Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1: Legacy

Guardians of the Galaxy (2008)

by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Paul Pelletier (Illustrator)

Collects Guardians of the Galaxy #1-6. Back-to-back Annihilation wars have weakened the boundaries of our universe. Dark gods and monsters are seeping through the cracks, reigning horror upon many worlds. In the face of terror, who stands to defend a desperate universe? Star-Lord and his squad of butt-kickers - the modern day Guardians of the Galaxy!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book

149 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't quite sure I'd like this one as much as Bendis' Guardians of the Galaxy, but it turned out to be pretty darn good!
The best thing (to me) was that the story had a lot of humor, and even with all the Fate of the World stuff going on, it never lost its cheeky feel.

I was surprised that this one was a Getting the Guardians Together origin story of sorts. But it made the whole thing really easy for some like me, who doesn't have years and years of Marvel Space Stories under my belt to understand.
The biggest difference between this and Bendis' GotG, has to be the inclusion of Adam Warlock, Phyla-Vell, and Mantis.
Oh, and Groot is still sitting in a flower pot for this one, so don't expect much out of that guy.



However, you do get quite a bit of Cosmo, so how can you complain?



The plot goes something like this:
Giant tears are opening in the fabric of reality/time/other dimensions...something like that? Nova has talked Peter into talking Mantis into doing something shady talking the rest of these guys into forming a group to stop it.
They're headquartered on Knowhere, which is run by some angry aliens that I had no idea existed before now and Cosmo (who is Security Chief).
That's right, the dog is running the show.
*Things Happen*
And that leads into the Skrull Invasion storyline.
Lots. Of. Fun.
Definitely recommended!

And for you nerds out there that (like me) get excited over the little things:
Adam Warlock did make an appearance in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. It was just in his cocooned form.

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming soon to a theater near you….

After two big comic crossovers have left the fabric of the Marvel Universe torn up and vulnerable Peter Quill (a/k/a Star-Lord) recruits a group of interstellar misfits to protect it. And of course when your goal is guarding the galaxy you need to have a heavily armed talking raccoon on the team…

If Rocket Raccoon isn’t weird enough for you, the Guardians headquarters called Knowhere is in the severed head of a Celestial floating outside space/time, and the chief of security there is a talking telepathic/telekinetic dog that was shot into space on a Soviet test rocket.

So this is all pretty standard comic book stuff…

Ah, but seriously, what’s fun about this is the way that stray characters from decades of Marvel’s cosmic stories have been put together. The weird and wild elements are used to create a ripping sci-fi story that has serious tension in it even with its goofier aspects. As they try to fix holes in the universe, deal with a guy from an alternate reality, root out shape-shifting Skrulls and fight a powerful foe from the future, the Guardians of the Galaxy show that they are the right men, women, aliens, tree and raccoon for the job.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up a Guardians of the Galaxy that started over after this and it was not good. I didn't like it. This is very enjoyable and there are some characters that haven't made the movies yet. I really like Quasar and Adam Warlock and I hope they will make the team in the next movie. This was fun. I don't really feel like this was the start of the story and yet it is.

Peter Quill uses Mantis to force this team to work together mentally. They do and they run into all kinds of adventures. This is also set in Knowhere, the giant skull from the 1st movie. Our library doesn't have this run and I have to ILL this and I do plan on continuing on with this story. It is worth it. I think the movies are nearly perfect and this is not quite as good and it's pretty good none the less.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains the origin of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

That's the present day GOTG of Earth-616 (or 'Earth Prime' as they're calling it now), not the original GOTG from the alternate future of the year 3000 of alternate Earth-691... nor the movie GOTG from alternate Earth-199999... or the cartoon GOTG from alternate Earth-12041.

I don't know about you, but I think I need to go and have a lie down.

Anyway, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Lots of action, some truly great characters and a couple of pretty nifty plot twists. The Secret Invasion tie-in issues didn't even manage to derail it.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of the previous Guardians feel changed after all of the Annhilation stuff. The galaxy is also in pretty sorry shape. Weak spots are opening to other dimensions and Starlord has assembled a team to help seal them. There both a lot of conflict and a lot of fun in this. The second half of the book is a good Secret Invasion crossover. Yes well done tieins do exist.

Paul Pelletier’s art is really good. I’ve always wondered why he’s not a bigger name in comics. His stuff is great.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lordy, here goes nothing. Suckered into reading the Abnett/Lanning Guardians - more faithful than Bendis, but less funny and fun. DnA seem to revere the Guardians, tradition, all the trappings of goofball dialects and evil space villains. Ugh. Maybe if I was ten years old I'd be more excited about this, but instead it feels like a damn chore.

