The reason that I started this series of posts on the past week’s comics was because of Guardians of the Galaxy #19. While any deaths in a comic that has been featuring time travel as heavily as this has in recent issues are obviously suspect – especially when for some of these characters it’s not the first time that they’ve died.

Even so, the wholesale – well, I guess the word is slaughter – that happens in this book happens so quickly that it took me by surprise.

I’m not sure Cliff Roberts’ stylized artwork was the best way to show this but I have to admit that it’s grown on me these past few issues.

Anyway, for those keeping score, the Guardians who were skipping through the timestream arrived just in time to stop Phyla, former Captain Marvel, former-Quasar and current Martyr, from killing Adam Warlock, not knowing that this was actually to prevent Warlock from changing into the Magus, his supremely powerful evil future self.

The non-time-traveling Guardians with the exception of Moondragon teleport over – and then Magus rises and all hell breaks loose.

It starts going wrong when Mantis and Cosmo (awesome telepathic Russian spacecop dog) try to use their telepathy.

And just like that, two of the Guardians are down.

Rocket Racoon’ attack doesn’t do much, but it gives Phyla the opportunity to move in for the kill with her supersword again -

And that’s three down.

While Gamora – also wielding a sword – attacks her former teammate, Vance Astro hurls his shield at Magus, hoping to catch him by surprise.

It doesn’t go so well.

That’s four – until Magus gives Astro his shield back.

Make that five.

Finally, after Drax tries – and fails – to stop Magus (but at least he survives) , Starlord manages to use the cosmic cube that Kang gave him (told you there was time travel in here) to put a whammy on the villain -

- and then, at Warlock’s urging, makes it six members of the team down in the space of about seven pages.

When the team come home to Moondragon – well, Drax puts it best.

Sure, the Punisher got cut to pieces, Donna Troy crushed her dead baby’s skull, and Cypher tore Warlock’s head off (that’s the other Warlock), but it’s without doubt this issue that made me put it down, then pick it up and reread it straight away.

And that almost never happens.

If you’re not reading this book, you damn well should be.

via comicbookresources.com Look, I love the current Guardians of the Galaxy book. The characters (Groot!) are interesting, the humor’s funny, the art is great – but they’re not the originals. (Except Major Victory, maybe). But it looks like that’s about to change, with the original Guardians showing up. Between Victory and Starhawk’s presence it was [Read More...]

DISAPPOINTING.