An ending that leads to a new beginning.
Guardians of the Galaxy #150 is a bit of an odd duck of a comic. It's simultaneously a series finale (for a comic that didn't wind up sticking around all that long) and the start of a major new cosmic storyline. It's not particularly satisfying in terms of the former, but it does succeed in building anticipation for what's to come with Infinity Countdown in the months ahead.
Issue #150 effectively delivers two stories in one, right down to the fact that each is illustrated by a different artist. On one hand, Gerry Duggan and Aaron Kuder chronicle the long-awaited return of Adam Warlock. On the other, Duggan and Marcus To explore the latest showdown between the Nova Corps and the Fraternity of Raptors. While largely separate from one another, both stories make it apparent that plenty of Infinity Stone-related shenanigans are brewing.
The Adam Warlock segments are easily the highlight of the book, even if I sometimes found myself wishing the book had been broken up into discrete chapters. The sheer novelty of having Warlock back in action after so long can't be ignored. But more importantly, Duggan and Kuder really tap into the strange, psychedelic wonderment that fueled those early Jim Starlin stories. Kuder's depiction of Soul World and its shifting environment serves as a loving throwback to a very different era of Marvel Comics. And as much as this series has been guilty of pointlessly patterning itself after the MCU, it's great to see it lean in such a drastically different direction. Kuder's pages remind me of nothing if not those trippy sci-fi paperback covers from the '70s. It's another reminder that Kuder's unique visual sensibilities have been this book's strongest asset from the beginning.
The remainder of this issue is solid enough, though the series has started to drag a bit in its current Marvel Legacy status quo. The emphasis on the conflict between the blue collar Nova Corps and the Raptors simply isn't as compelling as the bigger, Elder-centric weirdness of the All-New Guardians period. Nor does that conflict reach a completely satisfying conclusion here. Marvel went as far as soliciting a Guardians #151 before cancelling it and announcing Infinity Countdown instead. As a result, this issue wraps on a much more open-ended note than it really should.
These pages also struggle to compete with the Warlock segments in terms of visual quality. It's less a problem with To's pencils (which are marked by bold, confident lines) and more an issue of coloring. There's a needlessly murky quality to To's page that goes very much against the grain of the aesthetic that was established i
Regardless, the Nova Corps storyline features enough strong moments and quality characterization to counteract those flaws. Duggan really knows how to make the most of this dysfunctional family of cosmic heroes. Even Ant-Man is settling in nicely, despite his weirdly abrupt introduction last year. This issue thrives especially when it comes to Drax. His character arc alone receives the closure befitting a series finale issue.
The Verdict
Guardians of the Galaxy #150 isn't an ideal series finale. It doesn't offer much in the way of closure, and it suffers from a lot of the flaws that have hindered the series since the Legacy relaunch. Still, between the strong characterization, Kuder's vibrant artwork and the return of a fan-favorite hero, there's plenty more good than bad in this comic.
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