After Guardians of the Galaxy is introduced to theaters audiences in the upcoming big screen adventure planned for this August, Disney and Marvel are gearing up for an animated series based on the title. A photo was recently snapped (courtesy of Bleeding Cool), which gives us our first sneak peek at this impending comic book series. The tease was part of a Licensing Expo banner that also features current Marvel animated series Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-Man. Take a look:

A Marvel animated series based on Guardians of the Galaxy has been rumored for a while now, with this being our first solid proof of its existence. The characters of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot and Rocket have all appeared on previous episodes of both Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-Man. As evidenced in this first piece of promo art, the characters look more like their movie counterparts than they do their previous television guest starring appearances.

Absent from the poster is Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., which has lead CBM to speculate that it won't be renewed.

Guardians of the Galaxy is rumored to be a half-hour animated series that will debut on Disney XD sometime before the end of the year, though the show has not been officially confirmed by Disney and Marvel. It will continue on the story arc seen in the cinematic version of the Marvel property.

What do you think of the look of this animated version of Guardians of the Galaxy so far?

To see the full photo: CLICK HERE