Guardians of the Galaxy #7 (Vol. 2)
“No Future” by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, and Paul Pelletier
With the current Guardians disbanded, we go ahead, 1,000 years into the future, where Starhawk tells us that the Earth is under attack, and on the verge of extinction thanks to the alien Badoon. The only thing standing in their way are the Guardians of the Galaxy!
There’s Charlie-27, a bioengineered man built to withstand the gravity of Jupiter; Martinex, a bioengineered man built to withstand Pluto’s sub-zero temperatures and channel thermal radiation; Vance Astro (Major Victory!); Yondu, a bowhunter from Centauri; and their leader, Starhawk.
Unfortunately, they are not enough to save the people of Earth. An error in the coadunate pattern of time obliterates everything, however Starhawk was able to trace the rift in time back to the present day. She explains that the uncertainty of the future is what has caused her to change form when she travels back and forth. She has been a man, woman, old and young.
When Cosmo attempts to read into her mind to see the future she speaks of, there is nothing there. Starhawk needs to speak to the Guardians before it’s too late, but the ones who are left (and a few others) are away on an important mission on Benthus Colony.
Well, whaddya know! Rocket Raccoon is holding together an even more ragtag team of heroes than what we’ve already seen. Mantis has been promoted to active duty; Groot (remember him?) has regenerated enough biomass to be useful; Bug, a friend of Rocket’s, is chipping in; and Major Victory, mostly because he’s good in a fight and hasn’t been a threat so far.
The creatures they are fighting, Major Victory realizes, are zoms, slave troops of the badoon, which doesn’t mean much to Rocket Raccoon. He’s never known them to be much more than a minor threat. Little does he know about the badoon of the future. Major Victory explains that in his time, the badoon have conquered the universe. Suddenly, Rocket feels out of his depth.
On the other side of the galaxy, we catch up with Adam Warlock and Gamora. Adam has decided he needs to know more about the Universal Church of Truth, and Gamora has agreed to help.
On the other other side of the universe, Drax and Quasar have reached a planet of soothsayers and are looking for a girl named Cammi. Cammi is a girl from Earth who Drax brought into space, but lost during Annihilation: Conquest. One of the soothsayers, asks them about an upcoming war.
Back on Benthus Colony, things just keep getting worse for Rocket and the gang.
Where’s Peter Quill when you really need him?
What I loved about this issue is that it goes back to basics, reading much like issue #1, except this time, we know most of the characters. In almost every scene, someone is fighting someone. It’s the sort of stuff that hooked me in the first place. It established who everyone is and addresses all of the major plot threads pretty quickly, and the action never lets up. And best of all, we FINALLY get a good look at Groot! I mean, who can’t get behind a giant sentient tree who can beat the crap out of something? I really hope he stays a prominent member of the team for a while. My guess is when the original team gets back together, one or two might decide to stay on their own (maybe Quasar?).
For the time being, though, I’m enjoying seeing them all out on their own, dealing with their own individual conflicts, rather than the big picture stuff we’ve seen so far. I’m looking forward to learning more about Adam Warlock’s connection with the Universal Church of Truth, as well as seeing Drax find redemption by locating Cammi.
It’s issues like this that make me feel like a kid again, and remind me how much fun reading comics can be. I just hope Dan Abnett stay on this course and continue to keep it fun, without getting stale or derivative.
Who’s Who: Quasar, aka Phyla-Vell
Phyla-Vell, created by Peter David and Paul Azaceta, is the least established member of the Guardians of the Galaxy having first appeared inCaptain Marvel #16 in 2003. She is the artificially created offspring of Captain Mar-Vell, appearing after Genis-Vell (then, Captain Marvel) destroyed and recreated the universe. Both Genis-Vell and Phyla-Vell were created by their mother, Elysius.
She was primarily featured in the battles against Annihilus and the Phalanx in Annihilation andAnnihilation: Conquest, respectively, though she did get her own mini-series, Annihilation: Conquest – Quasar, which focused on her struggle to follow in the footsteps of the former Quasar, as well as the rest of the Mar-Vell family.
Her superpowers include superhuman strength and flight. With the use of her Quantum Bands, she can fire and absorb energy blasts, as well as turn energy into solid energy forcefields and such, which allow her to travel through space.figures,if it stinks-its Peter David
Guardians of the Galaxy #6 (Vol. 2)
“Death” by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, and Paul Pelletier
Drax activated the synapse mines, and killed everyone else on board Knowhere. As it turns out, though, it was only temporary. Soon, Quasar wakes up, and is just a little peeved about being killed.
As everyone else wakes up, they are suddenly thrust back into their respective predicaments.
Drax and Quasar race to the skrull’s location where a can of whoop-ass is opened on Adam Warlock and Cosmo, believed to be skrull infiltrators. However, things are not as they seem.
Right on cue, the administrative council barges in guns-a-blazin’ and another battle breaks out before Cosmo unleashes yet another telekinetic blast. In the aftermath, Peter Quill continues to clash with the council.
