Guardians of the Galaxy #3 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Steve McNiven & Sara Pichelli 

I was never a Guardians of the Galaxy fan prior to this series, and besides the fact the Guardians of the Galaxy movie is coming out next year, I still needed some persuation to try this series. It has however since became one of my favourite series, and I've loved learning about the character's, and look forward to seeing what's next for them.

Plot

The Guardians of the Galaxy, and Iron Man (Tony Stark) have been captured by J'son of Spartax's army, and placed as prisoners of war. They are however missing one member, Groot. Meanwhile J'son isn't happy with the Badoon leader, Y-Gaaar over the Badoon's attacking Earth.

Review

This was a phenomenal issue, and probably the best issue in the series. Now that statement was a very hard call, as the emotional point one issue was brilliant as well, but the excitement, and action in this issue just seemed to top that slightly. Brian Michael Bendis has been doing a great job of this series, as he has with his Marvel NOW! series in general, as although Age of Ultron has been extremely poor, All-New X-Men has been fantastic, and Uncanny X-Men has also had good feedback. He's also been doing well with other recent series', and projects, with Daredevil: End of Days being a tremendous series from start to finish, and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man coming up leaps and bounds quality wise. Bendis handled this issue brilliantly, showing that allow he may have upset fans with previous stories that he can be a good writer. It was however the dialogue, and mainly the brilliant witty conversation that I loved about this issue, which added another level of fun, making this series, which is already fun, even more so. The action was also handled perfectly, and although there could have been a little more of it, it was very entertaining, and explosive, and although I did expect some action, the way it started was unexpected, and truly amazing.

The artwork is also once again outstanding, with both Steve McNiven, and Sara Pichelli doing a tremendous job. Once again McNiven drew the sequences that featured the Guardians, and Pichelli drew the ones that featured J'son. Although Pichelli's art is amazing, it has to be McNiven's that appeals to me more, as his style is perfect for this series, and the detail he puts into the character, and especially Rocket Raccoon, who I assume will be the hardest to draw is fantastic. The way he lays out his artwork is also brilliant, adding yet more drama to this issue, as well as adding a bit of mood to it. He also draws some of the most exciting action sequences that I've ever seen, with them being both dramatic, and explosive. He also did an excellent job of drawing the enlarged Groot, and the way he handled the character's facial expressions to this, as well as other things was amazing, and I especially loved the innocents in Groot's eyes. Now I haven't forgotten about Pichelli's art, as although it doesn't feature as much as McNiven's, it too was amazing. The detail in her art is amazing, and I just love the way she draws the meeting room, and all the character's in it. She also does a great job with the character's expressions, or lack of them, and in general she dis a great job, and she will be a fitting replacement to McNiven, although I do hope he will eventually return as artist at some point.

Near the start of the issue we see the captured Tony tried to get a distress signal to the Avengers asking for help. Now it wasn't revealed whether or not the Avengers recieved this message or not, but the implication that the Avengers may make an appearance at some point has all but been confirmed, and it lookd more of a matter of time, rather than an if. It is however interesting that the connection has been made/shown this early, as I thought it would take longer, giving the Guardians time to shine on there own. At the same time this doesn't confirm that the Avengers will appear any time soon, which gives the Guardians plenty of time to accomplish that. The sequence itself was also very dark, and moody, and you could tell that Tony was in a bit of distress which was interesting, and the overall mood made the sequence that much more exciting.

Later in the issue we see another meeting between J'son, and his council of alien races. During this meeting J'son is very angry with Badoon leader, Y-Gaaar, saying that he knew that Earth was a no go zone, and that he should control his people. This was a very interesting argument, and I loved how J'son's character showed through, showing that he's a real dictator like character, that doesn't like getting his own way. I also liked how Y-Gaaar came back, not taking J'son's aggression lightly, saying that normally that would be enough to start a blood war. Overall the heated sequence was very entertaining, and interesting, and I look forward to seeing more from this council, and whether or not there will be any cracks in it.

Groot hasn't been used much in the last couple of issue, apparently getting injured, but he returns this issue, and in a big way (literally). Groot is one of the most emotional character's, yet he can only say, "I am Groot!" It's this that makes Groot so brilliant, as although I've only read up on him since getting this series, it's amazing how a character with next to no dialogue can show so much emotion, yet McNiven's art does this perfect. I also love the fact that Groot can change size, and this was shown during this issue, as after turning very small a couple of issues ago he re-grows during this, getting extremely big. Talking about individual character's, there hasn't been one issue so far that has shown each character equally, as this issue has little impact from Drax the Destroyer (besides in the background), and that's been the same for other character's in the past. Now I understand that with such a big cast of character's (which is supposedly going to get bigger) that it's not easy to do, but I would love it if Bendis could do this, as long as it doesn't take away from the story.

I said earlier about the amazing dialogue, but the part of dialogue that appealed to me the most was the interaction between Tony, and Rocket. I just loved how both personalities collided (in a friendly way), with Rocket being a bit patronising, and Tony coming back by telling him not to, "be snippy." I just found this funny, and so to Tony's character, and although it didn't last long, it was entertaining. Besides that Rocket was actually a bit toned down, as in the last couple of issues he's been a bit too much in your face, and although that isn't a bad thing, it's nice to get a break from it. He does however continue to use his catchphrases, using a similar one from last issue by saying, "Blamo! Murdered You!," and although these weren't used as much this issue they still felt repetitive, and the novelty seems to have worn off. Besides that I did find Rocket very witty, and funny, which I love about his character.

Final Verdict

This was an outstanding issue, and my personal favourite in the series so far, being just slightly better than the point one issue. It had fun, as well as explosive action, and even some emotion. It also saw the return of Groot in a big way, and a hilarious conversation between Iron Man, and Rocket Raccoon. Due to all this I'd easily recommend this issue to anyone, as well as the rest of the series so far, and can't wait for the next issue.

