Editor's Note: Guardians of the Galaxy #19 arrives in stores tomorrow, October 28.

Plot: The time-tossed portion of the Guardians led by Peter Quill get their bacon saved on the edge of the 31st century by a surprising character only to learn that they'll have to do something horrible in 2009 if they want to save the future.

Comments: Wow… what a dire issue – but in a disarmingly fun way.

The last few issues of GOtG have involved half of the team stuck in various versions of Friday the 13th, 3009 as a number of cataclysms end before they jump to another continuity. It all springs from the end of the War of Kings storyline, where Black Bolt's super weapon ripped time and space a new hole, sealed by Adam Warlock in the present but reverting him into his evil half, the Magus.

Abnett and Lanning have made the cosmic corner of the Marvel U run so smoothly over the last couple of years that it's easy to miss how neglected and unapproachable it was in years' past. Now it seems virtually bursting with potential without being tied in any way to the main franchises like The Avengers or X-Men. I mean, they kind of are, but only really tangentially and without too big a deal being made of it.

This issue sums up why the writers' work is so effective: in the span of 32 pages they give readers a war of causality, the return of a major villain (who I hope returns soon), and quite a bit of comedy. This last point is probably the reason I enjoy GOtG most out of all of the cosmic titles; it has a sense of humor about itself but it also has weight and values its characters. Part of me hopes that the end of this issue sticks so that the drama that occurs isn't undercut, but at the same time I'll also miss what was lost in those final pages.

See, that's the true mark of effective fiction: you make your reader care about your colorfully-garbed space people, no matter how preposterous their adventures.

This issue is ably aided and abetted by the slightly cartoony art of Wesley Craig and the solid tone colors of Nathan Fairbairn. Fairbairn, in particular, should be singled out for straddling an appealing line between dark without being gloomy and colorful without being garish.

Final Word: In a word: excellent. Abnett and Lanning combine cosmic adventure with gritty combat and a dash of comedy into a wonderful package.

If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at Monster In Your Veins

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