Go clean the oven while you're at it, Mike...

Or at least, that's what I expected to find when I cracked this book. And yet, even at my age I haven't learned to leave myself open to the possibilities of the universe. Or maybe I have - 'cause as much as I wanted to heartlessly tolerate a Chile Con Crappy, I found out that this wasn't a horror of epically mediocre proportions.

In fact it was a pretty zippy story - a little intra-team conflict, lots of big villains to beat on, and some mysteries that are teased out well enough to keep me reading. What gives? Did these dudes get better as they kept writing together? I didn't get all that excited by the last work I saw, but I'll give them cred for putting this team together - and as compared to the recent movie:
- Drax: shit kicker with twice the IQ of the movie
- Quill: less whiny
- Gamora: less reclusive
- Rocket: less self-destructive
- Groot: less tall
- Warlock: less trapped in the cocoon
- Mantis: less absent
- Quasar: less bitchy than Nebula

Let's talk about the art for a sec. Cause it's good to recognize complementary talent when it shows up. Good basic staging, great action, and amusing facial expressions. Entertaining art makes the stodgier moments of this book a little more tolerable, and the fun moments come through loud & clear.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

So in the wake on Annihilus and the Annhilation wave, Peter Quill and Adam Warlock decide to put together a proactive team to deal with issues before they become serious. The Annhilation wave made fissures in space through which other-dimensional beings may attempt to enter to wreak havoc. Thus they put together the Guardians of the Galaxy. Starlord, Warlock, Gamorra, Mantis, ROcket Racoon, Groot and Drax.
This first issue was written by Dan Abnett, of Warhammer 40k fame, is interesting. It takes place in space and far away from the usual earth oriented stories I am used too. The concept of having a Guardians is a great idea. The members of the team are formidable. I am interested to see where this series is heading. The artwork was ok and so was the story. Thus so far only 3 stars..but this series has the potential to really take off.

UPDATE:
Having read the rest of the story and having finished the 1st Vol of Abnett's run on GOG I have to say that my initial review rating hasn't changed. It was an enjoyable ride though. The GOG not only get to slug it out with the Church of the Universal Truth, but also end up on a space station in a hunt for Skrulls (part of the Secret Invasion story arc). My favorite part of the box was watching Drax fight against the champions from the delegate's team. I like this all-round-killing machine version of Drax more than the muscle bound oaf in the purple suit always screaming "Kill Thanos".

I was not very familiar with the GOG but this series should help me to understand their story better. It was not a great first volume, but maybe things will get better as the story evolves. But, neither is this a poorly written story nor a bad one-if you are a Guardians fan I don't think you'd go wrong by reading this one.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I don't think I've ever come around on a book faster. When I started this series, I was 100% lost. Apparently the Guardians formed after the events of Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest, two massive "cosmic Marvel" crossovers I never read and am totally unfamiliar with. As such, a lot of the characters and references in the first couple of issues were just like reading static to me. Then, just when I started to feel like this was a waste of time, and that Abnett was never going to clue me in, everything started making sense.

Once Abnett moves past all the setup and post-Annihilation cleanup, this series is a blast, written like some of the best Marvel team books around. I'd compare it most to something like Thunderbolts, where a team dynamic exists, but It's dysfunctional at best. Abnett juggles a lot of balls in these first few stories, but he somehow keeps them all in the air, all while playing around with the kind of massive, sci-fi ideas I love to see from comics. You got a space church that literally harnesses the beliefs of its followers, the giant head of a dead Celestial that serves as a home base and teleportation hub, holes ripped in the fabric of space-time that must be mended, and chronologically displaced heroes/villains/somethings (TBD I guess). It's big and just the right amount of crazy.

Also, to be doing so much with so many characters, I was surprised by how much character development Abnett was able to squeeze in. He really knows how each of his characters would react to a given circumstance, and as such, is able to define them based on their in-the-moment actions rather than long strings of backstory or flashbacks.

All in all, I'm very excited to continue this series, and far less confused as to why Marvel would've ever made a movie out of this now. Having read it, it's the obvious choice for a cosmic franchise that builds up to Infinity Gauntlet. I wish I'd just been into this sooner!

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first 3 issues a while back, and was reading the Secret Invasion tie in stuff, so got back to this.

