Untitled

My Mario timeline is live on a lovely new page, created specially by the wonderful Lady Sophie. Please check out her Mario cartography blog, she’s amazing at what she does!

In this post I will lay out the reading order and collected editions info for the “original” Guardians of the Galaxy team set in the 31st century. I will also provide reading orders on a few of the modern Guardians with more obscure backgrounds. Without further ado, check out the lists below and have a blast.

Original Guardians Reading Order

This is a pretty much complete reading order for the original team. As discussed in the other post, most of the early parts are written by Steve Gerber. Then the major Korvac Saga crossover by Jim Shooter. Then the 1990 series is written about half and half by Jim Valentino and Michael Gallagher. The final three pieces are written by Dan Abnett.

Marvel Super-Heroes Vol 1 18 Marvel Two-in-One 4-5 Giant-Size Defenders 5 Defenders Vol 1 26-29

Marvel Presents 3-12 Thor Vol 1 Annual 6 Avengers Vol 1 167-168, 170-177 Avengers 181 Ms. Marvel Vol 1 23 Marvel Team-Up Vol 1 86 Marvel Two-in-One 61-63, 69 Sensational She-Hulk 6 Fantastic Four Vol 1 Annual 24 Thor Vol 1 Annual 16 Silver Surfer Vol 3 Annual 4

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 Annual 1 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 1-25 Guardians of the Galaxy Annual 2 Guardians of the Galaxy 26-29 Guardians of the Galaxy 30-39 Guardians of the Galaxy Annual 3 Thor Corps 2-3 Guardians of the Galaxy 40-47 Galactic Guardians 1-4 Guardians of the Galaxy 48-50 Guardians of the Galaxy Annual 4 Guardians of the Galaxy 51-58 New Warriors Vol 1 68 Guardians of the Galaxy 59-62

Korvac Saga 1-4 Guardians 3000 1-8 Guardians of Infinity 1-8

Collected Editions

My recommendations: The original Korvac Saga is a must read for all Marvel fans. It is one of the true classic stories of the Jim Shooter era. The Guardians being in it is just a convenient bonus. If one somehow prefers the Guardians over the Avengers, might as well grab that second Tomorrow’s Avengers trade. The first one is easily recommended though. All of the early 1970s Steve Gerber oddities between one book. The Jim Valentino era is worth exploring if one enjoys pre-Image 1990s Marvel comics.

After many DnA fans continued to grumble about Brian Michael Bendis’ take on the Guardians in Marvel Now, the publisher relented and gave Abnett (now split from longtime writing partner Andy Lanning) some minor gigs writing the obscure future Guardians. Despite being a huge fan of his work, I haven’t gotten around to checking this chunk out since it was always presented and discussed as the pity project.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow’s Avengers Vol 1 TPB Marvel Super-Heroes Vol 1 18, Marvel Two-in-One 4-5, Giant-Size Defenders 5, Defenders Vol 1 26-29, Marvel Presents 3-12

Guardians of the Galaxy: Earth Shall Overcome HC Marvel Super-Heroes Vol 1 18, Marvel Two-in-One 4-5, Giant-Size Defenders 5, Defenders Vol 1 26-29

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Power of Starhawk HC Marvel Presents 3-12

Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow’s Avengers Vol 2 TPB Thor Vol 1 Annual 6, Avengers Vol 1 167-168, 170-177, 181, Ms. Marvel Vol 1 23, Marvel Team-Up Vol 1 86, Marvel Two-in-One 61-63, 69

Avengers: The Korvac Saga (various formats) Thor Vol 1 Annual 6, Avengers Vol 1 167-168, 170-177

Guardians of the Galaxy by Jim Valentino Omnibus Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 1-29, Annual 1-2, Fantastic Four Vol 1 Annual 24, Thor Vol 1 Annual 16, Silver Surfer Vol 3 Annual 4, Marvel Super-Heroes 18

Guardians of the Galaxy by Jim Valentino Vol 1 TPB Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 1-7, Annual 1, Fantastic Four Vol 1 Annual 24, Thor Vol 1 Annual 16, Silver Surfer Vol 3 Annual 4

Guardians of the Galaxy by Jim Valentino Vol 2 TPB Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 8-20

Guardians of the Galaxy by Jim Valentino Vol 3 TPB Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 21-29, Annual 2, Marvel Super-Heroes 18

Guardians of the Galaxy Classic: In the Year 3000 Vol 1 TPB Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 30-39, Annual 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Classic: In the Year 3000 Vol 2 TPB Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 40-50, Galactic Guardians 1-4

Guardians of the Galaxy Classic: In the Year 3000 Vol 3 TPB Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 51-62, Annual 4

Guardians 3000: Time After Time TPB Guardians 3000 1-5

Korvac Saga: Warzones TPB Korvac Saga 1-4, Guardians 3000 6-8

Guardians of the Galaxy: Guardians of Infinity TPB Guardians of Infinity 1-8

Modern Guardians Backstories

Star-Lord

Marvel Preview 4, 11, 14-15, 18 Marvel Super Special 10 Marvel Spotlight Vol 2 6-7 Marvel Premiere 61

Notes: Star-Lord’s stories here have minor inconsistencies. But also some quality art from John Byrne and Carmine Infantino. The modern Star-Lord, especially after the huge conflicts of Annihilation and Conquest is nothing like this kitschy spacefarer.

All of Peter Quill’s early adventures are collected in a paperback called Star-Lord: Guardian of the Galaxy. It also includes the strange Timothy Zahn (Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy) written miniseries starring Sinjin Quarrel.

