Shadow and Flame with Magik

Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Artist Sara Pichelli

Color Artist Justin Ponsor

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Trial of Jean Grey Part Two (or is it Part One Version 1?)

I like how this is part of the trial and we are not hung up with whatever has gone on for the last ten issues of these series.  There are references to Infinity but that’s about it.

I really like the location narration boxes, they are pretty fun.  “The Milky War Galaxy.  Still in One Piece.  Against all odds.”

“Knowhere.  A port of call near the end of the universe.  It’s a real place”  is it suppose to be pronounce “Nowhere” because it could also be “Now Here” which could also work.

Star-Lord is getting his drink on.  Gamora shows up and poisons his drink, turns out this is really a Skrull bounty hunter.  Star-Lord’s father is concentrating on locating Thanos, instead of his son.  To counter this, he has sent bounty hunters out to get him.

We see a council of kings, most likely fallout from Annihilation or War of Kings.  Those in attendance are – King J-Son, Kallark (the Shi’ar Gladiator), Supreme Intelligence, and four other people who are not named.  Guardian wants to find the past Jean and bring her in for trial for the sins of the Phoenix.  Which is odd, and the point I don’t get about this storyline, this is a Jean who has never gotten involved with the Phoenix.  I’m pretty sure Jean Grey has already paid the price of the crimes of Dark Phoenix.

The council makes these same points and Gladiator doesn’t really make a proper defense.  I like how the council stops that conversation to ask why the X-Men brought the Original Five into the present.  Supreme Intelligence makes a joke that one reason might be due to nostalgia.  This would be a cruel jab at the X-Titles but Bendis writes those, so it is sort of okay.  They also talk about how of the space-time continuum tremor.  I also like using the term tremor to describe the time breaking.  Time breaking, isn’t a great term.  Tremor sounds official.

Gladiator clearly has other motivations, but what could they be?

“The Guardians’ Ship.  Cloaked from Interstellar Radar.  So Sshhh!!”  fun stuff.   Tony Stark is under the impression that he is leaving a recorded goodbye and resignation from this team.  Turns out, he isn’t leaving a recording, the team can watch and hear him.  Rocket Raccoon really steals the scene and the rest of the issue.  I love that guy!  Groot is there with his classic, and only line, I am Groot.  They have to keep that in the movie, right?

Tony references Fedex and I like how Rocket doesn’t know what that is and says so.  Why do aliens always have to know our customs?  Rocket uses the term, Gronad, and doesn’t explain it outside of the context.  Really smart writing.

Gamora and Angela are shopping.  Not sure how anyone takes Angela serious in that outfit.  Which is pretty much a very large belt over a pair of panties and a slim bra.  They see the Skrull Gamora and Star-Lord, great reactions of the two Gamoras.  The real Gamora tries to question the skrull, and Angela straight up chops her head off with her gigantic sword.

Angela explains her motives, as every question Gamora would have asked, Angela already has the answer to.

“Seventeen Flonax Later.  Okay, about one week.”  The team is reunited.  Rocket has planted a signal to record conversations, that is registered to notify him whenever Earth is mentioned.  Rocket uses the term, Flarnak, and once again, only context and it makes perfect sense.  Star-Lord was on the planet Badoon, which sounds silly.

Whenever Rocket Raccoon talks, his word balloons are not perfect circles.  I wonder what the reason is that, I like how it means you don’t have to see him in every panel, you clearly know who is talking.

The recording they overhear is the plan to come to Earth and capture Jean Grey for a Shi’ar trial.  The Guardians sole mission is to protect Earth from alien threats.  I like how Angela, who is from the Spawn portion of Image comics, has to have all of this Marvel stuff explained to her, which really works for new readers.

Rocket states, that the Badoon are dumb Zarnooks.  The fun thing is that you could place your own meaning on the words.  Sort of like whenever you see $%#@ for profanity, clearly one works best but other words work too.

All New X-Men 22 –

Guardians of the Galaxy 11 –

The Guardians make it to Earth and the last page of the issue is the reverse of All New X-Men 22, so these two issues match up time wise, which is what confuses me as the cover to this issue states part one.  One should be 1.1 and the other 1.2 or something, 1.a and 1.b, there has to be a term for it.

I like seeing Pichelli’s version of Iceman, X23, Angel, Beast and Kitty.  Kitty is crying and Beast is a giant standing next to her.  Still feel bad that poor Hank doesn’t have any boots and has to stand in the snow of Northern Canada.  I also like how Pichelli inks and colors her own art, everything looks very unison.  Or at least, that’s the impression I have, as I know she is doing it all herself.

I didn’t realize this was going to be a six part crossover.  For whatever reason, I thought it was going to be only four parts.  Each title will carry three portions of it.

. . .

Groundhog Day – More Winter!

Also, Super Bowl Sunday – Go Broncos!