Guardians of the Galaxy: New Guard, Vol. 4: Grounded

Guardians of the Galaxy: New Guard

by Brian Michael Bendis, Valerio Schiti (Artist)

The Guardians of the Galaxy have been grounded! The spacefaring super heroes are stuck, of all places, on Earth. How and why have the Guardians become stranded here, and what are they going to do about their new situation? And to make matters worse, they're also not necessarily a team anymore. Just what's an urban spaceman to do? What would you do?

Collecting: Guardians of the Galaxy 15-19

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

136 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 2017

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Bendis’ swan song on his run on this title, the Guardians are adrift and separated on Earth. Kind of like that Star Trek movie where they separate in order to find whales in San Francisco.



Okay, not really.

Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, the Fantastic Four’s angry, funny rock-dude, ball of pathos, is looking for something to do.



Enter: SHIELD.



“Atlantis Attacks”! Way to work that meta-humor Bendis.

SHIELD wants him to find Dr. Doom and punch him.



Elsewhere, Gamora wants to resolve her step-daddy issues with Thanos by hugging it out shooting him in the head with a laser rifle.



Groot gets a cute Seuss-ian rhyming treatment.



Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Angela, Thor’s sister (Huh?) gets some page time.



Think Shana, the She-Devil, but dressed with a metal bustier instead of a jungle bikini.

*long pause as Jeff actually thinks about this*



Bendis wraps it up with the 3,176th invasion of Earth and a final confrontation with Thanos.



And it’s clobberin’ time, yo.



For future generations, no humpbacked whales were harmed in the writing of this review.

Bottom Line - In an afterwards to this book, that I sort of glanced at, Bendis admits to being out of his element with the space opera stuff, yet he at least brings some of his trademark wit to the finale. This book seems to skip around on the details, only featuring some of the Guardians, so it doesn’t seem quite complete. I assume their stories are, as per usual with these volumes, included elsewhere. (If somebody says they're in Civil War II, I'll hurl by breakfast.)

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four solo stories followed up by a battle with half the galaxy. The solo stories felt like lead-ins to other books. The Thing story was really a prequel for Bendis's Infamous Iron Man series and was the best of the bunch. Then we have a Groot solo story written in verse that I just found annoying. Then Gamora won't quit breaking into government facilities looking for Thanos and has to be dealt with. Next was an Angela issue where I felt like I missed a miniseries of hers or something because I didn't know what was going on. Lastly, Thanos teams up with Annihilus, the Badoon, and the Brood to take out Earth which leads into the new Guardians book focusing on the characters from the movies.

I'm looking forward to see what Gerry Duggan does with the series. Bendis's stories were hit and miss.

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Praise Jeebus, Bendis' Guardians run ends here. In this volume, Bendis once again sucks out almost all of the fun that makes the Guardians a good team.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so Brian Michael Bendis' run on the Guardians comes to an end. I have to say that I've really enjoyed the vast majority of it, the exceptions being the Angela-heavy issues. I still don't like her, even if she was created by Neil Gaiman. Sorry, Neil.

I loved the inclusion of Shadowcat, the Thing and Venom on the Guardians squad (although I'm well aware I'm in the minority here) and am sad to see the new Guardians series only includes the Guardians from the movies. I swear, there are times when I'm annoyed Marvel ever made any damned movies (I kid, I kid... the movies are flarkin' awesome!)

Anyway, great run Mr. Bendis; here's hoping Gerry Duggan's stuff is as good...

[Oneirosophos · Rating 1 out of 5]

After Milano, the new ship gets exploded and we have ANOTHER DISASSEMBLED.

Goddammit Bendis!

So long and thanks for the average fish!

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty fun volume seeing Guardians trapped on earth and has like multiple stories focusing on single characters. One focusing on The thing as he is an agent of shield and like on the lookout for Dr Doom as he is a good guy now, an excellent ch. with Groot as he becomes the protector of the world and it is poetic and I love it and its like one of my favorite issues!

