- Title: Rocket Raccoon #9
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: Skootie Young
- Artist: Jake Parker
Set 30 years in the future Rocket Raccoon #9 offers a glimpse at a possible dark future for Rocket and Groot. Long after their collective adventures have ended, and Groot has decided to stay on Earth without his friend (helping its heroes unlock the secret to his regenerative properties), a monster-sized Groot is terrorizing the planet destroying everything in sight. Who’s Tony Stark gonna call? Gundam-style Rocket Raccoon, that’s who!
Dark future stories of heroes are hardly anything new but writer Skootie Young still finds a way to infuse the comic’s zaniness and fun without getting lost in the grim future.
The twist near the end of the comic lessens the impact of the story a bit as it’s revealed we’re only seeing a simulation of one possible future of the pair. What makes the story work is Young flipping the idea that Groot keeps Rocket in line and that the raccoon’s loving friend might become something far more dark and dangerous without his questionable influence. Yeah, looks like Rocket Raccoon is a good influence after all (at least for a living tree turned Kaiju monster). Worth a look.
[Marvel, $3.99]