COMIC BOOK REVIEW - All-New Guardians of the Galaxy: Riders In The Sky
Yay to more novels! As the Masked Medic website continues to grow, I’m always looking to see what is the best thing to review next. Although starting a new series is always exciting, I sometimes look forward to returning to those that I’ve started before seeing how the novels pan out. In light of that, I thought it was a good time to return to the Guardians of the Galaxy. The last time I visited this series, they were being pitted against each other by the Collector and the Grandmaster.
‘Riders in the Sky’ is probably one of the more unusual novels that I read, and given that the Guardians of the Galaxy are involved, it’s probably not surprising. Each issue essentially acts as a one-off for all the individual members, telling a story to do with them. It starts with Gamora exploring the Soul Stone realm in her dreams, where she was once trapped. Then there is a one-off about Star-Lord. Although nothing particularly happens, you get a fairly decent insight into who he is and what he likes to do. The novel then proceeds to tell why Drax has now taken a vow of non-violence. Rounding off the group, the novel has a one-off about Rocket and Groot, and in this issue, we finally see some inkling of a plot thread from the previous novel. However, just as quickly as it comes, it disappears and the novel gives us one issue about Richard Rider, aka, Nova. Although he hasn’t yet made an appearance as a member of the group, I’m presuming that him having his own issue means that perhaps we will see him in the future. ‘Riders in the Sky’ finished with an odd issue on Earth where the Guardians are visiting some of their friends in an attempt to find out where the Infinity Stones are. It culminates in a meeting with Man-Thing who shows them a vision that may change the nature of the Marvel Universe in ways that the Guardians are not ready for!
In a really odd way, and odd is the Guardians’ speciality, this novel was largely a character study on each of the members of the team. Whereas it gave us very little in terms of an overarching plot, it did much to cement our understanding of the characters and what motivates each of them. I think books like this are sometimes needed because often in team books, certain characters can become overlooked and the readers never truly connect with them. That can not be said of ‘Riders in the Sky’. That being said, I sincerely hope that the character studies are now over and we can return to the story that was started in ‘Communication Breakdown’
Given that each issue was about one particular character, I thought that the artwork very clearly reflected the personalities of the character in question. Although I wasn’t a fan of every single style, I can appreciate the thought behind it. The covers were a little disappointing but that can always be improved upon. Overall, not the best novel, but hopefully the series can improve soon!
Favourite Panel:
Trust Deadpool to drop in a reference like this. Ryan Reynolds was made for a character like him!
Favourite Character:
It’s a little tough in a novel like this, but I think I’d have to go for Star-Lord. He’s got a certain charm to him which isn’t translated well to the films in my opinion!
Rating:
Story Arc: 12/20
Character Development: 15/20
Artwork: 11/20
Enjoyability: 11/20
Re-readability: 5/20
Overall: 54/100
Level: Advanced