CREDIT: Marvel
Rating: 3.5/5 – Playing Off the Popularity of Baby Groot from the Movie.
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
Baby Groot is a popular feature of the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie, also being featured in numerous trailers for the movie. So it’s no surprise that Marvel is capitalizing on this version of the character in the comics with an all new Groot series titled ‘I Am Groot’ written by Christopher Hastings and wonderfully drawn by Flaviano.
There have been plenty of relaunches and new series starring the Guardians of the Galaxy and its individual team members. Both Rocket and Groot are getting a new series this month, and both characters also had their own individual series last year as well as one starring both of them together. That’s a whole lot of exposure for two characters that are arguably best handled when they’re supporting characters, but leveraging their popularity from the movies and Guardians cartoon series on Disney XD seems to make marketing sense for Marvel.
Similar to Groot’s previous series, the story isn’t serious in tone, instead going for a more lighthearted feel (like the movies and cartoons) which is perfectly captured by artist Flaviano. He has a very cartoon-like style and his rendering of Groot is just wonderful. He throws a lot onto the page, but it never feels cluttered. I wish the colors were just a bit brighter, but that’s a small complaint to the overall visuals.
I Am Groot isn’t bad, it’s just not great and to me, not all that memorable. Baby Groot is getting into all sorts of mischief aboard the Guardian’s ship Milano, and as his mischief gets worse, he accidentally stumbles upon a new planet that holds quite a few mysteries. In addition to the mysteries of this new planet, there’s also a greater one that looks as though it will be explored throughout this series… why Groot is no longer growing? To me the story never captured my interest and at the end, I don’t feel compelled to come back. I’ll be getting my Groot fix in the main Guardians book and for now, that’s enough for me.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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