"The End" Week: Guardians of the Galaxy #18 (180)!

I didn't write these all at once, but I would've had to space them out--so to speak. From 2021, Guardians of the Galaxy #18 (Legacy #180), "Then It's Us" Written by Al Ewing, art by Juan Frigeri. 

The cover event blurb is "The Last Annihilation," and this is the big finish: Dormammu has possessed Ego the Living Planet, and was now a colossal, galactic-level force of destruction. The Guardians are pulling out all the stops, working with both the mutants of Krakoa (they maybe hadn't colonized Mars/Arrako at that point) and Doctor Doom, who performs an elaborate ritual with Drax, Moondragon, Star-Lord, and Groot to drain energy from Dormammu. Doom then sends the heroes off to battle...

Meanwhile, Nova is getting ready for a suicide run, to punch the planet-sized Dormammu in the kisser: Gamora refuses to leave him alone, although she's not the type to say "I love you" but definitely the type to want to be there to say "I told you so." Their moment is interrupted by Rocket, who arrives with a big gun and a bullet of anti-magic mysterium from Krakoa. Star-Lord and Groot arrive, with Star-Lord and Nova powering the bullet, and Gamora taking the shot. She playfully accuses Rocket of being lazy, but he defers to the deadliest woman in the galaxy, who blows a massive hole through Dormammu/Ego; banishing Dormammu back to the Dark Dimension, and reducing Ego to an asteroid belt. (Oh, he'll be back, he's taken worse than that!)

Doom confers with his...not partner, certainly: ally? Pawn? Lackey? Sister Talionis now had rule over whatever was left of the Chitauri; and while Doom hadn't gotten everything he had wanted, he came out well ahead with a ton of mystic power, that may or may not have come into play the next time he was seen. At Gosnell's bar, the Guardians catch up, including members of their extended roster like Quasar, Hercules, and Noh-Varr. Peter, Rich, and Gamora are looking forward to a vacation, and look like a better throuple than Scott, Jean, and Logan.

I think I came to this title late in the game, because I saw Quasar was back; but I stuck around for the next series since writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing had done some Star Trek I just loved. They haven't wowed me since, though; and their run was only 10 issues and an annual to wrap up. Some of that could be MCU fatigue; or the fact that this would be what, like the third time the Guardians had built a deep bench of supporting characters, that would be either forgotten or benched in a new run to hew more closely to the MCU lineup; even if like Iron Man I don't know that the movies improved sales of the actual comics the least little bit. Just a matter of time until yet another relaunch, of course: I wouldn't mind a Rocket/Groot fronted book, with, um, let's see...Death's Head, Her/Kismet, maybe Lila Cheney...unless I could use Rom, then all bets are off.  

And I loaded the wrong scan here...twice. Ugh, skill issue.

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"The End" Week: Guardians 3000 #8!

For a couple years there, Marvel seemed to be flooding the racks with series, most of which lasted four or five issues, tops. Were they just limited series that weren't marketed as such? Would they have continued if the sales numbers had been there? I don't know if that's any way to run a railroad, since a creative team might not hang around waiting to hear if they should work on more issues or not. So, I wonder if this was intended to go on, or if it was written with this end in mind: from 2015, Guardians 3000 #8, "World Enough and Time" Written by Dan Abnett, art by Nico Leon, color art by Edgar Delgado and Antonio Fabela. Cover by Gerardo Sandoval and Edgar Delgado. (Just uploaded that to the GCD! Hopefully it doesn't have my big ol' thumbprint on it.)

With the reality of the 31st century collapsing, the future Guardians of the Galaxy have travelled back to 2015, and worked with the present Guardians team on the problem. Time was collapsing, with the problem centered on an unassuming home in Forest Hills, NY; and this issue, Yondu and young Geena Drake enter the home...of Michael Korvac. Geena was a new addition, a refugee with the "ability to sense time structure," and she was named after the team's original creators, Arnold Drake and Gene Colan. (Her middle name's probably Roy, since somehow Roy Thomas also has creator credit!) While both Guardians teams and the Avengers were stuck outside fighting the "A-Sentience" robots (possibly related to the Stark, from early on in the 90's series!) Korvac explains how he's creating a new order, even if it looks like he's destroying realities. He describes Geena as a singular point, that there was only one of her in the multiverse, which makes her a stable reference point...and right about there, Yondu puts an arrow in Korvac's head.

