What I Bought 7/31/2014 - Part 3

Greetings to you again from the past. We're reviewing a first issue today. Maybe it's kind of, sort of relevant because the second issue will be coming out today as well.

Rocket Raccoon #1, by Skottie Young (words and art), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (color art), Jeff Eckleberry (lettering) - Took me a little while to realize Rocket's standing on top of Groot.

3 years in the past, we see Rocket rescue Princess Amalya, who seems quite taken with him in turn. Back in the present, however, he's bringing a different young woman with him to watch Groot in a wrestling match. Rocket spends most of the time bragging about himself, but when they land on the Kiss Cam, we learn Rocket is wanted for multiple murders, which sets off an extended chase through a bunch of sewer pipes between him and a bunch of cops who looked like they stole their gear from the cops in The Fifth Element. Oh, and Groot lost the match. On the run, Rocket decides to turn himself in, which greatly annoys his date, who was meant to lure him into a trap devised by Princ - sorry, General Amalya, who is the leader of a confederation of Rocket's angry ex-girlfriends. I'm not sure yet whether the other raccoon is part of their plan, or a wild card, though I lean towards the latter.

This Rocket is going to take some getting used to. I assume he's similar to movie Rocket (though I haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy yet, not sure when I will), but it also seems consistent with his current portrayal in Marvel's cosmic titles. I glanced through a recent issue of Nova, and Rocket spends most of his time killing people for one reason or another, usually about money. I don't know if the sleazy ladies' man shtick is from Young or someone else, but I'm not sure about this. It's like Rocket's become a combination of Tommy Monaghan, and, and, Gambit. *Shudder*

The book seems like it'll be funny, and I do like Skottie Young's art work. I saw someone compare this book to Earthworm Jim, which a) makes me really want an Earthworm Jim sketch from Skottie Young, and b) seems accurate. But I'm not sure about a Rocket Raccoon who complains about being wanted for murder at the exact same time he's drowning a cop in a sewer pipe.  He's supposed to be a tactical genius! He can't devise plans that don't involve shooting people? So I don't know. I think if I continue with it, I'll just have to treat it like an Elseworlds or something, divorced from any earlier appearance of the character I actually enjoy. I mean, if the character weren't named Rocket Raccoon, and I didn't have any preconceived notions of how he should behave, I would like it a lot. But he is, and I do, so that's an obstruction.