Bendis crams an unbelievable amount of developments into this issue, but, as he's often done in similar situations, he somehow makes it work.
The mysterious warrior woman that appeared at the end of last issue -- let's call her Blue -- towers over Angela and Gamora, prompting a (hilarious) discussion of how they should proceed. Gamora suggests that they lay down their weapons so that she understands that they're not a threat. Angela isn't convinced. She tries to get Blue to surrender, and Blue promptly attacks. Oopsie. The Nova Corps arrives due to the strange energy signature, and Blue tells Adam Warlock that the Kree will not die. She then proceeds to kill Venom, Warlock, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel in short order. Angela and Gamora team together to stop her, and Angela tells Gamora that she'll overlook her transgression given the valor that she showed in combat. But, Gamora tells her that she can't forget the name "Quill" or the image of a "Thanos," and it drives her to continue to search the "missing pieces" of Battleworld. Before Angela can do anything, a revived Blue slays her. At that point, the Guardians arrive (Mantis lives!) and help Gamora stop Blue for good. Sitting among the scene of devastation, Gamora wonders what a Quill is and, on cue, Peter arrives. He gathers up the Guardians, tells them that Doom's a "sham," and announces that they're going to do something about it.
I don't know how he does it, but Bendis really managed to fit in all the feels despite the non-stop action. Gamora is really the emotional center here, and Bendis makes her pain over feeling unmoored in this universe obvious. Her friendship with Angela is built quickly but firmly, so that we feel her pain when Blue unexpectedly kills her. Beyond just the emotions, it's the revelation that, as implied in "Korvac Saga" #4, Doom isn't the savior that he appears to be that piqued my interest. My guess is that we're going to see that revelation in the delayed "Secret Wars" #6, particularly given Peter's reference to the group of heroes assembled ready to overthrow him. (Maybe they'll even tell us how Peter found the Guardians, since Bendis doesn't establish that here.)
Overall, this series was a weird one. We spent more time on Yotat than we really did on anything else, even though he had virtually no impact on the final outcome. But, Bendis ends on a high note with this issue. As you'd expect from the Guardians, it might not be the most coherent of stories, but it's at the very least a fun one.
**** (four of five stars)
No comments:
Post a Comment