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| Cover Art: David Marquez |
Original Price: $3.99
Title: "The Final Gauntlet, Part 2"
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Geoff Shaw
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Senior Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor: Darren Shaw
Assistant Editor: Danny Khazem
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski
SYNOPSIS
Aboard the space ship Milano, Star Lord speaks with his ex, Kitty Pryde, about the Black Order taking Thanos' body and Eros wanting to kill Gamora. He checks on two of his new crew members, Moondragon and Phyla-Vell, then hears sounds of a commotion coming from elsewhere on the ship. He finds Groot in a fight with Cosmic Ghost Rider, a fight that's only broken up when Moondragon intervenes. Castle wants to kill Gamora to prevent Thanos returning in her body while Groot and Beta Ray Bill want to help save her. Star Lord refuses to get involved and tells Castle to leave. Meanwhile, Hela and the Black Order interrogate the Collector about the whereabouts of Thanos' head, which he reveals is in the Negative Zone.
Later, aboard a Shi'ar ship, a scarred and paralyzed Eros has gathered his team of Dark Guardians, which includes Gladiator, Wraith, Nebula, and Cosmic Ghost Rider. Determined to find and kill Gamora, Eros asks Nebula how to find her. She replies that they need to find out from Richard Rider, Nova.
ANNOTATIONS
Eros and Cosmic Ghost Rider discovered Thanos' body and his will in Thanos Legacy # 1.
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REVIEW
Cosmic Ghost Rider's role as a Guardian of the Galaxy takes an unexpected turn in this second issue of the series.
Though I've not kept up in recent years, I was a fan of the Marvel cosmic line back in the Annihilation days, which is about where my knowledge of these characters begins and ends. That throws up the big BIG flaw in this comic, it assumes you know who all these characters are and whats happened to them recently, without so much as an explanation of any kind. I may know who Wraith and Gladiator are but I'm sure there's many who don't. Hell, I had no idea what was going on with Star Lord or why we should care about Moondragon or Phyla-Vell. Those two in particular get a real disservice, especially since they're meant to be main cast members.
It's not surprising that the character that comes out looking the best in this issue is Cosmic Ghost Rider, and it's his interactions with the other characters that make the best moments. His exchanges with Beta Ray Bill, Star Lord, and later Wraith are all very well written and come off as genuine character moments. I think Cates might be trying too hard with this series, filling it with a cadre of characters that barely get introductions, but Castle at least stands as a believable bridging element.
While I believe Cates may not be handling such a large cast effectively, Geoff Shaw doesn't have such a problem. He brings a real grit to these characters who usually see a much cleaner style applied to them. It goes without saying that his Cosmic Ghost Rider looks great, bit he also turns in some great work with Groot and Beta Ray Bill. The Nebula reveal near the end is appropriately and dramatically staged, and his work continues to be the real highlight of the series so far.
I guess I can't help but be disappointed, but that's only because my expectations for this series were so high. That doesn't make this a bad comic, far from it, just a bit of a perplexing one.
Grade: B-
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