We don’t do comic reviews very often around here at White Hot Room. In fact, it’s been a year since I last wrote one for here. But every now and then, we just can’t help ourselves and have to hype a book for you guys. If you’re anything like us, then you’re anxiously counting down the days until Guardians of the Galaxy comes out. Good thing that The Legendary Star-Lord #1 by Sam Humphries with art by Paco Medina hits comic stores today.
It’s Peter Quill on his own with the rest of the Guardians… uhhh… elsewhere. But hey! That doesn’t mean things are every boring for the Legendary Star-Lord as he fights the Badoon to help save an orphanage and even manages to fit in some flirting with a certain intangibly powered lady of the X-men persuasion.
There’s a lot to love about this book. For starters, Paco Medina is on art. I’ve been a huge fan of his ever since his work on New X-men and if anything, he’s gotten even better while still maintaining all the stylistic elements that made it great almost a decade ago. Seeing a nice and diverse looking cast is definitely another bonus.
And then we have the writing. Sam Humphries has a real talent for bringing humor to a situation without taking anything away from how serious it might be. He has the same talent for bringing real distinct personality to the characters without forcing it. Peter Quill is definitely a good choice for a solo book with this creative team. Humphries also does a really good job in this issue with how he plays with tropes and expectations and then turns them on their side to keep you wondering what might happen next. All of this makes for a really enjoyable read that’s well worth the price of admission (so to speak). I’m excited to see where Humphries is planning to take this plotline especially given what happens on the very last page. *wink wink*
The Legendary Star-Lord #1 gets an endorsement from White Hot Room along with our recommendation that you go pick up a copy.
Warning: This review has spoilers for the end of the previous issue along with some spoilers for this one. You should go read them first, bro. Especially #9, bro.
Like half the internet who reads this comic, I still haven’t recovered from the end of issue #9. Alas poor Grills, we knew him. I was expecting this issue to pick up right where the previous one left off. In a way, I was right but Matt Fraction and Francesco Francavilla did it in a way that I didn’t quite predict and it made for a lovely read.
There are two storylines going on in this issue. The first is Kate Bishop striking up a conversation with a man at one of her father’s parties. The other is the backstory of that said man, aka Kazi Kazimierczak aka the Clown. It wasn’t hard to see how this was going to go but Fraction’s writing and Francavilla’s art make this a great read even if that last page was like getting stabbed in the heart YET AGAIN. One of the great things about this issue is that it really does help illustrate the relationship between Clint and Kate. They work together and they’re friends but boy is it hard to put one simple label on their relationship and it’s part of what makes them (and this book) so gosh darn interesting.
Francavilla’s art was definitely a highpoint of this issue. Granted, there has yet to be an issue of Hawkeye where I didn’t like the art but Francavilla’s work here seemed especially noteworthy. I particularly loved the backstory pages for Kazi/the Clown. The page layouts work perfect for the story. I could read books with Francavilla drawing explosions or guns firing all day. I’m also a huge fan of the colouring on the page where Kazi leaves and Kate stops him. There’s something about it that just makes me go ‘wow’.
At the end of the day, I recommend that you go out and buy this comic but did you really expect me to say differently? And if you haven’t been reading Hawkeye so far, go out and buy yourself the first trade in honour of HAWKWEEK. You can thank us later.
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It’s Hawkeye Week, bro. In honour of the new story arc debuting this week, we decided to fly our purple pennants — so check back in with us every day as we class up this joint like Kate Bishop, party like Tracksuit Dracula, and make embarrassingly coordinated kitchenware like Clint Barton.
If you were to ask me what one of my all time favourite comic book runs, Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca’s Invincible Iron Man goes on that list immediately. Summer 2008 was a good time to be an Iron Man fan. The first Iron Man film had been released in May and then this wonderful comic began weeks later. At first, it looked like it was going to be just another Iron Man book filled with typical Tony Stark adventures. After all, he’d just become the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Sure there was another company-wide event coming up but who figured that fifty issues later that Tony would hit another huge low in his life? He’d just lost his best friend. Things clearly had to go up from there.
