The Ultimate Guide to the Cosmic Outlaws

By Nick Jones

DK, out now

Can’t wait for the new Guardians movie? Get the lowdown on their comic book origins here…

As an old-school Marvel reader, my first thought when a Guardians of the Galaxy movie was announced many years ago was that it was the adventures of Vance Astro and co., whose stories had been a part of my Marvel reading in the 1970s and 1980s… which I’d have appreciated just as much as the more recent team, truth be told, as it would have also been something very different from the Marvel movies to date. However a quick check up revealed that a character I remembered loving from his earliest appearances – Star-Lord – was now the team leader and things were… shall we say, a little wackier.

Nick Jones’ meticulously researched book chronicles all the various versions of the Guardians of the Galaxy, explaining their real-world origins as well as those within the fiction of the Marvel Universe. He covers all the key characters from both current and future teams, explaining all the time-twisting elements and chronicling in brief detail the prior lives of those who come to join the team (including members of the Fantastic Four, The X-Men and the Avengers at various times). Key characters, key themes, key comics and key storylines are all clearly delineated.

The book is very cleanly laid out with what feels like more use of white space than in some previous guides, with the design team at Amazing 15 giving full page and double page spreads to some classic artwork that works well at the magnified size.

As you read it, you can see where elements of the first movie (and the bits we know about the second) are derived from, but you also realise that these really have just skimmed the surface of the Guardians’ exploits.

Verdict: An informative, well-designed guide to the outlaws’ tales. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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