Plus another ch. focusing on Gamora and her quest to hunt Thanos but she comes across Carol and fights and is imprisoned or the other with Angela as she is looking for sera and battles Maxilin the accuser and the big story with the Guardians vs Thanos after he comes to invade earth and it felt anti-climactic like it was resolved rather quickly considering previous events but regardless its the reuniting of the team as they head to space again!

And the end of bendis run on Guardians and not gonna lie this volume was pretty okay and like focusing on multiple characters and their status quo but the run as a whole felt too much like them protecting just earth when it should have been the entire galaxy like their namesake but then again he did had surprising new members and added new villains, mythologies, character banter and interactions and had a pretty fun time and I enjoyed reading it and the last volume is just like that. An end to a good run!

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes the things you find on the bargain shelf (particularly if there is a large number of them, individually shrink wrapped) are there for a reason. Fortunately, no harm was done in buying this (it didn't cost much) or in reading it (it didn't take long), and some of the art was visually pleasing.

Other than feeling like I jumped in somewhere between the middle and the end of the story arc, the collection felt like a hodge-podge on loosely-related vignettes (or doors to other storylines) and, even in retrospect, I can't say I understand why the content was collected, let alone reprinted in hardback, in a single volume (other than the original issues were published in sequence).

My primary disappointment here was that, other than enjoying the movies, I've enjoyed The Guardians in prose form. But it's my own fault for expecting too much (let alone anything) from this.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good enough story. The Guardians are stuck on Earth and are almost about to disband. Yet the threat of Thanos will bring them together for one final adventure. The artwork is good. The first few short stories fill you in on what the individual Guardians have been up to. It's hit or miss. The Thing's story wasn't good, but i thought Groot's story was clever. Overall? A good volume but nothing great.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the five issues in this volume, four (well, three and three quarters?) are more filler issues than ones lending to the main plot. Each filler issue seems to be set up for the eventual spin offs that are starting, or connect to another series in some way, shape, or form. As for the rest, reading Civil War II’s plotline would be helpful, but isn’t actually required (I think the author did a decent job of including vital information).
Side note: I don’t know why, but I swear this volume in particular has an extra fresh “inky” smell. Like, hot off the presses smell, even though I’ve owned it for a couple weeks. None of my other volumes smell like this. Has anyone else had this problem?



The backstory you really need to know from Civil War II is that the Guardians of the Galaxy got involved at the behest of Carol Danvers. They ended up losing their ship in the process. Additionally, Gamora learned that Thanos was being held prisoner somewhere on earth. Obviously she would love nothing more than to kill him, so she does everything in her power to get to him to do so. She also learns that Starlord knew about Thanos and was intentionally keeping that information from her.
Issue #15 is about Ben Grimm. He’s debating on whether or not he’ll be going back out into space with the rest of the Guardians (should they ever make their way back out there). The decision is sort of made for him, when Maria Hill approaches him with a job: Take Doom in, no matter the cost. This directly ties into the plot of Infamous Iron Man; where Doom is trying to rectify his past by taking up the Iron Man mantle while Tony is down for the count.
Issue #16 focuses on Groot, so naturally all of the story told is through narrative rather than hearing it from him (unless you’ve suddenly mastered understanding the nuances of “I am Groot”). His journey is mostly about him running around and making friends while simultaneously trying to help keep his new friends and earth safe. Rocket is seen in the background, usually annoyed or sleeping.
Issue #17 gives more detail to the Gamora conflict that was briefly touched upon during Civil War II. She’s actively hunting Thonos, as she believes he is still on earth. Even after being given the opportunity to leave earth (and informed that Thanos has left), she chooses not to take it, or to believe that Thanos isn’t still being held someplace. It turns out that she is wrong, and the end result is her being held prisoner instead (as those with authority on earth deem her too dangerous to be allowed to continue her rampage).
Issue #18 shows us one of the on again off again Guardians of the Galaxy, Angela. She’s searching for her love, Sera, whom she had suddenly left on earth. After being unable to find her (and absolutely freaking out about that fact), she comes across Maxlin the Accuser, a man that is hunting Gamora. Upon defeating him she’s given a bit of information that directly relates to issue #19, and ultimately allows her to save the day.
Issue #19 has Thanos leading an invasion against earth (I’m thinking he’s feeling a little bitter about the whole being defeated and held prisoner thing). Even with the usual defenders jumping up to help (Captain Marvel, the A Force - any earth based super hero team really), the Guardians are forced to help as well, as they need all the hands they can get. In the end the day is saved when Angela forces one of Thanos’ allies to betray him (and by that I mean she killed most of his allies forces).
Ultimately the Guardians got their hands on a new ship – one built/modified by Rocket. I’m not certain if it’s going to be their way off earth or not, but I imagine so. If that’s the case, you could really look at this whole volume as filler, as not much changed, other than possibly losing a few temporary members. Grimm is clearly leaving, as is Kitty Pride (it seems like she and Starlord are on the outs of that relationship). We’ll have to wait until the next volume to really see where it’s going next.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

