Writer: Skottie Young
Artist: Filipe Andrade
Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Reviewed by: Brett Israel

After the Megahit this summer that was Guardians of the Galaxy, it only made sense to launch a book of one of the most popular characters of the movie, and that’s exactly what they did with Rocket Raccoon. With Skottie Young at the helm of this book, (well known for his work on the Oz books) I had no doubt that it’d be high quality, even though the book isn’t necessarily my cup of tea. This week I randomly decided to pick up the newest issue. I was not disappointed.

Skottie has a cool story starting in this issue, with me having no knowledge of what had been going on before this. Basically, Rocket and Groot are stuck on snow filled planet (kinda like Hoth) and bantering is happening, as you would expect. However, the two get attacked by these huge wolf like creatures with purple horns, and Groot is hurt mortally. They are picked up by a native girl of the world, Jink, and Rocket is told Groot is going to die, due to venom from the bites of these creatures. The only thought of antidote comes from the eggs of the queen of this type of creature, which is more or less unattainable. You can see where this is going, Rocket is on the trip to get an egg, and Jink ends up joining. This is definitely an interesting story, and even though it’s familiar, the surroundings are new, so it’s a fun journey to see what’s around every corner. Dialogue wise, there isn’t a whole lot in this issue, but the familiar jabs and jokes from Rocket are always fun, and Groot never disappoints. IF you love Rocket in the movie, you’re more than likely gonna love him in this book. The tone of the book is very bronze age Marvel to me. An action happens to one of the main characters, and boom, we are on a whacky, fun adventure. Since this seems completely new, there are no strings attached, so Skottie is free to create anything he wants, and explore any option. As a fan of the 70’s style, this book was a breath of fresh air story-wise.

The art, no hyperbole, totally blew me away. I had heard of and seen Filipe Andrade on Captain Marvel a few years ago, and thought he had an interesting style, but this seems like he’s approached a new level as an artist. Rocket and Groot are rendered as we love them but each panel is so full of energy, it’s hard to not be excited by it. The creature designs, of both the wolf creatures and the natives, is unique and works so well with the world they are in. The chase/fight scene, which is a big chunk of the book, is in crazy motion, almost cinematic like, very much like the work of Matteo Scalera. His work is almost indescribable, but it’s definitely European-style, one which we don’t always see in big 2 comics. The colors are also on point in this issue. Jean-Francois Beaulieu establishes the new world we’re in, and with each new page, I find myself poring over each nook and cranny, and the colors do an excellent job of drawing my eye to certain bits of the panels.

All in all, this book has a classic Marvel 1970’s vibe, and I really enjoyed it. The art is different but amazing, and it looks like another book is added for me!

4.5 Tree Friends out of 5