The artwork was really fun; it is cool to get to see some the transformation that some of the heroes go through when they succumb to the power of the Black Vortex. Read Full Review

Not a fan of crossovers? Not sure if you should invest in any series with the looming "Secret Wars" approaching? Well this is a crossover you should not be missing. It has been years since we have had an event or crossover this good. This chapter especially reveals more of what the Black Vortex is and what it can do. I seriously urge you to add this to your pull list, you won't be disappointed. This crossover also highlights the creative teams and is a great introduction to then continue following their incredible series. Read Full Review

I wouldnt say that this story has reached its potential just yet (it is only the second issue, so thats nothing to worry about), but this issue was certainly a step up from last weeks debut. I can definitely say that I am now a lot more interested to see where this story is going than I was before I read this issue. Read Full Review

"Guardians of the Galaxy" #24 hits the ground with a burst, moving forward and sending out impactful bits of character development, seeds of conflict and threads of adventure, but it presumes its readership knows what is going on. Regular readers of the "Guardians" title -- and only that title -- might get confused, especially if they haven't been keeping up on their X-Men. As with the previous crossover with the X-Men, however, this issue makes Bendis' team feel truly cosmic and important. It's just a darn shame that the X-Men have to be present to bring out the best in Peter Quill and his team. Read Full Review

It's hard to tell at this early stage if the familiar set-up, with two factions splitting off over the potential use/misuse of the powerful Black Vortex artifact, is a retread of similar Avengers/Guardians/X-Men encounters over the last few years. Yet the book hits the ground running with some gorgeous art by Valerio Schiti, especially during the sequences in which a character is "touched" by the power, and some lovely moments between Kitty and Peter Quill. Read Full Review

That particular moment is a highlight in a read full of them, artist Schiti turning in one of his best issues yet. Freed of the confining quarters of the ship, the artist shows some excellent vision, crafting a number of visuals impressive in scope and design. He also deserves some major kudos for his character work this time around. There are a lot of bodies to this installment, and all of them look great, Schiti showing nice use of body language and expression. We'll need more than good art to keep this event investing, but with Schiti involved it's almost enough. Read Full Review

The shining light of #24 is Valerio Schiti's artwork. Schiti packs every page with an incredible amount of detail. Not a single panel seems rushed, which is incredible considering Schiti hasn't missed an issue since he started on the series. The new uniform designs look great, and I wish Marvel would take advantage of series like this and make some figurines. Schiti uses the cramped panel space effectively to pump up the growing tension amongst the teams in a way the script fails to do. I absolutely loved the way Schiti penciled Gamora's quick smile. It speaks volumes of the character without ever having to read a word. Read Full Review

We have a long road ahead of us with this crossover, folks. What could have been an issue filled with intriguing character choices and further development on the effects of Black Vortex falls flat and instead we are treating to childish bickering that has the same amount of tension as a group of friends deciding what bar they should go to on a Saturday night. Still, the transformations remain interesting and there are bright spots of humor meaning The Black Vortex isn't completely devoid of emotion and excitement just yet. Read Full Review

Matthew can be found on Twitter as @mahargen, where he is enjoying a scotch while he wistfully remembers the days of Abnett and Lanning’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The throwback with Mantis and Cosmo on the cover of this issue was pretty great, though. Read Full Review

The second issue of the big crossover feels like filler. There aren't any mistakes, missteps or plot holes. Just not much happens in it. The argument over what to do with the Vortex could have been wrapped up in three pages and revisited as needed down the line. To have this focus of the entire issue makes me concerned about picking up future issues in the crossover. It's a decent enough read but nothing really happens in it. There are too many other comics out there to read than to spend time on ones that seem like filler. Read Full Review

This is not the most promising start to an event thats had a decent amount of hype around it. It feels a bit too much like its hearkening back to the days of Marvel being owned by a toy company and creating new versions of all their characters for the purposes of having new toys to put out, only thats not true anymore. There are still some cool moments, but those moments are overshadowed by an issue that feels like its on autopilot with very little passion. Theres still plenty of time to right the course of this ship, but this is an inauspicious beginning. Read Full Review