Review by Frank Plowright

Mother Entropy was released as the second Guardians of the Galaxy film hit the world’s cinema screens in 2017, and as Brian Michael Bendis closed off his largely disappointing run on the comic franchise. It ought to tick all the right boxes for potential readers who like the film version of the Guardians, but aren’t in the slightest concerned about Marvel continuity. This is the Guardians as seen on the screen in a self-contained adventure in which a couple of Marvel guest stars appear, but only Jim Starlin’s creation of Pip the Troll is of any consequence. He serves as a reminder that long before Drax and Gamora were Guardians or movie stars, they were Starlin’s concepts, and teamed with Pip in Warlock and the Infinity Watch.

Starlin begins with the Guardians in considerable debt when offered a lifeline. It’s an easy task on the face of it. All they have to do is transport a holy man and the jewel he carries back to his home planet, fending off any trouble. In the way of such plots, what seems straightforward rapidly develops complications, although who could have foreseen an other-worldly entity intent on covering all breathing life with a fungal mould?

Because he no longer takes on continuing series, it may be forgotten just what an exceptional superhero artist Alan Davis is. There’s a seemingly effortless flow to events, and he never shortchanges when it comes to crowds. Look at the effort made for the sample spread, and look a little closer for cameos of people Davis has drawn before. The new characters have designs that resonate, and he shows the Guardians as we know them just how we want to see them.

This is Starlin and Davis just having fun, and it transmits. Good ideas feature without being driven into the ground, the adventure level is high, and the cameos are a treat. Utterly joyous.