Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Grootrise

Guardians of the Galaxy (2023)

by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly

The origin of Grootfall!

One year ago, the Guardians were more than a team — they were the galaxy’s super heroes! But now they are outlaws, guns-for-hire roaming the frontier in hopes of stopping one of their own. How did the Guardians fall apart…and what changed Groot into the monster he is now? The untold story is finally revealed!

Guardians of the Galaxy (2023) 6-10

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

Published April 23, 2024

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this volume but I thought it ended really well. If huge space battles are your thing, you’ll probably agree with me. Be warned, though; the Guardians don’t get through this one without making sacrifices.

My favourite part of this book, though, was the artwork by Kev Walker. I love his stuff; great visual storytelling with not a line wasted.

If I had one specific criticism, it’s that I wish they’d gone into a bit more detail about what the deal is with Mantis switching between (or merging with?) her alternate universe selves.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75
This series is a mess. It barely builds on the character development from the previous series. Very little meaningful character interaction between the guardians that develops those characters. And worst of all, their endorsements and submission to Grootfall, an entity that had caused mass destruction of planets and killed billions. But it's ok...it was a loving embrace. And they all get to be remade as part of the Groot collective/phalanx. I think I'm on the side of the "bad guys."

[Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5!
Very touching conclusion! Marvel can fuck right off forever! All time garbage company 👍

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Guardians have experienced Grootfall and are now a part of Groot (I guess), leading to Grootrise being a pretty trippy volume. Groot's deal is well-explained, at least, when the explanation eventually comes along (He's not destroying everything, he's rebirthing it).

After the explanation, the book shifts a bit into a more traditional sci-fi battle against Starlord's sister. Kev Walker's artwork is stellar throughout. Maybe not as good as Grootfall, which had loads of intrigue, but still a worthy conclusion to this mini-series.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was skeptical when GoTG restarted with Grootfall. It was an odd story considering that the Guardians had left off in the best place ever from the previous Volume. I really needed this Volume, Grootrise, to see the full picture.
The majority of the Volume has many being trying to stop the Grootfall (destructive wave of Groot crossing the galaxy and killing people) and the Guardians defending Groot. When the Spartax Empire gets involved, Rocket is able to steal on of their solar drives and use it to stop Groot. The "Grootfall" was never killing anyone, but merely storing them, so with Groot growing properly again, all the lives come back and the galaxy is safe again.
Though I wasn't super satisfied the explanation behind it all, it was a heartwarming and entertaining story. RIP Drax :(

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

My bad, I thought this ended last month. And I guess it’s still not technically over. It ends with the Annual issue, but that’s not listed here so I’m marking them as separate reads. Anyway, this story is insane. Marvel cosmic at its peak weirdness and confusion.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 2 out of 5]

O começo dessa fase de Collin Kelly e Jackson Lanzing prometia bastante. Os Guardiões da Galáxia perdidos em um planeta em estilo Velho Oeste, com Groot transformado em vilão e ameaçando aquela parte do universo. E o primeiro volume até que cumpriu o prometido, junto com competente arte de Kev Walker. Mas este segundo volume foi por água abaixo, não funcionou nem um pouco na minha opinião. Isso porque muitos autores sabem construir mundos novos com facilidade, mas na hora de explicar e justificar como e porque estes mundos surgiram não se saem tão bem assim. E foi isso que, na minha humilde opinião, aconteceu neste segundo volume dessa última fase dos Guardiões da Galáxia. Os autores trouxeram uma justificativa bem mal construída para explicar como que Groot havia se tornado um supervilão consumidor de mundos. Uma reviravolta bem besta do quadrinho e que só vai entender quem leu a minissérie do Groot que é infinitamente melhor e mais bem desenvolvida que essa malfadada fase de Lanzing e Kelly.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 4 out of 5]

No puede ser que no continúe :(

[Subham · Rating 2 out of 5]

This run was awful jesus christ. The first volume set up a pretty good premise of how do the guardians deal with their friend becoming a bad guy and all of the coming together in the end to save their friend and stop this Grootfall phenomenon and then this volume happens and issues #6 and #9 were awesome like the reason of how it happened and that issues with Mantis and whats going on with her multiversal personality thing and her Earth trip with Gamora and like really shows their dynamic really well and references the event of Empyre which I love.

