Guardians of the Galaxy | |
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Promotional image for Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #1 (May 2008) Art by Clint Langley. |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #1 (May 2008) |
Created by | Dan Abnett Andy Lanning |
In-story information | |
Base(s) | Knowhere |
Member(s) | Current Members Bug Drax the Destroyer Groot Rocket Raccoon Star-Lord Jack Flag Moondragon ___________________ Adam Warlock Gamora Mantis Martyr Major Victory Cosmo |
Roster | |
See:List of modern Guardians of the Galaxy members |
The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Guardians first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #1 (May 2008).
Contents |
Publication history
The second volume of the title was published in May 2008, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. The title features a new team of characters from the Annihilation: Conquest storyline.[1][2]
Abnett and Lanning's work on the Annihilation: Conquest story helped lay the foundation for the new Guardians of the Galaxy book that they had been wanting to launch for some time.[3] Editor Bill Rosemann, who had also edited Annihilation: Conquest, provided more background: "As the planning of Annihilation: Conquest came together, it occurred to us that, if things went well, there would be a group of characters left standing who would make for a very interesting and fun team." It also provided the motivation the team would need, as "on the heels of two back-to-back wars, they’re out to prevent any new Annihilation-size disasters from erupting."[4]
Fictional team history
In the aftermath of Annihilation: Conquest, Star-Lord[5] decides to form a team of interstellar heroes that will be proactive in protecting the galaxy, rather than reacting to crises as they happen. To this end, he recruits Adam Warlock,[6] Drax the Destroyer,[7] Gamora,[7] Phyla-Vell (the new Quasar),[8] Rocket Raccoon,[9] and Groot,[9] with Mantis as support staff.
On the recommendation of ally Nova, the group establishes a base of operations at the space station Knowhere, which possesses a teleportation system with near-universal range. [10] An intelligent, super-powered dog called Cosmo acts as Knowhere's chief of security and works closely with the new team. After an initial clash with the revitalised Universal Church of Truth, [1] the team's investigation of a mass of "Limbo ice" reveals a semi-amnesiac man who identifies himself as Vance Astro - Major Victory of the Guardians of the Galaxy.[11] Astro's declaration inspires the as-yet-unnamed team to adopt the "Guardians of the Galaxy" name for their own.[12]
The team then battles the Universal Church of Truth once again, while Astro is attacked aboard Knowhere by an incarnation of his former teammate Starhawk. [13] Matters worsen when the alien shape-shifting Skrulls apparently infiltrate Knowhere, [14], and the revelation that Star-Lord directed Mantis to telepathically coerce the heroes into joining the team. [15]
After this, the team members each went their own way due to some misunderstandings. However Rocket Raccoon decided to continue and started a search for the missing members. He asked Bug to join the team, as well Groot's return to full size and the addition of Mantis and Major Victory as field members. Meanwhile Starlord went to the Kree Empire in an attempt to help them out of a situation, but Ronan The Accuser reveals to him that they are reconstructing the Phalanx's Babel Spire in order to preserve the Kree, before throwing him into the Negative Zone, where he meets King Blastaar. Blastaar's plan is to break into 42, the prison created by the Initiative to house anti-registration forces.
Blastaar hopes to use Starlord as a way to get into 42, so he may then invade Earth. Blastaar's Negative Zone forces then launch a full scale attack against 42, which is defended by the superhumans inside - as the guards fled and locked them in the negative zone - led by Jack Flag. Starlord then goes into 42, and begins talking to Jack Flag, hoping to use him and other superhumans in 42 as a way to contact the Guardians. Using a telepath, Starlord is able to contact Mantis and get the Guardians to teleport into the Negative Zone, preparing for a big battle.
Meanwhile, Adam Warlock and Gamora invade the Universal Church of Truth's headquarters, as Adam Warlock wishes to find out more about them, and asks to be taken to their leader.
Elsewhere, Drax and Quasar begin looking for Cammi, but on their search they talk to a seer who tells them about the oncoming war. When they say they don't care and are looking for a girl, the seer remarks that he knows of this girl, and that her name is Heather, much to Drax and Quasar's surprise. Phylla was able to wake Moondragon from the dead, but lost her Quantum Bands in the process. The consequence for Phyla is that she is now the new avatar of death. They went back to Knowhere and did not follow up on the search for Cammi.
