Legendary Star-Lord FACE IT, I RULE Vol 1 Review

From The Past: This article has been imported from one of my past blog sites, written in 2017.

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PLOT

Saving an orphanage, flirting with Kitty Pryde, and engaging in some daring space battles? It’s all in a day's work for the Legendary Star-Lord. Even though he’s got a bounty on his head from a mysterious Mister Knife, Peter Quill’s got bigger problems to solve, without getting himself tangled up with some Badoon pirates, that is, if he can help it.

REVIEW

Leaving the Guardians of the Galaxy for some solo adventuring, Star-Lord’s solo outing is generally an enjoyable ride, whilst certainly not the most compelling read, some enjoyable moments, tantalising art style, and the character's charm keep the pages turning.

The story kicks off with Peter grabbed by some Badoon pirates and the story doesn’t rest up from there, as he’s thrown in their jail cell because of a bounty placed on his head, by Mister Knife the new dominant space gangster (His name isn’t the most fearsome out there, but you’ll adjust it). Essentially, from then on, Peter sets his sights on wanting to repair a previous mistake, but when you’ve got a large bounty on your head, it’s never going to be an easy ride.

Writer Sam Humphries manages to perfectly capture the cocky pilots self absorbed charm, in fact it’s what helps keep the story engaging. Seeing Peter turn from a wise-cracking A**hole to having glimpses of his humanity shine through helps add a sense of both care and dread for the hero's problems. Yet the main star of the series is undoubtedly the art style, pencilled by Paco Medina, with a strong eye for detail, there’s a sense of impact to each hit and blaster shot, whilst still capturing a more relaxed feel to Peter’s downtime. Full props also go to colourist David Curiel and inker Juan Vlasco as their vivid palette helps breathe a fantastical life into Medina’s art, which captures the subtle beauty of space as well as making each character pop out on their own.

Unfortunately, the story feels a little too generic and bland; those hoping for a more adventurous treasure hunter, won’t find much here, instead its a concept of Peter juggling with his past decisions, one that never really manages to hit the depth the writer wants it to, but still works well enough. The resolution of sorts never feels as impactful as you’re led to believe over the 5 issues combined in this volume, whilst it’s certainly interesting, but again, the payoff never accumulates to the sense of hype laid out. Still, the villainous Mister Knife does his job well, but unfortunately, is never given enough panels to really come into his own.

Whilst there’s no denying the start to Peter Quill’s solo adventure is good, it never quite hits the high mark you hoped. But with a well-developed lead and stand-out artwork, there’s plenty of potential for the series to flourish; it’s just a matter of developing a strong enough story to push Peter far enough.