Love the humour, mixed with real issues, good art, a team who actually get hurt, and smart mixed with badass.

Drax is better here, Quill is less teenage emo and Rocket isn't insane. Plus Warlock, Quasar (NOT Wendell ) and Mantis are fun inclusions.

Loved the Vance Astrovik inclusion.

The SI stuff was smartly done, and I've noticed the best Tieins have nothing to Do with the bigger event, just have the flavour of it.

Here the Skrulls are actually objectors to what happens, and get help from Cosmo. Dead figures it out, and the team actually gets on board before fighting stupidly, only a wee bit...

But then they discover how they bonded so quickly, and we are in trouble...

Also, Richard Rider Nova is in the first issue! Yay cosmic Marvel!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up immediately after seeing this movie trailer. Who wouldn't want to know more about this intergalactic group of rogues, including both an anthropomorphic‎ racoon and a space Ent? And to think I'd never heard of them at all.

Reading this graphic novel has me even more excited for the movie, and to read further into the series -- which also has some other great characters not featured in the movie trailer, such as Adam Warlock, Mantis, and Cosmo the Soviet space dog. All in all, this franchise just jacks everything up to eleven and basically anything goes from there. It's awesome, definitely a must read for comic fans.

['kris Pung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this just wished I'd read this before seeing the movie.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After loving the movie so much, I had to go on a spree, fully aware that the movie and the comics don't agree with each other. I found that it didn't matter in the slightest. I liked this newer incarnation very much, but I began reading the one from '08 at the same time and had to admit that I liked that one more. It was slightly more gritty. It doesn't matter, really. It's character and action driven stories that keep a healthy dose of tongue in cheek. I love it. The illustrations are superior in this edition rather than the ones that came before, but it is only natural. The series is getting a facelift in preparation for the movie. And so we've gone full circle.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was fun.

I haven't seen the Guardians movie yet, me and all those dead people, so I just had a vague idea about the Guardians, from years ago. I knew some of these characters, some I didn't, but DnA, a set of my favorite authors, do a good job of setting up the scene, motivations, and gives some background information without it being too wordy or opaque.

Pretty sure other reviewers will set up the plot in their reviews, but wanted to say I did enjoy this quite a bit.

I actually read the digital collection, not the HC.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read some article over the summer when the Guardians of the Galaxy movie came out that listed this as one of the books I should check out if I wanted to beef up on Marvel shnizz before seeing it. I never got around to it, and I'm kinda glad. I would have expected a much different movie afterwards if I had.

This is actually the book where the current incarnation of the GOTG were created. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning pulled together the new team from previously existing characters in the Marvel universe. The previous Guardians of the Galaxy were made up of entirely different members (some of whom confusingly show up here from different universes, and one of which shows up in the movie playing a different role).

The origin of the Guardians here is very different. Here, the characters are still very connected to their previous stories (mostly Abnett's Annihilation: Conquest, and Star-Lord wanting to form the Guardians is a direct response to his own actions in that run, which I have to read now . . . sigh). The series can be read on its own, which is obvious since that's what I did, but I definitely felt like I was missing things.

I liked this book a lot. The art wasn't to my taste, but the writing was great. I loved Rocket the most, of course, but the rest of it was very amusing as well. It also managed not to be confusing despite some super weird cosmic shit going down, and despite so many of the stories and character actions relying on previous comics. Will definitely be continuing and reading the rest of the series.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue my Guardians of the Galaxy exploration with Legacy. This features the now familiar faces of Drax, Gamorra, Peter Quill, Groot and Rocket, but their personalities are quite different. In fact, they are rather boring and fairly typical, and the story once again fails to help me understand why the team cares about working together, under Star-Lord, who forms the team to protect the galaxy, after one two many galaxy-threatening attacks of late. Of course, forming the team just means more galaxy-threatening attacks happen, and a whole lot of large explosions and epic fights. Things get a little introspective when one of the large explosions reveals that there are shapeshifting Skrull on board the Guardians’ base of operations, which means any one of them could be a traitor.

There are a few other team members in this book, one of whom makes it into the movie in a minor role. There is very little connection to earth at all. More importantly, there is very little connection for the characters and their purpose. Not that I was looking for an origin story again for these characters, but they were all just so basic and uninteresting that I really couldn’t get into this story or the team itself, even when it tried to offer me little insights from the individual team members through interrogation-type panels.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this I knew next to nothing about this team and its members, the exception being Gamora. At first, it was a little overwhelming to be introduced to all of these characters and their world, but the format of mixing in titled debriefings within the story really helped learn everyone and keep the story straight, after that each issue flowed easier than the one before.

