This showed just how offbeat and esoteric Gunn's comic book knowledge was, thus making him perhaps the best person for the job. In 2015, James Gunn would also note his interest in the comic book, with this coming up after the first Guardians of the Galaxy had become a smash hit. A few years after it came out, the series drew the attention of New Line Cinema for a potential adaptation, and as time passed, the director of Kung Fu Panda would be tentatively attached to it. Though We3 wouldn't become one of Morrison's or even Quitely's most well-known works, it was well-received upon release. On the run from the government, they seek shelter and a home of their own as a similar research project is sent out to recover them. When the project is shut down, a kindly scientist takes pity on the creatures and helps them escape.

Made up of the dog Bandit, the cat Tinker and the rabbit Pirate, the beasts are all encased in hi-tech armor that makes them part of a valuable experiment for the U.S. The storyline of the comic book miniseries involves the eponymous 'We3,' a group of animals that were captured and experimented upon to become living weapons. Even more so than some of the latter's work on Marvel's New X-Men, We3 exuded a style described as 'Western manga,' especially regarding the designs of the technology. Originally published in 2004, We3 was one of many collaborations between Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.

3, bringing its gut-wrenching themes to the big screen.

Though that never came to be, it did heavily inspire the storyline of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. It also gained a fan in James Gunn, who had expressed interest in adapting it into a movie. Featuring normal animals who are experimented upon through heinous and abusive means, the story is very much a futuristic update of films such as Plague Dogs. We3 (by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly) was a somewhat experimental comic book published through DC's Vertigo imprint in 2004. To bring this fairly sad story to life, Gunn seemingly pulled from an unlikely source: a comic published by DC, not Marvel. 3, which heavily focuses on the origins of Rocket Raccoon and other animals like him. Director James Gunn has just finished his film trilogy with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. Once an obscure cosmic team from Marvel Comics, the Guardians of the Galaxy are now household names via the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The following contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

Animal Man, Vol. 2 by Grant Morrison