Guardians of the Galaxy by Al Ewing vol. 1: Then It’s Us

As one “Guardians” series wraps up, another one comes to take its place.  Writer Al Ewing and artist Juann Cabal (and friends) are here to usher in a new era of… rest and relaxation for the galaxy’s greatest misfits?  That’s right, because when Nova comes calling with word that the Olympian gods have resurrected in space and are very much in a blood and thunder kind of mood right now, the Guardians turn him down.  Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, and Drax have saved the galaxy enough times for one lifetime.  Is it wrong for them to get a little rest after all they’ve been through?  Well, that’s what it turns out to be for two of them.  Which leads to a mad plan to blow up the Olympians’ spaceship, Star-Lord’s latest death, the formation of two teams of Guardians, a reckoning with a vindictive businessman beaver, and one Guardian psychically hashing things out with her “perfect” alternate universe counterpart.

I mentioned on the podcast that Donny Cates’ run felt like a continuity fix — a way to get the team back together after the events of “Infinity Wars” tore them apart.  It turns out that twelve issues wasn’t enough to get everything juuuuuuust the way Ewing wanted it.  Which is why we’ve got a first volume that feels less about setting out a new direction for the team and more about following up on past storylines.  So if you were waiting to find out what happened to the Olympians after the events of “No Road Home,” Castor Gnawbarque II post-Ewing’s run on “Rocket,” and how the universe is going to deal with having two Moondragons, then the writer has you covered.

He also has you covered if you’re looking for snappy dialogue, smart action, and affecting characterization, because these are trademarks of his superhero writing at this point.  Yes, even if “Then It’s Us” is all about rehashing and addressing previous storylines, Ewing gets some good mileage out of this and the new additions to the Guardians crew with this volume.  He even manages to beat some pathos out of the dead horse that is Star-Lord’s latest death, which is an impressive achievement at this point.  As for Cabal’s art, it’s as fantastic as you’d expect, and it’s a real joy to see him break away from his regular detailed style to do an impressively structured splash page that has fun with the comics form.  Even though I don’t have a good idea about where this latest “Guardians” series is going just yet, it seems clear that I’ll at least be able to enjoy the ride until it gets there.