Rating: 5/5

Civil War Review

Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Steve McNiven

Civil War was one of the first stories that I ever read, with it, and Batman: Hush helping persuade me to collect comics. The concept alone is intriguing, and the impact it would have in Marvel's future was also brilliant.

Plot

After the New Warriors, a group of inexperienced teen superhero's cause the death of hundreds of innocent people the Super-Human Registration Act is about to be put into place, which would mean that superhero's would need to reveal who they are, and work for the government, and when this doesn't go well with Captain America, and other hero's it starts the superhero Civil War, with Captain America's Secret Avengers going up against Iron Man, and the registered superhero's.

Review

This was a truly phenomenal story, and one of my favourite stories of all time, being my favourite Marvel event to date. Mark Millar simply did an amazing job on this story, and although his other work such as, The Ultimates, Kick-Ass, and Old Man Logan were all brilliant, this has to be his best work to date, showing why he's my favourite writer. Although I never read this story when it was released in comics, it was however one of the first graphic novels I read, and was the first that I classed as phenomenal. When reading the story I did however question to myself why nothing like this had happened before then, and although I'm happy it didn't, as we may never have had this great story, I do have to say that I believe this shows the levels that comics have developed in stature over the years, and why modern comics are a much more deeper form of storytelling than they were in the 60's-80's. Besides all that Millar made something that wasn't just thought out, and deep, but epic, and exciting, and it almost feels like you're watching a film when you read this, as the drama, and action, as well as the depth are off the scales. Although I didn't expect this kind of level when first reading the story, having not known who Millar was, since then I have read many of his stories, and to be honest it's no surprise that this was epic, as nearly everything he's done has been amazing to a certain extent. I also loved how Millar build up the animosity between the two warring teams, as it produced a brilliant atmosphere, allowing these character's to not hold back. There is however only one minor hint of negativity in this story, and that is the ending, as although I won't spoil it, it did feel slightly anticlimactic. At the same time I also saw perfect reasoning for this ending, and although slightly disappointing it in no way spoiled the quality of the story.

The art from Steve McNiven was just as phenomenal as Millar's writing, and although I've seen him do tremendous work in other series including, The New Avengers, Millar & McNiven's Nemesis, Old Man Logan, and Guardians of the Galaxy to name a few, this has to be the best artwork I have ever seen from him. The art in this book was simply splendid, and McNiven deserves to get a lot of praise for it, as although I'm sure Millar's script would be brilliantly detailed, describing the sequences, it's still up to the artist to make it come alive, which McNiven more than done. The dramatic tone of the art was immense and it truly felt like watching a film, but in a book, as everything felt so exciting, and vibrant. The detail in McNiven's art was also outstanding, as everything was perfect, whether it was the small details, or the explosive action, and it really made the art much more sleek, and appealing. The way McNiven drew the character's was also amazing, as although there were so many different types of character's, with different looks, they all looked brilliant, and although there was obviously some that looked better than other's, they all looked spectacular. The character's facial emotions were also pretty good, as although probably the weakest part of McNiven's artwork (and that's saying something as it's also brilliant), when he does show emotion it's phenomenal, and I especially loved the anger that came from Hercules throughout certain battles. Talking about battles the action was also outstandingly brilliant, and truly epic, as it was the perfect mix of disaster, and brawling, as there were times were the fighting was very elegant, and other's were it was down right brutal, which gave more depth, and drama.

This story started with the New Warriors tangling with Nitro, causing a massive explosion which caused the death of hundreds of people, including children. Now what a better way to start this type of story off, as to be fair if it was someone like Captain America that fought Nitro at the time there wouldn't be as much done about it, but due to the fact that these are inexperienced hero's, it made perfect sense. Another thing I liked about this was that having these young hero's in the form of the New Warriors added a level of fun, and lightness to the story, which is perfect considering nearly everything since that point will be gritty, and suspenseful. The fact that the New Warriors only really seemed to care about TV ratings also wouldn't have helped, as it showed that these young hero's had little concern for the public, and although that's slightly morbid, it make the start that much more amazing.

The aftermath of this would obviously be the Super-Human Registration Act, which would make anyone with superpowers have to sign, and register with the government, and S.H.I.E.L.D., also revealing their identities. Now this was a thing that had been building up for some time, ever since Nick Fury's Secret War, and the Scarlet Witch causing the House of M, also being mentioned in The New Avengers prior to this. Now although this caused a controversial debate over who's right, and who's wrong, I felt that it was great, as it would have changed certain readers opinion on certain character's, as with them being on different sides of the fence, some people will most likely class one side as bad, and the others good, whereas before that they'd all be good. I personally didn't have much of a change in opinion over character's, but at the same time I did find some of the characteristic changes shocking, whilst also overall finding it perfect for Marvel, as it would lead to a very interesting time.

Now the main question in this book was, "Who's side... are you on?" as Cap, and Iron Man square of against each other, with Iron Man supporting the Registration Act, and Cap against it. The way that Iron Man was swayed into making his decision was brilliant, and it really added another level of emotion, and meaning to the story, as although most people, me included would have seen him as a jerk, his morales were good, and he did honestly believe that this was the right thing, which in a way it was. The fact that Cap went against the Registration Act however was a little bit of a shock at first, but I quickly came to realise that it made perfect sense, as although he's worked for the government all his life, with people knowing who he is, that doesn't mean that others should be deprived their freedom of choosing. The other character's that chose what side they were on were pretty predictable, as with Fantastic Four being open, and Mr. Fantastic working with Iron Man on ideas to help humanity it made perfect sense, as did government workers like Ms. Marvel, Hank Pym, and others. The same could be said for Cap's side, as people like Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Hercules, who are all open minded, as well as for the people would naturally follow Cap. There was however one exception to this, and that would be Spider-Man.

