Guardians of the Galaxy #21

Writer – Brian Michael Bendis
Artist – Valerio Schiti
Colours – Jason Keith

While the election to find a new leader for the Spartax is taking place, Flash Thompson is having a hard time of it because the Venom symbiote is taking over and there is nothing he can do about it.  Maybe the Guardians can.  Brian Michael Bendis begins the next story-arc of the series which will hopefully prove why he thinks Venom will be an asset to the team, though first they have to get the symbiote under control.  It has always been hard to try and think of Flash Thompson as leading man material, though his ongoing series proved it to a great extent, but thinking of him as a member of the Guardians is something else entirely.  The one thing he does have going for him is that he is quite different than the rest of the members and being eclectic is one thing that the team excels at.  The book follows Venom around as he goes from place to place searching for a way to get to Earth, what reason that is remains to be seen, but will more than likely be made known in the next issue, if not the one after that.  Bendis’ writing remains sharp and becomes more natural with every issue as he gets more and more familiar with the characters.  The date between Peter and Kitty, something we have seen a few times now, is a lot of fun and it gives Bendis a chance to get some of his signature banter in.  The artist for this particular issue is the wonderful Valerio Schiti and while he might be a great artist, the revolving door on this title is a little ridiculous.  It would be nice if he could remain on the book to give it a little consistency and Marvel seems to want anything but, though it would be nice if that could change.  Otherwise, a fairly good issue in the Guardian’s ongoing saga.

4 out of 5

Rot and Ruin #3

Writer – Jonathan Maberry
Artist – Tony Vargas
Colours – Oliver Lee Arce

After escaping the Rotters and finding themselves at Farmer John’s place, the kids realize that maybe not everything is the paradise that it seems to be.  There are little things that stick out here and there, such as having to be examined by doctors, as well as a growing uneasiness within them which, in the end, proves to be warranted.  Jonathan Maberry continues his tale of his zombie infested world with the worst that humanity has to offer in his villain, Farmer John.  Killing is almost the norm in a post-apocalyptic world like this and you see it all the time, and while you know there are worse things happening in these settings, it is not too often that a writer will feature them.  But here is Farmer John, trying to repopulate the world in the worst way possible.  Nothing explicit is shown, though it is implied and it is a little sickening to think about, but when it comes down to it, this is what a horror comic should be, something that makes you think about it later on and something that makes you horrified.  Making you think about a story or a film or whatever, long after it is done means that whatever it was that you experienced made an impact and it is the mark of a good writer for having done that.  This series might have started out a little slow, but it is definitely picking up steam and is a nice alternative to other zombie books on the stands today.

4.5 out of 5