Guardians of The Galaxy #14

By Brian Michael Bendis, Nick Bradshaw, Jason Masters, Todd Nauk, Andy Lanning, Phil Jimenez, Dan Abnett, Gerardo Sandoval

Other than saying “Double-Sized Anniversary Issue” on the cover, there isn’t any indication that this is the 100th Guardians of The Galaxy issue to be published. To celebrate the event, Marvel has presented fans with three stories, all of which are great.

The first story is written by series regular Bendis and drawn by Nick Bradshaw, Jason Masters, and Todd Nauk. The story is pretty awesome (as usual). Each member has been picked up by the forces of Star-Lord’s father, putting the team in a very dangerous situation. The only member left free is newcomer Flash Thompson/Agent Venom. Flash fits right in with the team and he’s already struck up a bit of a bromance with Drax, which is beyond cool. The art in this story is inconsistent. Nick Bradshaw’s work is solid, but the pages done by the other two are nowhere near as pretty.

The next story is all about Groot, written by Andy Lanning and drawn by Phil Jimenez. The script is a tad confusing, although it still retains a ton of charm. Phil Jimenez’s pencils are perfect for this story and aid the shaky plot in a massive way.

The final story is a fantastic blast from the past. Dan Abnett and Gerardo Sandoval weave a tale based on the original Guardians that will have any old school Marvel fan jumping for joy. The original team makes for a fun trip down memory lane, as we see them attempting to recruit a new member. This was very fun, so here’s hoping that this story isn’t over. Sandoval’s art is quite unique and gives the original team a very epic feel. More Yondu Udonta, please!

While the more expensive price on the cover is a major pain, Marvel has made up for that with a very spectacular 100th issue. Can we please have an original Guardians series? The current state of Marvel universe is practically begging for them to show up.