·April 24, 2017

Plot: Previously, one of Peter Quill’s new friends paid the price for his mission’s success. Now Star-Lord is tying up loose ends before guarding the galaxy again.

Story: This is the final standard issue of the series (there’s an annual next month) and it does an excellent job concluding the story. A lot of the new characters introduced in this title get spotlight moments when Peter says goodbye. Plus while this story only concludes Star-Lord’s arc, it does not conclude the overall Grounded arc for the entire Guardians roster.

This issue proves that Chip Zdarsky can provide the reader a good balance between humor and serious moments. One example would be the interaction between Peter and Logan after the funeral for Peter’s geriatric friend, Edmund. Logan starts mocking Peter so he could fight someone other than himself. At the end of their scuffle, Logan gives Peter some emotional support right before the moment is ruined by a joke.

Also despite this issue concluding the main arc, Zdarsky does appear to set up some future stories. There’s a moment where super villains 8-Ball and Shocker discover the Bar With No Name shut down. 8-Ball tells Shocker he’s worked on his helmet to predict the future but it might be giving other people visions of their own future through dreams. Earlier in this issue Peter Quill has a dream where he’s being hunted by a mysterious figure that looks like something out of a Western. This title’s upcoming annual’s solicitation states Peter will crash land on a desert planet and help a town terrorized by “a mean old varmint”. Also Shocker mentions having a dream involving Spider-Man so this could happen in Zdarsky’s Peter Parker: the Spectacular Spider-Man title this July.

Art: This issue has some excellent artwork. Kris Anka does a good job capturing facial expressions that match the characters’ emotions and dialogue. Also the colors in this issue are bright and dynamic which help the characters stand out in each scene. This helps the reader focus on the characters in the scene. Plus this issue has a spectacular closing image of Star-Lord and Abigail Brand overlooking Earth.

Verdict: This issue concluded an interesting arc involving Star-Lord stuck on Earth. Chip Zdarsky tells an excellent story filled with humor that feels like reading Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord. Overall, fans of Star-Lord should give this title a shot.

Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5