IN THE FALLOUT of Annihilation: Conquest, Marvels cosmic universe was clearly in desperate need of protectors. But if things had gone as originally planned, the Guardians of the Galaxy as we know them today might never have blasted their way onto the page. At first, it was Phyla-Vellthe newest hero to don the mantle of Quasarwho was supposed to take center stage after the crossover.
Our intention was to launch Quasar out of Conquest, but that wasnt working, says Bill Rosemann. I saw how people were responding to [Star-Lords team], and it was my favorite part of the whole event. I thought, I want more of this. So then the gears shifted. We were going to try to launch Quasar? Nolets do a team book.
Fortunately, the groundwork for the team who would soon become known as the Guardians of the Galaxy was already solidly in place.
The construction of the team, their remit, and their purpose all grew organically out of the Annihilation: Conquest event, says Dan Abnett. Them becoming a team made sense, like the best comic stories do. And I think combining those forgotten characters into one unit, where they could act off each other, strengthened them all.
And it wasnt just the characters that made for a strong team. Rosemann brought in the masterminds of Annihilation: Conquest, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, to write the groups continued adventures as they spun into their own monthly title. In addition, Paul Pelletier, who had been drawing Abnett and Lannings Nova series, was tapped as penciller for the new series.
No one draws super heroes and super heroic action like Paul, says Lanning. Having him on board gave the book the best start it could have.
Artist Clint Langley, who was known for his work on 2000 AD and Warhammer Monthly, was also brought on board to provide covers for the project.
Clints approach was not what youd consider traditional for Marvel Comics, says Lanning. It paid off because Clints covers were distinctive, exploding with energy and vibrant detail. They caught the eye and demanded you take a look inside the book!
With the creative team in place, the next step was to find the visual identity of the characters themselves. During Conquest, members of Quills squad had donned matching jumpsuits for their mission, a design element that Pelletier carried over to the new series.
It was a natural extension of the designs Tim Green created in the Conquest: Starlord miniseries, says Lanning. That was where Peters signature mask first appeared and the team he put together wore the first version of the uniform.
It made sense to give the team some visual unity, says Abnett, because they were such a motley bunch. I think it really helped sell them as a unit.
That unit also needed a base of operations, and an ideal option was already appearing in Abnett and Lannings Nova series: Knowhere, a deep-space observation station that just happened to be built inside the head of a dead Celestial.
That was just one of those weird ideas that cropped up and became too cool not to use, says Lanning. The idea that people could inhabit the decapitated head of a cosmic god was irresistible, as was the notion that it was being used as an intergalactic scientific outpost to observe the very edge of the known universe, kind of like a Marvel Cosmic International Space Station.
The heroes may have had matching uniforms and a place to call home, but the groups roster was far from stable. More than a dozen cosmic heroes would rotate through the ranks over the course of the new Guardians of the Galaxy series, but a few members always seemed to be at the teams core.
Peter [Quill] was the heart of the team, says Lanning, along with Rocket and Groot and Mantis, acting as team liaison. We filled out the team with other characters that were featured during ConquestWarlock, Drax, and Quasarso we could continue their stories and create a team that was diverse, eclectic, and decidedly motley!