During Civil War II, the Guardians ship was destroyed and they are now "Grounded" to Earth. How will each of them handle it?
Ben Grimm
- Finally home, and probably to stay, The Thing joins SHIELD, taking on a job to flush out what is really going on with Victor Von Doom...

Groot
- Taking up residence in Central Park, Groot does what he does best: protecting the weak and innocent, all while speaking with the exposition and prose of a modern philosopher, yet only being able to say "I Am Groot"...

Gamora
- Taking on Spectrum, Aurora, Ms. America, and Sasquatch, all in an effort to search for Thanos, she is eventually stopped and captured by Captain Marvel. This is when she finds out that Thanos has left Earth. Not believing it, she escapes capture only to get locked in at the Triskelion...

Angela
- Where can a angel of Heven go when trapped on Earth? Looking for her friends alerts an Accuser to her presence, and battle breaks out. What is this invasion fleet on the horizon?

Star-Lord, Venom, Rocket and Drax
- The rest of the Guardians round out the story and bring the others together when an invasion fleet, led by Thanos (including the Kree, Badoon, the Brood, and Annihilus) arrives on Earth. Fighting together (and a clever assassination of the Brood Queen by Angela), they stop the invasion, earning a pass to the 'spaceship graveyard', where Rocket cobbles together a ship and they leave.

Overall, I did like that the story was divided by characters, but (with the exception of the wonderful Gamora tale) the Volume overall lacked the breakneck pace and flow seen in most Guardians books.
Still recommend, just with slight reservations.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Read as single issues]
Grounded is such a stupid concept. I don't understand how Marvel thought they could sell this as an actual banner for these books. To recap, the Guardians returned to Earth during Civil War II, in which their ship was destroyed. So now, apparently there are no other spaceships anywhere on Earth, and they're stuck until someone can repair the Milano. Yeah, it's as dumb as it sounds.

As a result, we get some more vignette issues focusing on different characters, which vary in quality greatly as always. The Groot issue is great, and reads like a child's story book. I honestly can't remember much about any of the others, they're that memorable. The final issue is pretty good though, and is the usual Bendis jam-session in which all his past artists return to blitz one final issue as the Guardians reassemble to take on Thanos (yes again).

Valerio Schiti still carries this series; his art is superb, and I'm constantly surprised that he manages to perform this well on a monthly basis without any delays.

This volume of Guardians, like most of the run so far, can be summed up as 'Pretty, but bland.' Disappointing.

[Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The groot poem was painful. The stories didn’t really connect. The humour was hit and miss. The giant battle in the end felt like a bit of a let-down given the scale of the foes lined up against Earth, and the ease with which it was resolved.

One for the folk collecting the series. Didn’t really stand up on its own.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection. It never lagged, and was a lot of fun. I especially liked the way Angela and Gamora were treated, although there were also many fun moments involving Groot, Drax, Ben Grimm and Kitty Pryde.

All in all, a bang up job from Brian Michael Bendis.

[Jesse A · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bunch of fluffy nothing to get the movie team back together.

[Brylliams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. a solid finish to the series.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the events of Civil War II the guardians of the galaxy are stuck on Earth. Four of the five issues included in this volume are tales of individual guardians adventures on Earth whilst the final one closes off the series.

