Guardians of the Galaxy #16 Review

Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: Juan Frigeri

Color Artist: Federico Blee

Cover Artists: Brett Booth, Adelso Corona & Guru-eFX

Publisher: Marvel

Reviewer: StoryBabbler

The Last Annihilation has begun! The Guardians of the Galaxy have faced many foes in their varied history but none like the dreaded Dormammu, lord and master of the Dark Dimension. After several issues of build-up, Guardians of the Galaxy #16 shows Dormammu begin his latest incursion into the Universe.

Review:

So, the Last Annihilation has finally begun and it’s not too bad. At first, things are fine and dandy on planets like Throneworld, but then many portals start opening up Avengers: Endgame-style. Soon enough everyone is coming face-to-face with hordes of Mindless Ones pouring through. Dormammu’s invasion of the galaxy has begun, Al Ewing’s introduction of the master of the Dark Dimension is epic in all sense of the word as he unleashes his legions.

Every member of the Guardians team is given something to do as they all fight the Mindless Ones on various fronts. The crews of The Amond and The Tennant each have their hands full against Dormammu’s forces while trying to help nearby civilian ships flee to safety. The art by Juan Frigeri and Federico Blee’s colors work well in illustrating the fights between the Guardians and the inter-dimensional villain’s forces fun to see in action.

Things shift over to Star Lord and Nova as they discuss about the recent developments from Planet-Sized X-Men #1 and S.W.O.R.D. #6. One point in particular I’ll discuss in Spoilers, but for the most part they both receive the same news about Dormammu’s invasion and prep themselves for the fight. The standout fight scenes certainly go to both Wendell Quasar and Nova operating as the Guardians’ heavy-hitters like in the original Annihilation event.

There are developments in the comic involving various characters, but the war has just gotten started. This was the first wave of attacks as Dormammu has yet to reveal his full plan or play all the cards in his deck, and the same goes for the Guardians. The only real downside is that it doesn’t feel quite big enough to warrant the name “The Last Annihilation”, but perhaps the next few issues will change my mind. Plus, at least the crossover’s contained to Al Ewing’s Guardians of the Galaxy and S.W.O.R.D. series.

Spoilers:

Earlier, I mentioned that Star Lord and Nova were discussing about the recent events involving the X-Men and Mars, specifically Nova’s comments on the Mutants terraforming Mars and the debut of S.W.O.R.D.’s wonder metal Mysterium. He even says, “You think this can last, Pete?” as they overlook the new Planet Arakko. Nova points out that everything seems too good to be true when it comes to the Mutants and as Peter Quill points out, he’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop, which isn’t bad thinking.

That line of thinking can be extended to the current Guardians series and what’s being done with the wider Marvel space opera setting. It’s hard to get invested in new beginnings when Marvel comics are constantly shaking things before they establish any stable status quo. However, the event is just beginning and we’ll see if The Last Annihilation lives up to the name or becomes another subpar sequel to the original Annihilation event.

Final Thoughts:

Guardians of the Galaxy #16 kicks off “The Last Annihilation” with a bang, and hopefully it doesn’t end on a whimper. Dormammu is front and center as the main villain of this crossover while the Guardians and their allies face off against his many Mindless Ones. The action looks good thanks to Juan Frigeri’s art and Federico Blee’s colors, while Al Ewing handles the dialogue and pacing well. Hopefully they can keep the story’s momentum going into S.W.O.R.D. #7.