Writer – Sam Humphries
Artist – Paco Medina
Inker – Juan Vlasco
Colours – David Curiel
Letters – Joe Caramagna

Come the end of the latest issue of Guardians of the Galaxy, it looked as if our heroes were transformed by the Black Vortex into more powerful versions of themselves. Here, readers find out that it was just a reflection of what they could be should they have chosen to submit. One person who does choose to accept is Angel and he joins Gamora and Beast as the newly transformed, now more than what they were though not necessarily better. What follows is more arguing between the team members until Mister Knife shows up to solve the problem for them. Sam Humphries continues the fun and the action with Kitty Pryde giving Peter a hard time about wanting to use the Vortex, to which he really does not have anything to say. The way the teams are being split down the middle is interesting to see and one can predict that soon enough, more people will submit to gaining more powers and it will be those without against those that do. Thane continues to impress this issue, showing some of his father’s attitude as he deals with Mister Knife/J’son and speaking of father/son relationships, there was one moment in the book where it looked as if J’son was going to blow a gasket when Peter was mentioned, just a little anger brewing within the man. When those two eventually meet up, it should be a battle of epic proportions and whether it comes to physical blows or words, the two are in for a fight. It still remains to be seen exactly how the Brood fits into all of this and though it will probably be made apparent soon enough, it is one of the most intriguing aspects of the book to make itself known so far. The only downside to this crossover thus far is its size. At the moment, there is no conceivable reason it needs to be as large as it is going to be unless looking at it from a purely monetary point of view. As it stands, the Black Vortex is still firing on all cylinders and hopefully, it remains that way.

4 out of 5