Comic(s) Relief: Original Guardians Of The Galaxy Getting Their Own New Series
Not those guys, the other guys.
This article is more than 2 years old
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are in the spotlight in a big way right now, with the live-action movie only one month away and several new Guardians comics launching today (see below). But if you’re a newcomer to Guardians fandom, you might not know that the lineup set to blaze into theaters in August isn’t actually the original team. That honor goes to a 31st century group that included Major Vance Astro, Starhawk, Martinex, Captain Charlie-27, and Yondu (who is in the movie). Yeah, most people had never heard of Rocket Raccoon prior to last year, so it’s understandable if those names don’t mean anything to you. But while Peter Quill and his gang of heroic ruffians may be getting most of the spotlight right now, the original team will soon be returning to the comics page in a new series called Guardians 3000.
Set to launch in October, Guardians 3000 will be written by Dan Abnett, with art by Gerardo Sandoval. Abnett is actually a Guardians veteran, having co-written (with Andy Lanning) the 2008 Guardians series that introduced the current team that serves as the basis for the upcoming movie. Abnett and Lanning already set the stage for Guardians 3000 in a back-up story in Guardians of the Galaxy #14, which came out last spring and which you can purchase here.
Here’s what Abnett told Newsarama about Guardians 3000:
True to the original tales, they are trying to save the future from the menace of the Badoon. I wanted to keep that element, and indeed try not to do anything to deny any continuity. So they are freedom fighters, first and foremost, facing an immensely hostile culture. However, they soon discover that the Badoon are just the tip of the iceberg, essentially opportunists taking cosmic advantage of a much deeper crisis.
As Starhawk deduces, the very future itself is in danger. History and causality are unraveling and repeating themselves, and not in a friendly Groundhog Day way.
Guardians 3000 will launch this October. You can check out some art from the preview story below, followed by a rundown of this week’s new science fiction comics!
THIS WEEK’S SCI-FI COMICS
Clone #18 (Image Comics)
How far would you go to protect your family?
Guardians of the Galaxy: Galaxy’s Most Wanted #1 (Marvel Comics)
Rocket Raccoon and Groot — your favorite cosmic bounty hunters (and soon to be world-famous movie stars) — leap into action in an all-new adventure! Could it possibly happen? Is Groot attempting to arrest…his best bud Rocket? Plus: Reprinting THOR #314, featuring the Thunder God in cosmic combat with the mean, green Guardian known as Drax!
Legendary Star-Lord #1 (Marvel Comics)
From the pages of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY! A brand new series from SAM HUMPHRIES and PACO MEDINA! In this exciting first issue, Peter Quill battles the Badoon, fights to save an orphanage, and still finds time for some flirting with Kitty Pryde — but it’s all in a day’s work for the STAR-LORD!
RoboCop #1 (Boom! Studios)
WHY WE LOVE IT: If you’re like us, the classic 1987 film holds a special place in your fan heart. Now, we’re taking the next step to give fans an original, ongoing RoboCop series set in that very world. This is the hard-bitten world of RoboCop we all grew up on!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: If you’ve ever wondered what happens to RoboCop and his partner, Anne Lewis, after the first film, wonder no more. Joshua Williamson (GHOSTED) crafts a story of crime and corruption that fans of Gotham Central, Stray Bullets, and Incognito will enjoy. Carlos Magno (PLANET OF THE APES, DEATHMATCH) brings RoboCop and Old Detroit to life in detail and intensity never seen before.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT: A deadly and charismatic criminal, Killian, is released from jail. He went into the slammer before RoboCop hit the streets. Now he wants to take out the biggest cop in the city. When OCP wants to take guns off the street, Killian sees it as his opportunity to take on the former Alex Murphy!
Rocket Raccoon #1 (Marvel Comics)
ALL-NEW, IN-CONTINUITY SERIES! As defenders of the cosmos go, Rocket Raccoon has faced his fair share of galactic battles. He’s been a hero to the weak, a champion of good, a protector of the innocent, a heartthrob to the many intergalactic female species and now — a raccoon on the run?! ( I’m sorry, I’m sorry, a “formidable-and-expert-Guardian” on the run. Rocket is NOT a raccoon, okay?) Rocket’s high-flying life of adventure and heroism may soon be a thing of the past when he becomes a wanted man — and the authorities are not the only one on his TAIL! (We’ll definitely be overusing that pun!) Superstar creator Skottie Young brings his A-game as writer and artist on the series we’ve been waiting decades for. Because let’s be real, this is the only Guardian of the Galaxy you actually care about. Am I right?
Six Million Dollar Man: Season 6 #4 (Dynamite Entertainment)
We can rebuild him. Better than he was before. Better. Stronger. Faster. The Six Million Dollar Man is back with an original comic book continuation of the classic television series! Oliver Spencer has lost control of Maskatron and it may cost him and everyone in the OSI their lives. And amid the chaos and fear of alien infection, Steve is reunited with Jaime Sommers, the Bionic Woman. But can even two bionic powered agents stem the tide rising against humanity?
The Twilight Zone #6 (Dynamite Entertainment)
Diana Clark has discovered she can see the future. There’s a lot to be said for that power. A lot of ways you can make money. A lot of ways to protect yourself from harm. But when one of those visions involves a mushroom cloud rising over the city, Diana must choose between saving her own life, and risking it all to save millions.
