(Comic) Unlikely friends...a look at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers Vol. 1

The Guardians of the Galaxy and Iron Man team up?

Oh hell yes. 

As a part of the new Marvel Now relaunch, all of the series have new stories so that the current audience don't have to read through a library's worth of comics to know the lore. 

In this first volume, Peter Quill, better known as Star Lord, has been ordered by his father, the King of Spartax to stay away from Earth with the threat of arrest. 

Quill, whose backstory we see at the beginning, ignores his father's orders after the Badoon attack Earth.

What's strange about this story is that it abruptly switches to moments in which Quill is trying to get the band back together. Frankly, this is kind of jarring for someone who is only establishing themselves in comics.

The dialogue is funny with each of the characters bringing their own kind of humour to the table. Introducing Iron Man into GotG, he learns the Groot can only speak three words and trying to interact with Drax is....tricky, to say the least. 

The art style, though it changes depending on what part of the backstory occurs, is beautifully detailed and if it were animated, the angles in the panels look dynamic and create an action packed scene that blend well with the humour. 

I liked seeing Stark interact with the GotG and he seems to fit in quite well, though I often wonder how he charges his suit in space.

In the end, while the story was interesting, the fact it was as jumbled as it was left me feeling confused. I had no knowledge of the lore prior to reading (except for the movie,) so it was a bit tricky to make heads and tails of it. The art style changing kind of threw me off as well. 

Also, what's with the page breaks saying, "please turn to next page?" what's with this hand holding garbage?!

With this in mind, I've decided to give this comic 4 stars. 

(Comic) Devil's Advocate....a look at Marvel's Civil War

This review was recommended by James Bridges. 

With all the hype that the Civil War movie is gaining, it made a lot of  sense to have a look at the original source material from which the movie is derived. 

After a massive screw up involving teenage superheroes and an explosion that killed a lot of people, the U.S Government has put forward a bill so that superheroes would be registered, trained and paid. Kind of like a super powered police force. 

This bill, which is then passed, divides the superhero community. 

On the one hand, you have Tony Stark, the Iron Man, suggesting that people register because it's not only good business, it's also very practical. Superheroes would have accountability and be trained to use their powers in a manner that would minimise collateral damage. 

Captain America, on the other hand, believes that by registering, they give up their greatest weapon. Their anonymity. Not only this, but then they'd have a boss in the U.S government and Cap is all too familiar with how they use superheroes. As he says, "If we register, they'll start telling us who the villains are."

These two sides argue, prepare traps and prison and fight it out with people trading sides in between.

Not only does this comic feature heavy hitters like Cap, Iron Man, Yellow Jacket and Doctor Strange, but as it encompasses the entire superhero community, you've also got the X-Men to consider. Every one has a say in the matter.

The story is cohesive and self contained. You know enough about the characters that even if you haven't read comics before, you could still follow the storyline. It's a simple plot, with massive and complex consequences. With that said, I would recommend reading some comics to get backgrounds on some of the lesser known superheroes.

Having only just started reading comics myself, I wasn't overly invested in the characters they killed off, because I hadn't heard of them.

So before you read this storyline, I'd advise reading other comics in the same universe, so you can get a feel for the characters. 

I think the only thing that really bugged me is the fact that one of the key characters they killed off was a person of colour. What's more, I didn't know all that much about him, which is why I advised reading comics prior to this storyline.

The art style is colourful, yet gritty. Heroes in upbeat brightly coloured costumes are contrasted by dark and grungy scenery. Men are drawn with strong square jaws and large shoulders and women are drawn slender, yet well muscled. While unrealistic for two of the many genders, this is comic history and we look back on what was in order to build from that. 

All in all, it was a fascinating read and often makes me wonder what I would do in those situations. Would I take a side? Or would I be like the X-Men and Doctor Strange and sit it out all together?

What would you do?

This comic warrants 4 and a half stars.

Thus ends this review.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments. 

I'll see you all next week, when I tackle the Guardians of the Galaxy! 

Please leave me some comic recommendations if you have any and I'll see you all soon!