This is my 1st Guardians of the Galaxy novel, and it may seem strange for me to have started in the middle of the Black Vortex story arc, but I really don't care, this novel is amazing, funny, and it gives me all I love: Sci-fi, a sexy hero, badass women, anthropomorphism...Not to mention, Venom and the X-Men are in this novel, what is not to love?
First off, Star-Lord is sexy as hell. Move over Captain America, there is a new hero in the galaxy! Okay, maybe new is not the right word, as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord first appeared in 1976, but I am unimaginably late to the game. Secondly, Gamora is probably the most badass female in the Marvel universe. Think She-Hulk with superior fighting skills and in space! I mean Gamora is about to go head-to-head against Thanos, destroyer of half the Universe! How badass is that!?
This is also my first novel I've read with Captain Marvel (I told you I am late to the game) and I can pleasantly say I am a fan of her character. She is quirky, smart, relatable, and has just enough strong independent woman in her to make me fall in love. The novel also has Magik, quite possibly my favorite X-Men. She's a Russian sorceress mutant. How cool is that? Young Jean Grey is also a star of the novel, and she goes all Phoenix without the evil, which is always fun. Kitty Pryde is also in the novel, but I am not sure what she provides tactically to the team besides being some sort of attached to the hip fan girl to Star-Lord. That's a bit of a let down...However, I can forgive the writers because Gamora, Captain Marvel, Magik, and Jean Grey more than make up for it in female badassery.
Overall, Through the Looking Glass is a solid piece of fiction, and I look forward to reading more! I am a big fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy films and this novel gives me more to those characters, which I love. Although seemingly odd on the surface, the story works, and for that I commend Marvel!