This stops the fight outside, just before Rocket hacked the A-Sentience! The present Guardians and the Avengers disappear, and time continues glitching, as the future Guardians keep changing looks. The damaged Korvac explains, this wasn't his doing, but something else, something from outside. Geena implores him, to do what he had planned, to save some reality; but that just throws her through multiple changes, including a quick stop in Avengers #177! Finally, she finds herself, with the five original Guardians, in their earliest looks; and Starhawk tells her Korvac had failed to stop the incursion, but the reality failure has been localized to...the entire multiverse. Still, maybe if Geena holds on...as everything fades to black, she screams, what did that mean? Secret Wars #1, that's what! Which was kind of a hard stop to a number of series.

I'm not sure the classic Guardians have appeared since, although it's been almost 10 years, so they could have. Korvac's appeared since, after all. Read more!

"The End" Week: Guardians of the Galaxy #62!

So, we've been doing this bit for 15 years now, and while I accumulate last issues all year long, theoretically I could write more of these posts over the course of the year. Usually, I get like three done early; but I know I just got this issue this month! From 1995, Guardians of the Galaxy #62, featuring "Endgame" Written by Michael Gallagher, pencils by Kevin West, inks by Steve Montano; and "Time to Go" Written by Michael Gallagher, art by Sandu Florea.

This issue was edited by the great Mark Gruenwald, and I bet he was pleased it tied into a bit of his continuity: the White Room, as seen in Quasar #42. "Endgame" follows Starhawk, who had been set on a quest by the Hawk God, to find his real parents: retcon spoiler alert after the break!

OK, still here? Starhawk's real folks were Quasar and Kismet! Good for them, I love Her. Starhawk had been on this quest since at least GOTG #54, and while Quasar was dead, Kismet had last been seen on the planet Vesper, where we now find Starhawk getting trounced by a robotic "Pathbreaker." For about three seconds, before turning on the juice. Starhawk finds Kismet, living like a nun, mourning the child that was taken from her, by Eon? They put the pieces together, and have a reunion hug at Quasar's space-grave, before they are attacked by Eon's son, Era; who orchestrated everything for the last thousand years. The Hawk God moved Starhawk around to counter Era, to maintain some kind of cosmic balance; and while he feels manipulated, both Starhawk and Kismet are determined to stop Era.

Meanwhile, the other Guardians were re-gathering; as Nikki and Charlie-27 pick up Yondu, who had been trying to get a sign from his god Anthos. Vance Astro was completing a lengthy examination of his new black containment suit: he had received it from the Beyonder, but it had "groped" Aleta and she was creeped out by it. Martinex returns to help with the science, even though he and Vance weren't getting along: Aleta lays down the law, forcing them to bury the hatchet. The team was missing Talon and Yellowjacket: Talon was back studying under the current Sorcerer Supreme Krugarr, while Rita had returned to the 20th century...to immediately get murdered in a terrible crossover like a DC character.

Vance's suit had been augmented by a transfusion he had received from Simon "Hollywood" Williams: it had been acting maybe like a symbiote, but was maybe just Vance's hormones acting up. Reunited, the Guardians listen to Mainframe (formerly the Vision) and his plan to travel back in time, and stop "the War of the Worlds," the Martian attack of earth. The Martians had received aid from a force from outside the galaxy, but the Guardians travel back to June 29, 2001 and interrupt it. With a thousand years of technology on them and a furious Simon, the Guardians destroy about two-thirds of the Martian force. But, as the Guardians return to their own time, they are sabotaged by a stowaway: their old foe, Wormhole!...yeah, nobody remembers him. He was an Inhuman, and had been working under Loki around GOTG #40. The Guardians survive a flaming crash, but where they landed...no one can say. (Mildly curious that the whole team wasn't lost together, but Starhawk was the one to go off himself the most.) 

It would be twelve years until the "modern" Guardians era began with Annihilation: Conquest--Star-Lord #1, with Star-Lord, Rocket, and Groot. But the classic Guardians would return a few times, here and there. I know I read some of Guardians 3000, which also included Alex Ross covers and a more classic Star-Lord--good grief, the last two issues aren't on the GCD? That feels like a crime. Maybe one I can do something about...

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OK, I may have literally booed that title.