The first issue featured here focuses on Ben Grimm, the Thing. It was always a little odd having him as part of the guardians but this couldn't really feel much less like a GOTG story. The Thing is recruited by SHIELD to keep an eye on Doctor Doom, who these days is Iron Man. Essentially it's an issue focusing on the legacy of the Fantastic 4. It feels out of place but in itself is a decent enough story.

The next issue is very guardians though as it focuses on Groot. Groot is pretending to be a tree in Central Park but he can't help but get involved when the Armadillo starts running amok. It's a really lovely story exploring the mindset of Groot, who is perhaps adapting best at living on Earth despite being the least suitable. The story is narrated throughout in rhyming couplets- I'm not sure quite why but it kind of works.

Then we have an issue focusing on Gamora and her ongoing mission to find and kill her father, Thanos. He's no longer on Earth though but Gamora is convinced so goes up against a task force of superheroes and SHIELD to try and find Thanos. Gamora is always pretty badass but she takes it a step further here.

Next up we focus on Angela, who seeks out someone called Sera (I had no idea what this bit was about) and battles an assassin. Much of this issue is Angela having a fight which is a lot of fun but nothing we haven't seen before.

Finally, Thanos and a vast army of the Guardians enemies plan to destroy Earth so the guardians must band together once more. It's brilliant to see the gang go head to head against Thanos and it works as a great send-off to the series.

This is the final volume of Brian Bendis' run so I thought I'd consider the series as a whole. It's certainly been a lot of fun and whilst the guardians were likely to have been popular in comics thanks to the films, I feel he was successful in making them a part of the comic universe once more. The series really suffered from constant events- the big Marvel ones like Infinity, Original Sin, Secret Wars and Civil War II as well as crossover events The Trial of Jean Grey and Black Vortex. Whilst some of these were enjoyable the series seemed hardly to have time to tell Guardians stories.

An enjoyable end to a mostly enjoyable run and I can't wait to see what Gerry Duggan has got in store for the team next!

[Becky B · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Guardians of the Galaxy are stuck on Earth. Benjamin Grimm is trying to find where he fits on Earth now. Groot has a rhyming adventure in the park with a guy in an armadillo suit and a little boy. Gamora keeps getting locked up cause she's tearing apart Earth governments looking for her dear ol' Dad. Angel has to deal with somebody hunting down Gamora and found her instead. And then certain intergalactic powers decide it is time to deal with Earth once and for all.

This was so hard to follow. The individual plot lines did not flow to make one seamless whole story. It was very disjointed. The final story made some sense and was a bit humorous in the finale, but overall not my favorite. If I could just have the Groot story by itself and if the rhymes were improved a bit, I might have enjoyed it. I think I've finally realized that I don't care so much for the New Guard version of the Guardians, especially since I read this one right after a more original Guardians collection and liked that one loads better. If you like the movies, don't go with New Guard. If you like the new spins on old superheroes, you might enjoy it.

Notes on content: Minor swearing scattered throughout with stronger swearing replaced by grawlixes. No sex scenes, but Angel is dressed rather suggestively and there's a couple scenes of her fighting that zoom in on places of her anatomy that is a bit suggestive. There are numerous fight scenes, and massive casualties (mostly on the bad guys' side), mostly cartoon-ish violence.

[Ondra Král · Rating 1 out of 5]

Takže na Zemi útočí Thanos, Badooni, Annihilus (proti kterýmu stál v eventu Annihilation celej vesmír a měl setsakra problém) a Brood... a všechno to zachrání vysmátí Guardiani tím, že zkopou Thanose?

Díkybohu, že Bendis končí!

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bendis races to the end of his run and resetting the Guardians for the next writer.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Yuiko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ohh it sucked

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to know more about Kitty and Peter??? Overall it was good.

[Sam Whale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Issue 15

Bendis sure knows how to write a good Ben Grimm. Watching Ben slowly adjust to life back on Earth was really nicely done. The detail of all the civilian's being happy to see him back especially made for a very heart warming read.

