The problem with reading these through ComiXology is that the timeline for the Marvel reviews is now all over the place.
“Sorry, we don’t hire raccoons and trees.”
Guardians Of The Galaxy #1
Marvel Comics (June, 1990)
“But Are They Ready For…Taserface!”
WRITER/PENCILER: Jim Valentino
INKER: Steve Montano
COLORIST: Evelyn Stein
LETTERER: Ken Lopez
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Renee Witterstaetter
EDITOR: Craig Anderson
Forget the guys you know from the movies and current Marvel Universe. This is the team from the alternate future of 3190: Starhawk–who also turns into a woman named Aleta, Nikki, Charlie-27, Yondu (who I hear the MCU did dirty but I’m not an expert and I haven’t seen the movies), Vance Astro, and their leader, Martinex. With their old ship, the Captain America, destroyed by this point they have a new ship, The Freedom’s Lady. Unlike the MCU version they’re usually competent defenders of the galaxy, but after destroying a machine on planet Courg the natives treat Yondu as their enemy. As he seeks answers aboard their ship with Martinex the others try to figure out where the machine came from. After a flashback setting up the previous adventures, our heroes are attacked by a cyborg calling himself Taserface, which the 20th century-born Vance recognizes as using Iron Man technology, but manage to bring him down. Then other members of his group arrive, calling themselves…The Stark!
What they got right: We do get a brief introduction to each team member and their powers, as well as a glimpse of their personalities. The action bits are pretty good and there’s some mystery to the locals’ reaction to Yondu that may or may not be connected to the Stark.
What they got wrong: The team history and their personal quest for Captain America’s shield takes up a lot of time and unless all that history and the supposed connection to the 20th century Marvel heroes pans out in this arc (this is the only issue I have at current) most of it feels unnecessary. This isn’t even the first Guardians Of The Galaxy series (they’d been around on and off in the comics for years prior) so I don’t know if we needed this much of an exposition dump. Aleta, the woman who shares a body with Starhawk or something like that, doesn’t even get to do anything except show up and show that the group like her better than her husband. Finally…the best name you could come up with was Taserface?
What I think overall: Most fans don’t know this incarnation of the Guardians Of The Galaxy, not even the comic fans. It’s an interesting bit of history and worth looking into.
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