20 best superhero comics to read after Infinity War

17. The Legendary Star-Lord

It’s easy enough to think that an Avengers movie will feature only the Avengers. However, even a cursory look at the trailer for Avengers: Infinity War will show that nearly every superhero with an ounce of name recognition is going to take part in the battle. Given that Infinity War must at least partially take place in space, it’s easy enough to include the Guardians of the Galaxy.

In the odd event that you may need a refresher course, the Guardians of the Galaxy are a loose collection of spacefaring superheroes. They deal with a number of cosmic threats, from the Skrull to the Kree, to creepy Infinity Stone collectors, to Thanos himself.

The cinematic team isn’t the original lineup that debuted on the comics page, however. In the very first 1969 iteration, the group included Major Vance Astro, Martinex T’Naga (a crystalline entity from Pluto) and Charlie-27, a soldier from Jupiter. The team also included a very, very different version of Yondu, apart from the common concept of the blue skin.

The Guardians change

Eventually, the comicsverse shifted in its myriad complex ways to the team we know and love today — Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon and the beloved tree-like being, Groot. Supposedly, they came up with the name “Guardians of the Galaxy” after finding a frozen Vance Astro floating about in the depths of space.

As director James Gunn and company have shown us, the Guardians of the Galaxy work best when they are presented in a way that is equal parts goofy and self-deprecating, with just a bit of seriousness thrown in the mix. Star-Lord (a.k.a., Peter Quill) is perhaps most appealing when he’s presented as a bit of a doofus (or a lot, as the case may be). If that appeals to you, then the ongoing series The Legendary Star-Lord is right up your alley.