Plot: When an explosion kills thirty eight people aboard Knowhere, several Skrulls are revealed amongst the dead. The Council of Knowhere puts the Guardians under house arrest, but will this quell more explosions? Or ignite them?

Comments: Lots of stuff is going on within this series and this issue handles all of them, including a Secret Invasion tie-in coherently. First, Major Victory, that guy with the Captain America shield, tries to remember who he is while being hunted by the inexplicable Starhawk. Then, after an unexplained explosion reveals Skrull infiltrators onboard the station, the Council of Knowhere shows up and decides the best thing for our galactic superheroes is to stay put in their room.

Brilliantly, the latter occupies the majority of the issue’s pages, developing the fascinating character dynamic of this rag tag team. Abnett and Lanning have given each of these characters a distinct voice and personality, and have allowed them to trust each other at an organic pace. Last issue saw the once coldhearted Gamora nearly die to save her friends from a deluge of molten sun. Here, that heroic feat that caused her tremendous disfiguration is questioned when suspicions rise as to who is really a Skrull. “Take a look!” Gamora screams, pulling back the hood covering her bald and burned head. “Have you forgotten what I did for the team on Binary Stasis Twelve? I can’t believe you’re questioning my loyalty!” Starlord steps in calm everyone down, but even he is suspicious. Why is he wearing his facemask so often? Why has he allowed the team that should have no bounds to be subjected to the Council of Knowhere? And moreover, why did he use such unorthodox methods to get the team together in the first place?

Guardians of the Galaxy # 4 turns the adventures of these mismatched heroes into a tale of intrigue and conspiracy. Each plotline allows the reader to invest his/her interest and emotion because the focus is on the character’s development within the plotline. Too often in space dramas, such as current Star Wars: Clone Wars, the character is lost in the overflow of plot, which then becomes meaningless and just an excuse for action. To the writers’ credit, these germinating stories ride on the movement of these characters that have successfully built a personality for themselves over the last three issues.

As for the art, Pelletier uses more subtle techniques to flesh out the team’s interaction. For instance, after the explosion, Quasar positions herself very close to Mantis in order to console her. The body language is as overt as a hug between the two to the subtle physical posture while sitting on a couch together. Quasar is situating herself to protect Mantis, which is laden with sexual overtones. Her intentions, however, are not readily available so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Space. Sexual Tension. Skrulls. And arguments between a bipedal raccoon and talking dog. What more could you possibly need?

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