With that settled, Quill returns to the Guardians’ quarters where Drax has spilled the beans to everyone else about Quill’s deception and they are far from happy about it.
And just like that, when the universe needs them the most, the Guardians are no more. Or are they? How will Star-Lord convince them all to come back? And what will happen in the interim?
What I’ve enjoyed most about this series so far is the unclear division between good and bad. The heroes are not all that good, particularly their leader, and the bad guys are really bad, unless they happen to be peaceful skrulls (Irony!). Pretty much everyone is flawed, even if they’re likable. But there’s something about each of the Guardians’ individual desire to to good that draws me in, even if their methods aren’t the most ethical.
With the Secret Invasion over, there’s still the Universal Church of Truth to deal with, as well as Starhawk and whatever effect he/she/it is going to have on the universe. Whatever it is, it probably won’t be good. I guess we’ll find out in issue 7.
Who’s Who: Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appeared in Fantastic Four #66 (in cocoon form) and #67 (in human form) in 1967. Originally, he was known as Him, but was changed to Adam Warlock by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane forMarvel Pemiere #1 in 1972.
From then on, he appeared in his own limited run series The Power of Warlock, as well as Strange Tales, until his revival in the ’90s where he was an integral part of defeating Thanos in The Infinity Gauntlet and regularly appeared in the subsequent series’ Warlock and the Infinity Watch, Infinity War, Infinity Crusade, and The Infinity Abyss before Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest.
Adam Warlock is a synthetic being created by The Enclave as a prototype for an ideal race of humans who would rule the Earth. After emerging from his cocoon, he was able to sense his creators’ corruption and rebelled. Originally known as Him, it wasn’t until he met The Hight Evolutionary that he received the name Adam.
His super powers include manipulating energy, creating force fields, teleporting, traveling faster than light and detecting wormholes and other irregularities in space using quantum magic.
Guardians of the Galaxy #5 (Vol. 2)
“Deception” by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, and Paul Pelletier
With Drax’s whereabouts unknown, Star-Lord and the rest of the Guardians are finding it increasingly difficult to find favor with Knowhere’s administrative council. Despite Star-Lord’s pleas to allow his own people to find Drax, the council have sent a few of their own to track him down. Skrull or not, Drax is a killer and the Guardians have been nothing but trouble since they arrived.
Deep in the inner workings of Knowhere, we catch up with Massdriver, Brightstorm, and Impact, the three warriors the council has tasked with finding Drax. Unfortunately for them, Drax finds them first and has no intentions of just letting them pass by…
Drax’s actions only create more problems between the Guardians and the council. Before things get out of hand, Cosmo pulls rank and sends everyone to their respective quarters until everything’s sorted out.
Finally, with a moment to talk, Rocket breaks things down for Star-Lord. And Quasar makes a noble decision.
While Adam Warlock is in Knowhere’s cerebellum, trying to use it to flush out any remaining Skrulls that might be in hiding, Quasar finds Drax.
Back at the Guardians’ Control Center, Peter Quill has found out where Quasar went, and is none too happy about it, but Gamora stands her ground, insisting that if they are going to succeed as a team, they need to start acting like one and trusting each other instead of turning on each other in times of crisis. Suddenly…
Meanwhile, on the Delegation Habitat Level, Cosmo is meeting with some mysterious guests when Adam Warlock interrupts.
Before Adam Warlock and Cosmo can get into it, though, Drax reveals his master plan.
WHOA! Okay, so I’ve read enough comics to know that no one is going to die (probably), but man, what a cliffhanger! With everyone kind of going in their own direction, I’m curious to see what ultimately brings this group of heroes together. They’ve been struggling to work as a team from the very beginning and there’s still Star-Lord’s dirty little secret. What’s going to happen once that gets out?
Despite a plot that’s more or less by the numbers, I liked that Abnett and Lanning were able to focus on Drax a little more. He’s a team member we haven’t really gotten to know very well so far and here, we get to see him to what he does best: kick ass.
It was also nice to see Quasar assert herself as well. I feel like she’s largely existed to fill out some of the panels up to this point, but here, she gets her moment to take charge of a situation when she ignores Star-Lord to go out to find Drax herself.
Just one more issue left in the “Secret Invasion” arc. Then we can hopefully get back to the much more interesting Universal Church of Truth and Starhawk/Major Victory story arcs. Those are the ones I’m really looking forward to.
Who’s Who: Gamora
Gamora, created by Jim Starlin, first appeared in Strange Tales #180 in 1975. She is the adopted daughter of the Titan, Thanos. Most of her appearances through the years were in series stemming from The Infinity Gauntlet (Warlock and the Infinity Watch, Infinity War, Infinity Crusade, andInfinity Abyss) until Guardians of the Galaxy in 2008.
