Guardians of the Galaxy #16 Review

In the far reaches of space no one, who cares, will hear Rocket Raccoon scream! But does that matter? Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

• Star-Lord on the run from a mysterious new adversary— alone without the aid of the Guardians!

The House of Ideas has indeed struck a cord with me by easily placing favored characters in a situation where they are cut off from their team. From Gamora to Drax the Destroyer they’re left in dire circumstances that honestly leave little room for rescue or even success. Add in the fact that the previous few arcs proved the mantle and worth of this motley crew then we’re left with a recipe for a comic that becomes an easy attention grabber.

Brian Michael Bendis writes the script and the Marvel literary workhorse knows exactly how to pen these players without making their actions too hammy. It would be easy for the narrative to veer into silly waters especially when, in an overly convenient execution, a few rather random saves bubble to the surface. Even so the fun atmosphere and distinct dynamic of the dialogue allow for the plot to remain smooth in its succession. I really enjoyed the interactions between Agent Venom and his Skrull captors but when you get to see Star-Lord do his thing the entire book glows with awesome.

There are three talents responsible for the inks and pencil strokes that populate this display. Good news for us is that Nick Bradshaw, David Marquez and Jason Masters each bring enough to the table to yield visuals that, at times, rise above the quality of the text. And it’s within that dance that even some of the renditions that might seem bland make it hard to be dismissive of the entire package. And when you add in the colors by Justin Ponsor, Edgar Delgado and Jose Villarrubia there’s very little to complain about.

Guardians of the Galaxy #16 is yet another whirlwind adventure that’s bound to keep its dedicated audience. Through the strength of its creative team this earns a recommendation from me.