Review: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers is a collection of of Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1, 1-3 and Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow’s Avengers #1, all written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Steve McNiven and Sara Pichelli. I am still learning about comics, but I have learned that Brian Michael Bendis is one of the top authors. This combined with the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy film inspired my interest in this collection.

This is the first collection I have picked up that had a combination of different series. The abrupt change in art style between the main story and the collection of short stories was initially jarring. The short stories are introductions to, and the background of, each of the members of the team. These stories provided great insight for a first-time reader.

Issue #0.1 shows the backstory of Peter Quill and why there is a rift between him and his father. This story is very emotional, and the art is smooth, like much of Marvel’s art since the beginning of the Ultimate comics back in the early 2000s. This backstory is important for the main plot – Peter has been told that he is not allowed to set foot on planet Earth, which piques his curiosity.

The main story features Iron Man, which was initially confusing for me because I have never previously associated him with what little I know about the Guardians of the Galaxy. It was an interesting combination, seeing Stark with all the extraterristrial heroes. Once I moved past my initial confusion, it seemed like a very smooth combination. For the egoist that Stark is, he sure does work well with others when the fate of the Galaxy is on the line.

The story moved rather slowly, but the action bits were very fast-paced. Overall, this was a good, solid introduction to the characters, but there was not as much story as I was hoping there would be.

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Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 1: Cosmic Avengers (ISBN: 9780785168287) by Brian Michael Bendis, Steven McNiven and Sara Pichelli is published by Marvel Comics and available at your local bookseller in hardcover for $24.99.