Early issues of this series are pretty easy to pull from the back-issue boxes, but I feel like the latter ones are a bit more scarce. I lucked into a few recently, although sadly not the last issue; but this one had an interesting cover and a groaner title: from 1994, Guardians of the Galaxy #54, "The Spiders from Mars" Written by Michael Gallagher, pencils by Scott Eaton, inks by Keith Aiken, Jim Amash, and Mike Barreiro.

The Guardians' timeline diverged from the mainstream Marvel Universe, when Mars attacked earth in the late twentieth century, eventually wiping out most of earth's heroes and population. (I forget, but I think Killraven and the future Guardians are the same timeline?) Over a thousand years later, and Mars was still a forbidden, quarantined world; but the team was on its way there, in search of "interplanetary serial killer Ripjak." They have to fight their way past three Sentinels--classic, purple, mutant-hunting ones--to get to the planet's surface, which is seemingly deserted. Cautiously, they investigate a "memorial tribute war museum." Vance pops open a display case, to help himself to Captain America's mask, but it crumbles to dust. But there was another costume still on display: Spider-Man's tattered red-and-blue suit.

The Martians had an entire room devoted to Spidey, "the last hero to fall." They had also taken his body, which was not currently on display: a note, translated, says it had been removed for "possible plague immunization." The Guardians aren't sure what that means, but split up to search for Ripjak, who seems ready for them...I haven't read the rest of this series yet, I don't think, but I'm guessing he's a Spider-clone. (Nope! Close, but no.)

Starhawk makes a brief appearance, since a subplot of him searching for his origins would run for the rest of the series. I did read those after setting up this post, and there were some surprises, that may or may not still be in continuity; but a lot of the rest of this series seemed to be backfilling why so-and-so hero didn't stop the Martian invasion singlehandedly. Aleta was still with the team, although with a much more generic costume: the Starhawk costume would probably look great on her, although she didn't seem as grim. Lot of subplots running, actually: Talon was getting more bestial and somewhat rebellious, but even Yondu was questioning Vance Astro's leadership. Yondu was also out-of-sorts, possibly because he had learned his god Anthos might actually be Thanos! But, a lot of plates spinning, and not enough actually happens here, even with a great visual hook in the Spidey display. Read more!

I'm still surprised he hasn't turned up in the MCU--no, not Korvac.

After all, Korvac doesn't get the cover this issue, even as he draws "First Blood!" From 1978, Avengers #168, written by James Shooter, pencils by George Pérez, inks by Pablo Marcos.

The Avengers were returning from the S.H.I.E.L.D. space station, with most of the original Guardians of the Galaxy visiting from the future: Vance Astro had to stay on the Guardians' ship in space, since if he encountered his younger self it would have bizarre effects, between his psychokinetic powers and time distortion. The Quinjet returns to Avengers' Mansion, to find the alarms going off--all of the alarms. Even though the house was probably soundproofed, it feels like it'd be heard in a six-block radius. The team finds their rooms searched and tossed, as well as Jarvis tied up, by government-issue asshole Henry Peter Gyrich. Gyrich was from the National Security Council, and felt the team was maybe abusing, or not deserving, their "A-1 security clearance," possibly because he was able to get in through a big-ass hole in the wall. Even when Gyrich has a point, he's still a colossal dick: it's generally impossible to take his side, ever. He also harps on the team members that didn't have security clearance (Wonder Man!) as well as the four new weirdos. (For the Guardians, this is like when you were a kid, at a friend's house, and they get chewed out by their folks.)

Captain America and Iron Man had not been getting along at this point, and Cap calls Shellhead on "treating your chairmanship like a part-time job!" Cap didn't know Iron Man's secret identity at that time (I think Thor was the only team member that maybe did know?) and considered him "moonlighting," since being Tony Stark's bodyguard had to be a full-time job. When it comes to blows, the Scarlet Witch steps in, pointing out the team might not have had a great batting average lately, but Cap hadn't been hitting on all cylinders himself. (To mix some metaphors!)

Hawkeye and the time-displaced Two-Gun Kid make a brief appearance, where Two-Gun mysteriously disappears. Back at Avengers' Mansion, Starhawk has also disappeared: the other Guardians were kind of used to him taking off on his own, and don't seem especially concerned. They should be. As Aleta--half of Starhawk--she visits a nondescript home in Forest Hills, home of Carina and Michael...Korvac. Both Starhawk and Korvac had cosmic-level perceptions, and recognized each other immediately. Starhawk was gambling Korvac wasn't yet ready for him; while Korvac recognized Starhawk as one of the few that could perceive him, and had to head that off. The fight was more than merely physical, stretching into astral planes; although locally it did a number on the weather and triggered Peter Parker's Spider-sense. (This might've been the first time some big cosmic scuffle triggered that!)

