Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the hottest comic book properties going since James Gunn's live-action adaptation hit screens in 2014, but only the most committed comic book fans know that the titular space-based superheroes have been battling it out in the pages of Marvel Comics since 1969. There's no shame in being late to this game; the Guardians themselves have emerged from obscurity time and time again to face down some of the gravest threats in the universe before returning to the ether in one form or another.

But if the modern take on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is the only incarnation you know, you definitely want to look into the amazing new book from Insight Editions, "Guardians of the Galaxy: Creating Marvel's Spacefaring Super Heroes: The Complete Comics History." It's an incredible tome, written by Eisner Award and Harvey Award-nominated writer/editor Marc Sumerak with special cover art from Dale Keown, that's positively packed full of trivia, behind-the-scenes insight from artists, writers, and editors, and an amazing array of Guardians artwork from nearly 50 years of publication. While it makes a fantastic coffee table book, this deep dive into the history of Guardians of the Galaxy is well worth your time to read every page, aside, and footnote; it might even help you pin down that as-of-yet unidentified Easter egg from Gunn's film!

Here's a look at the book's description, which should pique your interest:

The Guardians of the Galaxy made their first appearance in the pages of Marvel Super-Heroes back in 1969, and while the team’s lineup has changed significantly over the years, their popularity with fans only continues to grow.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy: Creating Marvel’s Spacefaring Super Heroes delves into the creation and evolution of the Guardians through exclusive interviews with the writers and artists who have brought them to life. Filled with incredible art from nearly fifty years of comics, this deluxe art book reveals the secrets behind the genesis of fan-favorite characters like Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot.

 

Complete with a specially commissioned cover illustration by artist Dale Keown, this comprehensive collection takes fans on a dynamic journey into the creation of the greatest art from five decades of Guardians of the Galaxy comics.

Here's a look at just some of the trivia found in the new book:

Chronology

Before we can talk about where the Guardians of the Galaxy is now, we need to know where the title team began. Or rather, when they began.

Originally appearing in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (January 1969), the first team was a group of 31st-century misfits who were each the last of their kind: Major Vance Astro, a 20th century Earth astronaut trapped in suspended animation; Martinex T'Naga, a Plutonian, crystalline being whose powers run hot and cold; Captain Charlie-27, a Jovian soldier with incredible strength and durability; and Yondu Udonta, a blue-skinned being from Centauri-IV who folks probably recognize as Michael Rooker's movie character, though the characters' realities, and therefore their histories, are different. In their ongoing battle against the conquering alien race known as the Badoon, they also find the team of Starhawk and Aleta, and Niki joining them before long.

You may have noticed that none of the current heroes in the Guardians line-up have appeared yet. Drax and Gamora were recruited by Adam Warlock in the "Infinity Watch" arc in the early 90s, though the characters were introduced separately in 70s issues of "Iron Man" and "Strange Tales" respectively, both creations of Jim Starlin. Star-Lord, meanwhile, first appeared in the 70s black-and-white issues of "Marvel Preview" and only made his official Marvel debut in the early 2000s. Rocket Raccoon also appeared in a 70s "Marvel Preview" issue before showing up in an issue of "The Incredible Hulk" in the early 80s. The final member of the modern team, Groot, infamously appeared as "The Monster from Planet X!" in an issue of "Tales to Astonish" before popping up in the Marvel-verse from time to time. It wasn't until the "Annihilation" story arc that the team as we know it today would arrive in earnest.

• "Annihilation: Conquest" brought in Nova and the writing team of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, who would write the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy revival; Ronan also featured in a limited series. Peter Quill led the fight in "Annihilation: Conquest", his look inspired by World War I trench combat gear and gas masks. The 2008 team-up of the Guardians grew out of "Annihilation" but also included Mantis, Adam Warlock, and Quasar/Phyla-Vell.
• The 2009 limited series "War of Kings" continued the adventures of the Guardians, among others, followed up by the 2010 series "Realm of Kings" which introduced the realm where "death was defeated" known as the Cancerverse. "The Thanos Imperative" killed off Drax, and trapped Star-Lord and Nova with Thanos in this undying universe. The 2011 limited series "Annihilators" picked up from there, with a co-feature led by Rocket and Groot.

