Move over, Star-Lord and the gang: I’ve found my next favorite cosmic team: the Imperial Guardians #1! From the creative minds of Dan Abnett, Jonathan Hickman, Cory Smith, Luca Maresca, and Espen Grundetjern, this new group, featuring Captain Marvel, Gamora, and Darkhawk (Christopher Powell), has that old-school, rough-around-the-edges charm that made the original Guardians so great.
What makes them awesome? First off, the lineup is unexpected, which always leads to good friction. When Captain Marvel, a former leader of the Avengers, shows up, Gamora gives her a hard time about being the “deadly one.” Carol Danvers, meanwhile, is quick to remind Darkhawk that he’s still on a watch list for past crimes. It’s a team forged in mistrust, not a friendly clubhouse.
But don’t let the banter fool you; they’re all focused on preventing the fledgling Galactic Union from failing, especially after the poisoning of five Council leaders and the disappearance of Emperor Dorrek VIII (Hulkling). Gamora, who was raised and bred by Thanos to kill and destroy, is driven to support the Union because she rejects her father’s legacy and wants to fight for peace and security. She’s not letting her redemption slip away.
Their current mission is intense: investigating the return of the messianic Skrull prophet, Veranke. The Skrulls are “shifting,” and everyone knows that when they shift, trouble follows. They’ve already encountered some Omnilux Droidforms, who are seriously devoted to protecting relics, and the Super-Skrull, Kl’rt.
Between Captain Marvel’s drive to protect the Union, Gamora’s fight for redemption, and Darkhawk getting predictive information from his armor’s remote sentience, this team is tackling the biggest cosmic conspiracy right now.
With this kind of high-stakes, action-packed mystery, I’m totally invested in seeing what the Imperial War: Imperial Guardians do next!
