From comic to movie to game and back to comic.
There's hardly a shortage of new Guardians of the Galaxy material out there this summer, what with the debut of the new movie, Marvel's twice-monthly All-New Guardians of the Galaxy comic and the Telltale adventure game. Those latter two projects converge with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series comic. Despite the title, this comic isn't an adaptation of the game, but rather a prequel. But if you haven't played those episodes of the game released thus far, fret not. This book functions as a perfectly enjoyable, continuity-free Guardians adventure.
Not having played the game myself, I'm happy that writer Fred Van Lente and artist Salva Espin have taken that simple, straightforward approach. The series could just as easily be an offshoot of the regular Marvel comics or the film, given how synergized this franchise is at the moment. It stars the same core quintet as they struggle to pay the bills and find a bounty worthy of their talents. Nothing groundbreaking, but enjoyable all the same.
Van Lente certainly has the general group dynamic down pat. The series leans especially heavy on the movie side when it comes to Drax's autism and literal-minded personality, and that's always good for a few laughs. Van Lente's script maintains that crucial balance between highlighting the wacky misadventures these characters drag themselves into and casting them as a dysfunctional but close-knit family. The script does go a bit overboard when it comes to exploring Star-Lord's feelings of inadequacy, but otherwise the characterization is solid.
Espin's art helps the whole meal go down smoothly. Espin has a very energetic style honed by many years of working on various Deadpool projects, and it's a style that translates easily to this corner of the Marvel U. Espin is sparing in his overall level of detail but still manages to inject every character with a vitality and emotional range that helps them come alive on the page. The cartoonish approach to this book isn't so different from what Aaron Kuder has been doing with All-New Guardians, suggesting that Espin may be a perfect fit for that book's rotating art team.
The Verdict
If you're burnt out on Guardians of the Galaxy comics, this new mini-series probably won't do anything to help. This is a very traditional take on the franchise, one that could just as easily be an extension of the regular comics or movies as a prequel to the Telltale game. But between the fun tone, strong team dynamic and expressive art, it's at least a very well-executed Guardians story.
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