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Guardian of the Galaxy
T
Thoughts?
War of Kings
After the events of Secret Invasion, the Inhumans claim the leadership of the Kree, bringing them into conflict with a Shi'Ar Empire ruled by Vulcan.
Who Will Rule? SPOILERS!
T
Thoughts?
War of Kings
War of Kings
By Ben Morse
When kings collide, the galaxy will tremble.
That's the forecast the cosmic cabal of writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and editor of Bill Rosemann have given for War of Kings, a major Marvel outer space spectacular building through the remainder of this year and exploding in 2009. Tying together elements from major events including Secret Invasion and Ed Brubaker's work on UNCANNY X-MEN, "War of Kings" promises upheaval through the cosmos that will make even Abnett and Lanning's previous tour de force in ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST seem like an interstellar picnic.
"Expect to see familiar faces that Dan and Andy—aka DnA—are closely associated with as well as a whole new set of toys that they can smash together," guarantees an enthusiastic Rosemann. "Readers know that DnA are modern masters of the sci-fi saga, and now they get to cut loose with a much larger list of ingredients."
"We are definitely trying to expand and build upon what has gone before," embellishes Lanning in reference to the game plan for this epic. "The events in War of Kings will develop directly from Secret Invasion and will bring a lot of cosmic characters and races into action. Who they are and how they react to what's occurring will very much tie in to where they have been left after all the previous stories."
At the heart of War of Kings will be Vulcan, the current emperor of the Shi'ar and the spark set to potentially ignite universal chaos. Introduced by Brubaker as the third Summers brother, sibling to the X-Men's Cyclops and Havok, when last we left Vulcan he had solidified claim to his throne in X-Men: EMPEROR VULCAN limited series written by Chris Yost and seemed set to pursue bigger and bloodier conquests.
"Vulcan's a complicated guy with a seriously screwed up personal history," notes Abnett. "[He's] not the most stable of leaders and [now the Shi'ar] are aggressively expanding their empire. This will put them at loggerheads with the universe around them and will certainly color their response to any potential [obstacles] that might come their way."
Those obstacles will include Havok and his team of Starjammers, including fellow X-Men alumni Polaris and Marvel Girl, though both editor and writing team declined comment on how the middle Summers brother would pose a threat from within the prison he found himself confided to following EMPEROR VULCAN. They would, however, enthusiastically discuss the most surprising wild cards involved in "War of Kings," the Inhumans:
"The Inhumans have a special place in the Marvel Universe, but they don't really know their place in the human world," explains Abnett. "They're weird. They're wonderful. They are the perennial outcasts. The outsiders. They live in a fabulously alien city with a bizarre caste society and an even stranger Royal Family. That could me why [Andy and myself], as Brits, find them so endearing: they remind us of our own wacky royals!"
At the moment, the Inhumans have their own troubles to deal with in SECRET INVASION: INHUMANS, having just learned their deposed leader, Black Bolt, has been kidnapped and replaced by the Skrulls. Rosemann vows that the limited series—written by Joe Pokaski with art by Tom Raney with first issue hitting on Augest 13—will have huge ramifications on War of Kings as it pertains to the role of the Inhumans:
"The Inhumans' former king was kidnapped, possibly killed, and replaced by a hated enemy. What kind of a mood do you think they're going to be in?"
"They're mad as hell and they aren't going to take it anymore," tacks on Lanning.
And how will all this impending warfare affect the cosmic protectors DnA write about monthly in the NOVA and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY series, which the writers assure will tie into War of Kings in "easily digestible, bite-sized portions"?
"Here's a rock, here's a hard place—now choose," posits Lanning devilishly.
As far as weather to expect Ronan, Super-Skrull, Wraith, and the rest of DnA's extended cosmic cast, the writers remark simply that "War of Kings is a cosmic-wide event that will have ramifications felt throughout the Marvel cosmos."
In other words, get a telescope and throw on some heavy duty shades and ponder this final ominous question courtesy of Rosemann:
"When kings wage war, can the kingdoms survive?"
FIRST LOOK: Guardians of the Galaxy #7
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The "War of Kings" is approaching and the road to this jaw-dropping event begins in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #7—now featuring a variant cover by classic Guardians of the Galaxy artist Jim Valentino! Acclaimed writing duo Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, along with fan favorite artist Paul Pelletier, begin a bold new era for the Guardians with a new story arc, a new team…and a missing Star-Lord! How will the team cope? Who will join their ranks? And is Rocket Raccoon really leading the team now? One thing's for sure—expect the unexpected!
"Dan, Andy and Paul are doing a great job on this series and I'm honored to be a small part of the continuing Guardians history they're creating," says Valentino.
If you've missed the series that IGN.com calls "right on par with Marvel's very best titles" then don't miss GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #7, as War of Kings' first shots are fired!
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #7 (SEP082339)
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #7 VALENTINO VARIANT (AUG088017)
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by PAUL PELLETIER
Cover by CLINT LANGLEY
Variant Cover by JIM VALENTINO, CHANCE WOLF and GURU eFX
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—11/6/08, On-Sale—11/26/08
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