The last of her species (the Zen Whoberi), Thanos adopted Gamora and trained her to become “the deadliest woman in the whole galaxy” for the sole purpose of assassinating the Magus, an evil version of Adam Warlock. As an adult, she teamed up with the real Adam Warlock to exact revenge on the Black Knights of the Universal Church of Truth for the genocide of her people. When Thanos revealed himself to be a greater threat than the Magus, Gamora joined forces with Captain Mar-vell, Drax the Destroyer, and the Avengers to defeat Thanos. Over the years, she has been romantically involved with both Adam Warlock and Nova.
Her abilities include superhuman strength, speed, and agility, as a rapid healing ability. She is also an expert in various martial arts, incredibly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, and is skilled with a wide variety of weapons. Like Drax, she prefers knives and swords.
Guardians of the Galaxy #4 (Vol. 2)
“Damages” by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, and Paul Pelletier
With the identity of one of the Guardians in question (Adam Warlock?), we begin the first of the three-issue arc, “Secret Invasion.”
Back on Knowhere, Major Victory still can’t remember anything beyond Starhawk’s name, which Rocket Raccoon seems to find incredibly convenient. Star-Lord and Cosmo believe Starhawk may have have piggy-backed on the signal of the continuum cortex to transport himself on and off the ship. Before they can check, Mantis tries to stop them because…
The blast killed thirty-eight, wounded 15, and destroyed the entire cortex chamber, putting all of Knowhere on lockdown. Among the dead, three of them were Skrulls in disguise, one of them a “Super Skrull” warrior. Only three were found, but Rocket Raccoon believes there could be more. Finally, the tension that’s been building between them since the beginning reaches a head.
With the Guardians under suspicion of the administration council, Star-Lord assures them they will fully cooperate with any investigation, but this doesn’t sit too well with Adam Warlock. He believes their responsibilities are far too important for them to be sidelined like that.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on Knowhere, Major Victory just can’t seem to stay out of trouble.
With all of the hostility toward the Guardians from the council and, evidently, everyone else, Cosmo sends them to their quarters until further notice, where Star-Lord gets a piece of Adam Warlock’s mind and a shocking revelation comes to light.
Later on, Star-Lord and Quasar meet with the council, who believe one or more of them is responsible for the attack. Gamora, an assassin, and Drax, the Destroyer, two known killers, are at the top of their list.
Unfortunately for them, the council has security footage of Drax taking unauthorized trips into the continuum cortex chamber. Twenty-six trips, to be exact. Star-Lord radios Gamora to bring Drax to the council chambers ASAP, but he is nowhere to be found. His room is empty.
Uh oh. Drax is pissed.
In this issue, Abnett & Lanning threw in a tiny curveball in what’s more or less a familiar plot. Peter Quill is not the squeaky clean leader he appears to be and I love that. Not only are the Guardians all struggling to work together, but their own leader is kind of a sleaze bag. I’m curious to see how Quills amoral actions impact the group as a whole.
No appearances from the Universal Church of Truth to be found in this issue, but I like that they took a step back from that story to let the characters breath a little bit. So far, they’ve been involved in one adventure after another and we’ve only really seen them in the heat of battle (literally). This time, we really get a look at them on a more personal level.
One thing that worries me a little bit is just how many balls Abnett & Lanning are trying to keep in the air so early in this run. So far, we’ve got the Universal Church of Truth and their vendetta against the Guardians, there’s the fact that Adam Warlock may not actually be Adam Warlock, there’s Major Victory and Starhawk and whatever’s bringing them into this time period, and now Skrull infiltrators. It’s a lot to keep track of. I’m assuming the Skrull arc will be contained to three “Secret Invasion” issues, but there’s still a lot left over. I hope they don’t try to do too much too soon with this book because it really thrives when it’s not trying to be overly complicated.
Who’s Who: Drax, the Destroyer
Drax, the Destroyer, created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin, first appeared in Iron Man #55 in 1973. He appeared sporadically in issues ofIron Man, Captain Marvel, and Warlock until he was prominently featured in the The Infinity Gauntlet #1-6 and Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1-42 in the early 90s. Like the rest of this team, he was reintroduced in Annihilation: Conquest.
Originally a human named Arthur Douglas, he and his entire family were killed by Thanos. Desperate for a warrior to defeat Thanos, the Titan god Kronos placed Douglas’s spirit into a new body, creating Drax, the Destroyer. Unfortunately, by the end of The Infinity Gauntlet, Drax witnesses Thanos’ death at the hands of Captain Marvel. He then takes to wandering through space in deep contemplation, having been robbed of his purpose, before being recruited by Adam Warlock for his first team-up, the Infinity Watch.
Drax’s powers include strength, resilience, flight, and the ability to shoot blasts of energy from his hands. He can also sense Thanos from across the universe.His trademark was a purple skullcape and hood.He used to resemble the Vision,moonlighting as Adam Warlock moonlighting as the Hulk.His trademark weapons are two huge, long knives.
