Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4- Original Sin

Quick Summary

Pros: The flashbacks give a satisfactory answer to a number of questions. The Venom-centric portion of the book is entertaining.

Cons: The flashbacks in this volume might not appeal to those who haven’t read The Thanos Imperative event. Contradictions in these flashbacks make them less enjoyable for those who have read this event. The frame story around the flashbacks is lackluster.

Overall: This is a mediocre volume that has appeal in some places but too many problems in other places. The appeal here comes from learning the answer to questions about Star-Lord’s past and also from seeing a few impressive moments in the collection’s second half. However, there are a number of problems regarding strange creative decisions and lackluster writing that prevent this collection from being anything special. In the end, those who enjoy the Guardians will find moments of fun but may not like the collection as a whole.

Story

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4: Original Sin, by Brian Michael Bendis, has a confusing mix of quality. It starts out by telling a decently entertaining story that finally delivers on mysteries and unanswered questions that date all the way back to The Thanos Imperative (Review). However, the storytelling around this reveal is lackluster and portions of the flashback are conflicting. The second half of the book is better and features a nice mixture of action and intrigue. However, this story still isn’t anything remarkable and does not quite make up for the collection’s earlier mistakes. All in all, there are some positives to be found within this collection but the overall appeal is a little disappointing.

(spoilers start here)

The first half of Guardians of the Galaxy: Original Sin has Star-Lord reveal the truth about how Thanos, Drax, and himself survived the Cancerverse in The Thanos Imperative (Review). Portions of this are interesting, as this mystery has been building for a while now. There are also a number of entertaining moments between Nova and Star-Lord, whose chemistry is well-written here.

However, the problem here is that this flashback does not seem to directly relate to those who have read The Thanos Imperative (Review) or those who have not read it. Those who have not read it will be confused by all the new information being thrown their way, as without context, much of this will not make sense. Meanwhile, those who have read it will find major contradictions between this flashback and the event itself; these include the Cosmic Cube’s stability and the fact that the Cancerverse did not collapse as a whole. This complicates the read from the standpoint of all readers.

The other problem is that the frame story around this flashback is not well-written. Gamora’s anger at Peter seems to come from nowhere and the new problems within the team don’t seem to be problems at all. Plus, the constant return to the present disrupts the flashback and makes it less enjoyable.

The second half of this volume centers around the Venom symbiote’s rage against the Guardians and its attempt to return to its homeworld. This portion of the narrative is more consistently entertaining. It starts with some fun action, especially as the symbiote jumps from one member of the team to the next. Then, it develops into something far more interesting, as the history and purpose of the symbiote is revealed. This gives entertainment on both fronts and turns this portion of the narrative into a more well-rounded reading experience.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Guardians of the Galaxy: Original Sin looks good overall and is an improvement from the artwork seen in the previous collection. Ed McGuinness’s work in the first half of the collection does well in depicting detailed versions of every character. Unfortunately, the environments do not look nearly as creative or detailed. Meanwhile, the second half of the book has some equally impressive artwork from Valerio Schiti. This portion of the collection looks detailed and is very creative, especially in the way in which it depicts Venom’s role in the story. Overall, the visuals in this collection look nice and add to the overall experience.

Continuity

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4: Original Sin continues the story from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Guardians Dissembled (Review).

The story here continues in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 5: Through the Looking Glass (Review) or in Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex (Review)

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Issues #18-20 from this collection are technically tie-in chapters to the Original Sin (Review) event. However, almost nothing from that event affects what happens in this comic.
• Instead, these three issues detail the aftermath of The Thanos Imperative (Review).
• Star Lord’s relationship with Kitty Pryde began back in The Trial of Jean Grey.
• At one point, Rocket references the original Captain Marvel’s death. This took place in The Death of Captain Marvel.