Review: Rocket Raccoon Vol. 1- A Chasing Tale

Quick Summary

Pros: The main narrative is full of fun action and also contains a compelling mystery. Rocket is well-written here and even gets a bit of meaningful character development. The closing stories are unique and interesting. The artwork is beautiful and significantly enhances the appeal of this collection.

Cons: The conclusion to the main narrative is a bit rushed.

Overall: This is a strong start to a solo series with tons of potential. It follows a tremendously entertaining story full of action, mystery, character development, and plenty of humor. This story is then enhanced with visually creative artwork that adds to the entire reading experience. There are very few downsides to this collection overall, making it the perfect choice for any fan of Rocket Raccoon or any reader looking for a creative dive into the cosmic Marvel universe.

Story

Rocket Raccoon Vol. 1: A Chasing Tale, by Skottie Young, is a humorously chaotic book with a wildly entertaining cast of characters. It sees Rocket Raccoon overcome a series of misunderstandings that require him to fight or think his way out of danger. This leads to moments of fun action, some compelling mystery, and even a bit of meaningful character development. Then, the collection closes with two creative stories centered around Rocket. All of this adds up to an all around great reading experience.

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The majority of A Chasing Tale follows Rocket Racoon’s attempt to clear his name while also avoiding an army of murderous ex-girlfriends. This concept inherently lends itself to fun action and structured chaos, which the book has in spades. Some pages will have Rocket jumping around and fighting whomever is willing to challenge him. Other pages will have Groot step in and do some damage as Rocket’s friendly enforcer. Either way, Rocket’s misadventures end up being a blast all the way through.

This adventure is also entertaining from a storytelling aspect, as the entire journey continually finds ways to capture interest. Right off the bat, readers are introduced to two separate mysteries, one regarding Rocket’s identity theft and the other regarding a league of assassins. Discovering the secrets behind these mysteries is rewarding and keeps the volume interesting as it progresses.

Learning more about these mysteries also helps introduce some subtle, but well-written, character development for Rocket. Readers have a chance to see him delight in the hope of finding his people and see him crushed after having this hope dashed. It is a meaningful moment where Rocket’s otherwise tough persona breaks away.

The only noticeable problem with this volume’s main storyline is that the conclusion feels a bit rushed. Both the imposter-Rocket and the army of ex-girlfriends are dispatched with relative ease, especially considering the sheer number of ex-girlfriends Rocket had to fight. This is not a significantly damaging problem but is something that readers are likely to notice when going through this book.

A Chasing Tale also ends with two wonderful chapters that detail individual adventures from the life of Rocket Raccoon. The first sees Skottie Young tell a heartfelt and entertaining story through Groot’s perspective, which means every piece of dialogue simply says “I am Groot”. It is an impressive endeavor, especially considering the quality of the issue. The second chapter is also heartfelt and entertaining, though not quite as unique. Both chapters add to the book as a whole and make it better overall.

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Art

The artwork in A Chasing Tale is incredible and plays a significant role in the overall appeal of this collection. Skottie Young’s stylized take on the Marvel universe pairs perfectly with the lighthearted and chaotic adventures of a talking raccoon. It allows for over-the-top moments to play out in a natural way without ever seriously endangering the suspension of disbelief. These same elements can also be seen in Jake Parker’s work on the final two chapters, which looks almost as good as Young’s. All in all, this is a great looking book that suits Rocket’s story well.

However, the best aspect of Young’s artwork is how wonderfully creative it is at nearly every moment. Alien creatures and alien planets are unique in a way that makes them truly look like something you could find in space. This creativity extends to the spaceships as well, especially the entertainingly bizarre fish-based ship that Rocket finds himself driving at one point. This creative diversity makes this comic feel like a true cosmic adventure and makes nearly every page of this book a delight.

Continuity

Rocket Raccoon Vol. 1: A Chasing Tale is the first 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 story here continues in Rocket Raccoon Vol. 2: Storytailer (Review).

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

• Groot mentions that he recently learned he may not be the only member of his species. He learned this in Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow’s Avengers #1, which is collected in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1: Cosmic Avengers (Review).
• Rocket mentions a recent event with Cosmo. This happened in issue #20 of Nova, which is collected in Nova Vol. 4: Original Sin.