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD!

This is a spoiler for the story, but most people should know about this anyway, unless you're completely new to comics, but I thought I'd give the spoiler warning anyway. Normally you'd think that Spidey would never go for the Registration Act, as he holds his secret identity as a close guarded secret, more so than nearly any superhero, but at the same time, as he's been pals with Iron Man over the recent times it's natural that he'd side with him, but all the same when I first read this, the fact that Peter revealed himself to be Spidey it was a shock. I did however love the fact J. Jonah Jameson fainted at this news though. Anyway besides the Registration Act this would probably be the biggest change to happen in this story, as now that everyone knows who Spidery is it'd change his life, but I won't go into details as that would be too big a spoiler. The fact that Peter had a dilemma after revealing himself was however more interesting, as you'd have thought the fact of revealing his identity in the first place would do that, but it was actually the question of whether he did the right thing that lingered over him, which was brilliant, and really interesting.

This story would also feature the Punisher, which is a strange thing, as he usually stays out of the main part of crossover events, and only really deals with superhero's occasionally, so to have him in this story said a lot. I won't go into details as to why he was involved, or some of what he did, as it would give too big a spoilers, but I will say on what I though of this, and more importantly the interaction he had with Cap. Now to be fair Cap, and Punisher are very similar character's, if you take away the fact that Punisher kills villains, as they are both soldier's, and to certain extent patriots. The way they'd react would however be interesting, as although I can see why Cap couldn't get over the fact that Punisher was a killer, I'd have thought that knowing his story, and background that he'd be slightly easier on him, and try to help him rather than class him a lost cause. Besides the interaction Punisher had with Cap, he'd also pull his weight during his time in the story, and he was used perfectly, and overall the decision to add him was good, even if mainly to launch a then new series (Punisher War Journal).

A character that I always find interesting is the Watcher, as although he's not the most developed character, he's still very interesting, and always makes things exciting. For anyone who doesn't know who the Watcher is (probably not many) he's a being who watches the changes in the universe, never interfering and mainly appearing during times of great change, and disaster. This is what makes him interesting, as it usually doesn't bode well for the superhero community if he shows up, which means that there's a good chance that the story will be exciting. This was also one of the more rarer occasions, as the Watcher actually interacts with a character, and although I won't name who, as to avoid spoiling, it did make things more interesting, and unique, and his overall appearance in this went to show why he's interesting, even though he himself isn't exciting.

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD!

Again this spoiler only really relates to people who are completely new to comics, as most people will probably know this, and although I do try to avoid spoilers at all cost, this was an addition to the story that I personally found very interesting. This story would see the return of Thor, or so it would seem, as when Iron Man's group were in trouble a being who looked exactly like Thor would show up. It would be revealed that this was actually a cyborg clone of Thor, being created from a particle of hair that Iron Man kept. The cyborg would later be known as Ragnarok, and would also be very different than the real Thor. To be honest when I first got this story I wasn't keeping up with comic events, so I didn't even know that Thor disappeared, but to see this cyborg clone was brilliant, and would also add shock, drama, and suspense to the story. The aftermath this character would cause in later stories would also be very interesting, as although I won't go into details as to avoid unnecessary spoilers, this introduction would turn out more important than just his role in this story.

This story would also see S.H.I.E.L.D., and Iron Man go to drastic lengths, using it's newly acquired Thunderbolts team in the capturing of rogue superhuman's. Now I don't know a great deal about the Thunderbolts prior to them working for the government, and S.H.I.E.L.D., but I believe that this was the first time they would, having worked for Baron Zemo prior to that. Anyway, the use of them in this story was brilliant, as besides the fact it would be the start of a new era for the Thunderbolts, it also showed the lengths, and levels that S.H.I.E.L.D. were going to to make their Registration Act stick. At the same time I also found it slightly ironic that leashed criminals would be hunting down hero's in the name of the law, and overall this was a very interesting, and a brilliant addition to this story.

Final Verdict

A brilliant story, and probably the best Marvel event of all time, this saw a dramatic change in the way the Marvel Universe would operate, as well as how it's character's would live. The action, and excitement in the story was outstanding, and the dramatic film like atmosphere that it gave was just phenomenal, making this a must read story. I would highly recommend this story as like I've said in my review, it was truly amazing, and well worth the read.

Rating: 5/5

Guardians of the Galaxy #2 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Steve McNiven & Sara Pichelli

I never was a fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy prior to this series, having only read a couple of issues from Dan Abnett's run, and a couple of issues of the series that preceded that, and although the Abnett issues were good they didn't quite get me hooked. This series however has done that, and with the brilliant start, and it continuing in that fashion I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie next year.

Plot

The Guardians of the Galaxy, and Iron Man try and save the Earth from the Badoon invasion on their own, as with no communication available they can't call for help. Also Star-Lord's (Peter Quill) dad J'son of Spartax gathers a group to discuss the future of the Earth, and whether they'll be a threat to the Universe.

Review

Although still not quite as good as the point one issue, this was still better than the last, and shows great promise for the remainder of this story, as well as the series as a whole. Brian Michael Bendis really has been producing big with his Marvel NOW! series, as although I don't read Uncanny X-Men, I've heard good things about it, and he's also doing a wonderful job on All-New X-Men, which although not the best Marvel NOW! series', it is one of my favourites. This was a very exciting, and action packed issue, that also had a lot of development. Although the development was interesting, it did however slow down the story a bit, and that's what makes this not quite to the level of the point one issue, as the point one issue also had more emotion in it. Don't get me wrong this issue still has plenty of emotion, and in the right way, but I just feel that the more innocent emotion that was shown in the point one issue was much stronger. Bendis has also been doing a great job of showing how the Guardians work as a team, as he makes it obvious that they've been working together for a long time, but also takes the time to show newer readers like me just how they work together, and that they are still learning. Bendis has also done an amazing job of the background work on this story, and has my interest held for future developments.

