Guardians Of The Galaxy (2015) #7 Review

By Marcus Flowers | Apr 16, 2016

Ben Grimm: Space BARBARIAN! The Thing might miss some things about Earth, but he does admit that space has its perks.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) #7

Written by Brian Michael Bendis

Art by Valerio Schiti

Colored by Richard Isanove

Published by Marvel Comics

For nearly two decades, writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, All-New All-Different Avengers, Alias) has not only delivered quality stories via Marvel Comics, but has created cultural icons (Jessica Jones and Miles Morales) that will carry the Marvel Universe into the future. Bendis has already made the already interesting Guardians of the Galaxy even more compelling with the additions of Kitty Pryde, a.k.a. Shadowcat of the X-Men, and Benn Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing of the Fantastic Four.

More from Comics

Artist Valerio Schiti (New Avengers, Journey into Mystery: Fear Itself, Guardians of the Galaxy & The X-Men: Black Vortex) assists Bendis in making this issue’s great story even more memorable with the addition of stellar artwork.

From the inception of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket Raccoon and Groot have always been the premiere dynamic duo of the cosmos. But somehow, Bendis managed to pry the two a part and, for the time being, pair Raccoon with the Thing for a sensational story.

The issue begins with Rocket Raccoon playing possum. He has recently been captured by a race of aliens that run a slave planet. Rocket, having the mouth that he has, manages to distract the guards long enough for the Thing to make a grand appearance and single-handedly take out the entire fleet of alien guards.

One thing that is really noticeable is the pure power the Thing truly has. As a member of the Fantastic Four, he often had to hold himself back from losing control. But being in outer space, he finally gets the opportunity to unleash his true power on the scum of the cosmos.

In the midst of trying to rescue the prisoners, the Thing stumbles upon the alien of his dreams, while Raccoon goes and hijacks the very same ship that brought most of the prisoners to the planet. There is a speaking barrier between the Thing and the alien of his affections, but a younger alien of another species plays interpreter for both parties.

Once the Thing and Rocket Raccoon get the newly freed prisoners on the ship, the ship receives a broadcast that is being displayed throughout the whole galaxy. It states that Peter Quill has been sentenced to death due to his crimes.

The Bottom Line: A happy ending gets cut short by reality, and Bendis sure knows how to pull a reader’s leg. It’s refreshing to witness the Thing in a starring role for a change. As a member of the Fantastic Four, the Thing was never truly the lead, just a background player. Bendis moving him to the Guardians is probably the best event to happen to this character. Marvel readers finally get to see the Thing in a new light, and its amazing.

Rocket Raccoon has great chemistry with almost anyone in the Marvel universe. Pairing him with the Thing was great because the two play so well off of each other. The mini team-ups are coming to a close, but seeing Raccoon and the Thing team up again would not be a bad idea.