Check out Groot's arrival in our exclusive debut of the following image:

• 2012 saw the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie announced and the return of Star-Lord and Drax in the comics. Iron Man joined them to fight a resurrected Thanos alongside the Avengers, and Bug briefly joined the "Avengers Assemble" team.
• 2013 launched the new Guardians of the Galaxy title from Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven. Star-Lord's origins were tweaked to include the Badoon murdering his mother, while a series of digital Infinite Comics brought the other characters up to speed, and Iron Man joined up again in his new space suit
• Then, solo series focusing on Star-Lord, Rocket and Groot together, solo Groot, Angela ("Asgard's Assassin", "Queen of Hel"), Drax, Venom ("Space Knight"), and Gamora arrived in 2015/2016.
• The "Secret Wars" storyline of 2015 was launched into from "Guardians 3000", with future and present Guardians fighting side by side; they continued the fight against Doctor Doom in "Secret Wars" but eventually returned to their own limited series.
• 2015's "Guardians of Infinity" united teams from the past (Stella Nega, Skytower, Astrolabe, Aerolite, and Colonizer from the year 1000), present, and future for the first time ever.

Now you may have recognized a lot of familiar names in this rundown, but I'll bet there are comic book characters you've never heard of who have crossed paths with the Guardians. This book offers great looks at many of them, including surprising allies and villains that appeared over the years.

Characters

Here are some lesser-known team members who have joined up with the Guardians over the years:

• Talon
• Starhawk
• Nikki/Geena Drake
• Firelord
• Yellowjacket
• Replica
• Ghost Rider, on occasion
• The Thing
• Various Avengers
• Neil Gaiman/Todd Macfarlane's Angela (!)
• Captain Marvel
• Venom
• Kitty Pryde (who actually became Star-Lord while Quill attended his royal duties ... more on that later)
• Moondragon

Take a look at another exclusive image debut from the new Guardians of the Galaxy book showing off some uncommon allies like The Thing, Kitty Pryde, and Venom!

And here are some more obscure characters who have also crossed paths:

• Protege
• Cuchulain the Irish Wolfhound
• Ripjak
• Photon
• Cosmo the Russian space dog
• Major Victory
• A depressed robot known as 803

And not to be outdone, some villains who have antagonized the Guardians over the years include:

• Blastaar
• Kang the Conqueror
• Maelstrom
• Magus
• Skrulls
• The Shi'ar
• Spartoi (law enforcement)
• Kindun
• Chitauri
• Hala, the Kree zealot
• Terrax
• Fin Fang Foom
• Topographical Man

And Much More!

Trivia aside, it's worth picking up this book for the amazing illustrations and cover art alone. They're gorgeous, sometimes full-page presentations or two-page spreads. And adding content to those beautiful and kinetic illustrations are interviews with writers, artists, editors like Mike Mignola, Clint Langley,  Paul Pelletier, Brad Walker, Wes Craig, Miguel Sepulveda, Steve McNiven, Sara Pichelli, Joe Quesada, Valerio Schiti, Francesco Francavilla, Dale Keown, Mike McKone, Alex Ross, and many more, plus variant covers from Paolo Rivera and Skottie Young.

But if it's trivia you're after, here's a taste of what this new tome offers:

• Major Vance Astro quested for Captain America's long-lost shield and became a Captain America-inspired hero, but his new suit was actually the Venom symbiote. This latter fact was never revealed in the comics since the series was canceled too soon.
• Groot was introduced as the monster from Planet X almost 50 years before joining the team. He was defeated by termites...
• "Iron Man" #55, Feb 1973 first introduced Thanos and Drax the Destroyer, once a normal human named Arthur Douglas. (Adam) Warlock was introduced three years later.
• Gamora arrived in 1975's "Strange Tales" #180 and Warlock would save her life by absorbing her essence with his soul gem.
• Star-Lord's black-and-white appearance in 1977's "Marvel Preview" #11 was the first collaboration for Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Terry Austin.
• In the revitalized Guardians of the Galaxy group, Mantis, Bug, Captain Universe, and Deathcry also joined; Drax, Gamora, and Warlock came later.
• The Guardians' base "Knowhere" first appeared in the "Nova" limited series as a deep-space observation station.
• The Venom symbiote's home planet of Klyntar was revealed in a more recent "Guardians of the Galaxy" run in Issue #21.
• Peter Quill was once elected king of his father's planet Spartax (briefly), but also found himself engaged (briefly) to Kitty Pryde during the X-Men crossover "The Black Vortex."
• Angela was revealed as Odin's long-lost daughter in the "Original Sin" storyline

Be sure to check out "Guardians of the Galaxy: Creating Marvel's Spacefaring Super Heroes: The Complete Comics History", available April 4th!