The art from Steve McNiven, this time having a bit of help from Ultimate Comics Spider-Man artist Sara Pichelli was once again amazing. Now I'm not entirely sure where Pichelli's art fell into this issue, as although I've seen and enjoyed her art in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man the art in this issue looks similar, which is a good thing. There was however slight differences in the artwork from the London fight sequence, which I believe McNiven drew, and J'son's meeting which I believe Pichelli drew, but the overall similarities made this for a very natural tone, as having completely different style usually changes the tone. The detail from Pichelli was brilliant, but there was times when McNiven's felt a bit rushed, and although the overall rough artwork suited certain sequences there was times were it looked rushed. I also loved the layout from both artists, and more so McNiven, as it really helped to add drama, excitement, and suspense to the story. The only reason however that McNiven did a better job of this is that Pichelli's art was mostly still, and although it was dramatic, the layout of the action by McNiven was more dramatic. The facial emotions from both artists was also expertly handled, and although Pichelli's looked a little stiff at times, overall it was very good, and the art from both artists was an overall joy, working perfectly together.

The main part of this issue sees the Guardians, and Iron Man trying to save London from the attacking Badoon. This was a very exciting, and entertaining battle, that had emotion, and impact throughout. The added fact that the Guardians couldn't ask for help also made this battle more exciting, as it was an army against five (Groot was still out of action from last issue). I loved how we also got to see not just individual characteristics show during this, but how the Guardians work as a team, as although we saw them fight together last issue it was pretty one-sided, whereas this time it's not as easy. I also loved that you could feel the passion that certain characters like Drax the Destroyer, and Rocket Raccoon has for battle, and it really gave more depth, and excitement, to the fight, as well as the odd bit of fun.

Iron Man continues to work with the Guardians, and I start to question his necessity in this series. To be honest so far he's not really been needed, and although he's pulled his own during fights I've not seen a reason why he need's to be in the series. There is however still the obvious fact that having him involved with the team will help boost sales, giving incentive for new readers to join, but is that really a good enough reason. I however ain't complaining, as having dropped the current Iron Man series due to it's poor quality it's nice to have him involved in a series where he can have a biggish impact. At the same time I'm happy that he's not controlling the series, and the overall feel is Guardians, and Iron Man, not Iron Man, and Guardians. Having someone like Iron Man join the Guardians also shows how they can handle working with a new type of character, and also makes the possibility of an team-up with the Avengers more likely, as well as making it easier to set-up.

My favourite Guardian so far has been Rocket Raccoon, as the witty banter that comes from this loveable creature is brilliant, and the fact that he's also mischievous, and dangerous makes him all the more entertaining. I also like that it's obvious that Rocket's smart, as well as funny, as he appears to know exactly what he's doing. Besides all the joking, and laughs it's also apparent that Rocket is a very loyal character, as he has concern for his fellow team mates, not wanting harm to befall them, which is brilliant, as it shows more to his character. There was also a particular line ("Blam! Murdered You!") during this issue that I found amusing, and the fact that he repeated it made it all the more amusing.

The other half of this issue had Peter's father, J'son arrange a meeting with the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree Empire, Gladiator of the Shi'ar, Annihilus of The Negative Zone, the Brood Queen, The All-Mother Freya of Asgard, Y-Gaaar of the Badoon, and himself to discuss the future of the Earth, and the possibility of them being a threat in the future. Although this slowed the issue down a bit, it did add a lot of background to the story, and was very interesting. I particularly found it interesting how people had different opinions, and found Freya who's the ruler of the nine realms, which include Earth opinon most interesting. I also liked that this showed not just background, but possible future developments for the series, as with all these different races involved it has the potential for so much to happen in the future, and I look forward to seeing where Bendis decides to take this.

Final Verdict

This was an amazing issue, and although not quite as good as the point one issue it's still better than the last, and shows so much promise for the future of the series. This issue was both entertaining, and exciting, as well as interesting, and although it was slow in certain parts it was needed to help the development of the story, as otherwise it'd be an even more exciting story with no structure. I would highly recommend both this issue, and the series so far, and am really looking forward to the next issue, and the future of this series.

Rating: 4/5

New Avengers: The Collective Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Mike Deodato Jr. & Steve McNiven

I've recently decided to go through certain Marvel series, with my Avengers novels and comics since Brian Michael Bendis started his near decade run being the main ones, re-reading, and reviewing them. I also plan on re-reading, and reviewing the Marvel events that come between these novels (Civil War, Secret Invasion, Siege,Fear Itself, and Avengers Vs X-Men) as well as certain other series. This is now my fifth review on Bendis' Avengers run, and fourth from The New Avengers series.

Plot

A strange being (The Collective) crashes into a village in Alaska destroying it, and killing innocents at the same time. When S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt to contain the situation (which include using Alpha Flight) fail, Maria Hill reluctantly has to ask the New Avengers for help, but can they beat this mysterious being?

Review

This was a brilliant story, and although it wasn't anywhere near as good as the previous stories in this series, it was still very good. Brian Michael Bendis did an excellent job on this story, and although overall it wasn't as high a quality of work as the previous stories, it still had a lot of positives, and was very enjoyable. The only problem I had with this story was the pace of the development, as although there was ton's of action, and excitement, the story itself developed a bit slowly. The story itself also didn't feel quite as deep as the previous ones, as it really appeared to be one huge sequence, and although it did chance scenery from time to time, overall it felt like one big continuous fight, with breathing room in the middle. The action as I was however very good, and added a lot of excitement, but the main positive for me in this story was the mystery over who this being is, as well as the rift between the New Avengers, and S.H.I.E.L.D. (Maria Hill in particular). I also liked how Bendis used the secrets that the New Avengers have been keeping from House of M in this story, as well as the reference to the possible Super-Human Registration Act, and overall although this story wasn't outstandingly brilliant, it was still amazing.

