Guardians of the Galaxy #18
Guardians of the Galaxy #18 (vol. 1, November 1991) is the debut issue of Talon — a feline Inhuman sorcerer-in-training who would become one of the defining new members of Jim Valentino's original 31st-century team roster. The issue also marks the second chapter of the four-part 'Homecoming' arc, which used the legacy of Frank Castle to explore how Marvel's darkest 20th-century icons had mutated over a thousand years of future history, a storytelling device that illustrated Valentino's ambition to build an internally consistent 31st-century civilization rather than just a backdrop for action. Talon's origin — born into an enslaved Inhuman colony and escaping servitude through magic — brought a socially resonant undercurrent to the team's expanding cast at a moment when Valentino was deliberately pushing against the era's grim-and-gritty monoculture with a more adventurous, character-driven tone.
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Writer-artist Jim Valentino produced the issue as part of his self-contained run on the 1990 Guardians ongoing — a series he had pitched independently before Marvel editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco greenlit it over a separate concept he had been developing. Valentino initially intended Talon's role in this storyline to be filled by Wolverine, but X-Men editor Bob Harras refused to allow the book to establish that Wolverine could live into the 31st century, forcing Valentino to create an entirely new character; he drew on Steve Englehart's lighter, acrobatic take on the Beast during the Avengers years as his template for Talon's personality. The issue was inked by Steve Montano and colored by Evelyn Stein, part of the regular production team that maintained a consistent visual identity across Valentino's tenure.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Talon — a feline Inhuman from an enslaved lunar colony who serves as an apprentice to Krugarr, the 31st century's Sorcerer Supreme (confirmed by Key Collector Comics, GoCollect, MyComicShop, Marvel Fandom wiki, and Wikipedia).
- Story title: 'Punished' — Part 2 of the four-part 'Homecoming' arc; the Guardians confront the legacy of Frank Castle (the Punisher) and face a 31st-century gang calling itself the Punishers.
- Written and penciled by Jim Valentino, inked by Steve Montano, colored by Evelyn Stein, lettered by Ken Lopez; Valentino designed the cover.
- Talon was created specifically because X-Men editor Bob Harras blocked Valentino's original plan to use Wolverine, not wanting the character's longevity extended into the 31st century; Valentino modeled Talon's personality on Steve Englehart's version of the Beast.
- The issue also features a continuing appearance by Krugarr, the alien Sorcerer Supreme of the 31st century, whose previous appearance was in Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1 (1991).
- Additional plot threads include further revelations about Starhawk, Martinex, and the Commandeers, and a look at the state of Earth in the year 3018.
- Talon's powers blend Inhuman physiology (superhuman agility, retractable projectile claws, prehensile tail) with nascent sorcery learned under Krugarr's tutelage.
- The issue is collected in the Marvel Epic Collection: Guardians of the Galaxy — Homecoming (ISBN 9781302965181), which gathers Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) #7–20 and Annual #1, alongside annual crossover material.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Guardians of the Galaxy by Jim Valentino #2 (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy by Jim Valentino Omnibus #1 (2017), Guardians of the Galaxy Epic Collection #3 (2025)
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