I'm sure you've seen the Guardians of The Galaxy movie and are looking forward to Guardian of the Galaxy Vol 2. Like a lot of people, you've decided to cash in on this craze and pick up their First Appearance in comics. You jumped on your favorite search engine and discovered that Guardians of the Galaxy #1 looks nothing like the characters from the movie. Don’t worry true believers! By the time you finish this article, you will know who they are and which comic is the actual 1st appearance for the Guardian of the Galaxy movies.
Big Hint! THIS IS NOT IT!
The team you will see in the new movie is not actually the same team from the very first appearance of The Guardians of the Galaxy. That first team was comprised of different characters including Major Victory (Vance Astro), Charlie-27 and Martinex. They debuted in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 published in January 1969. It would be 21 years before they would get a Title series of their own. This is referred to as the 1st Volume of The Guardian of the Galaxy and is sometimes referred to as Guardians of the Galaxy 3000. Even then, this is a different group of characters than you saw in the movie. In fact, these characters are from an alternative time-line of the Marvel Universe referred to as Earth-691.
The movie is actually based on the Earth-616 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy; the team which formed from the aftermath of the Annihilation: Conquest storyline. This is where things get tricky.
If you are looking for the 1st appearance of the full team you saw in the movie, you could say it is actually Issue #6 of Annihilation Conquest.
Most people do not realize this and I have seen the Earth-691 team debut issue going for big bucks, while this issue sits at a very affordable price. If you are looking to own the real deal, I suggest you jump on a copy of Annihilation Conquest #6 as prices continue to rise as the movies become more popular.
If you are looking for a great reader’s copy of this storyline, then you are in luck because they also published a Trade Paperback that collects the entire story into two books.
Volume One collects the following into a single Hardcover or Softcover:
Annihilation: Conquest – Prologue one-shot
Annihilation: Conquest – Quasar mini-series #1-4
Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord mini-series #1-4
Annihilation: Saga one-shot
Volume Two collects the following into your choice of Hardcover or Softcover:
Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith mini-series #1-4
Nova #4-7
Annihilation: Conquest limited series #1-6
If you are looking for the first appearance of each character, be sure to check out our other articles about the 1st Appearance of Guardian of the Galaxy characters.
Rocket Raccoon 1st App
Baby Groot 1st App
