Guardians of the Galaxy #5
Marvel Comics
Written by Donny Cates
Art by Geoff Shaw
Colors by David Curiel
Letters by Cory Petit
After Peter sacrificed himself to save Gamora, the rest of the new team of Guardians gathers around his body. Groot is the only one who doesn’t believe he’s dead and that belief is confirmed when Peter wakes up having learned the lesson to not forget body armor when confronting Gamora.
With Gamora and the Dark Guardians in the wind, Beta Ray Bill comes up with an interesting way of tracking the down. He calls in a favor and Lockjaw answers. He’s able to get a location and Peter and the rest of his team prepare for whatever they face on the other side of Lockjaw’s portal.
Gamora is brought before Eros and they prepare to kill her in order to prevent the return of Thanos. Unfortunately, they forgot about Hela and the Black Order. When they arrive to retrieve the person holding the essence of the Mad Titan, Gamora and the Dark Guardians are shocked to discover who it actually is. When Peter and the Guardians finally arrive, they are too late. Hela and the Black Order prepare to resurrect the biggest threat to the galaxy and there is no one around to stop them.
Donny Cates does a great job of building the tension and drama in this issue. He adds the right amount of humor as well without watering down the stakes. The story has a great pace and it moves along with a sense of purpose that makes the moments of both action and drama feel fresh. The reveal of who is holding the essence of Thanos is handled extremely well and the actual reveal is great.
Geoff Shaw punctuates the great story being presented with amazing art throughout. The characters all look amazing and the action is fantastically detailed and vibrant.