The Good

With event fatigue settling in on a few different titles, it’s nice to read something that feels really and truly modular, addressing only things relevant to it’s ongoing storyline and this issue does a great job with that. If it were just taking place on the Guardians’ ship, it would be good but not great and likely too limited in scope to feel like anything was truly getting done, but we also get a glance at some amusing interstellar politics and a visit from Carol Danvers (yaaaaay!) Brian Bendis juggles three storylines without under serving any one of them, making the issue feel more significant than it otherwise might. It’s a great character issue and the two storylines swirling around the main one are both interesting and actually fairly funny. With a massive power vacuum in the Spartax Empire, the people in charge turn to the only candidate that makes any kind of sense, and who has the political clout to mobilize the majority of people behind him. The only problem may be the candidate himself. Specifically that he’s unaware of his candidacy. The Guardians certainly have more immediate problems as the Venom symbiote begins the issue having possessed Groot (Voot? Grenom?...yeah, nailed it), but quickly leaves him in search of other, more articulate hosts. The interesting thing here is that the symbiote itself actually seems to have some kind of motivation other than attaching itself to someone, and it’s a motivation that requires control of the ship.

Valerio Schiti handles the majority of the art linework this issue, with David Lopez stepping on for Captain Marvel’s section, and nails the cartoonish, bizarre tone that this book strikes, alongside its more realistic and grounded character designs. This is a book that also strikes a lot of different, in some cases dissonant, tones, particularly on the Guardians’ ship where action scenes hard-hitting, kinetic intensity give way to some brief quieter moments more reminiscent of a horror movie, and both look fantastic. Lopez’s pages look good, giving the impression that not only is Captain Marvel back in this book, but it looks like her pages are actually crossing over with GUARDIANS. It’s a neat effect and Jason Keith’s colors across the entire issue help the unify the two looks and bring out the wild, colorful universe these characters inhabit.

The Bad

As much as I’m enjoying the storylines around it, the core story of this issue feels rote and by-the-numbers. The symbiote jumping from character to character makes for some interesting visuals and character designs, but it definitely feels like we’ve been here before, even if it’s with a different cast. It’s also yet another issue and they’re seemingly no closer to the symbiote planet itself, something teased several issues ago, and even in this most recent one (not to mention in the solicitation) and yet they aren't even on their way to it yet.

The Verdict

The meandering central plot is helped not only by the side stories, but by an extremely strong core cast of characters with some exceptionally talented creators. It’s a book that really illustrates how important having creators who not only know what they’re doing, but are passionate about the characters as it can elevate otherwise mediocre material into goodness if not greatness. Guardians of the Galaxy would be great as a “day-in-the-life” style book, but it also shines when it goes big, which we’ll hopefully be getting to soon enough.

The symbiote planet is in our hearts that's the plot twist at the end of this arc lol

Guardians are my favourite team and venom my favourite character but bendis writes some shockingly drawn out crap with a very little results sometimes. i mean isnt this only a 3 issue arc?

I would actually be okay with this, just because of how funny it would be

Just another stepping stone comic, I'd give it a 3/5

Not a complaint, because the story is fun, and I like the characters, but I still don't see the reason for Thompson or Danvers, other then to put them on covers to try and get the fans of these characters to buy these books. They have been noticeably non-existent, and largely unimportant. Even with this symbiote arc, it could have been done and made more sense without Flash being on the roster. This could have been done with Zzzxx, who is already a cosmic symbiote character, and would have been really cool to see get featured in a mainstream Marvel comic.

@tparks: I agree with you completely except for one thing, didn't Zzzxx bite it during War of Kings?

I can't remember, but that sounds familiar. I think the Starjammers may have killed him or something. Been a while since I read that arc.

@tparks: All I can really remember is that they had freed Raza from it, I can't remember how for certain but I think it was either Richard or one of the other fledgling Novas that destroyed it. I could be mistaken though.

@left_my_heart_in_san_franchees: Now I'm curious. I might have to dig through my old comics tonight...

This is silly. Seriously, I've liked some of Bendis' other works. He can be and is a good writer, I've read it.

He is a poor fit for Guardians. His entire run has been lackluster and revolves (slowly and without direction) around the Spartax Empire, and the title should be 'Guardians of the Galaxy and their Amazing Friends!' since it seems every few issues/arcs they add in new cameo characters. First Iron Man, then Angela, the X-Men, Thompson, Carol...I mean I read this for the GotG and while Agent Venom is my favorite character and Carol Danvers is one of my favorite I want engaging stories about the Guardians. I wouldn't mind Thompson joining, in fact I was looking forward to it, but all he has been for months (he joined in May) is a plot point. He's done, literally, nothing but fight off a few Skrulls and now serve as a plot point for Planet Venom which, somehow, in a three issue arc we have yet to arrive at. Talk about misleading covers...

I've tried to stay positive about this, honestly I have. I want this to be awesome, these are some of my favorite characters in comics (Thompson, Rocket, Groot) and my favorite team (GotG of course) but the handling of Thompson and this team since the word go has been bland.

I'm really, really trying to not be the prototypical comic fan who always b*tches and moans about the handling of characters. I'm trying to enjoy this title, and Venom's presence on it. I've tried to find the diamonds in the rough and enjoy the good parts. But that's just not happening. I really hate ranting like this, and I really hate bashing a writer (although I'm trying just to be critical, and not bash) but Bendis and the GotG are very poor fits for one another.

A good cast of characters and a good writer don't always mesh if the writer is just unaccustomed and unable to grasp the characters he's writing. Bendis isn't the only good writer to suffer from this. But he needs to be off the GotG and away from Thompson.

Although, I doubt Marvel cares what I think.

I hope Bendis leaves soon. This is just painful for a huge fan of the Guardians to read,

The way I read it is that Nova knock the symbiote unconscious. It's still a part of Raza, hence why they wanted to take him back so they could separate him from it.

Nice

Wake me up when Bendis leave GOTG

I really liked Schiti's character art in this issue but man they really should get moving to planet-side already, though now they (or atleast Rocket) know what the symbiote actually wants and the set-up is done so we can finally expect getting our pay checks at the next issues.

@humanrocket: There it is! Thank you!

Revolving things around Spartax isn't necessarily a bad thing if 'Bender' can make a good story out of it. Spartax has been fairly unused IMO so I've little objections if he wants to make it the Guardians corner at the Galaxy.And I think his slowly getting around to write the gang more in character... So maybe he is actually learning from all the critic we (the fans) have been throwing at his direction.

Still, this run hasn't been up to standards we should be expecting from Bendis.