REVIEW: ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy,’ Issue #6

Guardians Of The Galaxy #6 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Al Ewing, with art by Marcio Takara, colors by Federico Blee, and letters by Cory Petit. With the clash between two different sects of Guardians ending in an uneasy truce, the teams have little to distract themselves from the harsh reality that Peter Quill is dead. With no mission to divert his self-loathing, Nova is taking the loss harder than others and his relationships with friends and old lovers is strained. What’s worse is that not only does Gamora blame Nova for Quill’s death, but so does Nova himself. Nova is a wreck but can therapy help?

Most of this issue is a series of flashbacks as Nova speaks with a galactic therapist about not only the events leading to Quill’s death but also the events afterward and his rocky relationship with Gamora. We get an even farther peek back into Nova’s life, glimpsing a callous and demanding father yelling at a young Richard for asking for help. Doing this, the reader gets insight into why Nova is so hard on himself and begins to understand a lot about why he blames himself for Quill’s death. It’s a good way to peek into the mind of the character and really understand where Nova is mentally and emotionally.

With the plethora of flashbacks and commentary from Nova, this issue can honestly be read singularly since it goes over what happened in the last few issues. The dialogue in the issue sums things up concisely, getting background out of the way so the rest of the issue can focus on just why Nova believes he should never ask for help. It’s surprising that Nova even went to therapy in the first place.

There are a few instances where past events are referenced, specifically when it comes to Gamora and Nova’s long history, which may be confusing for some readers, myself included. However, when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, in particular the lost connection between Gamora and Nova and just why Quill’s death is so damaging, everything’s crystal clear. So although readers may not understand all the references, the issue makes sure you at least understand the events pertaining to this series.

Nova is ultimately the center-point of this issue, however through some of his flashbacks, we do get a peek at other characters. There’s a particular panel that has a lot of people excited and I’m sure most readers will have heard about it by now. But in case someone hasn’t, I’ll leave it at: it’s very gay and very great. The ending also drags the issue away from Nova, and results in a likely tie-in with this series to the current events going on in the Empyre series.

The self-doubt and damage done by Quill’s death wouldn’t be as moving without Takara’s art. Characters are emotive and the movement dynamic. I particularly enjoyed the designs of all the characters. Many harken back to old designs but still are aesthetically pleasing. The coloring by Blee goes hand-in-hand with the art. The shadows, the highlights, the motley of colors; it’s all beautiful and so pleasing to look at.

Petit’s lettering ties everything together. The speech bubbles don’t overpower the panels or clutter the scenes. The one set of speech bubbles that I found a bit of an eyesore were the flashback bubbles for Nova’s commentary which showcased yellow letters on a blue background. But beyond that one hiccup, the creative team did a wonderful job on this issue.

Overall, Guardians Of The Galaxy #6 gives us an interesting insight into Nova’s mind, how he’s dealing with the loss of Peter Quill, and how he’s can potentially heal from this. The creative team does a wonderful job with this issue and I’m excited to see what comes next.

Guardians Of The Galaxy #6 is available now wherever comics are sold.