Review: Groot
Quick Summary
Pros: The main story is fun and the characters are charming. Groot is a fantastic main character and his interactions with others are well-written. The themes about positivity and optimism are wholesome and inspiring. The artwork looks good and is a wonderful complement to the story.
Cons: Portions of the narrative sometimes feel random and are too rapidly paced.
Overall: Groot’s first solo comic series is a success from beginning to end. It follows an interesting storyline that brings together a unique cast of characters. Groot then proceeds to inspire these characters and the reader with his positive attitude and abundant charm. Reading this comic is a wholesome experience that stands out among the comic book industry. Any fan of Groot or any reader looking for a feel-good comic should definitely check this book out.
Story
Groot, by Jeff Loveness, is a delightfully positive and optimistic adventure with a character whose appearance here is more endearing than ever. In this collection, Groot is on a mission and he won’t let any number of strange misadventures deter him from this mission. Instead, he uses his own unyielding charm to influence the situation around him, leading to interactions that range from comedic and funny to wholesome and inspiring. This infuses the collection with appeal and turns Groot into a character who is a joy to watch. All of these factors then come together to create a positive reading experience and a genuine feel-good comic.
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The adventures that take place in Groot are as charming and comedic as its cast. Groot is constantly on the move from one situation to the next, with each one bringing its own unique and goofy charm. This lighthearted narrative is the perfect backdrop for the diverse range of character interactions that take place here. This allows ridiculous situations, like a robot becoming friends with a group of would-be invaders, to play out with a solid level of humor and fun.
However, the best element of this book is how incredibly positive and optimistic Groot is from the beginning of the adventure all the way to the end. Throughout this collection, readers are constantly shown what a hard life Groot has had. From being tortured in prison to temporarily losing his best friend, Groot has plenty of reasons to feel depressed about life. However, he rises above this and beams positivity in every action he takes. He even goes on to demonstrate how addictive this positivity is by spreading it to everyone he meets along the way. Showcasing the contagious power of hope and optimism was a great choice by Loveness, as it is a heartwarming message for readers and the perfect complement for Groot’s character.
The most significant and memorable example of Groot‘s commitment to positivity is the book’s final chapter. In this portion of the narrative, Groot reveals that, long ago, he sacrificed life among his own people so that he could save the life of a human child. Now, that child is all grown up and Groot has tracked her down to show what an impact she had upon his life. It is a touching story about the difference one person can make. It also concludes the volume by leaving readers with a wonderful emotional sendoff, which is the perfect way to end such a touching story.
If there is a problem with this collection it would be that the pacing is a bit quick, causing some events to feel forced or random. Throughout this book, random encounters and sudden developments seem a bit too fortuitous to be natural. This includes Groot running into incredibly powerful cosmic forces, like the Silver Surfer, or the sudden appearance of a Super-Skrull just when the situation is at its most dire. By making these circumstances pop up randomly rather than developing them, they undercut the otherwise natural flow of the story.
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Art
The artwork in Groot looks good on every page and is a wonderful complement to the story being told. Brian Kesinger presents a lighthearted trip through the galaxy with stylized characters and imaginative locations. This art style helps make the wacky adventures of this collection feel more natural. The lighthearted character design also matches the consistently positive messages found in the story; it even manages to make typically intimidating creatures look endearing and approachable.
One aspect of the artwork that I found particularly noteworthy was the way Groot’s interactions are displayed. Before even reading the first page of this book, I was curious about how dialogue would work when the main character can only say one specific phrase. After reading it, I was very pleased with the outcome. Groot’s intentions are mostly intimated through gestures or expressions. However, there are also moments where Groot’s signature phrase will be written in a way that allows the interior of the lettering to display his intentions. These moments are wonderfully artistic glimpses into Groot’s thought process and are the perfect way of maintaining his otherworldly language while still conveying his speech.
Continuity
Groot is the first and only volume in a new comic series. Though it does not directly follow any particular comic, it indirectly continues story elements from the Guardians of the Galaxy comic series.
The Groot series ends with this volume. However, aspects of the story are continued in Rocket Raccoon & Groot Vol. 1: Tricks of the Trade.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- The Silver Surfer mentions his recent team-up with Groot. This occurred in Guardians Team-Up #8, collected in Guardians Team-Up Vol. 2: Unlikely Story.
- The Silver Surfer’s recent cosmic travels began in Silver Surfer Volume 1: New Dawn.
- In her conversation with Groot, Numinus mentions a number of general events and a number of specific events stretching across the history of Marvel Comics. The specific events include:
- The moment the Fantastic Four received their powers. This moment was originally told in Fantastic Four #1, now collected in Fantastic Four Epic Collection: The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine.
- The moment Spider-Man received his powers. This moment was originally told in Amazing Fantasy #15, now collected in Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Great Power.
- The death of Gwen Stacy from Amazing Spider-Man #121, now collected in Spider-Man: Death of the Stacys.
- The original death of Jean Grey from X-Men #137, now collected in X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga.
- The events of Civil War.
- The beginning of House of M.
- The death of Charles Xavier in Avengers vs. X-Men #11, collected in Avengers vs. X-Men.