Guardians of the Galaxy #5: Review

Jul 2013

Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli

Story Name:

(no title given)

Review & Comments

Rating:

Guardians of the Galaxy #5 Review by Rob Johnson (August 4, 2013)

Neil Gaiman gets a consultant credit because of the use of his character Angela. The reality tears occurred in Age of Ultron #10 because of all the time-travelling humans have done culminating in Wolverine negating AoU itself. Star-Lord's vision is an expanded and clearer version of a panel from AoU#10. As well as the Guardians and Badoon, Thanos and the original Captain Marvel, and the original Nova (the only character not yet to have inexplicably returned from the Cancerverse) there are some additions:- Young Peter Quill, the current Carol Danvers Captain Marvel, and Peter with his arm around an X-Female who might be Kitty Pryde. At least some of these may be intimations of the future. Angela and her species aren't in the Guardians' database because not only is she an angel but also she's from another (Image) multiverse. Mantis doesn't want to return to the Guardians of the Galaxy. She was a member of the previous incarnation during their 2008 series until they split up at the end of Thanos Imperative. When Rocket Raccoon says he'll fly them immediately to Earth to see who is attacking it, Tony Stark doesn't believe it because they're half a galaxy away. If they're really in the Andromeda Galaxy as stated at the beginning, it's a *lot* further than that! There is no hint here of how Thanos escaped the custody of the cosmic beings after Avengers Assemble #8. Thanos comments that Peter Quill's father was right about how dangerous Earth was when he got the galactic council to quarantine it in #1. And also that Thanos was right about that too, presumably referring to Avengers Assemble #1-8. Thanos' prediction may be a lead-in to Infinity.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Guardians of the Galaxy #5 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

We open with a continuation of Angela's raging from the end of Age of Ultron #10, where she swears vengeance on whoever has dragged her from heaven.

Somewhere in the Andromeda Galaxy Tony Stark and Rocket Raccoon survey the broken Iron Man armour, while Groot has a kip. Spartax troopers tore it apart in #3. Rocket astounds Tony by producing a tool which seamlessly welds it back into working order. Gamora complains that Drax and Star-Lord have gone off on their own. There's tension between her and Stark since they slept together last issue.

Peter Quill is on Rigel 7 (in our galaxy) chased by Spartax troops until he's snuck away by Mantis. It was her he came to see. He's hoping her telepathy/empathy can explain something that happened to him a couple of days ago. He was chasing Badoon with Drax when they both saw lightning, and Star-Lord had a vision. He saw episodes from his past and maybe his future. Mantis looks into his mind and thinks time got jumbled up. She ends by suggesting he go to consult a mutual acquaintance.

Meanwhile Drax is trying to get a Badoon to tell him why they attacked Earth.

Back on the Guardians' ship they get an automated warning that something is approaching Earth. Rocket flies them there to investigate. What they find is Angela. But she isn't recognisable in the Guardians' copious database. Nor is her species. (But Tony thinks she's vaguely familiar.)

Gamora goes to fight Angela in space, and then on the Moon.

Meanwhile Peter has gone to see Thanos. Who tells him that he experienced one of the many rips in reality that happened recently And it's all the fault of Earthers. So the big galactic players will now be out to deal with Earth once and for all.