Award-winning comic-book creator Brian Michael Bendis is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics today. He has helmed a renaissance for Marvel's popular Avengers franchise, writing every issue of New Avengers and launching Avengers, Mighty Avengers and Dark Avengers. He has also written the event projects House of M, Secret War, Secret Invasion and Siege. Bendis is one of the architects of Marvel's Ultimate line of comics, having written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its launch in 1999, as well as Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin, Ultimate Six and the Ultimate Enemy trilogy. The introduction of multiracial Ultimate Spider-Man Miles Morales made USA Today's front page and went on to become a hotbed topic on Fox News, CNN, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Howard Stern Show and more. Bendis' creator-owned projects include Scarlet with Alex Maleev, Brilliant with Mark Bagley, the Eisner Award-winning Powers with Mike Oeming and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory. Bendis is also the creator of Image Comics' Jinx line of crime comics, which has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx and Torso with Marc Andreyko, and Total Sell Out. Sony and FX have completed principal photography on the pilot for Powers with Bendis as executive producer, and he's adapting Fire for Universal Pictures as a starring vehicle for Zac Efron. Bendis is also a writer and consulting producer for the Disney XD series Ultimate Spider-Man. As a member of Marvel Studios' Creative Committee, he has consulted on the films Iron Man and Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and Marvel's The Avengers. He is head writer of the massive multiplayer online game Marvel Universe for Marvel and Gazillion games.

Artist Steve McNiven parlayed a chance trip to the San Diego Comic-Con into a position at CrossGen Comics, where he quickly earned a regular assignment on Meridian. When CrossGen ceased publishing, McNiven moved on to Marvel Knights 4 with writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Next, he joined Warren Ellis on Ultimate Secret. In 2006, McNiven and Mark Millar shattered the Marvel Universe's status quo in Civil War. His next assignments included Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers and the initial story arc of Amazing Spider-Man's "Brand New Day" era. McNiven and Millar reteamed for "Old Man Logan" in Wolverine and the creator-owned Nemesis, published under the Marvel Icon imprint. With Ed Brubaker, McNiven helped relaunch Captain America.

There's a new rule in the galaxy: No one touches Earth! No one! But why has Earth suddenly become the most important planet in the galaxy? That's what the Guardians of the Galaxy are going to find out! Join Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot and - wait for it - the invincible Iron Man, as they embark upon one of the most explosive and eye-opening chapters of Marvel NOW! These galactic Avengers are going to discover secrets that will rattle Marvel readers for years to come! But while London deals with a brutal invasion by the Badoon, the fate of the Guardians may have already been decided millions of miles away! Why wait for the movie? It all starts here!

COLLECTING: Guardians of the Galaxy 0.1, 1-3; Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow's Avengers 1