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Guardians of the Galaxy (2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1: Grootfall

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An all-new era for the Guardians of the Galaxy begins with the team...broken after tragedy

The Guardians of the Galaxy, as you know them, are no more. After a tragic incident, the team members you love have lost their heroic ways. Now all in a dark emotional place, they go from planet to planet performing mercenary jobs. What happened to the team? And where are Rocket and Groot?

COLLECTING: Guardians of the Galaxy (2023) 1-5

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2023

26 people are currently reading
83 people want to read

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Jackson Lanzing

527 books49 followers

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5 stars
35 (13%)
4 stars
106 (39%)
3 stars
90 (33%)
2 stars
33 (12%)
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5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Malum.
2,839 reviews168 followers
November 10, 2023
A lot of this was confusing because I haven't been reading much Marvel lately (Evil Groot? Mantis' magic dress? Drax is alive again? Gamora is an alcoholic? Rocket is off somewhere else?) yet it was still pretty fun.

This is basically Firefly in the Marvel universe. Starlord even talks like Mal Reynolds (lots of "Me and mine" etc.). I also like how mean everyone was. There is a time and a place for goody two-shoe heroes but the Guardians are the perfect team to write everyone as anti-hero bastards that shoot first and then probably don't ask any questions at all.
Profile Image for Anna  Quilter.
1,677 reviews51 followers
March 24, 2024
I felt this was a fresh take with a seemingly big new storyline..that hopefully will take a few volumes to resolve.
Loved Mantis "Magic dress"!
Profile Image for Adam Fisher.
3,594 reviews23 followers
January 29, 2024
3.5 Stars. Would be higher if we got the origin story of Grootfall, but I saw that it's in the next GN.
The basic premise is this: The Guardians (Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Mantis, Nebula) are trying to save people across the galaxy from the arrival of Grootfall. Groot has changed into a planet changing force that seems to think it's saving everyone by "We are Groot", or consuming everyone to be part of himself. They try to not take sides in a war, but both opponents are too stubborn to stop, so they get eaten as well. Peter does get partially eaten, which has the team seeking out Rocket, now a lawman calling himself Star-Sheriff, who is dealing with a cult of Groot worshippers. Ending with their apparent deaths and consumption by Groot, I have to find out what happens next for sure.
Recommend. A good Guardians story, but definitely something that won't be over in the next Volume or two.
Profile Image for Dakota Morgan.
3,390 reviews54 followers
May 24, 2024
Randomly, the Guardians of the Galaxy are living in a Firefly-style space Western. (I mean, just look at that cover!) I definitely feel like I missed a mini-series somewhere that explains why our heroes have suddenly shifted roles and moved across the galaxy, but once the plot in Grootfall gets rolling I stopped caring about what I might have missed.

The title refers to the fact that Groot is now some kind of interstellar monster who crashes into planets and terraforms them. Yeah! What! Weird! The Guardians are jumping from planet to planet, trying to save colonies before Groot arrives. The whole deal is underexplained (see above paragraph), but the stakes are certainly high! And the art, while kinda goofy, is perfectly suited to the Western vibes.

I liked the single issue for Starlord that deals with his Spartax origins in less of a "my dad sucks" way. And the single issue for Rocket was fantastic. Ultimately, this new Guardians series feels out of left field, but maybe in a good way? I'm definitely on board for wherever this is going.
Profile Image for Sean Sutherland.
19 reviews
January 19, 2024
Huge departure as to what was expected from these characters, especially Mantis and Nebula. I can appreciate the effort to tell a different story but ultimately it didn't lead me to care about them at all.
Profile Image for Elisha.
94 reviews11 followers
August 17, 2024
I got the first issue of this story during Free Comic Book Day (I think so anyway). Groot is one of my favorite characters, so the stakes are not only high for our main characters, but for fans of Groot as well.

Can't wait to dive into the next volume of this story!
Profile Image for Alex Sarll.
7,058 reviews363 followers
Read
January 17, 2024
The last Guardians series, written by Al Ewing, opened with the Guardians split by an unseen but obviously Not Good event, the divided survivors ploughing on as best they could, but in an inevitably darkened mood. It had some excellent bits, but it very much felt like an opening act, and then right when they'd finally got the band back together, it was cancelled.

Still, at least the team were now reunited and the next run could pick up from there, right? After all, against all odds this line-up of oddballs is now known and loved worldwide, even to the extent of being in the one post-Thanos MCU film so good that it gets exempted from the endless Whither Feige? 'think' pieces.