Once you have the characters straight this is a very fast read, not very wordy, really great art.

This is hard to rate because I would give the first issue 3 stars but the last issue was worthy of 5, so I’ll split the difference.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally started reading this as my first cosmic comic. I paused and thought, "I must be missing some context here." So I stopped, I went back and read the Thanos canon stories, some Nova, Annihilation, and Conquest. With all that under my belt, I'm loving GotG. I'm not saying one has to have read these other storylines to enjoy this story, but it has definitely improved the experience for me. Can't wait to dig into the next volume (while simultaneously reading Nova's story. )

[Matěj Komiksumec · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cosmo rulez, jinak meh.

[Bookwraiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start.

[Jeff Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

It says issues 1-6 but I kind of feel like I picked up a story in the middle. Has a lot of assumed knowledge in it that I assume they’ll explain at some point. The story is very interesting, if not a little confusing as it’s dropped for three issues in favor of a side story to Secret Invasion. Interested to see how volume two transforms the main story.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also reviewed on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4QW2...

Hooked on a feeling! I'm high on believing!!! This was good! So this has the cast from the movie plus the add on of Qusar and Adam Warlock. The books follow a team origin story setup, done differently to the movie. Star-lord gets these guys together to defend the galaxy ya da ya da ya da. The dialogue was pretty much the same as the movie: simple and very funny; what i also found cool was these little boxes with a team members personal logs, which provides funny commentary! Art was great! This book also features two characters from the original guardians from the 80s which was cool, and also a little tie in to secret invasion from way back. I have not read Bendis's run so i can't compare but i thoroughly enjoyed this!

[Sara J. (kefuwa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rocket Raccoon is probably the only character that is the same in comic book form and movie form (and I'm talking about character wholesale) - but I guess that's because he is an animated 'coon - no actor interpretation required? Haha. I love the movie, but the comics are something pretty special too.

Not as epic as the Annihilation books, but definitely has its moments.

In short... enjoyed this! 'nuff said

Now onwards to the Nova Vol. 3: Secret Invasion...

[Rade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Quill or as many known him, Star-Lord, finds a way to unite a bunch of misfits who either have troubled past or came from a family of super-humans. Either way, they reunite to take down enemies threatening the peace of the universe which is why they are called Guardians of the Universe (after going through some trail and error names, this one stuck).

Anyway, lots of disagreements and trust issues ensue as they try to work together. There was a lot of tensions too with some members not trusting others (especially Star-Lord since he is a leader) to keep up a good job in maintaining inner circle trust and cooperation. Loved the Rocket Raccoon and his little observations and humorous tidbits right in a middle of a battle. Hated Cosmo, a security expert or some shit who has a Russian accent where everything ends in a "comrade" as well as typical words like "knowing" converted to "knowink" or "being" as "beink" which is a stereotypical way Russians speak, at least how they are portrayed in movies. He also spoke in short grammatically flimsy sentences but he is well respected by those around him.

By the end of this issue, things escalate to a boiling point where a lot of trust is being put to a test. On to Volume 2, right after I go see the movie in the movie theater.

Also, if Groot is not featured in the next issue as a grown up tree or whatever the hell he is, I will be PISSED as he is AWESOME!

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest this is my first Guardians of the Galaxy book. I read other graphic novels with them coming in to help or part of the team helping but this is the first full graphic novel with them. I went back and saw this was the run to read so I went for it. What did I think? Not bad.

What I liked: The dialog between the team is great. I've only really seen the movies before this so having some new people like Adam Warlock was a little different for the dynamic but I actually loved his moments. Drax is once again really well done. Love Rocket. Wish Groot did more. Mantis was interesting and hope to see her more like this in the movie. I really dug Peter as the leader though and at the end, the twist, was pretty good.

What I didn't like: The secret invasion storyline felt forced in and rushed. Like most events the side stories are never very good. This is kind of on the same level. I mean the team arguing keeps it entertaining but the central plot wasn't all that great. Actually, that's for the whole book. THe plot itself is okay but the characters save it.

I think I'ma keep going. Maybe read another volume or two and see if I can get sucked in like with the movies. I do have a lot of characters I love so let's seeeeee!

