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Guardians of the Galaxy #24 cover by Valerio Schiti and Jason Keith

Part two of "The Black Vortex."

Threatened by the Slaughter Lords, cosmically enhanced evildoers under the influence of Mr. Knife, the Guardians of the Galaxy and All-New X-Men face a drastic decision: do they use the Black Vortex to protect themselves, defeat the bad guys, and save the universe, or do they struggle without its power?

Taking the distraction the Slaughter Lords provided and while the others were fending them off, Gamora took the decision into her own hands and submitted to the Black Vortex, emerging as a new level 2.0 badass assassin capable of taking on the current threat easily.

With the Slaughter Lords defeated, Magik teleports the group to a nearby moon of Spartax and to safety. Here the drama begins anew as all must decide what to do with the Black Vortex.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis warps a tale of intrigue, subterfuge, and surprises. We see the older Hank McCoy, aka Beast, make a fateful decision; the arrival of Nova adds one more to the fray; and the conspiracy of the Black Maw with Thane is undoubtedly a subplot with more weight to be uncovered in subsequent issues of this crossover.

Black Vortex enhanced Beast

Guardians of the Galaxy #24 moves the plot along at what feels like a deliberate pace. There isn't a huge amount of action, but there doesn't need to be. The crafting of "Black Vortex" is so far playing out well for readers; Bendis is pacing the story, building suspense with dramatic twists and turns. This issue does have a lot of dialogue to reveal the characters' motivations and drive some characterization. There is also a lot of panel work, and artists Valerio Schiti and Jason Keith are right at home with the sense of space and color arrangement that was set up in "The Black Vortex: Alpha." 

Thane and Black Maw

Schiti provides some great art pieces, with a couple of double-page splash images and another whole-page splash. The grandiose feeling of space and the cosmic divine potential out there is driven home in the artwork. Keith's colors are great. The way the new designs of those who have been enhanced by the Black Vortex are depicted is attributed to the color as much as the art itself. In some more cases more so, as with Gamora. If this is the level of art for the series, then we are safe to say this will be an awesome experience to readers.

Mr Knife and the Brood emissary

Overall, the art makes up for some lack in the writing in this issue. Bendis does some okay work, but it isn't stellar. The conflict between Kitty Pryde and Peter Quill seems a little forced for the sake of creating tension, but the seeds planted from this part of the event may become the most fruitful part of the issue.

What did you like about this issue? Did this continue strongly from the first issue of this event in your opinion? What do you hope for the next part? Tell us below or head over to the Fanboys Anonymous Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment. Make sure you come back for the next installment of "The Black Vortex" with Legendary Star-Lord #9.