Reviewer: Tim Stevens
Story Title: Reach for the Stars: Part 5 of 5
Written by: Marc Sumerak
Artist: Casey Jones
Colored by: David Self
Lettered by: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
There is not a lot about Guardians that I can say that I have not said before. The art remains clean and the easter egg color palette continues to be a good fit. There is still strong characterization, although it does take a backseat this issue to the upswing in action necessary to bring the story to a close.
There is a lot of ground to cover and Sumerak does it admirably. Over the course of 22 pages, the Guardians break into an alien cruiser, face the morality of war in the real world, one gets captured, then rescued, an artifact is retrieved, and the Guardians find a new reason to stay in space. It could feel rushed or overstuffed, but somehow dodges that particular bullet.
The one problem that I have is caused by the series transition from ongoing to mini. Clearly Sumerak was building this series to last and, as a result, everything does not wrap up nicely in a neat little bow. For one, there is the aforementioned issue of the Guardians not yet returning home. Besides that, Dre’kk’s true motivations are revealed and the earthbound search for Charlie has ensnared her boyfriend as the likely culprit. These further plotlines are intriguing, particularly the new spin put on Dre’kk’s vendetta against the Alliance. However, with no obvious follow up on the horizon, they become annoying dangling narratives with little chance of resolution. I appreciate that Sumerak did not rush the finale to satisfy everything, it was the right choice. That, however, does not make its transition from ongoing to limited any less awkward. It’s still quite good, you just wish that Marvel had either decided it was a miniseries in the first place or let it run a few more issues.