[Anirudh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I had no idea who these guys were until the movie came out I immensely enjoyed the comic. It is fresh and crisp. If you are bored of reading about superman beating Lex for the Nth time or Captain American fighting The Red Skull for the Nth time you can give this series a try. It is worth reading even if to just enjoy Rocket.

So what's the verdict on this comic? Well, I Am Groot!

[Adam Oster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to mark this one down a star simply because the first copy I received was misprinted...which caused for some rather confusing storytelling, as suddenly Gamora was deeply disfigured and they were being chased by some unknown evil and...well..yeah...then I read the same section twice because it was printed twice. Since it's a cosmic tale, I expected some confusion, causing me to think all this was intentional.

However, once I got the real copy, the one where things are actually put in order and only printed once within the collection and everything else, I was much happier.

I'll admit that the main reason my interest was sparked for this collection was because of the movie. Although I have been a long-time reader of comic books, the Guardians had never made it onto my radar (possibly because I'm generally more of a DC guy). This collection does a fantastic job of introducing us to the many story elements that make up the actual Guardians, while also being something of a reboot from the original version, making them (I'm guessing intentionally) more in line with the movie versions. Of course, there seems to be an issue with this reboot within the actual story itself, causing Guardians from the older storylines to come back in time and try to correct things, since the Guardians have cropped up where they weren't supposed to.

It's a lot of fun, the whole tongue in cheek approach to this reboot of a series, showing that these characters have a lot more to offer than is possible on the screen (even if I kept reading Star-Lord's dialogue and hearing Chris Pratt's voice).

Now I really have to find some collections of the older books and get a better history of these characters. Seems like there's a ton of fun to be had.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I'm guilty. I've jumped on the bandwagon. Movie's coming out soon, so I thought I'd see what all the hype was about. My comic book pusher has actually mentioned Guardians a number of times, and me being a sucker for a good cosmic romp lead by some Galactic outcasts, I thought, "Well, why not?" And all in all, Guardians is pretty good. I read very few Marvel titles on a regular basis, and I'm not really sure why that is. I love Daredevil, and Thor, a sprinkling of Punisher, and really, for some great outcasts-as-reformed-heroes, you can't beat Thunderbolts. But as far as some of their main stream titles go, I can leave em on the shelf. Something about Marvel kinda rubs me the wrong way sometimes (I really don't want this to come off as an anti-Marvel rant); they always feel the need to remind people that they have the "best creators" and the "best characters". They love gimmicks. And Mickey Mouse is their boss. But, when I was a kid first getting into comics, Uncanny X-Men was it for me, so I do have a nostalgic tie to them. Although, I don't currently read X-Men, and really don't have the faintest idea what's going on with them, or The Avengers for that matter. So, back to Guardians of the Galaxy: I really did enjoy this book-it had humor, great art, and I loved the cast, especially the strange dynamic between Rocket and Cosmo, the talking dog. Good read! Thanks, Marvel!

[Ben Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say about this is wow! I've read the entire series, but I'll do the review on this one. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of Marvels lesser known titles, although it will be receiving the movie treatment August first. While it is lesser known it is by far one of Marvels best titles! The characters are very interesting and unique, especially considering it consists of a talking raccoon, a talking dog, and a living tree. My favorite character is Star-Lord. He brings the team together and leads them. This series can easily be put as Marvels own version of Star Wars, yet its not a copy. Once I started reading I couldn't stop and had to read more. Thats when I picked up the rest of the series. I highly recommend this to people who are into space, sci-fi, and superheroes. Younger readers may not be able to read this as there are some sketchy parts with language, although it is usually censored out. I am rating this a 5/5! There are few comic series that can contend with this in my opinion. Great comics!

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent origin story for this GotG team. I say this team because I think it is a different team to the Bendis run. I don't know anymore, Marvel comic book histories have become so convoluted and confusing. Anyway, these days rather than try to fit a story into past events and storylines, I tend to take every new line with a clean slate. New writers and artists bring something different to each new run.
Enough about my comic book philosophy.
This was a cracking collection. The team differs from the Bendis run (although Groot is still in a pot) but I like the new additions. I'm curious to know who Major Victory is (but I want to be surprised so I'm not going to wiki it) and why he has Captain America's shield. The story has multiple threads which didn't become confused. There is some Secret Invasion crossover but I've only read the Deadpool lines in the Secret Invasion storyline and I didn't see any need to have read anymore to read the comics in this collection.
Overall a fun and funny read.
And I'm shipping Star Lord/Adam Warlock so hard.