This is quite clearly a backdoor pilot, or tie-in maybe? of Infamous Iron Man and the book does that well too. I like the idea of Ben joining Shield to keep an eye on Doom and I enjoyed how much he was acting like a secret agent, interviewing people of interest and jet setting around the globe. I've not read Infamous, but this was a good ad for it, while still being a nice send off to Ben's brief stint as a Guardian. I think him being on this team really added a lot to the book and I almost wish he'd been here longer.

Issue 16

People are being too harsh on this one but that doesn't mean I really want to bat for it. The poem was mostly cute if not sometimes clunky, with a handful of lines which I felt were actual really good insights into Groot as a person. The story was nice enough too and I like the idea that while everyone else is either moping or seeking revenge Groot is actually making the most of trying to enjoy earth.

I liked this for the most part, but am unsure if it was worth £4 back in the day.

Issue 17

A real good issue for Gamora being a badass. I'm very glad she's still pissed at Carol and Quill and while I understand where Carol is coming from in trying to mitigate Gamora as a criminal threat she's still being a really crappy friend which I hope continues on in the last two issues and indeed in the next run. The fight vs Rambeau and team was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the bit where she broke into the teenage TTRPG fan's room. Gamora breaking out the first time was also cool, though I would have liked to have seen how she escaped; maybe Bendis will make good by showing us how she breaks out of Thanos' old cell next time.

Issue 18

I feel like I'm missing a lot of Angela context for things which I'm sure didn't happen in either of Bendis' Guardians runs, I like Angela though so this was still a pretty fun one and done story. Apparently Maxlin WAS in an earlier Guardians story but I'll be damned if I remember him but he's a space mercenary guy so that half was easy enough to pick up.

Issue 19

Some actually stunning art and some solid writing walk Guardians rocky journey across the finishing line with some style. Bendis' Guardians is definitely over hated but it certainly had some real rough spots too. I think the big issue is things very often felt rushed with the character just going from one thing to another with little to no time to build tension to any one threat, which was especially jarring when those threats are supposed to be galactic scale ones like Thanos, the Brood and the Kree etc.

But I liked the characters, especially the additions of Flash and Ben who are the perfect kind of guys for Bendis to write, I liked all the action, I liked Peter and Kitty as a couple and, at times, I loved this book. I definitely hated it at times too, especially the too many event tie-ins we had in less than 40 issues, but there's definitely stuff to love here too.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disjointed thing, wow.
Draggin towards the end there are so many different pieces that honestly could work or where very well made, but the overall story is not really that developed.

Right from the start, we spend some time with The Thing as he comically tries to be a detective. It was an interesting direction and I felt it going somewhere but it ends and it's not mentioned again, yikes.

Secondly, the Groot issue was super cute. I noticed how good the art was for this issue, really impressed and the rhyming schemes were not as annoying as I thought they would be.

Next, we have Gamora getting some screentime. This one is the only one that tries to push forward or have a relevant plot. She just can't catch a break and I thought she was a more reasonable person, girl is pissed off wow.

Okay, in this issue I legit made such a frown and said: "What is even happening anymore?". The most random story where characters are back together and fighting some random monster, legit so confused. I did not understand the setting or time it took place. Outside of the confusing premise, I did find the Groot backstory to be super adorable and interesting. I never imagine his story would be that but it did bring a new perspective to his character, with the irrelevance of the issue I hope it is not forgotten. I really love Groot if you can't tell.

This confusion was followed by more confusion. Angela. She is an interesting character in the fact that I can't tell if I like her or really don't. I do have to be blunt and wonder what the purpose of her character is, she honestly adds nothing to the comic, nothing at all. Quick anecdote, these "heroes" destroy everything, I understand why not everyone is a fan, animals.

Lastly, the final issue was mostly positive for me. Angela was surprisingly cool in her 2-page appearance, a huge improvement she did something. Gamore chilled out and everyone got randomly together to defeat Thanos off screen, yup. Well, at least the original crew or a smaller one is back together and we left the random unnecessary ones back at earth, good riddance. The most promising part was seeing that spark of comedy start to wiggle its way back into the pages, "CHIMICHANGAS".

