Ryan McAvoy said:

I'd never read (or even heard of) GOTG before the movie. But now I'm interested in going back and reading some. My local book store had put together a display stand of GOTG (and Starlord) books but I didn't know where to start.

Can anybody reccomend a collection/paperback/volume/story-arc/writer-tenure that is a good place to start? I'm more interested in books with the same-ish vibe as the movie (and with decent art obviously).

If you want to see Rocket long before he hooked up with Groot, there is a hardcover compilation of his early appearances in The Incredible Hulk and his miniseries from the 80's.

http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Raccoon-Guardian-Keystone-Quadrant/dp/0785155279

The original comic books have gotten a little pricey as of late, especially his mostly forgotten first appearance in a black and white 70's magazine.

Rocket isn't as angsty or trigger happy in his early incarnation like the movie though.