This story was mainly drawn by Mike Deodato, Jr., who drew four out of the five issues, with Steve McNiven drawing the remaining issue. McNiven's issue opened the story so I'll talk about that first. I really enjoyed McNiven's art on New Avengers: The Sentry, as well as anything he's worked on, with Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Old Man Logan being the ones that have appealed to me the most. Anyway, his art on the issue he worked on was very detailed, and the emotion throughout was brilliantly handled. I also loved how he made the sequences look very dramatic in the way he laid them out, and overall his art was simply stunning, and I was happy to see him feature in this story. Deodato Jr.'s art was however phenomenal, and with someone like McNiven working on the starter issue it takes someone special to top that, and Deodato Jr.'s the man for that. Although they are both brilliant artists, they also both have different styles, and the reason that I love Deodato Jr.'s art more is that it's much more realistic, and detailed, as although McNiven's art is very detailed, and realistic, it's just not quite as detailed and realistic as Deodato Jr.'s is. Deodato Jr.'s also does a marvellous job of drawing the character's facial expressions, as you can really feel the emotion throughout. The layout of Deodato Jr.'s art was also brilliant, and just like McNiven's it added much more drama to the story. The only minor thing that I wasn't happy, or upset on about Deodato Jr.'s art was the way he drew Iron Man, as I neither loved, nor hated his rendition of Iron Man in this story, but I do know that it's not one of my favourites.

The centre of this story was revolved around a being, named the Collective that seemed to be unstoppable. I won't go into too much details about this beings characteristics, but I will say a minor thing about him, which is he appears to have many different powers. This was a very interesting thing to add to a character, and it was the perfect thing to put against the New Avengers, as with it being something unknown, as well as something that has many powers, it makes as a very tough, and serious opponent for the New Avengers. Besides this the mysterious nature behind this character was very interesting, as although they originally think he's an alien, he appears to be very human in appearance. Although I won't go into details about the things that were revealed about this character apart from what I've already said, I will say that once more stuff was revealed it made the story more interesting, the only sad thing was that the mystery itself wasn't as exciting as it could have been.

WARNING: SMALL SPOILER!

Alpha Flight also made an appearance in this story, all be it very brief. Although I loved there appearance, all be it small, I wasn't happy that most of the team died during this, as whilst trying to stop the Collective, they are killed. Although for this type of story there needs to be sacrifice, I personally felt it was an unjust death for Alpha Flight, as they are barely in the fight, and then die, which to me felt like a waste. It did however add a lot of shock and drama to the story, showing that the New Avengers have something big to deal with, but I still see it as a death that wasn't really fitting for a team such as Alpha Flight.

This story also showed a rift in the relationship between the New Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., and although since there formation they've not necessarily been on good terms, the secrets that the New Avengers are keeping about the House of M seem to be making that rift much bigger. The overall continuation of House of M in this story was brilliant, and although it was mentioned in the previous story it wasn't on as big a scale. I also liked that you see the kind of person Maria Hill is over this, as at one point she's more concerned about finding out about House of M than stopping the Collective. The way that the New Avengers also tried to keep as much from Hill, and S.H.I.E.L.D. as they could also showed that they didn't trust them, which was interesting.

The fights between the New Avengers, and the Collective, whether with the New Avengers members working alone, or together was brilliant, and very exciting. The fights that I personally saw as the most interesting were when Ms. Marvel (who was helping the New Avengers out), Iron Man, and the Sentry took turns at fighting the Collective on there own. I won't go into details about the fights as to avoid spoilers, but I will say a little about the Sentry's attempt. I've always seen the Sentry as the most powerful person on the earth, so to see someone able to fight him like his equal was interesting, and surprising, as when Sentry got involved I thought the fight would be over in no time.

This story also saw appearances from the Vision, and Daisy Johnson. With the history Vision has with the Avengers I was ecstatic to see him make an appearance, and although it wasn't necessarily his best appearance, it was still nice. I also really enjoyed seeing Daisy Johnson make an appearance as I really enjoyed her in Secret War, and have also found the character interesting in other series'. I mainly found it interesting that during this story she thought that Captain America wanted her to become a member of the New Avengers, picking her superhero name as Quake, a name that she'd later use. Although I don't want to say too much more about these appearances as to avoid spoilers, it was very nice to see them appear, as with a story that needs a lot of characters to work, it would be stupid not to involve these two characters.

Final Verdict

Although technically the weakest story in the first four New Avengers stories, this was still an amazing story. The story itself also had a very good mysterious background, and the action was very exciting, but at the same time the story didn't quite hit the mark, as it was a bit slow, and didn't have as much depth as the previous stories. I would however still highly recommend this story as it was still very entertaining, and well worth the read.

Rating: 4/5

The next Avengers book I'll be reviewing will be New Avengers: Civil War.

Before that however I'll be reviewing Civil War itself.

New Avengers: The Sentry Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Steve McNiven

I've decided to go through my Avengers graphic novels, and comics since Brian Michael Bendis started his long run in the various titles, reviewing them as well, and plan on reading and reviewing the events that happen in between (Civil War, Secret Invasion, Siege, Fear Itself, and Avengers Vs X-Men), and certain other series as well (Captain America and Thor being the main ones). This is now my third review on Bendis' Avengers run, following my reviews on Avengers Disassembled, and New Avengers: Breakout.