Overall it was definitely a "Bye" to the series from the writer. Can't say I was crazy for any of the volumes Bendis put out, but I do appreciate his attempts to make such a huge cast work. I am quite excited to see where the Guardians go next now that we are with a smaller group and back in space.

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brian Michael Bendis is not my favorite comics author. For light-hearted comics, I prefer the style of Mark Waid, and for darker comics, I prefer either Ed Brubaker’s noir comics or Alan Moore (not just Watchmen and Swamp Thing but the scariest Lovecraftian stories ever in Providence and fabulous remythologizing in The League of Distinguished Gentlemen). Bendis always seemed more focused on action and visuals than character. Maybe that’s a good thing for modern comics readers, but it isn’t as satisfying for me.

That being said, of course I had mixed feelings about Guardians of the Galaxy: New Guard: Grounded. The whole story arch could almost be described in the axiom: “No good deed goes unpunished.” This new guard (with some old guard) Guardian group came to earth to help fight Thanos and (no good deed, remember?) their ship is blown up (or in the inimitable words of Rocket Raccoon, “Our ship gets blowded up!” In Ben Grimm’s words, “Our ship went blooey!”). While they’re stranded, Ben Grimm gets an offer from SHIELD to check out whether the new, improved, rehabilitated Victor von Doom is for real. At least in this trade edition, that story goes nowhere except for Ben running into Spidey’s old flame (and in some continuities, ex-wife), Mary Jane Watson.

Groot seems to be the “guardian” who is acclimating best to earth and Bendis takes a page out of an old Namor comic by telling Groot’s story in rhyme (a strange choice considering Groot’s lexicon is largely confined to “I am Groot!”). It was interesting, but no mesmerizing. But at least it was easier to follow than the issue where Gamora runs up agains Aurora, Sasquatch, Spectrum, and Ms. America in trying to find Thanos. It’s even weirder when Captain Marvel comes in to do the clean-up work and we find a case of mistaken identity. There is a disjointed story with the Odinsdotter that seems to pad the series run until the invasion (which Thanos claims is NOT an invasion) arrives. There is some amazing teamwork (root and tendril?) between Groot and Venom in the fight scene but the dea ex cosmi or Odinsdotter pulls the decisive move on this one. And all the while, Rocket is trying to salvage a ship to get out of there.

All I can say is that I prefer for my stories to hang together better than that.

[Rolando Marono · Rating 2 out of 5]

La trama de este tomo es la más interesante de los cuatro tomos escritos por Bendis y lamentablemente es la peor ejecutada.
Tras los eventos de Civil War II, los guardianes pierden su nave y quedan varados en la tierra. Esto hace que el equipo se separe y Bendis narra cada número como una aventura auto contenida diferente protagonizada por un personaje distinto. La historia que más promete es la de Groot, por el estilo narrativo pero la trama y la ejecución se quedan cortas.
Un tomo entero de historias cortas centradas en los personajes hubiera sido interesante, lamentablemente algo sucede cerca del final y Bendis mete una invasión de Thanos (si, Thanos, otra vez, sacada de la manga) de dos números que termina de enterrar este tomo en lo más oscuro de y olvidable de los cómics de guardianes de la galaxia.
La invasión de Thanos surge por la sub trama de anilus, la reina brood y el rey de los badoon que hemos visto en los tomos anteriores. Parecía que estaban planeando algo grande pero algo sucedió en los planes de Bendis y ese plan es tirado a la basura cuando Thanos llega con ellos y todos dicen "Si, invadamos la tierra, que Thanos vaya". Thanos acababa de escapar de la tierra después de los de Civil War II entonces tenerlo de regreso es absurdo. Poniéndole fin a la sub trama con ese consejo de villanos.
Malo, malo.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Bendis' farewell to the series, we get a series of vignettes, one for each member pretty much, detailing their time on earth as they're "stranded".

Now, I've been enjoying this series for the most part, but this whole "grounded" thing is kind of ...a stretch. I mean, they cant find a space ship??? With Reed Richards, T'Challa, Hank McCoy and more all present in the universe, you would think they would get a ship somewhere. But nope, Bendis has them stranded on Earth so we get a story Gamora, Groot, Ben Grimm, etc... and each one was entertaining in it's own way. I liked how the Ben Grimm story tied directly into Infamous Iron Man. However they did feel frivolous and also tainted by the fact that there is no way they wouldnt be able to find a ship.