As a writer, Matt Fraction really succeeds at getting inside of Tony Stark’s head and also at fleshing out the supporting cast and really letting some of them grow. He does a particularly good job with both Pepper Potts and Maria Hill right off the bat and also writes a good Rhodey. Fraction also shows a respect for the mythos of the character. He boils down it down to its essence for this 60 issue run but still injects new life into and tells new stories.
One of the best things about this book that really helped it stand out was the consistent creative team. In the current comic book world, that doesn’t happen very often as artists seem to be switched every arc or so to keep up with a tough publishing schedule. It helps give the story a sense of continuity and feel like the one long story that it is.
The short version of this retrospective review is that not only did it hold up against my memories of the book but it actually exceeded them. It was only in retrospect that I fully appreciated all the plotlines and details that Fraction wove into the story right from the beginning. It is a cohesive story that every Iron Man fan should read and it is the book that I would absolutely recommend to a new reader who wants to know more about the hero. I’d also recommend the Annual #1 for anyone who wants to read up on The Mandarin before Iron Man 3 comes out in a few weeks.
The long version of this is filled with spoilers about each individual story arc so read at your own risk!
No but seriously. If you haven’t heard already, Marvel announced yesterday at their SXSW panel that they are offering 700 first issues or first appearances of digital comics for FREE until Tuesday. The demand for the comics has actually overwhelmed the servers and so right now, you give them your email address and they will let you know when the promotion kicks back in. But they will still be free. Let us count the ways in which this is fabulous and awesome! Okay, so maybe we won’t count them all but here’s a few in case you need convincing:
- It is a free way to get into comics
- It is a free way to test the waters of new series
- Your digital library can expand drastically
- No but seriously: it’s free comics. What other reason do you need?
Really, you should definitely take advantage of this sale. Also, don’t be discouraged if it takes you a few tries to get the site to load. Comixology’s servers are taking a beating but you’ll get through eventually so be patient and be kind to the hard working support staff. ;)
Free Comics, folks. Why are you still reading this?
Have you checked out Sam Humphries and Ron Garney’s Uncanny X-Force #1 yet? No? I’m here to tell you that you absolutely should. After the amazing run that Rick Remender had with the first volume of this book, I didn’t think it would be possible for this relaunch to come even close to that level. Gosh is it wonderful to be wrong because this book is going to be a great read.
Before I even talk about the story, I have to discuss the artwork because this is a positively GORGEOUS book. I’ve been digging the costume designs by Kris Anka since day one and they have been translated beautifully to the page by Ron Garney’s pencils. I’m also enamoured with the colouring done by Marte Gracia and Israel Gonzalez. The palette they’ve worked with is stunning. I’d happily read a book with this artistic team up for ages.
Since we last saw Psylocke in the pages of Uncanny X-Force, she’s completely dropped off the face of the earth for six months only to finally reappear and figure out that teaching at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning really isn’t going to work out. (Seriously. It’s just not working out.) Logan suggests she takes some time off to clear her head and gives her a mission. Who better to go along then Storm? (Another X-man who really needs the time off to clear her head.) And, well, things go from there. I won’t spoil it for you.
This is a great first issue and definitely left me wanting more. (That last page… THAT LAST PAGE.) The premise of the first few issues has been introduced as have all of the team members, but exactly how this bunch are going to end up as a cohesive team will certainly be interesting to see as the book continues on. There’s nothing I love better than a team that’s filled with both people who are good friends and people who just do not get along at all, and this team looks like it’s going to have both.
I also think that this book has the potential to be readily accessible for readers who weren’t along for the first Uncanny X-Force ride. Humphries gives you most of the context that you need within the issue, and also introduces the characters to those who might not be familiar with them. It also looks like it’s not going to come with the insane levels of emotional baggage that its predecessor did, which definitely helps make it accessible to more readers.
Again, I can’t reiterate enough how gorgeous I thought the art for this issue is. This creative team just works so well together to produce a really nice first issue. This has the potential to be the “craziest X-Book ever” but also a pretty darn stellar one. I highly suggest you head over to your local comic store or to comixology and pick up the first issue and give it a try.
(You can also check out the fashionable Psylocke and Spiral outfits that Lin and I rocked earlier today in honour of the book’s release.)