Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist: Paul Pelletier
Company: Marvel Comics

Nick: In the immortal words of Bruce Willis, “Welcome to the party, Pal.” I say this because that is exactly what Guardians of the Galaxy is, a tremendous, action-packed extravaganza that pulsates with entertainment and style. Bold words, I know, but I don’t say them lightly.

Randy: I don’t want to oversell Guardians or set the bar too high, but it’s not exaggerating to say that this is a hell of a first issue. Using three narratives (two flashback and one present-day), Abnett, Lanning and Pelletier establish their characters, set up the raison d’etre of the team, foreshadow future events and feature a kickass sci-fi action sequence. Whether you’ve already experienced the world these two have helped craft in Annihilation:Conquest or Nova or you’re coming in cold, you’re going to find a lot to like here.

Nick: DnA are two writers that through a body of work that is longer than one of the tentacles of the fabled giant octopus, have proved their mettle and their ability to put forth some of the finest comics that have graced the comic book stands in a long time. Annihilation Conquest finished with unbelievable strength, while their ongoing series, Nova, continues to be a pulse-pounding creature of infinite awesome that stands in a cosmic class all of its own. It isn’t an easy thing for me to say then that this first issue of Guardians of the Galaxy, hands down, beats everything that they’ve written up to this point. Shocked? Yeah, I was too.

Randy: I’m kind of stunned by your combination of Die Hard quotes and octopus metaphors, actually. But, while I think it’s a little too early to be handing out “best of” trophies to a series one issue old, I will admit that this beats the impressive first issues of both Nova and Annihilation:Conquest, and that’s saying something.

Nick: For those unfamiliar with the general idea of Guardians of the Galaxy or those who haven’t been keeping up with Annihilation Conquest, the meat of the book basically centers around a pro-active, almost military-like, unit that dispatches itself to take out threats before they reach their boiling points and endanger the livelihood of the entire Universe. It’s a neat concept that’s straightforward and to the point.

Randy: Proactive and military like superhero teams usually end up as ’90s crapfests like X-Force or Force Works, but the notion of a superhero team that goes out looking for trouble to shut down before it does any collateral damage is a good one. Guardians of the Galaxy also has a leg up on those other hero books in that this isn’t a team that’s competing with the Avengers, the Defenders and the rest… their venue is space, and there aren’t a lot of other heroes out there vying for territory. More importantly, it fits neatly into the universe that Annihilation:Conquest set up. The notion is that two big near-universal destructive events were enough, and these guys are going to shore up the cracks in a near-shattered universe and make sure nobody exploits them.

Nick: What’s even better is that DnA have made this story, and this team for that matter, accessible to anyone. You don’t have to know every little thing that’s happened to these characters, as through a clever series of debriefings that occur throughout the main story, the reader is introduced to each of them and is able to get a feel for what makes them tick. Anyone can pick this issue up and be entertained by its wit and smarts. Anyone.

Randy: This is a very accessible first issue. It’s set out in space, but the team dynamics and the action read like a standard, well-done superhero book, and the script spotlights each character in action so that new readers get a basic rundown of their powers and personalities. This kind of thing can be clunky and awkward, but Abnett & Lanning smoothly work in the exposition alongside the story, and lace it through with a fair amount of wit, so that those who already know all these characters from Annihilation will not be bored. In fact, if you’re like me, you’re going to be jazzed to see these characters in action together again.

Nick: Two other things make this book immediately stand out amongst the fray. Those two things are action and comedy. Even though this is most certainly an ensemble book (another thing that goes in the plus column, by the way), there is an almost buddy cop feel to the goings on of the issue, something that feels similar to the antics of Lethal Weapon or Running Scared. One liners and jokes are spat out with as much frequency as there is gunfire and badassery, but none of the gags feel forced or even out of place. The humor hits the right buttons and the action, seeing people like Drax and Rocket Raccoon and Adam Warlock beat their way through a denizen of hell-bent, religious extremists to actually save the lives of everyone (even the bad guys), is just as satisfying.

Randy: Y’know, I have a fondness for Running Scared, too, Nick, but let’s not scare anybody… Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal do not appear in this book. However, Rocket Raccoon does, and he’s twice the ass-kicker (although only half the tap dancer) that Hines was. At any rate, thanks to a clever structure that features the debriefing after a successful mission, the execution of the mission and the recruitment of team for that mission, we get to see the characters in three different situations, and there’s a nice mixture of personalities so that each of them do react differently. There’s also a nice mixture of light and dark. Cute little scenes like Rocket Raccoon being recruited in a bar (with a fun little in-joke for those who know Groot and Rocket from Annihilation) mix with more serious scenes of Drax interacting with the woman who was his daughter’s lover, and Mantis’s role allows her to joke around about her precognition before delivering a dire warning that is more or less for the reader only. Oh, and the interaction between Rocket Raccoon and communist space dog Cosmo cracked me up.

Nick: And then there was the art…Which has as much wow power as DnA’s script. The three of them certainly seem to work well together, as Pelletier’s issues on Nova carried the same sort of professionalism and passion that his work here does. His pencil work is strong, his action is fast-paced and fluid and in your face, and his ability to create otherworldly technology is uncanny. There’s a cruiser in the issue that’s called a Templeship, and while I won’t get into the specifics of it because I don’t want to spoil it, I will say that the design of the ship itself and its interior is so absurdly cool that it just boggles the mind. What steps the artwork up to that next notch is the combo of Rick Magyar (who’s inks have donned books like Annihilation Nova and She-Hulk) and colorist Nathan Fairbairn. Fairbairn’s colors especially add some visual appeal, making everything on the page burst with color and depth.

Randy: Pelletier excels at the big spectacle called for here, and packs plenty of panels with bad guys, good guys, guns and explosions. This kind of storytelling can often lead to overly crowded layouts and confusion, but Pelletier never falls into that trap. The action is big, exciting and loud, but never unclear. And just like Tom Raney on Conquest, Pelletier shows off a great design sense for big cosmic creepy crawlies and hordes of alien bad guys. And he definitely has the right sense of scope… the massive shot of the interior of the Templeship, the emergence of the monstrous threat and a few other key moments in this issue are really, really big and cool.

Nick: Really, at the end of the day, Guardians of the Galaxy is the literal equivalent of an interstellar home-run. Buy it, read it, and like I said before…Welcome to the party.

This comic is due for release on Wednesday, May 14th. This is an early review.