Guardians of the Galaxy #3 // Review
There is a group of hunters who have arrived from Spartax. They’re not exactly dressed for a hunt, though. Looks like they’ve come dressed for a parade. Evidently, that’s the way it is with the Sparoi, though. No respect for nature. They’re going to learn a little respect in Guardians of the Galaxy #3. The writing team of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing continue to weave a tale of a fallen group of heroes that is brought to the page by artist Kev Walker and colorist Matt Hollingsworth. The idea being explored is a clever one that Kelly and Lanzing seem to be finding their way to in a rather roundabout way.
The Manifold Territories have been plagued by Grootfall. Captain Sagittar of Spartax leads a hunting expedition onto one of those planets affected by the disastrous phenomenon. It’s a bit odd that he would be looking to hunt there. Nothing survives a Grootfall. Why is it then that there are strange beasts on the planet? And what is the massive living tree off in the distance? The Guardians finally get a chance to meet Groot again...but it can’t be a good situation given recent events. It’s going to be a very tenuous reunion.
Kelly and Lanzing have brought the team into the series with the heart of the plot fully running. They’ve been carving their way through a story that started with the team as a bunch of faded legends dealing with danger at least one of them is responsible for. It’s a fun dynamic to explore. And rather than simply point the plot directly at it, the writers have been content to explore the Guardians from the odd edges of a fancy, pulpy science fantasy format that fully embraces the weird adventure of it all in a way that feels kind of novel.
Hollingsworth seems to be drawing pretty heavily on Jean Giraud for design inspiration. It works. The worlds of the Manifold Territories have a large, open feel to them. The fashions that are rolling around in all that empty space appear familiar and alien at the same time. There’s a great sense of exploration about the series thus far. It does feel pretty derivative of the kind of pulpy space adventures that have been inhabiting page and screen for decades, but Hollingsworth gives them just enough spin to breathe some fresh air into old sci-fi visual cliches.
The first really close look at the heart of Groot in this series seems like it’s in more or less the right spot. Kelly and Lanzing clearly have a very solid perspective on how to handle things. There’s a thoughtful approach to the story that feels like it’s trying to avoid Marvel space-fantasy cliches. The whole creative team IS coming up with something distinctly new without completely reinventing the concept of space fantasy. It’s not brilliant, but it’s a great deal of fun, and that’s exactly what Guardians of the Galaxy has always been in its best moments.
