Warning: Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy #1A brand-new spin on the Guardians of the Galaxy squad challenges the team’s status as heroes. Marvel Comics’ latest revamp of the Guardians of the Galaxy series places the team on the planet Galilee IV, which itself captures the lawless aesthetic of classic Westerns. There, they band together hoping to take down their former friend in his monstrous new Grootfall form.
In preparing to combat Grootfall, Guardians of the Galaxy #1 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Kev Walker sees the team – comprised of Star-Lord, Nebula, Gamora, Mantis, and Drax – arrive in the planet’s Manifold Territories to evacuate a town full of local refugees. This isn’t made easy when local gang members take umbrage with them, but rather than reason with them, the Guardians don’t hesitate to shoot anyone dead who stands in their way. Much like their Western surroundings, their costumes reflect their newfound lawless nature. Their new look is a far cry from the “fancy costumes” that one gang member recalls previously seeing the Guardians wearing.
New Look, New Attitude for the Guardians
There still remains plenty to be revealed as to what led to the Guardians’ new attitude (although, it’s worth mentioning that the same gang member alludes that it had “been a year since you tucked tail and ran”). But they are certainly leaning hard into it. Moments after stepping into town, Gamora shoots someone at the first sign of trouble. Later, when one gang member tells them that there “ain’t no room for good here,” Star-Lord responds, “We ain’t been good for a minute” before the team gleefully unloads on their antagonists. The sight is so alarming to a nearby child that he can’t help but ask Mantis, “What happened to you guys?” She answers by simply pointing at an approaching Grootfall.
The Guardians’ New Vibe Is Befitting of The Western Genre
There was once a time when the Western genre was perhaps the most straightforward genre out there. It was as simple as the bad guys wearing black hats while being irredeemably evil, while the white hat-wearing good guys were as pure as they come. It’s only in the last couple of decades that the classic Western tropes have been subverted, thanks to works like Unforgiven and Firefly, where oftentimes the hero’s actions are just as questionable as the villains’ and the villains sport a moral code in spite of their villainy. The new Guardians series seems to take the team in that direction, with them not only becoming anti-heroes, but being aware of their stark change in character.
Their comic interpretations are starting to steer closer to how they are depicted in the MCU, but their new costumes especially make that change apparent. In prior volumes, the Guardians’ costumes were much more vibrant, taking direct inspiration from the Avengers. Now, their costumes are darker, far more tattered, and have clearly been dragged through the mud. Depending on how the story unfolds and what becomes revealed, those costumes could perfectly signify the last year in the lives of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 is in stores now.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
