*Marvel: The short-lived ‘showcase’ phase of Marvel Super-Heroes saw the debuts of several interesting ‘pilots’, most of which went nowhere, being a bit too experimental for the period. Among these unadopted concepts was the Guardians of the Galaxy, set in the future of an Earth under the scaly thumb of vicious Badoon invaders, and a rag-tag band of heroes from various planets who formed a resistance movement to liberate the solar system. Created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, it was stylish and fast-paced, but didn’t ‘take’, and languished for half a decade until fan-turned pro Steve Gerber revived the heroes as supporting characters in Defenders and elsewhere. Since then, they’ve had several successful series with various rosters, as well as a lucrative movie franchise enhanced most recently by their co-starring role in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’. Character turnover means that these Guardians are not the same as the movie version (they’re not Groot!), but this is the debut of the team and the concept. With minimum corner wear and only slight spine ’rounding’, this is a superior upper-mid grade copy for collectors or investors. Buy it now before the next movie causes prices to spike again! MSH #18, in VG+, pence copy, at £75. SORRY, THIS HAS NOW SOLD