By: Mark Henely
I feel like I need to start this comic out with a disclaimer: I love CM Punk. Part of me honestly believes that he is the coolest man alive. While the other part of me knows that he probably isn’t, that part at least agrees he is in the top five. Somewhere up on the list with George Clooney and Barack Obama. So, on some level, I was going to read whatever this man created.
As a wrestling fan, there is a lot to get excited about. When CM Punk left WWE, he said nothing for months and, even when he did speak, he mostly spoke about why he left and not really about what he was going to do with the rest of his life. So, anytime that CM Punk does anything, there is something to be excited about because he does so little. There is also the Batista connection. CM Punk left WWE (at least in small part) because Batista won the Royal Rumble when Punk felt that he should have won. And while Punk maintains that he doesn’t have Badd Blood towards Batista, it is still interesting that CM Punk is writing a comic book about the character that possible real life enemy, Batista, played in the movie, “Guardians of the Galaxy”.
And all of this also doesn’t matter when it comes to the comic itself. It’s not about CM Punk, or Batista, or WWE’s Dr. Amman. None of the backstage politics really comes through in what is a solid Marvel comic. He does a good job with the character. It’s about what Drax does when he is not fighting alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy. Turns out, he wants to kill Thanos. His days off from his superhero team are his days on in terms of getting revenge. The “no days off” angle is interesting as it pertains to known workaholic CM Punk, but that seems to be the only angle that really relates to Punk’s real life. It would be interesting if the over-arching story in Drax is about slowing down and letting go of anger the way that you would hope that the now retired Punk is doing, but that remains to be seen.
As a Marvel comic, this isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. We’ve already seen solo comics from Star Lord Peter Quill, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot; so, there is a precedent for Guardians getting their own solo books. It isn’t the strongest of the books, but I think there could still be room for it on the shelves. Skottie Young’s Rocket Raccoon has the most interesting art, Groot is the funniest, and Peter Quill’s book has the greatest impact on the Marvel Universe as a whole. So, if Drax is going to distinguish itself, it is going to have to be through it’s use of action. And the action in Drax #1 is really cool. The entire 2nd page is dedicated to Drax ripping an alien in half and I love that. If Punk and Bunn give readers more of that, then I would be very happy.
As a whole, the comic slows down a bit as it goes on. The first few pages that feature Drax fighting alongside his guardians are the best. Once Drax leaves them behind to fight Thanos, the story slows down a lot. The surprise ending does a little to build excitement for the next issue, but the fact that the book became less interesting when Drax was by himself does not bode well for the future.
Rating: 7 out of 10
***Mark Henely is a stand up comedian, podcaster, and comic book fan. He went to Rutgers University where he officially studied English Literature and unofficially studied Marvel and DC Comics. Now he has a podcast where he reviews the first appearances of Comic Book characters. It is called “Introducing… The First Appearance Podcast” and you can check it out on iTunes and Stitcher. ***