It all culminates in another Thanos invasion, which is plotted by the evil space illuminati consisting of the queen brood, Annihilus, and other space bad guys. This was a cool way to see the Guardians team kick ass, but man did Bendis dumb down the villains here. I mean, this would usually be a huge threat, and he really wrote them as buffoons. So it took away from the story because there was actually zero danger at all. But I get it, its more of a farewell so... yeah.

Overall, a bit of an uneven run from Bendis, but not without its fun moments!

[Ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book 4.
Following the second superhero civil war the Guardians are separated and stranded on Earth, trying to make the best of it. An invasion by Thanos, the Brood and the Badoon forced the team back together to defend Earth one last time.

This is Bendis' swansong from his time writing Guardians and, honestly, it's very much 'not with a bang, but with a whimper'.
In a book where the Brood Queen, Annihilus and Thanos team-up there should be a sense of epic scale and high stakes, but that's simply not the case. It's such a weak story that it even ends with a scene where Annihilus reacts to the failure of their plan which is played for laughs. Not even one of the most heinous villains in the Marvel multiverse can take this story seriously.

The final lazy nail in the coffin is the way that several of the Guardians are unceremoniously dumped on Earth, leaving the remaining Guardians the exact line-up that appears in the first Guardians movie, reinstating the most saleable status quo and making all the adventures of the likes of The Thing, Kitty Pryde, Agent Venom and Angela basically meaningless.

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[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trzeba wiedzieć, kiedy ze sceny zejść... może i NIE nie pokonanym, ale "Uziemieni" to kilka satysfakcjonujących historii, które finalnie prowadzą do nowego rozdania - nowej "starej" drużyny. Ale najpierw nasi bohaterowi będą mieli chwilę dla siebie, bo ich statek ucierpiał w trakcie II Wojny Domowej i na ten moment nie mogą opuścić niebieskiej planety.

I tak, Ben Grimm pozwiedza stare włości, a po czym zgarnie go S.H.I.E.L.D., gdzie zaproponują mu pracę. Groot spełni się jako obrońca koło Central Parku, gdzie zaskarbi sobie przychylność mieszkańców niezależnie od wieku. Angela poszuka bliskiej sobie osoby. Gamorra nadal ma scysję z Carol Danvers o to, że przyjaciółka zataiła obecność Thanosa na Ziemi. Ale to już historia, bo do Ziemi zmierza niezła armada...

Momentami stawka jest tutaj duża, ale wreszcie ekipa pokazuje swój pełen potencjał, co brakowało na przestrzeni ostatnich tomów. Bendis kończy swoją przygodę z Strażnikami Galaktyki na niezłym poziomie. Ale teraz pora na zmiany.

[Valerio Pastore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conclusione del lungo ciclo di Bendis -un ciclo ricco di idee, di ottimi disegni, di caratterizzazioni, ma che nelle storie ha sempre mancato il bersaglio.
In quest'ultima parte, i Guardiani sono costretti sulla Terra dopo la distruzione accidentale della loro astronave. E niente, è già abbastanza surreale che proprio sulla Terra non ci sia una singola tecnologia avanzata sufficiente a lasciare il pianeta, ma vabbè!
C'è lo scioglimento (l'ennesimo) dei Guardiani, ma le loro storie assolo si sviluppano in altri titoli o nei propri (Rocket e Star-Lord), e sulla serie principale c'è poco o niente sviluppo, solo tante esche lanciate qua e là per dirottare i lettori su altre testate.
Si chiude l'ultimo episodio con l'ennesimo scontro con Thanos. I suoi alleati, la bellezza di TRE specie ostili della peggio schiatta, vengono sbaragliate in modo quasi comico con un minimo spargimento di sangue, Thanos le busca male fuori scena... Insomma, c'era fretta di chiudere, si vede! That's Bendis for ya!