Guardians of the Galaxy #13

By Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli, David Marquez & Justin Ponsor

Guardians of the Galaxy #13 marks the end of the cross over with the All-New X-Men. While it has been a pretty fun ride, there were some slower parts here and there, but this issue was incendiary. As a conclusion to a mini-event, this was a very appeasing issue that will be sure to make fans grin several times throughout the read.

Brian Michael Bendis must have saved the best for last because this was an excellent issue. While it was light on action, he resolved the problem in a very plausible way that is satisfactory. As with most every Bendis script, there is a good amount of humor involved with this issue and he knows just when to put an “I am Groot” into a conversation to lighten the mood. One of the great things Bendis does in this issue is that he still manages to pull some emotion from the reader at the end. Everybody who read the solicitations knows how this issue ends, with a certain member of the original five going off with their father, but Bendis sets the scene perfect and Scott’s little talk with Jean at the end is pure gold.

We get a couple of artists for this issue, Sara Pichelli and David Marquez team up to bring you the conclusion of the crossover. The art is very good to say the least. There are some pretty awesome panels in this issue and who wouldn’t love seeing a splash page of Gladiator being blasted at them. Pichelli and Marquez do a great job with facial expressions as well and the end of the issue really sells it. As Scott leaves, we can see and feel the look on X-23’s face as well as Jean’s. Justin Ponsor should also get some credit for his wonderful coloring in this issue; it really made excellent artwork pop out even more. This may be the best drawn issue of the entire crossover and Marquez and Pichelli deserve a ton of credit for their hard work and dedication.

As this event concludes, it has been a pretty good story featuring characters that don’t get the chance to share panel time too often. Bendis did a very good job with his storytelling and made everything feel natural, with the exception of Gladiator’s odd behavior. The art was taken to another level this issue and the fans were treated to some great panels by some talented artists. Even though this was a mini-event, hopefully other writers will follow this blueprint for the next big crossover involving the X-Men!