"Ain't No Thing Like Me Except Me!" Guardians of the Galaxy Assemble in Latest Trailer

After my wedding and all that lovey dovey stuff, the greatest moment of my life was hearing the voice of Rocket Raccoon.  I've watched this new trailer a half dozen times already.  I gotta monitor my expectations now, but I'm all verklempt over here.  Seeing Rocket strapped with some heavy artillery, totally jazzed at the firepower...seeing Rocket handcuffed, "Ain't No Thing Like Me Except Me" - gosh.  I'm not quite sure its up there with the "I'm Always Angry" moment of The Avengers, but dang it, those two tiny moments get right to the heart of the character.  And the quizzicle "I Am Groot" from Vin Diesel?  The film had me already, but now I'm ready to cross state lines and give Polygamy a try with this trailer.  The Wife seems cool with it.  Plus, we get our first look at Lee Pace's Ronan The Accuser and Glenn Close as Nova Prime.  This is happening folks.  Miracles exist.

-- Brad

Just Another Guardians of the Galaxy Poster?

There is nothing really special about this new Guardians of the Galaxy poster other than the fact that it's a GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY POSTER!!!!  Yeah, I'm still not over the excitement of seeing Rocket Raccoon on the big screen.  I'm just floored by the notion.  Last night, Matt, myself, and a bunch of other friends saw the new Godzilla film (Holy Cow! That Movie Was Good), and as we were chatting about the possibilities of the rest of the summer movies, we were debating Guardians's chances with mainstream audiences.  That seems to be the big question.  Will the muggles show up?  Personally, I think Marvel's brand is at such a point that it practically guarantees a number one on opening weekend?  But will it do Winter Soldier numbers?  Doubtful.  But it doesn't need to too.  I just don't want a flop; I want America to embrace the weirder realms of comics.  This morning I finished Jonathan Hickman's New Avengers 18 in which Black Panther addresses a pantheon of ancestral ghosts.  It's a beautiful moment, and a truly strange sequence that I am just dying to see adapted.  As I've said a dozen times before on this blog, a smashing success from Guardians of the Galaxy will equal a delightfully varied selection from future Marvel Studios films.  Please, give this one a chance on opening weekend.

--Brad

Rocket Raccoon & Groot Steal The Galaxy (and the Internet)! Marvel Goes Prose Again

Marvel is making a big push to force the world (ie the internet) into full blown Guardians of the Galaxy mania.  I sure hope it works.  We've proven the worth of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor to the public, but it's going to be a little tricky convincing them that Rocket is one badass genetic experiment and not just a cute little furball.  Not to mention the walking trees, the reality bending gauntlets, and various other cosmic oddities.  Last week the trailer hit, and the fanboys out there seemed properly teased.



Ooga Chakka Ooga Ooga Ooga Chakka!  Ice Pirates is alive and well and living in director James Gunn's heart.  Sure, that's pretty much 90% of what we saw at Comic Con last year with a few extra glimpses of Benicio Del Toro's Collector & Kieron Gillen's Nebula.  Still no Lee Pace Ronan, Rocket Raccoon Cooper voice, Vin Diesel Grooting, or real any real sense of the plot.  Just enough to get giddy.  And I am giddy.  Looks like I'm not alone.  Went to the comic shop two days after the trailer blasted the net, and they were all out of Guardians comics (with the exception of the recent Brian Michael Bendis trades, but let's be honest - they are lame).  What I'm really interested in are the two Annihilation maxi-series that Dan Abnett concocted a few years ago.  Cosmic Marvel never really interested me much as a kid, but thanks to Jonathan Hickman's recent work on Infinity, I'm quickly turning into a Thanos junkie.

Well you might have to shell out a Ben Franklin or two for the Annihilation Hardbacks (for now), but in July you'll get a chance to read that author's brand new Guardians of the Galaxy prose novel, Rocket Raccoon & Groot Steal The Galaxy.  In an interview with Newsarama, Abnett describes the book as "John Woo's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."  I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I think he's attempting a tone of kickassery plus goofy space adventure - you know, Rocket Raccoon folks, big guns to match those big doe eyes.  I'm down.  Marvel has been cranking out the Mega Event novel adaptations like Civil War and Breakout for a while, but it's nice to see them attempting something original with their licenses.  And hopefully this Guardians of the Galaxy media onslaught will result in a hit film.  I want the movie to be good, but I want even more for it to be successful.  If Guardians makes a buck we won't have to settle for Thor 3, Cap 4, Iron Man 5, Avengers 14, over and over and over again.  Let's see some of our favorite Wannabes - bring on Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Silver Surfer, Namor, The Peanut Butter Barbarian.  Let's get weird.  Let's show the world that Geek truly is the new Jock.  Let's vote for Rocket Raccoon in 2014.  If Marvel doesn't expand beyond spandex then the bubble will surly burst, and this golden age will crumble back into a sea of sports talk.  No one wants that, right?

--Brad