REVIEW: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Bane of Blastaar,’ Issue #1

Guardians of the Galaxy: Bane of Blastaar #1 is a one-shot published by Marvel Comics, written by Ralph Macchio, art by Davide Tinto, colors by Yen Nitro, and letters by Cory Petit. The Guardians are sent on a mission to stop Blastaar from unleashing a powerful weapon on a whole universe.

A bit of a flashback story, the comic is set just after Annihilation: Conquest, with a much more extensive cast for the book. The comic takes a small period of time to set off on the quest, giving exposition for all of the characters involved, but the mission itself is a long journey. The story is told linearly, moving through Blastaar’s base with an ever-increasing set of challenges and stakes. Once the action erupts it is a lively and energetic book, brilliantly utilising every single member of the team in a scrappy set of fights. There aren’t any real surprises, but the final part of the issue is epic and exhilarating. 

The cast of the book and the dialogue between them is what excels. This is the full “movie” lineup plus Nova, and there is a brilliant buzz around the whole group. Part of the focus of the issue is the discontent among the group and their presence in the team as individuals. Macchio includes a brief autobiography from almost every member and it is effective, but could be considered too long as a segment. Macchio has also got a bit of a classic style to his dialogue, making his scripts nostalgic in nature. The characters often describe what they’re doing, giving insight into their powers. It is unconventional, especially within modern comic writing, but I don’t think it takes away from the personality of each character. In fact, it is helpful to know what they are trying to do. Blastaar is brilliantly maniacal, Rocket is a loudmouth and Nova is cocky and overconfident. It genuinely feels like it fits with the dialogue tone of how they sounded in that time period.

The art is brilliant, unphased by the chaos and huge amount of events happening on the page. It is difficult for the writer to wrangle this many characters and move them along at the same time, but it is possibly even harder for an artist to then draw them panel after panel. The style of Tinto is a perfect choice, giving cheeky and detailed looks for each figure. Their personalities come across just from their expressions and body language. This is during the days when they had a uniform, a collective outfit that all of them wear, and Tinto shows their characteristics through this as well. For example, Star-Lord spends the whole issue with his shirt completely open. The fight scenes have a lot going on but are always easy to follow, with a fantastic understanding of sequential art.

The colors are awesome. Whilst there are identical shades on their uniform, the Guardians will always be a hodgepodge of colors. Nova’s energy is always eye-catching as it is so much brighter than anything else on the page. There could be an argument made that some skin tones are inconsistent throughout the issue, but it could be an attempt to show changes under different lighting. The lettering is fun, harking back to some of the custom word balloons that were used in the era this issue was set in.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Bane of Blastaar #1 is a fun cosmic adventure. So easy to pick up and enjoy, it is a fantastic example of how this cast of characters just makes any story they are in enjoyable. You need no previous knowledge of the characters to jump in, but there is also plenty there for those that are seasoned veterans. A great way of gaining enthusiasm for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy: Bane of Blastaar #1 is available where comics are sold.