Star-Lord #1 Review

Though he’s been part of the Marvel Universe for decades, Star-Lord has had a lot of retcons, early installment weirdness and just plain paradox in his comic book history.  Thanks to the newly rebooted Marvel Universe history, that’s all about to change!  Your Major Spoilers review of Star-Lord #1 awaits!

STAR-LORD #1
Writer: Sam Humphries
Artist: Javier Garron
Colorist: Antonio Fabela w/Frank D’Armata
Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Jake Thomas
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in Star-Lord: Peter Quill is the Star-Lord, once a minor galactic hero rocketed to prominence by his participation in the latest iteration of the Guardians Of The Galaxy.  Though he’s a galactic swashbuckler and folks hero, there was a time when he was just a boy, desperately trying to get into the space program in the hopes of finding the aliens that killed his mother…

This is that story.

NO TIMEFRAME GIVEN

The title of this issue is ‘Year One, Chapter One: Free Falling’, so it’s clear that we’re looking at the story of Star-Lord’s past, but there’s no real explanation of the when and why of this issue.  Writer Humphries throws us right into the story from the first page, with Peter Quill remembering his mother’s death, then throwing us right into the space action.  Peter is desperately fleeing attacking spaceships, clearly panicking and flailing at his control panel like a madman, when suddenly the computer intones the most terrible word of all: “Fatality.”

No, he’s not facing down Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat, but he is logging time (unapproved time, I might add) on an advanced flight simulator, trying desperately to show that he’s got the metaphorical Right Stuff to become an astronaut.  In the space of a few pages, we find that NOBODY respects or likes our Master Quill, that he’s only got a job at all because the Commander was an old friend of his late mom and, worst of all, he has serious anger issues.  After punching out one of the actual astronauts for mocking his theory of how to unlock warp speed on a lost Kree fighter vessel, Peter STEALS the ship to test his thesis.  His is successful in triggering the warp drive (the first human to do so) but ends up lost and without power, floating dead in deep space…

IT’S HARD TO LIKE OUR HERO

The biggest issue that I have with this book is that, in an attempt to give us the same Star-Lord we saw in the GotG movie (a foul-mouthed, skin-of-his-pants maverick with no respect for authority but great instincts), we’re shown a Peter Quill who just isn’t very likable at all.  It’s entirely by design, mind you, but the whole issue is full of moments that just underline how stunted Quill’s personality is and how towering his issues with authority really are.  Sure, he’s proven right in his crazy theory, but there are at least three moments in the story where he seems moments from seriously hurting somebody, making him feel less like a maverick than a sociopath.  Still, this issue’s script manages to overcome those moments, partially thanks to strong art (Javier Garron is especially skilled in crazy technology and alien spaceships, which goes a long way to smooth over any problems with the plot) and as the story ends, I found myself worrying about Quill’s well-being and what happens next.  Presumably, this first arc will fill in the gaps of Star-Lord’s history, something that I’m more than happy to see, given the vast variance in characterization he has seen all the way up to his modern appearances in Keith Giffen’s ‘Thanos’ series, which is really the beginning of the Star-Lord we know from the big screen.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A GOOD FIRST CHAPTER

There are a few minor missteps in both story (mostly in identifying the time frame, but also in the character’s actions) and art (Quill comes across as very cartoonish in some of his facial expressions, especially his more emphatic moments of anger or fear), but overall this issue makes for a good start in Star-Lord’s new solo adventures.  Star-Lord #1 ends up being likeable in spite of itself (much like the man himself) but sticks the landing, earning a solid 3 out of 5 stars overall.  If nothing else, we can finally have a clear story through-line for this well-traveled character, doing a great deal to justify the recent Secret Wars rebooting…