Then they start supporting groot doing all this for what I still don't understand and they all act like hippies like they're under some trance or something? I thought they will fight this thing controlling them or something but idk they are defending whatever groot is doing and turns out the whitecaps are not the bad guys.. umm whatever? So that was pointless. And then there is the final war between Sectors united led by Queen Victoria aka Peter's sister vs Pete himself, that could be an epic conflict.

But yeah like I said disappointing how it ends, though it does give the team a good ending. Maybe some people will like this ending, I didn't. I feel like the team had to change their story as this run was cut short and had to rush the endings and a lot of plot points remains unclear or rushed but oh well see it for yourself. Maybe you will like this run and volume. I didn't and I just hope whoever the creative team is on next is actually good for once.

[Vigo Carolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright, I loved the first volume and it truly got me hooked to understand what was going to happen next and the explanation to all of this but then…
This happened and hum…
It was a fun read nonetheless but I still don’t get that whole Groot thingy, call me stupid but what was the rebirth for or whatever that was? It all seemed pretty pointless to me and I think the Mantis thing was also very rushed. During the whole time the guardians were being Groot possessed per say, I thought they would like snap out and I would finally understand what the hell was happening, but no, they were just some kind of hippies or something and then Drax died which I understood why, but again, I don’t understand this Groot rebirth, rebirth of what? The dead people he himself killed?
So yeah, this volume kind of disappointed me…

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehhh, this is fine.

It feels like there was more to tell here, and it definitely had the 'we broke all the toys now we need to fix them and put them back for the next writer' thing going on, as all the damage caused by Grootfall is seemingly washed away. There's nothing wrong with a reset, but after only 10 issues and an annual it feels really quick, and cheapens the overall story.

Art's nice, though I know Kev Walker isn't for everyone, and I'm always happy when people remember Star-Lord's sister is a thing. Not my favourite Hivemind book though.

[Delta-Charlie2739 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Guardians have always been infected with brand synergy, it’s in their nature at this rate, so I hope we can accept that it will happen to them harder than other characters like Spider-Man (except for him they just draw him differently depending on the actor at the time). Better than the last volume at least. Honesty this volume could be more offensive since we went in one big circle. I hope the next run is better and doesn’t build off this one. This was the last of my Guardians streak, which ended on a whimper.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post Grootfall...
The Guardians of the Galaxy are dead. Long live the Guardians.

We finally learn what catastrophic event led to the 'space western' Guardians in the previous volume. Also, did anybody notice that the team was missing Hercules, Moondragon, and that Quasar woman? No? Me neither. We're back to the usual GotG themes of forgiveness, growth, and renewal (now with more greenery!)

(this volume is loosely connected to characters and plot in the miniseries 'Groot:Uprooted')

[Kelvin Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art from Kev Walker and Matt Hollingsworth is still great, chunky and kinetic and full of personality. The character writing is solid, but the plotting gets a bit scattered; everything comes together at the end in a mostly satisfying way, but it feels unfocussed in comparison to the first volume, and the answer to the mystery of the first book -- why is Groot now an extinction level threat? -- is much less interesting than the question.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of loved it but it was a messy mess of a book. It’s not as fun as it wants to be.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very eh. Purposely breaking all the toys just for the sake of it, somewhat putting them back after? Felt like the whole story went in circles or served no purpose.

[Elisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome ending to an unique story! I got emotional, and it takes A LOT for me to get emotional.

Easy my favorite comic storyline so far this year!

[Alejandro Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among the best Guardians of the Galaxy runs.

[➶ Nova ➷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love my space family so much even if they make me cry all the time

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

They lost me on the central plot device / deus ex machina.

I get what happened but I'm not sure why.

[Davi Bampi · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the end it was an okay to good story. Although nothing big or epic, certainly this will not stick as one of the classics guardians stories.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big SciFi epic that has the heart of the Guardians.