Marvel has revealed the creative team behind its relaunch of Guardians of the Galaxy. The writing duo of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing (Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty) and artist Kev Walker (Predator) are taking the Guardians of the Galaxy on bold new adventures that will travel to new corners of the cosmos. Fans can expect never-before-seen planets, brand-new alien species, and new truths that will make readers question everything they know about the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. The driving force behind the relaunch is Grootfall, which Marvel has been teasing this week.
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“Welcome to a whole new era for the Guardians of the Galaxy, riding like mad through an endless alien dust storm of sun-soaked tragedy, intense violence, and deeply dysfunctional heroes,” Lanzing said. “The optimistic peacekeepers that defeated the reborn Olympian Gods and overcame ‘The Last Annihilation’ have fallen about as far as they possibly could – and now Peter Quill and what remains of his found family will have to fight like hell in a new western-fueled frontier to find a scrap of forgiveness. After all, the Guardians are a fire – and a fire only ends one way.”
“Sharing the reins with us is the amazing Kev Walker, our partner from Captain America & the Winter Soldier Special #1. His unique blend of realism and wild imagination brings the alien frontier of the Manifold Territories to windswept life like no one else could,” Kelly added. “Together, we’re guiding the Guardians on a new trail – one that will make them look inwards, even as they face the threats over the next horizon. Grab your element gun, True Believers – it’s time to go for a brand new ride.”
“I honestly can’t believe I’m finally getting a chance to work on Guardians,” Walker said. “I’ve been wanting to draw these characters for a long time, (I have some of the first Guardians of the Galaxy comics in my collection). I came close when I did Annihilation: Nova years ago, but never envisaged I’d be doing this kind of all-encompassing relaunch. Pushing existing characters in a new direction is always a daunting challenge, but working with Jackson, Collin and Matt has been a lot of fun and I think we’re producing something very different from what’s gone before.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Debuts New Costumes
The Guardians of the Galaxy are getting a makeover for their new series. In the lead-up to Friday’s big announcement, Marvel revealed new costumes for five members of the Guardians of the Galaxy. As “Grootfall Approaches…” we took a look at redesigned Guardians of the Galaxy costumes for Nebula, Gamora, Star-Lord, Mantis, and Drax. Star-Lord has a Western look to his costume, complete with a cowboy hat, parka, boots, and a gun holster. The rest of the Guardians have a similar appearance, though Mantis and Drax stand out the most. Mantis appears to have a mechanical right arm that’s slightly oversized, and Drax is dressed as if he’s right out of the stone age. Marvel also asks the question, “Who are the Guardians of the Galaxy?” Another teaser shows an enlarged Groot head spewing fire out of its mouth onto a planet.
We now know incoming artist Kev Walker designed the Guardians’ new costumes, which can be found below. Guardians of the Galaxy #1 goes on sale April 12th.
- GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1
- Written by COLLIN KELLY & JACKSON LANZING
- Art by KEV WALKER
- Colors by MATT HOLLINGSWORTH
- Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
- Grootfall Teaser Variant Cover by KEV WALKER
- On Sale 4/12
- One year ago, the Guardians of the Galaxy were destroyed. Their optimistic future shattered by the betrayal of one of their own. Now they ride the space lanes of a lawless corner of the galaxy, trying to outrun their tragedy. Can they rediscover their heroism and humanity on the bleakest frontier? Can they forgive the failures of their past? Or will they fade into the dark, eternally unforgiven?