Plot

Iron Man brings the Illuminati (Doctor Strange, Mr. Fantastic, Professor X, Black Bolt, and Namor) together to discus the Sentry (Robert Reynolds). Iron Man, along with Captain America, and S.H.I.E.L.D. go to find the Sentry, whilst the rest of the New Avengers deal with one of the escaped supervillains, Wrecker.

Review

This was a fantastic book, and a brilliant continuation to the series. This is actually my first time reading this story, as although I now own all of Bendis' Avengers run in one form or another, I've only been able to get this volume and New Avengers: Siege recently (this was another reason for going through the run from start). Anyway, Brian Michael Bendis has done an amazing job on this story, and has continued the series brilliantly, putting the final piece of the original assembly together. The previous two stories in Bendis' run have been very much action packed, and although this story has it's fair share of action, it's mostly an emotional story, re-introducing the Sentry properly, and developing who he is as a character, which was brilliant, ans something I found really interesting, especially considering I was a fan of him throughout Bendis' run. I also loved the way Bendis included all the additional characters, and that there was a big mystery over they're relationship with the Sentry, which was brilliant, and really made the story more emotional, and unique. It was also nice that despite the fact that this story was mainly centred around Sentry, it still felt like a team book, and that this was only necessary to make the team whole.

This book was the first in Bendis' run not to feature art from David Finch, and although Finch would return later for another few issues it became apparent that this series would be getting a different artist. The art on this story was from Steve McNiven, and he did a marvellous job, and although it's not the best art I've seen from him, it's still amazing, and I much prefer it to Finch's (although I still like FInch's). I've really enjoyed McNiven's art over the years, especially on the likes of Civil War, Captain America, Old Man Logan, and most recently Guardians of the Galaxy, and always love seeing his artwork. The detail in McNiven's artwork is simply amazing, and although there's really minor imperfections, it's genuinely fantastic, and really makes the story come alive. I also love the way he draws the character's facial expression, as again although there are minor imperfections it's brilliant, and really shows a lot of emotion, and depth. The way McNiven laid the artwork out was also fantastic, and it, along with the way he drew the character's really gave a lot more drama to the story, which I loved. I was however still slightly annoyed with the way the interior of Iron Man's suits been drawn, with it having the look of him standing at a huge monitor, and although I know this has been done by many artists (Finch did it in Disassembled), it still annoy's me, as it's very unrealistic, but at the end of the day that's probably a writers fault. Besides that the art was phenomenal, and although I didn't like the unrealism of that it still looked amazing.

Although this story was about the introduction of the Sentry into the New Avengers, as well as exploring his past, it also featured the Illuminati for the first time. Although I'd never really read a lot about the Illuminati until they became the main team in the newest New Avengers series, I still enjoyed seeing them crop up every now and then, and find the concept of a group of individuals that collect to discuss the worlds problems is brilliant, and was happy to see their first appearance (comic wise as they were meant to be around since the Kree/Skrull War). The collection of characters itself is brilliant, and although I question why Black Bolts a member (he can't speak without destroying things) I find the rest quite interesting, as they are all intelligent character's, that fill all the social groups. This story they talk about the Sentry, basically acting as a stepping stone to the whole story, and although they don't really do much, I still liked seeing their first appearance, as they had brilliant moments after that.

As I said the way Bendis' introduced Sentry into the series was brilliant, and although he technically introduced him in the previous volume, this was his proper introduction, as it developed him much more, and explored the mystery of his characteristics much more. In this story Bendis made it so that no one remembered who the Sentry was, and that it appeared that he was nothing more than a comic book character to everyone. I haven't read any of the Sentry's solo series, only reading him in the Avenger series, and the odd series he's make a guest appearance but did I felt this was very interesting, as despite leaving mystery to the overall story, it gave a fresh slate to introduce the character, especially to newer readers of the character. I did however also like that this story featured Paul Jenkins, the creator of the Sentry as a character, who in the story tells the Sentry that he created him in a comic series. I loved this as it acknowledged that Jenkins created the character, but at the same time made it a brilliant opportunity to develop his background, using the fact that he was a comic character as a fantastic way of showing this. I also loved that there was a comic shown within the story that was supposedly drawn by Sal Buscema, and although this art probably was drawn by him, it was still a nice addition, as both Sal, and his late brother John Buscema are true legends.

Whilst Captain America, Iron Man, and S.H.I.E.L.D. went to find Sentry, the rest of the New Avengers were dealing with Wrecker, who went to a rich collector's house in Long Island to get his gear back. This was a brilliant sequence, as it didn't only give some brilliant action, it also showed that there are still criminals loose, and although getting the Sentry on board may seem like the top priority, rounding up the supervillain criminals is still as important. The fact that this time it was the Wrecker was also brilliant, as despite Wrecker having a history with the Avengers, it also showed the difference between old, and new, as he looked much more dated than the New Avengers, and kept talking about how he wrecked the Avengers (original Avengers), and this also kind of showed that he was stuck in the past. The main thing however I liked about this sequence was that it showed the New Avengers working as a team, and although they mostly made solo attempts to stop the Wrecker, I loved it when they eventually worked together.

As I said earlier this story featured a lot of supporting characters, as despite the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Inhumans went to try and help Robert find who he is. They're appearance itself wasn't actually as good as you'd think, as although they fight the Void in a exciting battle, it is Emma Frost who does the more interesting thing, as she goes into Robert's mind to try and help him find who he is, and regain his powers. I won't go into any more details as to avoid spoilers, but this was very interesting, and the sequence was very emotional, as you could easily tell that Robert was both worried and scared of the Void, as well as being confused over his past, which although emotional, was also very dramatic.

