Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Guardians of the Galaxy (Main story and flashback)
- Rocket Raccoon (Main story and flashback)
- Groot (Main story and flashback)
- Star-Lord (Peter Quill)
- Gamora
- Drax the Destroyer (Arthur Douglas)
Antagonists:
- Gatherers
- Gatherer X-20 (First appearance)
- Unnamed Gatherers
Other Characters:
- Celestials (Only in flashback)
- Arishem the Judge (Only in flashback)
- Eson the Searcher (Only in flashback)
- Unnamed Celestials (Only in flashback)
- Galactus (Cameo)
- Collector (Taneleer Tivan)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
- Tara Tam
- May Parker-Jameson
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Collecton (Unnamed)
- Hall 12
- CosmoCon
- Earth
- United States of America
- New York
- New York City
- Brooklyn
- Wishful Inking (Tara Tam's tattoo shop)
- Brooklyn
- New York City
- New York
- United States of America
Items:
- Element Guns
- Respect Gem (Unnamed)
Vehicles:
Synopsis for 1st story
In a prison cell on the Collector's planet, Howard the Duck demanded to speak to him before some guards took him and Rocket to a lab, where Gatherer X20 intended to extract material from both of them to create mates. As Gatherer X20 attempted to extract material from Rocket, the Guardian spit acid from Azalian acid capsules into his face, then attacked two guards before freeing Howard. Rocket revealed that he was after a Celestial Heart that the Collector had one of his Gatherers steal. As the guards were alerted of Howard's and Rocket's escape, the other Guardians of the Galaxy came to rescue their teammate. Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and Howard went to look for the Celestial Heart. Meanwhile, the Collector was at CosmoCon. Howard found the Celestial Heart while the Guardians freed the other prisoners, taking some aboard the C.I.T.T. Much to Howard's anger, the Guardians left some prisoners behind and Star-Lord insisted that the Collector could have returned any second and decimated them all.
The Guardians dropped off Howard in New York City, next to a sleeping Spider-Man. On his way to Wishful Inking, pedestrians were surprised to see a "talking duck." When he arrived, he found Aunt May holding Tara at gunpoint.
Appearing in "Hireable Heroes"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- She-Hulk (Jen Walters) (Mentioned)
- Invisible Woman (Sue Storm) (Mentioned)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Mentioned)
- Daredevil (Matt Murdock) (Mentioned)
Locations:
Items:
- Mjolnir (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "Hireable Heroes"
Howard the Duck was in court after the Heroes for Hire were suing him for describing himself as a "Hero for Hire" in his advertisements. When Luke Cage claimed that he didn't want to be wasting the "good judge's" time, an angry Wrecker barged in and attempted to kill the judge, but was stopped when the Heroes for Hire beat him up and Howard's "lawyer" urinated in his pants. After the case, Howard was forced to abandon his "Hero for Hire" advertisement.
Solicit Synopsis
• Howard’s first big case has taken him across the universe and landed him in the clutches of THE COLLECTOR!
• But he’s not alone as the very popular ROCKET RACOON is a prisoner as well! Have you ever seen a comic book sequel to a post-credits scene in a movie?
• Well, you will now! Join comics legend STAN LEE in reading this issue (I’m assuming he’ll read it. Hi Stan!)!