Thursday, January 2, 2014

Not So New Comic Review: Guardians of the Galaxy (1991) #16

                 It’s a double-sized adventure in the thirty-first century with the Guardians of the Galaxy.  Nowadays we can’t get twenty-two pages out of a creative team in a month’s time, but back in the day, the random double issue (as well as double-sized “anniversary issues”) were the norm.  It’s even more impressive here because Valentino has done all of the writing and pencils for every issue (along with Steve Montano on inks, let’s not forget his ever-present contributions) and not missed a month, even going so far as to create an entire sixty-four page annual while still holding down the monthly series.  Valentino’s commitment is astounding and unheard of in this day and age.

                Okay, on to the actual content of the comic, where the cover tells us that “one of them (the members of the Guardians and Force) will die.  Who is it?  Well, we had three good candidates at the end of last issue as Nikki, Photon and Eight-Five are all on the verge of being killed.  Surprising no one, none of them die, though Yondu does cut Photon’s throat as she lunges at him (after a healthy recap of the exchange that those two had last issue regarding Photon’s origin).  In Yondu’s defense, Photon was attacking him and he reacted to that attack, but it still doesn’t sit well with Interface who, if you remember from last issue, thinks of Photon as his daughter.  She is not dead, but she will surely die if she is not taken to the ship’s infirmary, something Yondu is willing to help with until Interface (who’s powers are of transmutation, to convert matter from one form to another).  He does this with Yondu’s right hand, converting it from a hand to water vapor, which, as vapor does, instantly dissipates in the air.  That’s cold, Interface, ice cold.  Speaking of ice (see what I did there) Martinex encases Yondu’s hand in ice so that he doesn’t bleed to death.  Vance tells everyone to chill out (see what I did there too, oh boy, on a roll today) but Brahl tries to instigate some more.  Broadside steps in and puts that plan on ice (somebody stop me) and even prevents Scanner from killing Nikki just as Starhawk prevents Replica from killing Eighty-Five who, for a guy that controls the force of magnetism, is pretty content with just laying on the ground and letting a girl kick his ass.  He’s obviously the shitty clone of Magneto.

                Down on Homeworld, Aleta and Malevolence start to fight for the right to be the Protégé’s nanny, with Aleta striking first with a well-placed shot to the lady-bits of Malevolence.  I looked at that panel a couple times to make sure that’s what I was seeing and yup, that’s it, square in the lady-bits.  The fighting continues until the Protégé tells the women to stop so he can learn more about Aleta and her powers.  This pisses Malevolence off as she thinks she has every right to kill people at her own pace, but the creepy looking child-god has other plans. 

                Back on the ship, Martinex has quickly crafted a weapon for Yondu with the help of the ship’s matter transmuter (ie. the cure-all device).  Martinex affixes the appendage to Yondu’s stump and immediately creates Marvel’s version of the shitty Aquaman that had a hook for a hand (remember him, long hair, beard, “edgy”).  Interface (whose head seems to grow in every panel) is pissed that Yondu sliced Photons throat and gets a fancy new “hand” out of the deal and is ready to break the tenuous truce between the teams until Photon tells him to relax.  Replica whines some more because she thinks everyone would have hated her because she’s a Skrull (instead of the real reason we hate her, because she is like Lori from The Walking Dead, constantly making trouble for everyone else).  Next we get a history lesson on the Universal Church of Truth and the Protégé before heading back down to Homeworld, where Aleta is already trying to get the Protégé to be a little less like Joffrey from Game of Thrones, much to the chagrin of Malevolence. 

                Back on the ship, the Guardians and Force agree on a “no powers” team-up to take down Malevolence so she doesn’t corrupt the Protégé.  The no powers rule is because, if you remember, the Protégé can mimic any powers he sees.  To avoid making this kid any more super-powered and omnipotent than he already is, the teams have agreed to fight Malevolence the old fashioned way, by ganging up on her.  Of course the tables are turned when they get down to the Homeworld and the Protégé sics his royal guard on them.  And then, of course, Replica sees the Protégé and immediately falls to her knees to worship him, putting herself and her teammates in danger in the process.  Martinex abandons his “no powers” rule to protect her by encasing her in ice, and everyone else sees that and start using their powers too.  That rule lasted all of three pages, good effort Guardians. 

                Aleta goes berserk on Malevolence because she begins to view the Protégé as her own child (remember, Starhawk allowed her children to die) and she is about to win the battle when the aforementioned Starhawk shows up and reabsorbs her before flying off at light speed. 

                The Protégé wants Aleta back so he stops all of the fighting and threatens to kill the Guardians/Force for displeasing him.  Replica makes herself useful by groveling to the Protégé, who in turn takes her as his plaything/companion while awarding Malevolence the position as his nanny (basically by default).  Vance cries some more for Aleta, how I have no idea and everyone teleports off of Homeworld.  Mephisto rejoices because he thinks he won while on the ship, Photon and Yondu come to a mutual understanding (basically, they don’t try to murder eachother).  Love could be in the air there after all.  Everyone else says their good-byes with Broadside doing her best to creepily seduce Charlie and leave him wanting more.  Martinex discusses reprimanding Nikki for being a bitch to Replica, and pretty much everyone and Vance loses his mind.  He’s pissed about Aleta, sure, but he just up and quits the Guardians because of it, cementing his status in the whiny-bitch hall of fame.  In fact, he turns the ship toward Earth so that he can quit in grand fashion (a month-long journey to a distant planet).  That’s showing them, Vance!

Next: The team goes to Earth!  Will it be ruled by the Kardashians or big oil companies?  We’ll find out next time.







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