This book also featured The New Avengers: Most Wanted Files, which is fact file of all the supervillains that were released during Blackout. This was a nice we addition, as it gives some brilliant background info on these characters (some that I'm not too familiar with), which was nice, and the additional notes from certain New Avenger members was also a nice unique touch.

Final Verdict

This was a brilliant story, and Bendis did a marvellous job of continuing his run, with this very emotional story that re-introduces Sentry, whilst also exploring his past. Besides being emotional, this was also a very interesting story, and also had some brilliant action sequences drawn by McNiven. This story also featured the Illuminati for the first time, and although they didn't do too much, it was nice to see their first appearance. I would highly recommend this story, as it was truly brilliant, and although Bendis's run on Avengers was inconsistent near the end, the star was amazing.

Rating: 5/5

The next Avengers book I'll be reviewing will be New Avengers: Secrets and Lies.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Steve McNiven

I was sceptical about this series at first, and I had not much prior knowledge of the series, but the point one issue was brilliant, and I've became real excited for this series, and am glad to be getting it.

Plot

Star-Lord (Peter Quill) gets a visit from his father, J'son of Spartax, and the Guardians of the Galaxy join up with Iron Man to face the Badoon.

Review

After a brilliant origin story for Peter in the point one issue I was expecting a lot from this one, and although it wasn't quite as good, it was still brilliant, and the perfect introduction to the series, especially for someone like me who knows very little about the Guardians of the Galaxy. Brian Michael Bendis did an overall brilliant job on this issue, and I loved that he used the elements from the point one issue, whilst still introducing the series as a whole nicely, meaning that you don't need to have read the point one issue to enjoy this one, although I'd still recommend it as it was brilliant. Bendis has been doing brilliant overall since the start of Marvel NOW!, and although Age of Ultron (not really a part of Marvel NOW!) hasn't been as good as I'd hoped he has been doing a brilliant job on All-New X-Men, and has brought that level of quality to this series. I loved how Bendis managed to make this a very interesting issue, that was exciting, and fun, and although it was slightly slow I'd expect that from the first issue, as although this is technically the second issue in the series, it's really the opening one, and the one that needs to do the most introductions to not just the characters, but the style of story this is, and the path it will be taking.

The art from Steve McNiven was once again brilliant, and I'm really happy that he's working on this series. I really enjoyed McNiven's art on Civil War, and other stuff since then including Old Man Logan, and Captain America, and it was the addition of him as artist that finally made me decide to get this series. McNiven's art is simply magnificent, and really marvellous to look at, and there isn't anything I can really fault about it. The detail throughout is phenomenal, as everything is highly detailed with next to no imperfections, if there is any at all. He also draws all the characters perfectly, making them look fantastic, but the character that I like his artwork on the most is Rocket Raccoon, as with all that fur it isn't easy to make him look perfect, but McNiven manages to do that. The layouts are also brilliant, adding a more dramatic feel to the issue, and there are panels, and pages that look nothing short of epic. The facial expressions are also brilliant, and you can really feel the emotion throughout the story.

This issue starts with Peter chatting up a alien woman in a bar, only to get interrupted by his father, who warns him to stay away from Earth. This was a brilliant sequence as it continues the events from the point one issue nicely, but in a way that new readers can enjoy also. I just loved that you could feel the hatred that Peter has for his father, and even if his father said something that was important, I still think Peter would disagree. If you've read the point one issue you can understand why Peter feels the way he does, but if you haven't Bendis gives a brief summary in the dialogue, plus the feelings from Peter are pretty obvious. Although an interesting sequence with some real emotion, this is what slows the issue down a bit, affecting the overall rating, but I can easily live with it as it's needed to kick start the series.

The Guardians of the Galaxy as a team. As I said I know very little about the characters prior to this, apart from who they are, and that they were a team, and the only real character that I've seen in anything is Rocket Raccoon. That doesn't matter though as the team is introduced nicely in this issue, and you can already get a feeling towards the characteristics of each member. Drax the Destroyer is the heavy hitter of the team, and you get the feeling straight away that he loves a good fight, and I feel that he will be an interesting character in this series. Then you have The Assassin Gamora who appears to be a heavily trained warrior, who like Drax loves a fight, and also seems a heavy team player, attempting to help Peter near the start of the issue. Then we have my personal favourite Rocket Raccoon, who is a barrel of laughs, and I just find everything he does to be fun, and I like how there's a little bit of mischief evil behind what he does. There is also Groot, a tree looking alien, but we don't really get to see much of him, and finally we have Peter, who is obviously the leader, and just as passionate about what the Guardians do as the rest are. Overall this seems like a brilliant mix of characters, and I really look forward to seeing more of them.

Iron Man once again made an appearance in this series, but this appears to be before the end of the point one issue. The point one issue featured the origin of Peter, but at the end you saw the Guardians talking to Iron Man, and apparently accepting him as a member, but he doesn't appear to be a member in this issue, so this must have happened earlier. I always knew that Iron Man would feature in this series ever sine it was promoted, and I wasn't too sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, and to be honest I'm still not sure. The reason I'm not sure is that the Guardians appear to be a unique set of characters, who are very independent in what they do, and with the addition of Iron Man will that continue. At the same time I do see how it's good marketing for Marvel, as the Iron Man 3 film apparently has a ending that leads into the Guardians of the Galaxyy film (only rumors), and that would tie that in nicely, but it'd also help for sales of the series, and get the Guardians new fans. I did however like Iron Man's appearance in this issue, and although he didn't really do much it was still interesting. I also liked how he still has his new A.I. unit in P.E.P.P.E.R., as it was one of the better things about the new Iron Man series (I dropped it after issue 5).

