Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: July 2010
Cover Price: $3.99
Writer: Adam Warren
Artist: Hector Sevilla Lujan
Consumed with the same insatiable hunger as her father, Galacta lives on Earth and has chosen not to eat it or any of its natural inhabitants. To satisfy her diet, she uses her cosmic awareness and high-tech gadgets to seek out non-native organisms. Things on the menu include Kree Thermophile Lithometallovores, Skrull Bacteria, alien wardrones from the Cambrian-Era and Kronan Stone-Men. However, the problem is exacerbated when Galacta discovers a hungry organism inside of her that she identifies as a cosmic tapeworm!
On her continual quest for sustenance (for herself and now the tapeworm, as well), she encounters heroes like Wolverine and the Fantastic Four. Each new adventure inspires possible ideas on how to sate her hunger. Could she continually feast on Wolverine as he continued to regenerate? Perhaps Thor might lead her to enormous hunger-sating meals made up of the World Serpent or Mjolnir itself? Finally, she travels to the Baxter Building to learn the whereabouts of the Ultimate Nullifier. In a desperate plea, she risks oblivion itself – hoping that the Nullifer can remove the parasite without killing her – knowing the chances of her surival are slim to none. Is there anyone powerful enough to stop such a powerful cosmic entity from killing herself? And, what is this cosmic parasite anyway?
Galacta debuted in 2009’s Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular alongside a number of other features. Readers were allowed to vote on which feature would go on to get it’s own stand-alone one-shot and that honor was given to Galacta, the Daughter of Galacta. This is certainly an ambitious, double-sized comic. The art is great, energetic and shiny but the story utilizes very little dialogue. It’s moved along via a combination of excerpts from Galacta’s Twitter account and the lengthy, unanswered messages sent to her absentee father. The character herself is high-concept, as well – a curious mix of an all-powerful, highly intelligent being with the ramblings of a tech-oriented teenager. A teenager with established morals and a drive to stick by them! As a Marvel continuity buff and a huge Galactus fan, I can’t imagine that this tale can be considered a part of Marvel mainstream canon but with that firmly in mind, it was an enjoyable and well-conceived story.
On Ebay: Galactus | Adam Warren
This is certainly one of the most unique and silly ideas I’ve seen come out of Marvel Comics in quite a while. And yet… I’m so intrigued =P
Comment by Donny B — October 25, 2010 @ 9:04 am