(Image Source: Marvel)
Fans of the MCU version of the Guardians of the Galaxy might have trouble picking out the team’s original incarnation from a lineup. The Guardians first appeared in 1969 as a more traditional superhero team with drastically different origins. Their more familiar line-up and looks didn’t come until 2008. So even if they are your favorite Marvel team, they might be unrecognizable in some of the best Guardians of the Galaxy comics of all time.
Best Guardians of the Galaxy comics as of 2026
The Guardians of the Galaxy have had many variants over the years. Also, many of them have different looks, origins, and powers in the comics compared to the MCU. For instance, Drax and Mantis were both originally from Earth rather than aliens. Similarly, Mantis was a founding member of the original Guardians and Drax had telepathy and energy powers. Readers should keep this in mind while looking back at the best Guardians of the Galaxy comics of all time.
Earth Shall Overcome
Marvel’s Epic Collection: Earth Shall Overcome collects the earliest adventures of the first Guardians from multiple guest appearances, as written by Arnold Drake, Steve Gerber and Roger Stern. If you’re expecting the modern Guardians of the Galaxy, you won’t find Groot, Rocket Raccoon, or Star-Lord here. This is a completely different concept for the Guardians, both in its general tone and its ensemble.
In the 31st century, Earth and its solar system have been conquered by alien invaders called the Badoon. A small group of survivors from different planets, Vance Astro (from Earth), Yondu (from Centauri), Martinex (from Pluto), and Charlie-27 (from Jupiter), band together to form the Guardians of the Galaxy. Their mission; to save their worlds from the Badoon occupation. This struggle ultimately leads them to travel back in time, where they team with present-day Marvel heroes like Captain America, Doctor Strange, and the Hulk.
Earth Shall Overcome presents the true origins of the Guardians of the Galaxy, predating the more familiar Star-Lord team. However, it establishes the cosmic scope and team dynamics that defined all future Guardians stories. Those expecting quippy banter may be disappointed, as this incarnation of the Guardians was straight-up sci-fi. Yet it’s certainly worth reading to see the greatest heroes of modern Marvel join the Guardians to wage a war for the future.
Quest for the Shield
In the 31st century, the original Guardians of the Galaxy embark on a mission to find Captain America’s shield, which has become a legendary artifact in their time. However, the shield is more than just a potent weapon. It is a symbol of the values and ideals they’re fighting to preserve in their future world. Through their quest, the Guardians must work together, using their different abilities and strengths. This leads them to become a found family.
Marvel’s Epic Collection: Quest for the Shield collects the first six issues of Jim Valentino’s Guardians of the Galaxy run from 1990. This was the first regular series to bear the Guardians’ name. It also created the basic template for most future Guardians stories, though the ensemble eventually changed.
Quest for the Shield is also notable in how Jim Valentino revitalized the original Guardians of the Galaxy team. At the time, all these characters were underutilized and many of them hadn’t been given much development to begin with. As such, there was plenty of room for Valentino to build them up since there was little continuity to worry about. It is not perfectly executed, but it is historically significant since it was the team’s first series.
Annihilation: Conquest
The techno-organic Phalanx, a cybernetic alien race, conquers the powerful Kree Empire in a matter of weeks. With the Kree’s resources added to their own, the Phalanx begin spreading across the galaxy, assimilating other worlds into their collective consciousness. A group of cosmic heroes must work together to stop the Phalanx. They face the challenge of fighting an enemy that can turn their own technology and even their people against them. Despite the odds against them, this new team of Guardians must defeat this seemingly unstoppable force while being cut off from outside aid.
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, 2007’s Annihilation: Conquest was a direct sequel to 2006’s Annihilation. This event directly lead to the formation of the Guardians of the Galaxy comic readers know and love today. This is a great entry point for those who only know the team from the MCU movies.
Annihilation: Conquest successfully revamped these cosmic heroes into more well-rounded characters. Readers truly latched onto these versions of Nova, Drax, and Star-Lord. Beyond that, the story is fast-paced, fun, and entertaining, with fantastic art by an all-star team of Marvel mainstays.
Legacy
After two devastating galactic wars (the previously mentioned Annihilation events), the universe is badly damaged and weakened. As a result, dark gods and dangerous creatures are beginning to slip through cracks in reality. Star-Lord decides that the galaxy needs protectors and assembles a team of unlikely heroes: Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Phyla-Vell, and Adam Warlock.
This mismatched group of outcasts and former enemies must learn to work together as the new Guardians of the Galaxy. Based on a space station called Knowhere, the team takes on missions to protect the universe from cosmic threats. They face both external dangers and internal conflicts, as they try to become a functional team.
Building on the story of Annihilation: Conquest, Legacy formed the foundation of the 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning continued to hone these characters into their now familiar forms. The story, featuring multiple stray characters from decades of Marvel’s cosmic comics, is a total blast from start to finish. Somehow, the weird and wild elements balance tension and humor in equal measure. The end result is an epic space opera, packed with action, drama, and comedy.
The Final Gauntlet
After Thanos is finally defeated and killed, the universe faces a new problem: someone needs to fill the power vacuum. Who will become the next Thanos? The Guardians of the Galaxy must race across the cosmos to find this potential new cosmic threat before they can rise to power and bring destruction to the universe.
However, the team is still dealing with the trauma and aftermath of their long war against Thanos. As they search for this mysterious figure who might become the next galactic tyrant, the Guardians must work through their own emotional wounds. All while facing the possibility that everything they fought for could still fall apart.
Written by Donny Cates and illustrated by Geoff Shaw, The Final Gauntlet strikes a balance between space adventure and intimate drama. This sets these comics set apart from the more comedic MCU films. The story successfully reinvents the team while honoring their cosmic adventure roots.
There’s both action and character development. Most notably, this run includes subtle but realistic depictions of trauma, with scenes showing characters dealing with isolation and emotional wounds. There are also fun scenes like where Star-Lord and the rest of the crew learn how Gamora earned the title “Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy.” The art is incredible and befitting of this galactic tale, and you can tell Shaw spent a lot of time on it.
How we chose the best Guardians of the Galaxy comics
Guardians works best when it blends humor, heart, and genuine danger. That has been the common link throughout the team’s many incarnations. The best Guardians of the Galaxy comics balance ensemble dynamics while giving individual characters meaningful growth. They also ground goofy characters like a talking tree or raccoon, while generating genuine pathos.
As such, the focus here was on comics that either set the foundations for the franchise or significantly advanced the mythology. The comics from the original 1969 stories established the concept. The 1990s series further developed the original cast. And Abnett and Lanning’s run created the modern team we now know and love while setting up the MCU.
