After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

The Guardians of the Galaxy debuted over four decades ago in Marvel Super-Heroes #18. At first, the concept wasn’t a smash hit – in fact, their next appearance was in Marvel Two-In-One #5 which was published five years later!

In the 1990s, Jim Valentino launched the first Guardians of the Galaxy series. The series was very popular when it first debuted and continued publication for over five years. In issue #26, Jim Valentino retold the origin of the Guardians of the Galaxy but, with a twist: it seems that, previously unknown to us, the events of their origin were guided by Starhawk’s machinations. It was a neat bit of retconning that wasn’t heavy-handed.

Marvel Super-Heroes #18 January 1969 Gene Colan

Guardians of the Galaxy #26 July 1992 Jim Valentino

On Ebay: Guardians of the Galaxy
On AtomicAvenue: Guardians of the Galaxy