Star-Lord becomes one of Black Cat’s goons in this exclusive preview
Grounding Peter “Star-Lord” Quill on Earth is the best thing that has happened to his character in years. Writer Chip Zdarsky, artist Kris Anka, and colorist Matthew Wilson are doing exceptional work on Star-Lord, using Peter’s new circumstances to deliver an introspective character study of a man coming to terms with all the mistakes he’s made in his life. Peter has done a lot of damage to his relationships with other people, and he’s begun looking at his past decisions in a new light after befriending retiree Edmund Allen, a former thief that lives in the nursing home where Peter is forced to do community service. Edmund’s tenuous relationship with his son, Greg, has shown Peter the value of maintaining positive connections with the people he cares about, but before he can go about healing those bonds, he needs to team up with Edmund to rescue Greg, who has been kidnapped by Black Cat.
This exclusive preview of next week’s Star-Lord #5 has Peter and Edmund getting ready for the burglary they’ll be committing for Black Cat, and Peter is calling in some superhero help for the mission by reaching out to his ex-girlfriend Kitty Pryde, who can get him in contact with Logan (the old man formerly known as Wolverine). Meanwhile, Black Cat hits The Bar With No Name to berate the supervillains that have been selling secrets in her bar. This scene showcases the humor Zdarsky has brought to this series, as well as Anka and Wilson’s talent for shifting from comedy to drama in their visual storytelling.
Kris Anka draws the hottest Peter Quill that has ever appeared on the page. There aren’t that many superhero comics that emphasize the sex appeal of male heroes, but that’s exactly what Star-Lord is doing by highlighting Peter’s muscles, constantly showing off his hairy chest, and giving readers plenty of butt shots (there are two on just the first page of this preview). Peter isn’t the only gorgeous thing about this book, though, and this art team’s work is highly expressive, packed with dynamic action, and full of detail in the environments and character designs. This preview is a striking example of how Wilson can make a scene come to life with rich lighting, and the first page in particular uses the colors of the sunset to add visual splendor to the conversation. There are only two issues left before this team wraps up its Star-Lord run, and while it will be sad to see this title go, it’s better to get six great issues than none at all.