The new Guardians series, written by Lanzing & Kelly, opens with the Guardians split by an unseen but obviously Not Good event, the divided survivors ploughing on as best they can, but in an inevitably darkened mood.

Seriously? There's an entire galaxy out there for them to guard, and nobody can think of a comic where these guys face it together, rather than splitting them up every damn time?

Obviously there are differences; if the cover doesn't give away that it's going for a space Western vibe, the planet Morricon 4 and the bit where Rocket becomes the star-sheriff should. Kev Walker's art is a pretty good match for that, at least, though the colours feel a little too, well, colourful. But the team breach this time is not just a falling-out, it's Groot becoming a planet-ending threat, and despite the fact that the backdrop to the Western as a genre is the end of the world for half the participants, I'm not convinced it's a natural match for the particular apocalyptic tone here. My first encounter with Lanzing & Kelly had me intrigued - their Kang miniseries was one of a very small number of stories that sold me on a character who can often end up a risible mess (and presumably that's not a tally to which the films are now likely to add). But between their misfiring Cap run and this, I'm starting to conclude that either it was a fluke, or Marvel editorial really aren't doing them any favours.
Profile Image for Tyler Jenkins.
561 reviews
August 17, 2023
This version of the Guardians was 100% incredibly inspired by the MCU right down to Mantis literally using the multiverse to mention the MCU Mantis for a second. Still a fun story with lots of emotion into it as the team reels from their losses a year ago that are still untold.
Profile Image for Roman.
199 reviews
July 5, 2024
​​Я недавно усвідомив, що давно нічого про Вартових Галактики не читав, тому вирішив зацінити перші п'ять номерів їх недавньої серії.

Сам сюжет розповідає про те як наші герої знаходяться на краю галактики й намагаються врятувати різні планети та їх жителів від певної загрози. Що за загроза спитаєте ви? Величезні палаючі голови Ґрута, які називають Ґрутопадом і які здатні при контакті з планетою поглинути все, що на ній є.

Ось і вся зав'язка, яка насправді є досить прикольною. Взагалі станній раз коли ми бачили Вартових в їх власній серії то у них був дуже крутий ростер з купою персонажів і було б цікаво побачити як вони будуть з цим розбиратися. Однак ми цього не побачимо, як виявилося минулий великий ростер розвалився десь за кадром і нам так і не розкажуть чому, так само як і не розкажуть, яким чином Ґрут став загрозою галактичного масштабу. Натомість ми отримали  максимально МСЮшний ростер з Зоряним Лордом, Драксом, Ґаморою, Мантіс, Небулою та Ракетою який з'являється трохи пізніше. того, що ще трішки розчаровує є те, що Вартових знову відкинуло до ролі авантюристів яких несильно поважають.

Повертаючись до персонажів то з Мантіс тут відбувається найбільший пиздос. Я звісно не експект і в основному з її історією знайомий по відео з ютубу та тих рідких випадках коли я таки пересікався з нею в коміксах, але вона тут буквально інший персонаж. По-перше, вона якось зуміла змінити колір шкіри й тепер не є зеленою. По-друге, вона, як я зрозумів за кадром, отримала якесь магічне плаття яке змінює їй особистості й тепер вона є комік реліфом серії. І це було б не так погано, але буквально, як і багато чого в цій серії, береться нізвідки й не отримує якогось пояснення.

Якщо ж відкинути мої проблеми з недосказаністю, то Келлі з Ланцінґом видали загалом окейну історію у сетингу вестерну, за нею навіть місцями досить цікаво спостерігати та й сама інтрига з Ґрутопадом не найгірша. Але от найкращим, що є у цьому коміксі для мене став малюнок Кева Волкера який досить красиво показав Ґрутопад, в результаті чого сцени з ним заворожують, й найбільше запам'ятовуються.

Загалом початок цієї серії Вартових Галактики для мене вийшов досить проблемним, тут є прикольні моменти та ідеї, але я не є фанатом вестернів, так само як не є фанатом забивання та ігнорування того, що було буквально в минулому рані. З усім тим, я все-таки можу порадити людям спробувати зацінити цю серію і можливо вам сподобається більше ніж мені. Сподіваюся друга половина буде кращою.
Profile Image for Charlie.
579 reviews16 followers
February 9, 2025
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1: Grootfall is an ambitious and visually stunning reinvention of the beloved team, but it struggles with pacing and clarity. The artwork by Kev Walker is undeniably gorgeous, bringing a gritty, space-western aesthetic that sets this run apart from previous iterations. Every panel is dynamic and atmospheric, making it one of the book’s biggest strengths.

