Comic Info
Comic Name: Guardians of the Galaxy (Volume 2)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning
Artist: Brad Walker/Wesley Craig
# of Issues: 6
Release Date: 2010
Guardians of the Galaxy (2) #22
Reprints Guardians of the Galaxy (2) #20-25 (January 2010-June 2010). The Guardians of the Galaxy cope with the loss of Cosmo, Gamora, Mantis, and Martyr in the battle to stop the Magus, and now they face a new threat from the Cancerverse that resides inside of the Fault. Moondragon discovers she is with child but the Matriarch has plans for her baby. The Magus might not be dead as the Guardians originally believed, and he also could be heralding in a greater threat!
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 4: Realm of Kings is part of the Marvel event series Realm of Kings and a follow-up to War of Kings. Following Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3: War of Kings—Book 2, the collection features art by Brad Walker and Wesley Craig. The issues in this volume were also collected in Guardians of the Galaxy by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning: The Complete Collection—Book 2, Realm of Kings, and War of Kings Aftermath: Realm of Kings Omnibus.
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning did a great job telling a smaller story in a bigger story. The concise and action filled issues are a great lead-up to storylines involving the Fault and the Cancerverse, but still manage to stand alone as a single story.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2) #25
The story in this collection is split into two shorter stories. The first involves Moondragon coping with Phyla’s death and a surprise pregnancy when a creature comes out of the newly formed rip in space called the Fault. The second story involves the death of the Magus and how he covered it. Plus, it shows the return of the Mad Titan…Thanos. Thanos return has big impact on the entire space saga and alters the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The nice thing about the tie-in to the Realm of Kings storyline is that you don’t need to read Realm of Kings to understand what is going on. This title is pretty much a stand-alone and feels a lot like the older Marvel Comic titles that wouldn’t force readers to buy the massive crossovers to still enjoy the comic. This title simply has the connection. The goal is to get the reader interested enough to go for the other titles and not dissuade them from wanting to pick them up. Old Marvel series like Secret Wars recognized the budgetary limits of their fans and realized they needed to encourage fans to buy the other issues…not force them. Take heed Brian Michael Bendis!
Sadly, this collection also marks the end of the second volume of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It was a fun run and it had a pretty inventive cast of characters that always seemed to provide decent stories. I wasn’t a big fan of the “debriefing” style of writing. It was ok for one or two issues, but used in nearly every issue, the gimmick wore thin. The Guardians of the Galaxy’s saga continues in The Thanos Imperative.
Related Links:
Guardians of the Galaxy 1: Legacy
Guardians of the Galaxy 2: War of Kings—Book 1
Guardians of the Galaxy 3: War of Kings—Book 2