War of Kings
Adam Warlock returns with Gamora to the Guardians and informs the team of the War of Kings. Starlord and Rocket Raccoon decide they should split in 3 teams to keep this war from growing out of control;
- The Kree Team with Starlord, Bug, Gamora, Jack Flag and Martyr (Phylla-Vell)
- The Shi'ar Team with Rocket Raccoon, Drax the Destroyer, Adam Warlock, Major Victory and Groot
- The Coordination Team with Moondragon, Mantis and Cosmo the Spacedog
The Kree Team asked Blackbolt to stop the war, a request he denied. The Shi'ar team becomes separated from Adam Warlock, who is transported on to a Shi'ar vessel and is attacked by Vulcan, emperor of the Shi'ar. The rest of the Shi'ar Team works with the Starjammers to free Lilandra from Emperor Vulcan.
Warlock fights with Vulcan and later some Imperial Guardsmen. In the end Guardsman Magique is able to put a 'witchmark' on Adam, without him knowing. Meanwhile Martyr kidnaps Crystal, to force the Inhumans to stop the war. Both squads transport back to Knowhere, but are followed by the Imperial Guard (via Magique's 'witchmark' on Adam) and the Inhumans (via Lockjaw). All characters all fighting all over Knowhere, but the Inhumans are able to transport back with Crystal. The Imperial Guardsmen Magique follows Adam Warlock, who somehow is able to transport the 'witchmark' back on her and therefore the Shi'ar soldiers shoot her instead of Adam Warlock.
Following the team being separated, Adam Warlock manages to close the rift formed at the end of War of Kings, this however causes him to revert to his Magus personality, and the ensuing fight to stop him results in him killing Mantis, Cosmo, Major Victory, Martyr, and Gamora. The Magus is only stopped after Starlord uses a cosmic cube provided to him by Kang to neutralise his powers and then shoots the Magus in the head.
Reception
The May 2008 sales estimates were that the first issue had sold 39,854 copies, making it the 61st top-selling comic title that month.[16] The first and second issues sold out, requiring a reprint,[17] The first two issues have been reprinted in a collected edition. [18]
Bibliography
- Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #1-present (May 2008- present)
- She-Hulk: Cosmic Collision
- Marvel Spotlight: War of Kings
Collected editions
The series is also being collected into individual volumes:
- Legacy (collects Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #1-6, 144 pages, hardcover, January 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3338-0, softcover, April 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3338-0)
- War of Kings:
- Book 1 (collects Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #7-12, 136 pages, hardcover, June 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3982-6, softcover, October 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3339-9)
- Book 2 (collects Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #13-19 and Marvel Spotlight: War of Kings, 144 pages, hardcover, November 2009, ISBN 0-7851-4127-8)
- Realm of Kings (collects Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #20-24 and Realm of Kings one-shot, softcover, June 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4049-2)
Notes
- ^ a b Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #1 (May 2008)
- ^ Abnett & Lanning on The Guardians of the Galaxy, Newsarama, March 6, 2008
- ^ DnA + Pelletier + Rosemann on "Guardians of the Galaxy", Comic Book Resources, February 19, 2008
- ^ Bill Rosemann talks Guardians of the Galaxy, Newsarama, February 26, 2008
- ^ Greeting the Guardians: Star-Lord, Newsarama, May 8, 2008
- ^ Greeting the Guardians: Adam Warlock, Newsarama, May 9, 2008
- ^ a b Greeting the Guardians: Drax and Gamora, Newsarama, May 13, 2008
- ^ Greeting the Guardians: Quasar, Newsarama, May 12, 2008
- ^ a b Greeting the Guardians: Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Newsarama, May 14, 2008
- ^ Nova (vol. 2) #8-9 (Nov. - Dec. 2008)
- ^ DnA: Whose Shield Was That? Guardians of the Galaxy Secrets, Newsarama, June 25, 2008
- ^ Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #2 (June 2008)
- ^ Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #3(July 2008)
- ^ Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #4-5(Aug. - Sept. 2008)
- ^ Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #6 (Oct. 2008)
- ^ Sales Estimates for May, 2008, Comic Book Resources, June 17, 2008
- ^ "Captain Britain," "Guardian of the Galaxy" sell out, variant cover second printings announced (press release), Comic Book Resources, May 20, 2008
- ^ Guardians of the Galaxy: Legacy Redefines Marvel’s Cosmic Universe! (press release), Comics Bulletin, June 30, 2008
References
- Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-616) at the Comic Book DB
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) at the Grand Comics Database
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) at the Comic Book DB
External links
- Inside Look: Guardians of the Galaxy #1 by DnA, Broken Frontier, May 21, 2008
Reviews
- Issue #1, Comics Bulletin
- Issue #1, Comic Book Resources, May 19, 2008
- Best Shots Extra: Guardians of the Galaxy #1, Newsarama
- Issue #2, Comics Bulletin
- Issue #2, Comic Book Resources, July 5, 2008
- Issue #3, Comics Bulletin
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