of the Galaxy is correct, and it is really good to read when you learn about the fate of the heroes from the first volume. But is it more than that? You have to answer this question yourself.