Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team)


Guardians of the Galaxy are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Guardians first appear in Marvel Super-Heroes #18. The initial roster consisted of Vance Astro, Martinex T'Naga, Captain Charlie-27, and Yondu Udonta. Later members included Stakar Ogord, Aleta Ogord, and Nikki.

Publication history

recounted,
The team first appeared in the partial reprint title Marvel Super-Heroes with issue #18, written by Arnold Drake and penciled by Gene Colan. Despite strong sales on this issue, the Guardians of the Galaxy would not appear again for over five years, in Marvel Two-In-One #4–5. The story's writer, Steve Gerber, liked the team enough to use them again in Giant Size Defenders #5 and Defenders #26–29. In each case, other heroes such as Captain America, the Thing, and the Defenders aid them in their war against the alien Badoon, necessitating the liberal use of time travel in these stories.
The Guardians were finally given their own series, Marvel Presents, starting with issue #3. Steve Gerber, still handling the writing chores, reflected, "Most of the stories I was scripting were set in the present. I wanted to do something that combined the standard superhero elements with something a little different, so that I could give my imagination a bit more play. We had Dave Cockrum redesign the costumes, we created a new starship for them to pilot, and we revised the premise of the strip, so that they were no longer fighting the Badoon on Earth, and sent them off among the stars." Gerber left the series after seven issues, leaving Roger Stern to take over with Marvel Presents #10. The series was cancelled shortly afterwards due to poor sales, with the final issue being #12. This was followed by a series of appearances in Thor Annual #6, The Avengers #167–177 and #181, Ms. Marvel #23, Marvel Team-Up #86, and Marvel Two-in-One #61–63 & #69. Marvel Two-in-One #69 drastically changed the Guardians of the Galaxy story; due to changes made to the past of one of the members, the future which the Guardians of the Galaxy come from and the mainstream Marvel Universe are permanently separated, becoming alternate timelines to each other. After this, the Guardians of the Galaxy were absent from published stories for over a decade.
, including new characters Starhawk, Aleta Ogord, and Nikki.
In 1989, Marvel editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco revived the Guardians of the Galaxy following the soaring popularity of the TV series '. DeFalco worked out a series concept using a new team of Guardians, but when he saw a series proposal for the original team that Jim Valentino had coincidentally been working on at the same time, he green lit Valentino's idea instead. The Guardians' first self-titled comic launched in June 1990 and ran for 62 issues. This series was initially written and illustrated by Valentino, who deliberately gave it an action-oriented, "fun" feel that stood out from the typical "grim 'n' gritty" comics of the 1990s. Though Valentino had plotted the series ahead as far as issue #50, his run was cut short when he co-founded Image Comics. Having taken on two new series and the foundation of a publication company, Valentino asked editor Craig Anderson if he could switch to just writing Guardians of the Galaxy, and in response Anderson dismissed him from the series.
With issue #29 Michael Gallagher commenced writing the title, and continued until its cancellation with issue #62. According to Kevin West, who became the penciller with issue #30, he and Gallagher worked together closely on the series, employing the Marvel method of creation, and soon became good friends. A spin-off four-issue miniseries, Galactic Guardians, also by Gallagher and West, appeared during this time. West explained why he did not draw the final issue of Guardians of the Galaxy: "When I heard we were getting the hook, I naturally started looking for a new job. I ended up at Malibu. There was a hold-up getting the Guardians plot finished so by the time I got it, I had to pass because I had a Malibu deadline to meet. Arrgh. Despite any minor qualms I had, I really did enjoy working on the series."
A second volume was published in May 2008, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. The title, set in a different timeline, features a new team, drawn from participants in the ' storyline. The 1969 team made guest appearances in #12–17 and #25.
A new ongoing series starring the original Guardians, titled Guardians 3000 and written by Abnett, launched in 2014.

Fictional team history

The Guardians are active in the 31st century in an alternative time-line of the Marvel Universe known as Earth-691. The original members of the team include Major Vance Astro, an astronaut from 20th century Earth who spends a thousand years travelling to Alpha Centauri in suspended animation. He is also the future alternative universe counterpart of Vance Astrovik, the hero known as Justice.
Other original team members are Martinex T'Naga, a crystalline being from Pluto; Captain Charlie-27, a soldier from Jupiter; and Yondu Udonta, a blue-skinned "noble savage" from Centauri-IV. Each is apparently the last of their kind and they are forced to unite as a team against the actions of the Badoon, an alien race which attempts to conquer Earth's Solar System.
During the course of the war against the Badoon, the team gains three more members—the mysterious husband and wife duo, Starhawk and Aleta, as well as Nikki, a genetically engineered young girl from Mercury seeking excitement in her life—and travel back in time, where they encounter several of the heroes of 20th century Earth, including Captain America and the Thing.
The guardians eventually defeat the Badoon, but soon find themselves facing a new foe called Korvac, who was in part a creation of the Badoon. After teaming with the thunder god Thor to defeat Korvac in the 31st century, the guardians then follow Korvac to 20th century mainstream Earth, where together with the Avengers they fight a final battle.
The guardians reappear years later and have a series of adventures in their future, with several others eventually joining the team: the Inhuman Talon, the Skrull, the second Yellowjacket, and an aged Simon Williams.
Wanting to expand the guardians to a multiple-team organization, Martinex eventually leaves to look for additional members for a second unit, the Galactic Guardians.

Connection to the 2008 Guardians

During their second mission, the team that was to become the Earth-616 incarnation of the guardians discover a time-displaced Vance Astro in a block of ice floating in space. It is his introduction as "Major Victory of the Guardians of the Galaxy" that inspires the team to take up the name. In issues #7 and #16 of the series, it was revealed a great "error" in the present day has caused the future to be destroyed; Starhawk is constantly trying to prevent it by time travel, causing the future to be altered. Only Starhawk, who is changed with each reboot but is "one who knows" about the changes, realizes anything is different, but each change still ends in a cataclysm. In issue 17, the universe of the Guardians' future had been taken over by the alien race called the Badoon, and only a small portion remained undestroyed. The Guardians sent a warning to the present day, though at the cost of the end of their own universe.
The Vance Astro of the modern-day Guardians is revealed to be a Major Victory from one of these altered futures, rather than the original. A second alternate Vance Astro appears in #17.
In #18, a third version of the Guardians' future was shown, this time led by Killraven against the Martians.

Membership

In other media