With the release of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" last weekend, it was only appropriate that Marvel Comics released Groot #1 last week as well. Dan Abnett had the task as the writer responsible for looking in to Groot's genealogy. Lee Garbett brought his flair for drawing Captain Marvel to the cover of this issue. Inside the issue, the artwork was handled by Damian Couceiro and Matt Milla, who were equally adept at tackling space scenes as they were trees.
The story takes begins a long time ago, without giving an exact number. Planet X is inhabited by tree-folk, of which Granopy has taken on the role of a tree who is looked up to and has a tendency to tell the young tree-folk stories. Sometimes these stories come with warnings, such as never going to the Deadwood. Groot is seen hanging with Gleef and Tweeg, two other young saplings. Planet X enjoys a peaceful existence, until the Spoilers come.
Months later, Captain So-Lar, Lieutenant Dar-Ra and Private Mar-Vell have been tracking AGZ and his Spoilers for quite some time, by looking for planet devastation. On the planet Thantalis, they find Groot, Gleef and Tweeg. Groot attacks Mar-Vell in an effort to protect his little friends. After finding out that these creatures are native to Planet X, Mar-Vell continues to study them. While the language of the small tree-folk is very limited, it is discovered that the same phrases can mean different things.
Wanting to bring the the small tree-folk back to their planet, So-Lar and Mar-Vell take their Starforce Vessel Hala to transport Groot, Gleef and Tweeg back to their original dwelling. It doesn't take long to notice that some sort of protective force field is in place to hinder communication with any source outside the planet. Origin stories always take a certain amount of time to develop. The backstory always seems to halt the story from moving forward. Once this business is taken care of, the action moves more smoothly. I expect this story between the tree-folk and the Spoilers to really pick up next issue, as Yondar the Hunter enters the fray!