The Guardians of the Galaxy were a remarkable project and their fundamental reason for existing was to operate a resistance to the Badoon invasion. To my chagrin when they get their own book, that reason is soon dispensed with.
Steve Gerber was a writer who quite properly deserved a reputation for creating some exceedingly weird scenarios. Clearly he saw the Guardians and their setting of all of outer space as a grand opportunity to create some truly bizarre stuff.
And bizarre he truly was. With a girl added to their ranks, Nikki from Mercury, the Guardians encounters out-sized planets and planets full of madmen.
They fight alongside each other and against each other as the tried and true Marvel method of internal conflict ruled the day.
Increasingly the series became dominated by the story of Starhawk and the mystery of how such a being (both man and woman) could be.
Even a detour which showcased the earliest appearance of the Badoon didn't derail that story, though it did not bode well for the health of the series.
The origin of Starhawk was a pretty good story, but alas it wasn't really the kind of Guardians story I was most eager to read.
I wanted further insights into Charlie-27 and Martinex and Yondu. We did get some Vance Astro stuff, but mostly background bits as the Starkhawk story ruled the day.
To be fair, maybe it was intended that after the Starhawk mystery was solved, we'd get more of the classic Guardians, but the book didn't last long enough to find out.
When it ended, we still had limited insights into the those who first wore the mantel of Guardians of the Galaxy. They'd been shoved out of their own title by newcomers who weren't necessarily bad but added to a story which was already quite crowded.
The Guardians of the Galaxy won against the Badoon, they freed Earth, but they were not able to overcome the the rigors of the newsstand. It was a missed opportunity to create some sterling science fiction, the promise of the original Arnold Drake and Gene Colan story. Too bad as it would be many years before they'd get their own title once again.
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