That said, the story itself is a bit harder to grasp. The plot moves incredibly fast—so much so that it feels like a blur, making it a very quick read but leaving readers with more questions than answers. It often feels like key context is missing, making it difficult to fully understand the stakes or how the Guardians ended up in their current situation. While a lot technically happens, it also feels like not much progress is made, leading to a sense of narrative frustration.

With only one more volume left in this arc, it’s hard to see how everything will be wrapped up in a satisfying way. The big mystery surrounding Grootfall is intriguing, but the rushed storytelling makes it tough to connect with the characters or fully invest in their plight.

Overall, Grootfall is a visually stunning but somewhat disorienting read. Longtime Guardians fans may appreciate the bold direction, but the lack of clarity and breakneck pacing might leave others struggling to keep up. Hopefully, the next volume provides the payoff that this setup needs.
Profile Image for Subham.
3,071 reviews102 followers
August 27, 2024
This one actually had a great idea of how the crises starts and we are in the middle of the story and we don't know exactly what has happened and its like up to us to figure out what happened by reading and rereading but that may also be its draw back as it doesn't totally commit to it but oh well good moments as you see the different members come together and yeah they have to deal with their friend going bad guy galactus lets say, but its only done well for Rocket and Star-Lord to an extent but for Rocket there was a whole issue where he has to deal with his best friend going berserk and that was great.

There's also that element of this run following up on the reveal in Slott's FF that new sector has opened up and it has two factions fighting and it should have explored that, the names Whitecaps vs Sectors united does lend a credence to the fact that there is an active warzone going up but this crisis is going on also so it should have explored that conflict a little more and the two sides involved in it.

But then you see the ending with the team coming together and trying to get over the day the whole event started and let's see next volume they will explore this more and in full detail and it will be great to see the big reason why and how it all happened!
Profile Image for Chris Lemmerman.
Author 7 books123 followers
October 28, 2023
The Guardians are ba- oh wait, never mind, no they're not.

When something terrible befalls Groot, the Guardians are rent asunder. Some remain to try and stop Groot's inexorable march across the galaxy. Some head off on their own to live out their lives as best they can. But none can hide from Grootfall forever.

I do appreciate that this run feels unlike any of the runs in recent memory - if you're going to relaunch a title, it's nice to have such a big tonal shift to accompany it. That said, I would very much like to not have doom and gloom Guardians for a while, especially to this degree. I know a lot of the Guardians comics in the past have thrived on losing and gaining members, but this is extremely depressing - even when the twist at the end is revealed, it's clear that we're not out of the metaphorical Grootwoods just yet.

A solid start, but it's hard to get excited about a book that makes me this sad.
Profile Image for bryce.
96 reviews
March 17, 2024
idk i got this cause i'm having a real cowboy moment. i could not care for guardians and don't have the marvel knowledge to really know anything that this book didn't directly explain but the art was great. story felt a little muddied sometimes. i feel like the follow-up will explain everything and i'm still intrigued enough to want to buy the second book

BUT

brought as a graphic novel and Marvel loves to ridiculously overprice everything nowadays so i'd say buy on a discount because £16.99 rrp is not worth the amount of story you get plus the paper quality is not great.
396 reviews2 followers
April 21, 2024
Wow, crazy crazy stuff.

One of the more exciting and sad guardians I've read in quite a while. Never saw any of alot of what happened coming. Nevermind the whole thing with the last guardian in the world I'd expect to be the cause of all this. It's just soooo bugged out that this went on and really interested in seeing where this is going. Writing was good and the artwork was fantastic.
Profile Image for Vladimír.
432 reviews10 followers
December 1, 2023
Už ani neviem koľká verzia tohto tímu tentoraz funguje. Na scéne sú síce známe postavy, ale každá je trochu iná, niečím poznačená a tak je vždy nájdenie ďalšieho člena spojené s hádankou týkajúcou sa jeho aktuálneho rozpoloženia. Nechýba ani akcia a hneď niekoľko menších misií, ktoré sa nakoniec zaujímavo prepoja. V záver síce ešte presne nevieme čo je to Grootfall, ale po piatich zošitoch je nám jasné, že to je čistá skaza. Oceňujem westernové poňatie scén mimo vesmíru. Príbeh má potenciál a tento book odporúčam všetkým fanúšikom Gog - či už novým, alebo starým.
Profile Image for Ross.
1,545 reviews
January 17, 2024
Others have said it and I'll echo the statement...

