Guardians Going Gonzo In Gerry's New Galaxy

by Vince Brusio

Here’s a story, a man named Gerry, who was busy with three books of his own. Well, actually, they’re not his own. They belong to Marvel. And the last two —  Deadpool & Uncanny Avengers — he’s put to bed. His shift ended a while ago. But you know where we were going with the jingle, and given the giggles that Gerry Duggan works into his stories, the Brady Bunch reference is appropriate. Isn’t it all about fun, anyway? The fun factor is what Gerry Dugan likes to sew into his stories, and this comic geek through-and-through since his first job has finally got the gig of his dreams in the All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (MAR170937). In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview, Gerry assures us the loud noises in the room and sixteen-things-happening-at-once will not be in short supply. On with the show.

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (MAR170937) is in comic shops May 3.

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Vince Brusio: Why do you want to write this series? What do you feel that you bring to the table that will make people buckle up and hang on for dear life?

Gerry Duggan: Not counting a short (and mostly terrifying) experience as a paperboy, my first job was working in a comic shop. I loved it. I got to read everything while organizing back issues. I began with Starlin, and then found Nova, Quasar and the rest of the Marvel Cosmic Universe. There were new ideas, new characters, new dangers. Lotta weird stuff. I didn't just want to collaborate on this comic, I needed to. I'm very grateful to Marvel for this opportunity. Aaron Kuder and I, and all our special guest artists really want to have fun, and tell grand adventures, but we want to leave a mark, too.

Vince Brusio: How do you create tension between the characters in this series? How do you plan to turn up the heat in the room?

Gerry Duggan: It sounds corny, but it's true, so I'll just admit it: I'm simply a troublemaker. I happily write the villains and create the conflicts. Once the fuse is lit the heroes get themselves out of it. They're writing their own parts in my head. I just try to copy it all down. My favorite collaborations are when the heroes do something unexpected to win the day. When they surprise me, I know readers won't know what's coming. As for tension, we will learn in the first week of this run that some of the heroes have not been very forthcoming with one another, and it will generate gigawatts of conflict. Eventually the fire we start in Guardians will burn out of control across the galaxy.

Vince Brusio: How do you leave your mark on the team for this all-new version of the Guardians? What is it about these adventures that can be traced back to your fingerprints?

Gerry Duggan: I think reading Simonson's Thor and Miller's Daredevil pre-dispose me to playing long games. I'm not comparing my work to theirs, it’s just that I like spinning up a lot of plates and then enjoying the chaos as they begin to wobble. In the first several months of Guardians, readers will know more about the coming conflicts than the heroes. One of the early mysteries is why Groot isn't growing back. The reason is profoundly messed up. I don't want to Writers hurt the characters we love the most. A year from now, the galaxy won't be the same, and neither with this team. We're going to introduce some new names, dust off some old names. If I were to be totally honest with myself, as much as I have loved collaborating on Deadpool, I wouldn't have picked that gig for myself. Guardians Of The Galaxy is my dream gig. I've seen a lot of support online from fans of Deadpool & Uncanny Avengers looking forward to heading into space with us. Thanks in advance for supporting All New Guardians Of The Galaxy, good luck on Free Comic Book Day — and see you in space.

ALL NEW GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #1 VEREGGE HIP HOP VAR ( MAR170938)

 

The comic double ships every month. You can preorder issue #2 as well!

ALL NEW GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #2 (MAR170943) 

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.