Graphic Novel Review: All-New Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinity Quest

The Guardians are on the up...

(Panini Books)

The renaissance of the Guardians continues under the admirable control of Deadpool writer Gerry Duggan, washing away the stains left by Brian Michael Bendis’ tenure and once again establishing the team as one of the foremost forces in the Marvel Universe.

The depth of characterisation, the attention to narrative structure and flow, and the general entertainment factor all combine to give us a Guardians book which is close to living up to the standards of creators Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s seminal run.

This volume finds the team signing up with the new Nova Corps to investigate a threat from within its ranks, but leads in neatly to the forthcoming Infinity Quest epic, as the hunt begins for the all-powerful Infinity Gems…

Highlights include Peter Quill meeting up with Nova Richard Rider for the first time since their showdown with Thanos in the Cancerverse, and Rocket’s cunning ploy to uncover the criminal faction within the Corps for reasons which aren’t what you think. The book concludes with the return of a cosmic character long since missing from the Marvel U, and bodes very well for the upcoming storyline.

There are obviously elements here drawn from the Guardians’ portrayal in the two recent movies, but Duggan doesn’t forget that these are not the cinematic characters, but protagonists with their own rich histories across multiple comic book series.

His dialogue is snappy and amusing, but not for its own sake, as might be argued about Bendis’ work, and ultimately his focus is on telling a story, not showing his flair for conversations.

Highly recommended, and it’s been a long time since I’ve said that about a Guardians book.