Korvac manages to defeat Starhawk on multiple fronts, triggering further cosmic shocks felt by Doctor Strange, Captain Mar-Vell, and the Silver Surfer; before Korvac kills him. It's a clean victory for Korvac, since while those few heroes felt something off, none of them--or the higher powers of the universe--yet knew he was there. To keep his presence secret, he then resurrects Starhawk, exactly as he (and Aleta) was, except for one minor change: Starhawk would not remember this encounter, nor would he be able to perceive Korvac later. (Colossal plot point siren sounds!) Korvac's plan would continue, and this plotline wouldn't wrap until #177, although there was a fill-in or two in there. Read more!

Geez, Norrin, Homer Simpson has to go back to his old job less often than you.

Reading this one, I swear I could hear a cartoon bear mom imploring everyone to "roll it back!" But, some changes from this series maybe stuck? From 2018, Infinity Countdown #4, written by Gerry Duggan, pencils by Aaron Kuder and Mike Hawthorne, inks by Aaron Kuder, Terry Pallot, and Jose Marzan Jr.

After nearly being taken over by Ultron, the Silver Surfer seemingly ditched Adam Warlock mid-fight, as Ultron was about to launch rockets (which seems so old-school!) at the entire universe, spreading himself like an infection. The Surfer wasn't chickening out, though, as much as running to get his old boss to eat Ultron's planet: Galactus turns him down flat, since he was currently the fresh-maker er, "Life-bringer," and eating a planet...would be bad? Like him falling off the wagon?

Meanwhile, on Xandar, the Nova Corps is both surprised and mildly annoyed that Richard Rider and the Guardians of the Galaxy both survived the Chitauri and had the no-longer-planet-sized Power Stone. They may have lost Ant-Man, though...I'm pretty sure he turns up later, but couldn't tell you how: "But the important thing is, we're okay," says Rocket. Gamora wants to put together a new Infinity Watch, and Rich gives it a second, to see if maybe they did it and could go back in time and confirm...? No? All right. Rich has to take off, since his younger brother was now part of the Darkhawk-related Fraternity of Raptors. They briefly seem like they're going to pass the Power Stone like the Beastie Boys pass the mike: Gamora suggests maybe not taking it back into enemy territory, so Rich leaves the Stone with Star-Lord, although Gamora then firmly asks for it, followed by the Nova Corps claiming it was their property. With a saxophone blast, Drax takes the Stone, pissed at all of them. Then, Star-Lord is asked to consult for the Collector and Grandmaster, who have acquired the Reality Stone. Or rather, a Reality Stone: Phyla-Vell and Moondragon from a neighboring reality show up for it, explaining each universe's Reality Stone was hidden in the figurative next universe over. It didn't work here, so Star-Lord gives it to them; and they leave with a cryptic remark about "who Requiem is." (You'll be able to guess when they show; and it's not a secret for long.)

Warlock was unable to stop all of Ultron's rockets: he was rocking the half-Hank Pym face there; it's very Cyborg-Superman. I think elsewhere in the series Hank gets really got, like pretty definitively killed? His soul eaten, maybe? They briefly kind of tried to play up the metaphorical connection between Warlock and Ultron, as "sons of man." The Surfer arrives with Galactus, which Ultron laughs off; thinking it was a scam, since it was now well known that the Guardians had a fake-Galactus mech; but this was the real deal, who changes from gold to his traditional purple as he eats the planet. The rockets are destroyed, and Warlock shoots the Soul Gem out of Ultron's hand...by shooting his hand off; although the robot presumably still escapes. But while that disaster had been averted, was the price too high? Galactus now again hungered, and the Surfer was again forced into service as his herald. Which seems to happen a lot, when the Surfer doesn't have his own series? Well, like I keep saying, it's work, man. Gotta keep workin' it. Read more!

"Field."

Short one today, and I think I messed up on the blocking: Satana enters behind Rintrah, because she was going to be coming back from her selfie with Xemnu! Oh, well. 

I also could not for the life of me find my Baron Mordo figure, who I'm pretty sure is still clutching my Wand of Watoomb! So the Wand this week is from a Secret Saturdays figure; a cartoon I don't recall watching yet have a figure from? Yeah, that tracks. I'm pretty sure it's a kid that has been crowd-filler here or there, usually with Franklin and Timmy. 