The fight between the Guardians and the Badoon was also brilliant, and although it didn't last too long it added enough excitement to liven up the issue. To be honest I'm kind of happy that this issue wasn't jam packed with action, as it wouldn't allow a new reader to the Guardians of the Galaxy universe, like myself a chance to get to know the characters, or the type of series that it is. The fight was however very interesting and I liked that you got to see more of the characteristics of the Guardians in this fight. I also found it interesting to see them fighting along side Iron Man, as although I knew it was going to happen it was still interesting.

Final Verdict

This was a very good first issue of the series, and although it's not quite as good as the point one issue it's still very good, and a nice way to ease newer readers into the series. The issue did how have fun and exciting moment, and I really look forward to reading more of the series. I would easily recommend this issue as well as the point one issue, as it's something that's very unique and fun, and overall interesting.

Rating: 4/5

Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Steve McNiven

I've never really been interested in Guardians of the Galaxy in the past, but with a film based on the characters coming out I thought that I's try this series to see what it was like. The creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, and Steve McNiven also helped me make the final decision to get this series as I've loved their previous work.

Plot

Meredith Quill is visited by an alien from Spartax named J'son. Whilst they he's fixing his ship J'son and Meredith form a relationship that creates Meredith's son Peter who becomes Star-Lord.

Review

It's always nice to see a good origin story. I personally always like to see origin stories, whether bad or good, but obviously prefer them to be good. This is probably one of the best origin stories that I've read in the last few years. This might easily be down to me not knowing the character, but either way I liked it. In saying that having not known the character prior I don't know what (if any) changes have been made, as changes tend to upset die hard fans. Anyway I think Bendis has done a brilliant job with this origin story, and love that it's exciting, fun, interesting, and emotional. The emotional point was what really drove the story, as it's the emotional tole that the story has on Peter Quill that motivates him to become Star-Lord. This the second series that I have read of Bendis in the Marvel NOW! line (the other being All-New X-Men), and I'm starting to see that he's put a lot off effort in preparing them. I for one hope that he continues this throughout the series as I can see this becoming one of my favourite Marvel NOW! series'.

I've always enjoyed Steve McNiven's artwork, ever since picking up Civil War, and over the years McNiven has became one of my favourite artists (he's in the top 10). I also really enjoyed his artwork in other series like Captain America, Millar & McNiven's Nemesis, and Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and was dying for him to work on something again. This issue he shows exactly why I liked his art in the first place, as it's beautiful, and very detailed. I also love the emotion in his artwork, especially in the sequence when J'son had to leave Meredith, as you could see some conflict in him, whilst seeing that she was upset, and shocked to find out she's pregnant. I do hope that McNiven can stay on this series for a long time, as I was slightly disappointed when he left Captain America after only 5 issues, with help from Giuseppe Camuncoli on the last of them issues.

I really liked that it showed how Star-Lord was born by showing the relationship between Meredith and J'son. I really liked the start of their relationship as you have a shocked and confused Meredith, who hasn't seen an alien before, and an amused J'son who finds he comments, and remarks funny. I did however feel sorry for Meredith when J'son had to leave, and more so when it was noticeable that she was pregnant.

This obviously leads to Peter being born. We saw from the Marvel NOW! Point One, and I really liked what I read. To be honest my ignorance towards the character went that far that I didn't know he was meant to be anything more than an adult in the main series. This is unusual for me as I usually read up on any comic book character, or team that takes my interest, but I didn't do that with Peter or the Guardians. I do however think that this gave me a better read as I was able to enjoy reading things that I knew nothing about. Anyway I'll get back to actually talking about the sequence. What I liked most about this sequence was the remorse that Peter had towards his father. I personally have grown up with both my parents being around me, so I don't know how it feels to grow up without a mother, or a father, or both for that mater. I do however recognize that it would be a hard time especially for a boy not having a father, and it's understandable to see him lash out, especially when he doesn't know that his father's of alien royalty.

I also liked how we see that even as a child Peter has the courage to stick up for people, and not allow bullies to get away with their cruelty, especially when it's a boy threatening a girl. I also felt that it showed that with the right convictions that anyone can stand up for what they believe in. It was also nice to see that Peter's anger got the better of him, as he went a bit berserk on the bully.

WARNING: SMALL SPOILER AHEAD! (if you've read Marvel NOW! Point One it won't spoil anything)

The next thing I'll be talking about is Peter finding his fathers alien gun. This sequence actually happened in Marvel NOW! Point One, and it showed the Badooncoming to kill Peter cause he was the descendant of J'son, but instead land up destroying his house and killing his mother, but I'll talk more about that in a little while. I really liked the shock, and amazement on Peter's face when he found his fathers gun, as he'd never seen anything like that before, and it showed that people can still be amazed by something like that even with aliens trying to kill you. I'll now return to talking about Meredith getting killed. Even after reading the Marvel NOW! Point One issue I still found this sequence a bit shocking, and was upset for Peter. I did however like the emotion shown by Peter, as you can see that he's upset by his mother's death, but at the same time afraid by the alien attack. I do however look forward to seeing if he ever meets his father, as he's bound to blame him for his mothers death, which should lead to an interesting confrontation.

I also liked that the rest of the Guardians were involved at the end of the issue. They didn't do much but it was nice to see them, and I look forward to finding out more about them throughout this series. I'll probably not even read up on their back-stories straight away so that they're more exciting if shown in the series. I also look forward to seeing how big a role Iron Man ill have in this series, as it was shown on future covers, and also in this issue that he'd be having some involvement with the team.

Final Verdict

This was a very good opening issue to the series and I look forward to reading more of it. I would highly recommend this issue as it's good, but at the same time if you have a tight budget it's missable as you'd be able to pick up issue 1 without needing prior knowledge of this issue (I'd assume), although it wouldn't hurt to get the issue if you could afford it.

Rating: 4.5/5