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The Trial of Jean Grey # 1 (actually part 2) (Guardians of the Galaxy # 11)

By Mark Rodriguez

So it was at this time when the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie was going to be released, and like many people out there, I've never really heard of them. Other than Rocket Raccoon appearing in Marvel VS Capcom 3, I didn't know much about these guys. So now we have a crossover between the Guardians and the X-Men since the Shi'Ar Empire wants to take Classic Jean to trial over the crimes her modern day self would eventually cause as Phoenix. For some reason they decided to have this story's 'Part 1' be a 'Part 1' for both the X-Men and Guardians comics. Let's take a look as this story unfolds at the same time as the events of All-New X-Men # 22.


The comic explains that the Guardians of the Galaxy recently saved Earth from Thanos, and that Peter Quill's father has sent people to kill his son. There's also a warrior woman named Angela that recently joined the team due to one of those darn pesky time-space continuum accidents that always happen to comic book characters.

The story opens in a place called Knowhere as we see Peter Quill having a drink and doing some flirty eye contact with a random alien woman with tentacles for hair. Just then Gamora arrives to cut him off. Quill tells her that having her hang with him in such places ruins his chances with the ladies. She reminds him everyone in the galaxy is after him and asks why he's hanging in the first place they'd look. He says if it's the first place they'd look they probably already checked and moved on to someplace else. He also tells her that his dad now has the Spartax army looking for Thanos and not him. Gamora says he still haven't forgotten him and asks what's the plan.


Just then Quill says that 'the plan' is to realize he's pointing his gun at her navel and demands to know who she really is. He figures out that she's a Skrull in disguise. The fake Gamora tells him that her father sent his armies after Thanos, but hired bounty hunters after him. Quill starts slurring his words as he realized his drink was spiked and passes out in front of the Skrull bounty hunter.

Elsewhere there is a meeting between several Kings and Queens from different alien races. The Shi'Ar mention that Jean Grey from the X-Men, known as the Phoenix has returned and remind everyone of all the planets that she destroyed in her wake. Someone mentioned she died years ago, but the Shi'Ar state the X-Men have brought her back from the past and she's currently living in the present time. Gladiator from the Shi'Ar says since she's alive and well, she must pay for her crimes and they have already started a plan to go to Earth and capture her. The Spartax king (Quill's father) points out that since she is a time traveler, she still hasn't committed these crimes. Gladiator states that the Shi'Ar don't care, the crimes were committed by her, so she will answer for them.

Meanwhile on the Guardian's ship, Tony Stark is sending the crew a thank you message from an 'intergalactic smartphone transmitter' he stole from them the last time he was on their ship. He thanks them and messes up on his speech and tries to 'record' again. Rocket Raccoon says his broadcast is live, so they're all seeing him now. Raccoon asks if he's getting his tech back and Tony asks if Fed Ex can deliver to where they are. As Tony continued to thank everyone, Raccoon grabs the remote and shuts off the transmission.


Back to the intergalactic flew market in Knowhere, Angela and Gamora are considering buying weapons when they suddenly notice another Gamora trying to carry off the unconscious Quill. Skrull Gamora spots them and pulls out a gun. Gamora deflects the energy shots with her sword and Angela uses her own weapon to deflect the shots right back at her. Gamora asks the impostor who she's working for, but Angela quickly slices her head off.

Angela states the killer was a shape shifting alien called a Skrull. Gamora says she would have liked to have known who she was working for before she was decapitated. Angela says Quill's father is sending people after his son, so it's obvious she was working for him. She then says since she killed the Skrull, the bounty is hers, so she claims her ship as her own and gives it to Gamora.... leaving her to awkwardly thank her. Quill now wakes up and Gamora calls him an idiot.

Later on, everyone is back on the ship and Raccoon tells everyone he bugged the Badoon communication systems the last time Angela and Gamora wreaked havoc there. He set it to alter them any time they mentioned Earth, and he just found talk about the Phoenix. Quill roughly explains how Jean was taken over by the Phoenix back then, but is confused since she is supposed to be dead. Drax says it's not really their business, but Quill says since his father is also mentioned in the communications, he might be looking for any excuse to go to Earth.


Rocket Raccoon discovers that the Shi'Ar have already gotten into Earth's atmosphere and asks Quill if they're going to get involved. Quill decides to go for it. The Shi'Ar ship cloaks itself, but Raccoon can still determine where they're going, which is someplace in Canada. Gamora asks who exactly they'll be fighting, and Quill says they're gonna shut down this operation and find out what's going on. Drax says this might be a trap. Quill says with the X-Men, the Shi'Ar and the Badoon involved, it's gonna be a good one.

The comic ends the same way All-New X-Men # 22 ended, with Quill introducing themselves to the X-Men and realizing that they arrived too late. At this time, Classic Iceman looks surprised, X23 is angry, while Kitty and the Classic Beast and Angel are saddened by their sudden loss.


My Opinions-

This was my first look at the Guardians of the Galaxy and it helped me get an idea of the general personalities and the names of the characters, just in time to see the movie. Now the interesting about their current line up is Angela, who was actually a character from the Spawn comics. Created by Neil Gaiman and Todd Mcfarlane, Neil would get full rights to the character and sell her to Mavel where she's become a part of the Marvel Universe as Thor's long lost sister.


Now Angela is with the Guardians and she continues her bloodthirsty ways, and becoming buds with Gamora as they're both bad-ass warrior women. Though it seems Angela is sometimes too eager to kill, such as in the case where she killed the Skrull before he could be interrogated.


As for the Shi'Ar, we now know why they want Jean Grey but it's just crazy. While I do agree that it's unfair for Jean to continue living a happy life without punishment for the lives she's wiped out as Phoenix.... this is a younger version of Jean that hasn't done any of this yet. Plus, it's not as if Jean stay dead since that original storyline from the 60's or so. Jean has come back since then and we've never seen the Shi'Ar come after her then. What the hell you guys?

The X-Men and Guardians are gonna have their hands full with Gladiator. I know the 90's cartoons were not 100% accurate to the comics, but I know they're accurate to show that the guy can take a punch from Juggernaut as if it were nothing. He's gonna be the one to beat.


We'll have to see what happens next in the following issue of All-New X-Men as we finally move to a proper 'part 2'.

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