And it strikes me we have about as many Starjammers now as we do classic Guardians of the Galaxy? Oh, that is baloney. But Martinex and Charlie-27 are going to have to be unique sculpts, aren't they? (EDIT: It just occurred to me, Crystar and Martinex could probably share parts!) Whereas Hebzibah is going to use Squirrel Girl parts, probably, and Raza should be simple enough, too. A matter of time.

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"Uniform."

I was in Montana last week, and managed to get most of the most recent Guardians wave half off, including Groot. I can't resist that, but I'm also far too soft-hearted to leave Cosmo missing any legs! Adam Warlock really should've come with Blurp, though. I might take the Youngest to go see Guardians 3 this weekend, but I'm definitely seeing the new Indiana Jones! Have a good weekend. Read more!

We had previously seen the Doom/Rancor subplot seemingly conclude, but I'm a little dismayed to see it had been in play for over seven issues. Well, maybe there's more in today's book: from 1993, Guardians of the Galaxy #32, "We Who Are About to Die Salute You" Written by Michael Gallagher, pencils by Kevin West, inks by Steve Montano.

This issue opens with the fight from the previous one's cover, with Nikki vs. Charlie-27: the Guardians present, namely them and Talon, had agreed to face a champion of the Badoon to settle things gladiator-style. Both gung-ho for vengeance, they were willing to smack each other down for a shot at their hated foe. Charlie accidentally knocks out Talon, and is getting madder and madder as Nikki hits him with a succession of cheap shots, culminating in a burst of flames to his face! I don't know that she was always able to do that, if I remember my OHOTMU: sometimes it claimed Nikki's hair was just done in a style to resemble flames, other times it may have been a temperature-regulating function of humans genetically altered to survive on Mercury. It works today, anyway.

Meanwhile, after a seedy torture scene with people I don't recognize, Doctor Doom explains his master brainwashing plan to Rancor and her mutants, by brainwashing them. And in the 20th century, Major Victory (aka Vance Astro) and Captain America are visiting Doctor Strange: the Major needs the Doctor's assistance to return to his team. The trip would involve going through the Dark Dimension, and as such be mind-numbingly dangerous, so it's a no from Strange until the Major calls him "ancient one." You wouldn't think that would motivate him to help, but Strange sees in the Major's future he was as the Ancient One had been to him.

While they make the trippy trip, Charlie-27 arrives in the Badoon arena, now bald from Nikki's fire attack. He had left Talon and Nikki tied up so they couldn't interfere, but they can't help when they see his opponent: a Badoon with the power of Captain Universe! Nikki realizes that's why they wanted a one-on-one fight, as Charlie starts to get beat down. He's no match for cosmic power, but can take a lot of hits. A shadowy figure zaps Talon and Nikki, as the Major and Strange push past the Mindless Ones, to arrive as Captain Badoon Universe is about to deliver the killing blow...! So, this issue ends with the scene from the cover! Maybe next month they would be caught back up. It feels like things were moving quickly here, which still makes it weird that the Doom/Rancor thing ran so long. Read more!

I feel like Alan Davis was given a memo, "Draw Star-Lord more like Chris Pratt." I wonder if that's still the case, or if they're like no, draw Star-Lord like whoever now...From 2017, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mother Entropy #1, written by Jim Starlin, pencils by Alan Davis, inks by Mark Farmer.

Weirdly, while I think Knowhere cop Dietz is based on John C. Reilly as Nova Corpsman Rhomman Dey; I only see a little Zoe Saldana in Davis's Gamora. His Groot is great, though: super-expressive. This mini-series leans heavily in the movie characterizations along with the looks: the team has saved the universe, or at least a planet or two, more than once; but they're also broke, irresponsible, and prone to questionable decisions. To make some quick cash, Drax was selling his blood, to be used as a drug, until Gamora shut that down.

On the verge of cutting and running out; the Guardians get a job offer from the cops, to transport a creepy alien monk and his "Mother Stone" home. The monk tells them, their holy scripture says no more than five people can be around the stone at any given time, or something terrible and unspecified will happen. Gamora and Peter are both "whatever" to that, but the monk dies shortly thereafter of a heart attack, leaving them worried how that delivery was going to go. But they don't have time to worry, as Pip the Troll teleports in to steal it! Drax and Gamora know him, even if it's left at that: their time with the Infinity Watch, for example, is not gone into. For that matter, Pip is still able to teleport, even though he hadn't had the Space Stone in years.

