Now that we’ve finally moved away from the trials of the X-Men on earth and have delved back into the stories of the Guardians and their efforts, I’m really enjoying the run again. They have an obvious goal in mind - finding Thanos - and that helps establish a sense of consistency despite the fact that they keep getting sidetracked. It’s not hard to root for these guys or to want more of them; I finished this issue feeling anxious to read the next part of their journey, which means Bendis and company did something right. Read Full Review

Guardians of the Galaxy #17 is a brisk read that ultimately does nothing save for reuniting the titular team, a necessary yet no less plodding outing. With teases of a Spartax revolt and an unknown role for Venom, things are sure to turn around, but for now the Guardians story most worth investing in is likely on the silver screen. Read Full Review

Unlike "Avengers Disassembled," the conclusion to this Guardians of the Galaxy story finds the team right back together again. It wrapped up too neatly at the end, but I believe that Bendis set up the narrative in a way that he could explore the consequences of each character's experience in future issues. I hope he takes advantage of this because I know there is more to these characters than bar fights and explosions. Read Full Review

Guardians of the Galaxy #17 is one of those issues that resets the deck and kicks off some events that may pay off nicely down the road. It ends on a somewhat awkward note, considering the next issue deals with what happened to Richard Rider in the Cancerverse, but the pieces are in play for a solid next arc. Read Full Review

In a week where more eyes than ever should be on the Guardians of the Galaxy, this issue is an unfortunate disappointment to me. While not particularly bad, it wasnt nearly as satisfying as it probably should have been. And, being the end of a pre-existing situation as it is, its not even a very good starting point for new readers who run to their local comic shops after seeing the movie. Maybe I was expecting too much here, but thats only because this book has lived up to those expectations so many times in the past. Read Full Review

I'm sure, because this is by Bendis, every page will be a build up to the last panel which is when Star-Lord will only at that point start to tell us what really happened and we'll be stuck waiting until the 19th issue to really find out more. Read Full Review

Perhaps the issue would have received a more favorable score if Nick Bradshaw could have had the opportunity to complete the whole issue or if Bendis could have managed to finagle more heart out of the second act. Also, why is Venom out here with the Guardians? Gripes aside this was still an alright issue of Guardians. If you miss this issue of GotG you really aren't missing out on much. Read Full Review

But between Legendary Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon now on the shelves, we clearly have no shortage of writers willing to handle Guardians-related properties these days. Marvel needs to right the ship and get a writer on Guardians who has a clear vision and direction for the team before they let this opportunity slip past them. With next issue teasing resolution for the Cancerverse/Richard Rider Nova storyline that ended the original Guardians run as a tie-in to Original Sin, I shudder a bit to think of how things could potentially be messed up. Here's hoping I'm wrong. Read Full Review

I want to like this book. I really do. Bendis knows the characters' voices and they are really fun to read. Now he just needs to give them something exciting to do. That's really a minor problem, though, compared to the art department. Marvel really needs to get a handle on that before its too late. Read Full Review

Although it still has the feel of a Guardians issue, I think both longtime fans and those inspired by the movie to pick up the issue may feel somewhat disappointed. Hit-and-Miss. Read Full Review

This issue feels like filler and with "Original Sin" crossing over next issue, that feeling is theoretically justified. With a growing myriad of titles to choose from flying the "Guardians of the Galaxy" banner or featuring Guardians characters, Bendis and company need to step things up to stay relevant. Hopefully the reveals from the Cancerverse story in the "Original Sin" tie-ins satiate readers for what happened there and how Quill returned, answering the question that has been providing an undercurrent for this series since it started. Hopefully, "Original Sin" can serve as a much-needed story booster shot for the series. Read Full Review

Yet another issue of super-slow plot development and little emotional payoff. There is also a jarring and annoying switch of artists halfway through.

Just bad. The story is frustrating enough. It has gone no where, and the idea of breaking them up has been rendered pointless, as everyone is thrown back together as quickly as they were taken apart. The art here is atrocious, being rendered sloppily for the first ten pages, before switching artists for the last ten in a shift that is so horribly jarring you'll completely lose the plot. This will continue as the exceedingly poor art filling in the second half renders the last four pages incomprehensible. Bad show for great characters.