Guardians of the Galaxy #18 Review

Is this an answer that needs to be shared? And will Star-Lord be worthwhile when the truth has its day? Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

Original Sin Tie-In!

• You know you want to know how Star-Lord got back from the Cancerverse.

• And didn’t Nova go in there with him? Guess he’s not into the whole “no man left behind” thing.

In the spirit of the current event lingering over the House of Ideas, the creative team has decided to fill in a narrative gap that’s been around since the return of our motley crew. And through that decision we get a clear picture of the current state of the cosmic line and where it was under the reign of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and the results are a bit shaky.

The script by Brian Michael Bendis takes the son of J’son and places him in the care of the deadliest woman in the universe. It’s a simple set-up that has little to do with the currently ongoing Original Sin, save for the fact that the question the author explores is in keeping with that general ascetic. He knows what every fan has been wondering and, for me, I often pondered that when the real fate of Richard Rider was revealed would I hate Peter Quill? I’m not going to tell you if that gets answered but I will say that the text paints a clear difference between then and now which honestly left me with mixed feelings.

I’m an avid fan of Ed McGuinness. His style, in my eye, fits the cosmic line-up without so much as an unnecessary detail left in the barrage of his unique sensibilities. Through the talent’s pencil strokes we see the final moments inside the Cancerverse as they need to be viewed with just a hint of convergence between the past and present. I’m not going to lie it was fun seeing both Nova and Star-Lord in their post-Annihilation prime, as the colors by Justin Ponsor cemented the right visual cadence for the piece.

Guardians of the Galaxy #18 is an issue that feels wobbly. Maybe it’s the years in between but the tone just didn’t sync with the DnA era as it clashed with the more whimsical nature it currently enjoys. Still I think there’s enough worth here to pass this comic book with a recommendation.