The Destroyer and his coterie of allies faces The Bitter End… Your Major Spoilers review of Drax #11 awaits!
DRAX #11
Writer: CM Punk & Cullen Bunn
Artist: Scott Hepburn
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editor: Jake Thomas
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Drax: “bounty hunter basher, space battle champion, child liberator, dragon discourager — Drax’s life is what happened while he was busy trying to hunt Thanos. But something else finally made an impression on his one-track mind: an innocent baby ice dragon who’s been kidnapped by the same violence-charged telekinetic Killer Thrill who beat her old partner, Drax’s friend Ora, to a pulp. A coalition of warriors, plus Planet Terry, are willing to do whatever’s necessary to save the dragon from learning Killer Thrill’s cruel and unusual ways. But if they succeed, will the baby merely trade the brutal frying pan for the Destroyer’s fire? And how long before that fire consumes Drax himself?”
A RAGTAG BAND OF WARRIORS
I’m always a sucker for the diverse bunch of heroes from different place ‘Magnificent Seven’ approach, and this book has been a hoot, assembling Drax, Planet Terry from the old Star Comics, former Guardian Pip The Troll, Drax’s ex-partner Cammi, Fin Fang Foom, a hippy Terrax and more into a nucleus for story. This issue features our assembly of characters setting off to find a dragon pup, one of Foom’s race, who has been captured by Killer Thrill. They find their way to Killer Thrill’s planetary abode, but not before Drax’s injured friend Ora urges him to show mercy, to just once NOT be The Destroyer. It’s easier said than done, as Killer Thrill knows how to push all his buttons, goading him into battle, and displaying the killer she has made out of the baby dragon…
…or failed to, as it attacks HER, then flutters to Drax’s neck like a pet. It’s a very cute moment, followed by Drax actually taking Ora’s advice, up to a point. He has no problem ripping off the Groot-arm Killer Thrill stole, though, and as the issue ends, he prepares to go home, while suggesting that the rest of the crew should stay together.
YOU HAD ME AT ‘FIN FANG FOOM’
I’ll tell you right now: I hope of Ora and her friends together as a unit (though I don’t have a whole lot of faith that it’ll actually happen, as these sort of stories tend to flutter out of memory quickly at Marvel; Pip alone has had half a dozen roles since The Infinity Watch went under), and I’m going to miss Bunn and Punk’s collaborative writing. The combination of knowledge of obscure characters and specific narrative voices is a compelling one, and combined with Hepburn’s art, it makes for a pretty great series. On the one hand, as bummed as I am to see this book go, it’s nice to have had it at all, and the ending here feels pretty organic to the story they’ve been telling about the literal Guardian. Using the array of other characters has also helped to overcome the worry that Drax can’t carry a book on his own, which was a legitimate concern when I first picked up this title…
THE BOTTOM LINE: A SOLID ENDING
In short, this book uses underutilized characters to fascinating new ends, which seems appropriate for Drax, who got new life thanks to that big movie a couple of years ago. Drax #11 wraps everything up with aplomb, as our hero learns something about himself, Fin Fang Foom gets some great lines, and a baby dragon finds a happy home, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. If nothing else, it’s good to see Marvel committing to a larger portion of their massive character stable, giving spotlight to more than just Spider-Man, Iron Man and Wolverine…
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