The first issue of this new Guardians run, at least for someone who’s knowledge of the characters extends no further than what the movies have taught me, is a thrilling and, at times, heartbreaking story that tells the tale of a group of veteran heroes who are battling with the question, “when is enough, enough?” The idea of a superhero questioning how much longer they have left or if they even want to risk their lives saving the day is a fascinating topic and one that I never expected to see in a Guardians of The Galaxy comic, but it is the question that Gamora presents to the team she now sees as a family.

To my delight, even with both Rocket and Quill making the impossible decision to leave their friends behind in an attempt to save the day one more time, Guardians never loses its touch of humor. While the comic is filled with more drama than laughs, when the jokes come, they are a welcome addition that helps cut the tension of a story that sees a group of heroes fighting against literal Gods.

But while I am more than happy to sing this comic’s praises, that doesn’t mean that everything it presents is perfect. Yes, the fact that this isn’t an origin story is thrilling and makes me, the reader, feel like the story could go in any number of directions because the Guardians themselves are already established characters. The story doesn’t need to bog itself down with unnecessary character development for characters that we already know, but because the story is starting in an already well-established world, certain things are mentioned that unfortunately require prior knowledge to something that I’m only getting into for the first time. While the fantastic writing does its best to hold a newcomer like myself’s hand, I can see people getting confused at the mention of the “Cancerverse” or a character called “Annihilus.”

With that being said, I still think Guardians of The Galaxy #1 is a great entry to start reading about the Guardians and even more impressively done are the other main characters of the story which I honestly think everyone should experience for themselves. I will say though (and yes I’m probably over-hyping him just a bit) Marvel-Boy, a character I’ve never heard of in my life, is very cool and I cannot wait to learn more about him… though I’m not entirely sure shorts are ever a great look for any superhero, no matter how great their legs might be.