Written by: Cullen Bunn
Art by: Matteo Lolli, Natacha Bustos, Kuca Maresca, Frederico Blee, and VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 12, 2018

I am not a huge fan of the Asgardian side of the Marvel Universe, but I am a fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the clever name of this book was what actually got me interested at first. “At First” actually meaning last week which shows you that this book was not part of any sort of pull list of mine by any stretch…until now. Yep, I took the plunge with the #1 and was pleasantly surprised and into enough to read #2. Then #3 and here we are! Cullen Bunn has put together a pretty fun book that ties into what’s going on in the MCU at the moment but is also taking his time with his bunch of characters so that a new reader, like myself, never feels left behind. So, after enjoying the first three issues of the series, what did I think about this issue? Let’s find out…

The issue opens with a slight rewind of last issue’s cliffhanger to get everyone back up to speed. The Nova Corps has landed in the burning wreckage of Chandilar…and they are actually contributing to it a bit as well. Of course, Nebula is long gone so it’s up to Gladiator to just tell the Corps that the Asgardians are the good guys here, right? Well…he kind of throws them under the bus and they are taken away in cuffs. What a jerk!!! We all get to laugh at him, however, as he struggles to pick up Throg’s tiny hammer!

Like the last couple issues, we get to see the recruitment of a team member and this time it is Thunderstrike. It ties in nicely to a conversation he is having with Skurge about his father and being a hero. I already was liking Thunderstrike in this series and this just solidifies that.

We then head off to see Valkyrie and Kid Loki talking (arguing) and a couple things are brought up…Loki knows what Valkyrie wants, he may be able to make it happen and he really likes messing with people. I know, not really shocking news when it comes to Loki’s involvement, but it does lead to some fun by the end of the issue.

We finally get to Angela and realize at about the same time as the Nova Corps commander, that she was just stalling until he told her where Nebula was headed. By the way…she is headed for Earth!

The issue continues with the Asgardians getting their weapons back and fighting their way to freedom. Again, Gladiator is there so we can laugh at him one last time and Loki gets up to some mischief and chaos that gets Annabelle involved in the fight big time. I really liked this part not just because I like Annabelle, but because it was a fun way to get her involved in an issue that she really had no right to be in.

Cullen Bunn saves the best for last as we get a cool cliffhanger that is very personal for Kid Loki, sets up what should be some cool interaction and possibly the end of the world.
I am having a lot of fun with this series and while this issue actually was the most setup heavy so far, it still had some cool moments. I really enjoy the team and their interactions and would love to see more Throg and Thunderstrike together because they are solid gold. Maybe get Thori involved somehow and you have the dream team I never knew I needed! Seriously though, Cullen Bunn does a good job of easing the Asgardian lore and such into a book filled with chuckles and action galore and I think that’s the combo I need to enjoy this sort of thing.

It doesn’t hurt that the art is so good, either. The whole art team does a great job of making the action scenes look good yet still make them easy to follow. That may sound like a gimme, but believe me, it sadly isn’t.

Final Thoughts:

Cullen Bunn has me sold on this book and after staying away from it too long, I’m glad I took the plunge. If you are looking for a fun, action-packed book, give this one a try.

8.5/10