Ever since fans sawBaby Grootdancing toThe Jackson 5song “ABC” at the end ofGuardians of the Galaxyin 2014, fans simply couldn’t get enough of this diminutive and adorable character. While we will see Baby Groot return once more in this summer’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Marvel announced today that Baby Groot will get his very own comic book, entitledI Am Groot. The debut issue’s comic cover was revealed today, along with more details from writerChristopher Hastings.
When theGuardians of the Galaxyget caught in a wormhole, a smaller-than-normal Groot is separated billions of light-years away from the team. Falling to a planet below, Groot discovers he is on an entirely alien and unknown world full of strange creatures and societies. Seriously underdeveloped and with nobody who can understand him, Groot will need to make the journey to the center of this world and find the way back to his family! This 32-page comic will be rated T+ and will be priced at $3.99.ComicBook.comcaught up with writerChris Hastings, who had this to say about the story, while making an interesting comparison to theLegend of Zeldavideo games.
“I’m excited to take the very cute, very smallGrootand completely remove him from the comfort zone of theGuardians of the Galaxy(which is already kind of limited, comfort wise). He’s stranded in an extremely strange land and must find a way back home, with no way for anyone to understand him. The immediate initial draw is that this little Groot is super cute and really funny. But it really was his limited abilities to communicate that the story grew out of. I started thinking about the Zelda games that Link doesn’t talk in, and why they manage to have such rich worlds and stories all the same, how to take something like that mute first person character experience and translate it into a comic.”
I Am Groot#1 goes on sale in May, but it isn’t clear if this comic will go on sale before or afterGuardians of the Galaxy 2hits theaters on May 5.Marco D’Alfonsodesigned the first issue’s cover art, which you may see below, withJay Fosgittdesigning one of the variant covers. There will also be a “hip-hop variant” by an artist to be announced later, along with twoSkottie Youngvariant covers and a “Night Night Groot” variant from an unidentified artist. Here’s whatChris Hastingshad to say about the mysterious planet this story is set on.
“He’s certainly more comfortable with this “family” (as dysfunctional as that family may be). Without Rocket to translate for him, we actually get to see a bit more of Groot since it’s not being told through another character’s perspective. Oh, he’ll certainly be meeting other denizens of this planet along the way. Flaviano just sent in sketches of a simultaneously adorable and disturbing pug-like creature that befriends Groot, for starters. Everything is bigger and scarier than him, but sometimes he just doesn’t really care. So it’s a very creepy world, but this funny little twerp just runs right through it.”
WhileChris Hastingssaid that this story is set on a planet that both theGuardiansand Marvel Comics readers haven’t seen before, there are, “hints of a society that has been long forgotten,” as Groot must find a way to “unlock the planet’s secrets in order to get home.” The writer also added that he will be “VERY impressed if anyone guesses the secret” of the world Groot lands on, before it’s revealed. Take a look at the cover art below for this newI Am Grootcomic book below, which will debut in May, to coincide with the release ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
