We at The Arcade are quite fond of the mad mix of characters Marvel comics basically threw together to create The Guardians of the Galaxy in 2008, and in the cinema Vol 2 did nothing but heighten our love. Whether you enjoy the films, want to dress like them or are a true comic nerd, we got you covered. Therefore to celebrate this team we’ve put together a gallery of images for you to feast on.
Original Guardians
Not everyone is aware that the Guardians started pre-Starlord in 1969 with a completely different team. Eagle eye fans may have spotted an Easter egg to that effect in the most recent cinematic outing. They began with the usual appearance in a larger series, Marvel Superheroes #18 (image 1) with subsequent appearances in Marvel Two-For-One, Defenders and other comics.
In the early 1990s they went on to have their own comic (issue 1,image 2) which ran for 62 issues. Although the original guardians were only four last-of-their-race type characters, in this series there were 7-8 guardians. The general overview was that these 31st century alternate earth heroes were on a quest to save Earth’s solar system from an alien race called The Badoon.
2008 and Beyond
Even with the current team making beginnings in 2008, it still wasn’t quite formed as many of its characters came together without Groot and Rocket. These characters featured in the earlier issues of Annihilation:Conquest but only really came to be the full team in Volume 6. This team (images 3 through 5) although remaining for the film franchise, would change in comic form several times since then.
The Big Screen
Most of the mainstream population only came to know The Guardians in 2014, via the 80s tuned Guardians Of the Galaxy Vol 1 (image 6). Staring Parks and Recreation ‘s Chris Pratt as egotistical Star-Lord against a kickass Zoe Saldana with voice support by Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper, it wasn’t expected to be such a hit. The film was quite successful and spawned a TV series (image 7) and hotly anticipated Volume 2. Thankfully the filmmakers took their time raising seedling Groot and will do so again for Vol 3.