GotG is now a space western, ala 'Firefly'

Using the comic trope of time jumping, we're one year past a big event that broke the team apart. This collection of the first few issues is mostly character reintroductions and lore dropping.

Not bad...not great. The jury is still out on this, for me.
Profile Image for Daniel Santos.
153 reviews3 followers
April 21, 2024
Recomeço interessante da equipe de Guardiões, clima de velho oeste no espaço distante
pouca conexão com o resto do universo MARVEL
e varias facetas novas dos velhos conhecidos Peter Quill e Gamora bêbada
o Drax tá meio entediado e o Groot agora virou uma espécie de EGo o planeta Groot
enfim começo meio caótico com algumas sacadas promissores
Profile Image for Alex.
703 reviews11 followers
May 26, 2024
Maybe I'm too much of a fan of the Ewing run that preceeds this, but this adventure dealing with a planet killing Groot isn't wowing me. Typical beginning, a fractured team with no explanation how we got here, but the mission is clear. Rough art, and a race against time. Unfortunately this vol doesn't have a concrete ending either, so underwhelming so far...
Profile Image for John Shaw.
1,204 reviews14 followers
June 20, 2024
Well, Hell.
What do you do when your best friend who is a sentient tree becomes a world devouring kaiju monster?
If you are the Guardians of the Galaxy you try like Hell to evac planets ahead of the planet killer
that used to be your friend.
And hope against the inevitability that you cannot stop him and will have to kill him.
Profile Image for Daniel Butcher.
2,946 reviews2 followers
December 29, 2023
The arts a bit odd with new character models. I feel like I’m just dropped into something without context, which I’m sure is the point. The hunting issue is a little unexpected for the arc. And there is at least one hero who’s gone and then shows up without much hoopla.
Profile Image for Charles-Louis.
169 reviews1 follower
April 6, 2024
Pas trop mal, un peu drôle et assez bien dessiné. Je ne vois pas trop l’intérêt pour quelqu’un qui ne connaît pas déjà les Guardians et comme ça finit sur une non-résolution/cliffhanger vraiment flou, c’est un peu trop agacé pour être recommandé sans avoir lu la suite.
Profile Image for Kelvin Green.
Author 16 books8 followers
August 10, 2025
The Western trappings are a little superficial and twee, but this has a compelling story -- with a juicy central mystery, only partially resolved here -- solid and sometimes poignant characterisation, and glorious art from Kev Walker and Matt Hollingsworth.
Profile Image for Martijn Van.
Author 5 books5 followers
November 26, 2023
This is the first trade paperback collection of Guardians of The Galaxy (2023)/Guardians of The Galaxy vol. 7/Guardians of The Galaxy by Collin Kelly. And the fourth incarnation of these characters that i read.

Overall it's fine. The western vibe and action scenes really fit the characters and world but at the same time there is no real character development. All we know, we know thanks to the movies or earlier comicbooks and there is nothing more to the Guardians than that. Hopefully future stories will delve deeper. In the meantime i will wait for a omnibus collection and start catching up on older stories.

This is the fourth incarnation i read and i place this third place.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy 1967 (1967-1977)
2. Guardians of the Galaxy by Al Ewing (2020-2022)
3. Guardians of the Galaxy by Collin Kelly (2023)
4. Guardians of the Galaxy by Donny Cates (2019-2020).
Profile Image for Dean.
972 reviews5 followers
January 11, 2024
Didn't dig this at all.
Enjoyed the covers and that was about it. I really like Kelly and Lanzing, which is a shame.
Profile Image for Jason.
4,553 reviews
April 26, 2024
4.25
Pretty decent. They are always changing the status quo of this team. Yet... it's also the same as it ever was at the same time.
Profile Image for FrontalNerdaty .
476 reviews9 followers
May 19, 2024
This faux Firefly lite approach to the GOTG wasn’t the one for me. The art is so-so and quite cartoony and the overall story feels like tropes we’ve been over before.
Profile Image for Nicole.
3,619 reviews19 followers
May 22, 2024
This was just ok for me. I liked the artwork and it's a mildly intriguing premise...but I don't feel like it got me hooked. Might continue...might not. Really not sure at this point.
Profile Image for Sonny Spisak.
6 reviews
August 10, 2024
I love Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing’s take on the guardians here. They are all popping with their own personalities. The artwork by Kev Walker is amazing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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