It is a new chapter for Marvel’s cosmic heroes in Guardians of the Galaxy #13 as they band together to face the intergalactic threats no single hero could withstand. The issue is written by Al Ewing with art by Juan Frigeri, colors by Federico Blee, and letters by Cory Petit. Ewing’s first year on Guardians saw the team go on mystic journeys of self-discovery, seek therapy and battle literal gods to cement themselves as superheroes. Guardians of the Galaxy #13 debuts the refreshed team and new status quo. The big ideas are fun and there are emotional character moments that build from previous issues, but a sprawling cast and lackluster art hold back the issue’s explosive potential as an exciting launching point.
Following their defeat of the Olympian gods, the Guardians of the Galaxy, now with matching jackets, are the universe’s go-to heroes. When the throneworld of the new Kree/Skrull Alliance is attacked by an ancient and giant race called the Progenitors, with Emperor Hulking and Wiccan the only defense, the Guardians race to save the day. Meanwhile, another branch of the team searches for a missing scouting crew on a newly discovered planet. Both uncover threats that could undermine the new galactic order.
This issue works effectively to set a new mission statement for the book. Whereas the first year spent time deconstructing and then empowering the lead characters, particularly Nova and Star-Lord, this issue positions those characters as galactic heavyweights. The journey of this group of ragtag outcasts into a team of genuine superheroes continues to be a thematic throughline and allows for a grand and exciting scope. However, the sprawling cast makes it hard to invest in every new idea here which is exacerbated by lackluster art.
The art is especially disappointing after the spectacular and inventive display from Juan Cabal the last few months. Frigeri’s characters do not so much emote or move across the page as pose and faces are so similar that, with the frequent tight close-ups, it is occasionally difficult to track who is speaking. The art limits Ewing’s epic scope. The supposedly massive Progenitors, for example, shrink in the background while human-sized characters take up the same amount of space in the foreground. Frigeri’s sketchy lines and grimacing expressions give the book a hard edge that does not match the story and the psychedelic colors that have been a hallmark of Guardians are replaced by muted grays and browns from Blee.
While Ewing has done great work to establish his core team and give them a holistic sense of history, his penchant for mining old stories to build from has been a double-edged sword. This approach has worked to brilliant effect in Immortal Hulk but has been less consistently successful throughout Guardians. As such, for all of its highs, Ewing’s Guardians has never been new-reader friendly. This issue is more welcoming, although changes to Star-Lord’s character are referenced without being explained. Assuming it continues to be built on, new readers should be able to keep up and Ewing’s Star-Lord retains enough roguish charm that people who love the movies but are unfamiliar with the comics will still recognize the character. Thankfully, Groot has reverted back to his iconic form, and he is a highlight here.
For those seeking to start in Marvel cosmic for the first time, this is an exciting issue to jump on, but you would benefit from catching up on Ewing’s previous Guardians stories to appreciate some of the smaller moments. There are plenty of interesting teases introduced here with the kind of big concepts Ewing is known for and a tantalizing final page. The series would benefit from a tighter focus on fewer characters but if Ewing hopes to position these cosmic characters as full-blown superheroes, and not a band of disparate sci-fi ideas, the large cast could pay off. Surprise appearances and new mysteries and concepts will likely leave readers eager for the next issue, but hopefully, the art will improve and allow the book to truly look as grand as those ideas.
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