Guardians of the Galaxy #18

Writer – Brian Michael Bendis
Artist – Ed McGuinness
Inker – Mark Farmer
Colours – Justin Ponsor

Nova returns!!  Okay, not really, but we finally get to find out just what happened in the Cancerverse after many long years of not knowing why Star-Lord, Drax and Thanos had returned and Nova had not.  As it is, the book is much better than the shambles that last issue turned out to be, both in artwork and writing.  Bendis takes us there to those moments with Gamora interrogating Peter over what exactly happened and why her father, Thanos, is still alive.  So it is that we see Nova and Peter facing down Thanos with the Cosmic Cube, and while not necessarily winning, at least holding their ground.  Everyone thinking Drax dead, he appears alive and helps his teammates in their goal of putting the Mad Titan down.  Things of course, do not go as smoothly as they would like.  This story was a long time in the making and so far, it is nice to see some resolution to some of the questions that have been plaguing fans of the series for so long.  The one downside to the book was the ending.  It literally seemed to just stop in the middle of a scene and was very abrupt in the way it did so.  Whether it was meant to do so, or whether Marvel wanted to keep the page count down, it could have left us on a better note.  How this book ties into Original Sin except for the trade dress is a mystery, but the fact that we even have this story is a good thing.  It is nice to see McGuinness on art as well as see Peter in the best iteration of his costume to date.  The leather jacket is all right, but his DNA costume is the best one he has ever sported.  One thing is for sure, the conclusion of this tale cannot come fast enough.

4 out of 5

Wayward #1

Writer – Jim Zub
Artist – Steve Cummings
Colours – John Rauch, Jim Zub

Rori Lane is moving to Japan to live with her mom, her parents having gone through a divorce and living with her dad having become unbearable.  Things are different, bigger and brighter and it looks as if Rori is going to have a good time in her new life.  While exploring the neighbourhood, she runs into some men looking for trouble when suddenly, a girl comes flying in to protect her and those men now being revealed as monsters.  What then follows is a battle with the turtle-men, power reveals and introductions and an interesting first day in Rori’s new life.  With Wayward, Jim Zub and Steve Cummings introduce us to their newest creator-owned property and it is both charming and exciting.  Rori Lane may be a teenager but she is already a fascinating character whose mixed heritage, not to mention her newfound powers, can only lead to some fun and intriguing stories.  In the first issue, we already get said turtle monsters and what looks to be a cat-girl named Ayane and chances are pretty good there will be more wonderful surprises along the way.  The artwork is clean, detailed and very attractive to the eye, especially with its bright colouring by John Rauch and Jim Zub.  At the moment, the Image stable is filled with many books for mature or advanced readers with more appearing every day and so it is great to see Zub and company debuting a marvelous all-ages title that is quite exceptional in every regard.  Wayward is a really, beautiful book that cannot be recommended enough.

5 out of 5