If you are expecting all-out, over-the-top action, “Guarding the Globe” will suprise you. This number one steers away from the Michael Bey territory, and plays up the Joss Whedon approach to writing characters and drama.
Written by Phil Hester
Illustrated by Todd NauckThe Guardians of the Globe are BACK in an all-new, all-exciting ongoing series! Your favorite heroes – Brit, Outrun, Invincible, Robot, Yeti, Kaboomerang, and more -face new challenges of epic proportions in stories by the all-star team of PHIL HESTER & TODD NAUCK!
This may be comic fan blasphemy, but I have never read the first volume of “Guarding the Globe,” or for that matter, very much of “Invincible.” Beat me to death with your “Invincible” compendiums, or better yet, let me borrow them! I am familiar with the praise and the premise of both titles, but other than that, I’m jumping into this book cold. This is actually a blessing, because unfamiliarity makes this first issue all the more impressive.
The basic premise for “Guarding the Globe” seem very familiar at first glance. This is a team of superheroes, drawn from all over the world, and put under government funding and regulation to be a international super-task force. While it isn’t a new idea, it is nice to see the idea put into practice so early in a universe’s history. It took ages for DC to create the original “Justice League International” and several years for the original “Stormwatch” to become about the high action and character studies the book was eventually lauded for. “Guarding the Globe” is hopping on the bandwagon of “international super-group with tons of personal problems” and doing it harder, better, faster.
The plot of this book seems a bit disjointed at first, as it opens with a huge battle between the Guardians and some stoney badguys who seem like a cross between Marvel’s Mindless Ones and Moloids. Within a couple pages the Moloindless Ones are heartily dispatched, and the story jumps back and forth between action sequences followed by talking sequences. Without giving too much away, there’s a kung fu mafia raid, a team briefing, the most touching game of catch I’ve ever seen take place in a comic book, and a confusing scene involving what appears to be North Koreans. The book jumps around like this every few pages, and while it is probably a necessity in order to introduce us to a large cast of characters, the whole thing feels a little like comic book speed dating. Basically, the format is like an episode of “Heroes” or “Lost.”
The upside to this type of writing format is that Phil Hester understands there can be no wasted space. Nothing in this book is filler except for maybe all the dialogue wasted talking about a cigarette smoking pug. Other than that, every scene conveys important plot or emotional character moments. That game of catch is a metaphor for how men express their feelings, played out between one man who is superhuman, and one man who is no longer human at all. Heck, even a couple panels where the new Invincible complains about the quality of the Pentagon’s breakfast tells you more about his character than perhaps a two page monologue would have. Quality is always better than quantity, and while Phil Hester has always been a quality penciller, it appears he can paint a pretty picture with words as well.
Speaking of good pencillers, if you have read DC’s “Young Justice” or “52” you may be familiar with Todd Nauck. His work on “52” seemed slightly “comical” for such a serious book, and arguably the same worry could be said for this title. Put away your fears sweet fan-people. Due to strict schedule constraints and the sheer amount of story that had to be told in each issue, Nauck had limited space to play within the pages of “52.” With “Guarding the Globe” Nauck has the freedom to play with layouts, and fills these pages with some serious, gorgeously detailed art. Nauck’s combat scenes, while short and sweet, have an amazing vibracy to them, using panel placement and angles to create quite a lot of energy with a limited page count. The Whedon-esque scenes where people stand around and talk are also nothing to sneeze at. To continue the TV show analogy, nothing stands still. The “camera” is constantly moving, capturing different characters and angles, making each individual scene a flowing and engaging read.
Continued belowOne moment in particular distinguishes Todd Nauck as a top quality artist. The scene involves a main character finding out his child has autism. Talk about real world problems. Some characters have their girlfriends shoved into fridges, but if you really want to punch the readers in the teeth, you go after the children. Seeing superhumans break down in the face of all too human problems is incredibly powerful. Todd Nauck captures that emotional spectrum from denial, to anger, to sobbing acceptance, expertly.
To put it bluntly, there is nothing too terribly new about “Guarding the Globe.” That said, it is only because this book has adopted the tried and true approaches to the team book, and is on the fast track to perfecting the formula. If “Invincible” is the best superhero comic in the universe, then “Guarding the Globe” will soon be in the running for “best team” book. Whether you are a long term fan, or a first timer such as myself, pick this number one up this week. It will not disappoint.
Final Verdict: 8.5
