The ‘Trial Of Jean Grey” Is finally firing on all cylinders, as cosmic plot lines and familial drama converge in “Guardians Of The Galaxy” #12.
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Sara Pichelli & Stuart ImmonenA surprise ally from one character’s past comes to help, but is that enough against the most powerful army in the Universe?
The difference between an event and crossover is that events are typically told through a self-titled mini series, a la “Age Of Ultron” and “Forever Evil”, with the monthly series functioning as tie-ins. A crossover, on the other hand, weaves a story through the regular monthly titles. The problem that arises for the reader with crossovers is that the story gets stretched across multiple series that they might not regularly read. While this could open the reader to a new series, there’s an equal chance they just won’t bother with the crossover. The author then has to choose how they want to balance the story across the different books, and decide if they want to assume people will stick solely to their usual series’.
‘The Trial of Jean Grey’ began with both series telling mirror versions of the same story, ending at literally the same panel. With “Guardians Of The Galaxy” #12, the X-Men and the Guardians have become one large team, the story reflects this. This issue features a reunion between young Cyclops and his long-lost space adventurer father, while Star Lord’s dad conspires to make sure that Jean Grey is punished for her future selfs crimes.
Brian Michael Bendis uses this issue for character development and exposition, temporally leaving the epic space battles behind. The big emotional point comes from teenage Cyclops, aka Scott Summers, meeting his long lost father Corsair, aka Christopher Summers, leader of the Starjammers space pirates (long story). The older Cyclops had already had their tearful reunion many years prior, with the maximum amount of drama achieved. While the chance to repeat this with teenage Cyclops must have been tempting, Bendis makes a very wise decision by avoiding this trap. Instead, Corsair simply informs Cyclops of his reconciliation with the older Scott. The moment is still tender, as is the following scene when X-23 comforts Cyclops. It keeps the schmaltz to a minimum, while still providing a good character moment.
Bendis has a reputation for crafting dialogue, and this issue puts it on full display. The pages are covered in words, especially when the scene shifts to focus on Jean Grey and the alien monologuing begins. Given the fact that most of it is exposition, and set up for the rival alien factions, it flows fairly well and isn’t nearly as clunky as it could have been. The trial portion of the story has its dose of emotion as well, as future Jean’s crimes as the Phoenix are played out in front the assembly. It’s impossible not to feel for the teenager, now forced to see the horrifying personal costs of the wrath of the Phoenix. The issue has such a good flow and pace, that it almost masks the fact that not a whole lot of plot actually happens, so hats off to Bendis.
“Guardians of the Galaxy” #12 marks Stuart Immonen’s first work on the series, as he slides over from “All New X-Men” to team up with frequent Bendis collaborator Sara Pichelli. It’s hard to differentiate between the two, as their styles are purposely complementary for the ‘Trial’ crossover. The teenage X-Men do seem to be lacking some of their usual softer edges, particularly noticeable with Iceman, but it doesn’t mean the art is bad, just different if the reader is familiar with “All New X-Men”. It’s a testament to both the artists that their pairing isn’t jarring or confusing. Kitty Pryde and Star Lord look the same on the first page and the last, and it doesn’t appear that the double artists were the results of time constraints.
The issue features basically no action scenes, so instead, art has to accentuate the more emotional and character driven moments. Teenage Cyclops being comforted by X-23 was particularly effective. The one tear rolling out from underneath Cyclops’s visor, borders on the melodramatic, but is restrained just enough to be touching. So far in the story, Jean Grey’s primary actions have been to look shocked and horrified at the crimes she has been accused of, and despite the repetitious nature, the actual rendering of her fear and frustration is continually good enough that reader forgets this is her 47th gasp of the issue.
Now that ‘The Trial of Jean Grey’ has passed the halfway point, the story has finally begun to feel cohesive. All the setup designed to satisfy regular “X-Men” and “Guardians” readers is done, so the exposition has been cut down. The main plot remains oddly on standstill for this issue, as emotional moments take centre stage instead. Bendis uses the themes of redemption and complicated father/son relationships very effectively, and the reader genuinely cares about the characters, despite the fact that they aren’t really doing anything. The art from the team of Stuart Immonen and Sara Pichelli stands up to the high standards that they individually set, without really clashing or looking rushed. It would have been nice, however, if they had something little more exciting to draw. “Trial” definitely feels like it is building something big, and if the plan is to make the audience care more about the characters until the big climax finally arrives, this issue proves how it can work.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – Browse. A cohesive team, emotional character moments, and basic introductions finally out of the way make “Guardians Of The Galaxy” an enjoyable read, despite the nagging feeling that something bigger should be happening by this point.
