Warning! Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy #1 ahead!The recent Western revamp of the Guardians of the Galaxy in Marvel Comics ushers in a welcome and heroic new era for the cosmic defenders. The Guardians have had a long and storied history with Marvel Comics. First debuting in 1969, the intergalactic team has gone through several changes with varying filling the team's roster. The 2008 team is perhaps the most well-known because it introduced the characters who would become the main squad: Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon and Groot. However, once they made their MCU appearance, the success of their first film would influence who they were in the comics.

James Gunn's interpretation of the heroes in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy ended up being a huge hit with audiences. It made comic characters who were once considered C or D-list heroes into household names for Marvel. As a result, most stories outside the films going forward would model the characters after Gunn's version including the Disney XD animated series, the video game by Square Enix and even their comic appearances. However, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 around the corner and the current movie team expecting to be disbanded, this opens up the potential to take the comics in interesting new directions, which the newest run of comics is doing right now.

The New Guardians of the Galaxy Become Western Heroes

Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Kev Walker's new Guardians of the Galaxy series has been created with the Western genre in mind. The Guardians' outfits are inspired by Western-era costumes with Star-Lord's Clint Eastwood look being the most notable. Each member of the team still feels like an outlaw who found a family together, but they feel more like bandits of the Old West in place of the space bounty hunters most fans have come to know them as over the past decade. Plus, beginning the series on a planet that clearly mirrors Western times for their first big mission is an excellent way for readers to get to know the new team and their inspirations.

The New Guardians Could Set the Next Status Quo for Future Generations

This new story is a much-needed breath of fresh air for the Guardians that could redefine how fans know them once their cinematic counterparts end their story. Some of the trademark traits from the Gunn films that later found their way into the comics are still here, including Drax taking everything literally and Mantis' eccentric personality. However, due to a tension caused by their friend Groot becoming a killer monster, they're more at odds with each other than before. Now that Groot is taking over the galaxy, the series reflects the lawlessness of space similar to how the Old West was back in the day. This could set up a new status quo for the Guardians as they try to reconnect what has been lost in their fractured friendship while navigating a troubling future.

The latest iteration of Guardians of the Galaxy has officially put its best foot forward to redefine the team. The new Western looks for the characters look fantastic, and the changes in personality with hints of the Gunn era help ease readers into what they can expect from the heroes in the future. The chaos of Grootfall has clearly changed what fans have known about the heroes, so the adjustment in genre is an excellent way to reflect this. This Western revamp is the best thing to happen to the Guardians of the Galaxy in a decade and welcome in a new era for the heroes as they face off against their greatest galactic threat yet.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.