Still, there's no time to dwell on that either, as five Guardians plus one troll make six, and the Mother Stone does...something.

This was a little five issue mini, which came out around about the same time as the second movie. I got it on the cheap, but just about anything Alan Davis is worth checking out. In fact, I had to check to make sure I hadn't blogged it yet!
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Pros: Indestructible, still has five claws, shiny. Cons: Can no longer get items from top shelf.

This issue had a shiny, foil-embossed cover; and luckily enough it answers a question from the last issue of this series we looked at. From 1993, Guardians of the Galaxy #39, "Skeletal Remains" Written by Michael Gallagher, pencils by Keith West, inks by Steve Montano.

The Guardians both don't have much to do this issue, but are also barely recognizable: Vance Astro was Major Victory and no longer in his spacesuit, Charlie-27 seems less huge and squat and recently had his hair burned off, Talon was still here instead of Yondu or Martinex, etc. Instead, as promised on the cover, most of this issue was the fight between Wolverine's psycho descendant Rancor and Dr. Doom, who had survived to the 31st century by taking up residence in Wolverine's adamantium skeleton! Rancor might not have a chance, except she has the traditional healing factor, and one of Wolverine's claws that she used as an indestructible shiv. She stabs Doom in the eye, then gets him with a power cable, but stupidly doesn't finish the job by shoving the claw into his brain. Doom recovers and tears Rancor up, but then has to flee when the Guardians' Yellowjacket gets too close to his good eye. (This was the former villain Rita Demara, in a new costume to boot.)

(EDIT: I swear I've seen "Spock-ears" used as an insult in another Marvel book, probably against Namor; but I'm not sure why it would be considered an insult. Spock is cool!)

Rita takes Rancor up to the Guardians' ship for medical treatment, but too late remembers about the healing factor. (Would she have known that? I don't know if that was common knowledge, especially when she left the 20th century...) Rancor steals a shuttle and escapes, rescuing her mutant crew to boot; but the Guardians still get to count it as a win, since they've just helped re-establish formal government on earth. The President rattles off several of the terrible events that had happened since the Badoon invasion and occupation; as well as her intention to restore "order, stability and literacy to what remains of these United States!" Those would be worthy goals for any president...Giving the government a little more legitimacy, Major Victory fulfills a promise from early in this series, turning Captain America's shield over to the new president. I kinda feel like Cap would rather he still use it to fight the good fight, rather than leave it to collect dust in the Oval Office; but maybe the shield would serve as a reminder to do the right thing.

Also, that last Guardians issue we checked out had someone on the moon bossing around the Inhumans, that looked like it was probably Loki. Yep! He looks pretty damn crazy here, but he had been working for centuries on breeding Inhumans to help him destroy Thor and Asgard. Which seems like a surprisingly long game for Loki, but okay.
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Now it's a party.

Actually, I have no idea what that's about; but we're taking a look at this book before jerks try to mark it up for the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie. From 1993, Guardians of the Galaxy #37, "Time Bears all It Sons Away" Written by Michael Gallagher, pencils by Kevin West, inks by Steve Montano.

It may have taken a thousand years, but the dread Dormammu has finally triumphed over his long-time foe, the Ancient One. The current Ancient One, that is: Dr. Stephen Strange! And the Guardians may have given Dormammu the power to kill him, but no time for that now. Kruggar, the current Master of the Mystic Arts, tries to motivate his erstwhile apprentice, Talon, to free him; but the Inhuman Guardian relies too much on brute force. Major Victory works out a plan to distract Dormammu, until Kruggar and Talon can banish him back to the Dark Dimension. Surrounded by Mindless Ones and worn out from the fight, Dormammu seems worried...

Having proven himself worthy, Talon is given Dr. Strange's original square amulet. Then, the main team of Guardians was headed to earth with Hollywood, the hero known long ago as Wonder Man! Elsewhere, Wolverine descendant-slash-cosplayer Rancor makes an attempt on Dr. Doom's life, and was about to cut out his heart with a remnant of Wolvie's claw. There's also a partially seen character that seems to be protecting or exploiting the Inhumans; and has Loki's color scheme. Is it? Well, I only have a few issues from the back half of this series, so it may be a while before we see. I know that Eternal Sprite had similar coloring...That seems like a long shot, admittedly.
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