Rocket Raccoon

Marvel Preview 7 Incredible Hulk Vol 1 271 Rocket Raccoon 1-4 Quasar 15

Notes: The Mantlo/Mignola miniseries is a beauty, but nothing here is particularly compelling. The origin and characterization for Rocket was drastically changed by the Annihilation era crew as well.

All of Rocket’s early adventures can be found in the Rocket Raccoon: Guardian of the Keystone Quadrant premiere classic hardcover. It can all also be found in the Rocket Raccoon and Groot Complete Collection (TPB), which also includes Tales to Astonish 13 and their backup stories from the two Annihilators miniseries.

Groot

Tales to Astonish 13 Sensational Spider-Man Vol 1 -1 Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos 2-6

Notes: This has almost nothing at all to do with Groot as he is known today.

Mantis

Avengers Vol 1 112-116 Defenders 9 Avengers 117 Defenders 10 Avengers 118 Defenders 11 Avengers 119-124 Captain Marvel Vol 1 31-32 Avengers 125 Captain Marvel 33 Avengers 126 Giant-Size Avengers 1 Avengers 127-129 Giant-Size Avengers 2 Avengers 130-132 Giant-Size Avengers 3 Avengers 133-135 Giant-Size Avengers 4 Silver Surfer Vol 3 3-9 Silver Surfer Annual 1 West Coast Avengers Vol 2 37 West Coast Avengers Annual 3 West Coast Avengers 38-39 Silver Surfer 20 Fantastic Four Vol 1 323-325 Avengers: Celestial Quest 1-8

Notes: Mantis is wild. As discussed in my post specifically addressing her, Mantis has hopped across publishers. Those excursions are not covered here. The important chunk is the Celestial Madonna Saga from Avengers 129 to Giant-Size 4. Celestial Quest is a disappointing and disjointed follow up. Even still, Abnett and Lanning mostly blaze a new path with her, ignoring most of this baggage.

One can find Mantis’ Marvel adventures in the Avengers/Defenders War (TPB/HC), Avengers: The Complete Celestial Madonna (TPB), Silver Surfer: Freedom Epic Collection (TPB), and Avengers: Celestial Quest (TPB) collections.

Bug

Micronauts Vol 1 1-10 Micronauts Annual 1 Micronauts 11-23 Micronauts Annual 2 Micronauts 24-57 X-Men and the Micronauts 1-4 Micronauts 58-59 Micronauts Vol 2 1-20 Cable 38-39 Bug 1 Alpha Flight Vol 2 10-11 Captain Marvel Vol 4 6, 12, 15-16

So here’s a little project that I’ve been working on via Twitter! I’ve was thinking since we have different species all across the planet, why not try some but as variants of existing characters. Then they became their own thing overtime lol

Here are some notes for each species that I’ve designed below.

This is only Part 1! I will be making more of these in the future, so hope you guys like these!

Spiderman Eric Stanton Steve Ditko The Missing Link? Who Invented Spiderman?

I’ve written about Eric Stanton on my blog before (you can see those posts here). he is the single best (and my personal favorite) fetish artist/illustrator/cartoonist - bar none - that’s lived. That’s quite a statement. But I feel it’s true.

Here’s an interesting tidbit I’ve found on Vintage Sleaze to add to my Eric Stanton posts:

For some eight years, from 1958 to 1966, Spiderman co-creator Steve Ditko shared a studio in Hell’s Kitchen at 43rd Street and Eighth Avenue with Fetish illustrator Eric Stanton. Earlier the two had attended art school at the forerunner of the School of Visual Arts, then known as The Cartoonists and Illustrators School. Did they help each other with their drawings? Duh. Did Stanton help invent Spiderman? Stanton has been quoted on the subject. “Eric Stanton drew his pictures in indian ink and they were then hand-coloured by Ditko” according to Eric Stanton: For the Man Who Knows His Place (Taschen 1997.) In 1988 Stanton addressed the issue of Spiderman directly in The Steve Ditko Reader (Pure Imagination, Brooklyn, NY, 2002.) He minimizes his work on Ditko’s pieces, yet says they “worked on storyboards together and I added a few ideas. But the whole thing was created by Steve on his own… I think I added the business about the webs coming out of his hands” The illustration above (spider logo, spider webs and big dames!) is credited to Stanton and appeared in Diabolique Magazine, issue number 3. Diabolique was published by Leonard Burtman and appeared in 1962…1963 at the latest. The publication has no date, but it comes from Selbee, the corporate name Lenny was using at the time. Burtman published Stanton’s work regularly during the time period, and I believe the artist was even credited as Art Director on some of the Selbee publications. Spiderman made his debut in Amazing Fantasy in 1962, quite likely the exact same year this Stanton illustration appeared in Diabolique, while the two young artists were sharing a studio. A number of writers and comic historians have both documented and speculated on the artistic relationship between the two cartoonists, some approaching from the comic book side of things, others from fetish art… but to my knowledge this is the first time since the original publication of Diabolique the illustrations above have been shown…webs and all. Illustrations from “Black Widow Sorority” by Stanton, inside back cover Diabloique Magazine Number 3, circa 1960-1963 (No Date in Publication) Selbee Associates, New York. Collection Victor Minx

It’s time to get freaky, see my other questionable Freaky Friday posts here.

So here’s a little project that I’ve been working on via Twitter! I’ve was thinking since we have different species all across the planet, why not try some but as variants of existing characters. Then they became their own thing overtime lol

Here are some notes for each species that I’ve designed below.

This is only Part 1! I will be making more of these in the future, so hope you guys like these!

AS IN

IS THAT A BEE CHARM ON HONEY’S PHONE?

IF SO

The Unmentionables