Take pieces I've wanted for years, wait for the stars to align, bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees, and:
Guardians of the Galaxy #23 cover:
http://www.comicartfans.com/galleryp...?piece=1178239
Another one of my favorite Valentino GOTG covers. Mark Texeira filled in and did art chores (pencils/inks) on the interiors of this issue- while I personally didn't think his style was a good fit for the Guardians, I loved his inks over Jim on this cover.
The published cover was altered a bit as Talon was lowered, angled more to face Rancor, and had his tail redone- while Rancor's right leg was reworked and the UPC box was moved. No idea why or how it was done.
Rob Liefeld drew Charlie in the corner box, I remember getting a kick out of seeing that the day the issue came out. I'm glad to finally own something GOTG related by Rob. He and Jim shared a studio and discussed the initial idea of doing a GOTG comic, so he was there when the series was no more than a passing thought.
Sooner or later I'm getting the glue professionally removed (likely along with the Texeira signature that's plastered across the top, if possible. Some would frown on that but it's distracting to me)
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 page 10:
http://www.comicartfans.com/galleryp...?piece=1178240
Yondu takes Marty (and the readers) through the team's history to bring us up to speed. Here we see what has happened previously in Marvel Two-In-One, The Defenders, and Marvel Presents. Always loved this (very early) page from the series, especially the shot of Cap.
Guardians of the Galaxy #2 page 21:
http://www.comicartfans.com/galleryp...?piece=1178241
The Stark corner and attack Aleta after she accidentally kills one of their leaders.
The Guardians' timeline of what "should be" changes with this page and the next, as Aleta is shot mid-transformation and separated from Starhawk earlier than what was destined. Turns out Mephisto was behind the turn of events.
Early on in the series, before knowing/liking the Guardians team members- I loved the book due to three things: the "What If" nature of the book, the references to all the 20th century Marvel heroes, and the way the book seemed to put me in the middle of the action- like a game book (Twistaplot, Plot Your Own Horror, etc). For me, this pages is an example of all three. Love it.
Offensive amounts of Valentino GOTG art are still on the way.
