Synopsis:
Thirty years ago, in Rocky Mountain High, Colorado, Meredith Quill argues with her mother over the phone about the fact she's recently left her boyfriend. She's suddenly interrupted when a damaged starfighter zooms over her house and crashes nearby. As Meredith watches, a figure appearing to be a human male emerges from the cockpit, clearly hurt. Meredith helps him out of the cockpit and asks if he's alright, only to have a blaster pointed in her face. The man speaks briefly in a language that's clearly not human before he passes out.Later, inside Meredith's house, the man awakes in her bed to find Meredith sitting opposite him, shotgun in one hand, phone in the other, their roles somewhat reversed. She tells him she was going to call the authorities, but it would completely disrupt her desire to live a quiet life. The man begins speaking in English, asking Meredith where he is and telling her that "her" military would not be able to detect his ship. Meredith answers his question, then tells him to leave. The man asks if he was followed, he also asks Meredith her name. After she tells him, the man introduces himself as J'son of Spartax. Meredith quickly realises that J'son is actually an alien and that Spartax is another planet, which instantly changes her mind about him leaving.
The two work to repair J'son's starfighter, spending their spare time bonding. One night, things get rather intimate between them. Meredith awakens the next day to find J'son about to leave as his ship has in fact been fixed a few days ago. Meredith asks J'son to stay longer, J'son says
he cannot as there is a war going on and he is needed. When she asks him to take her with him, J'son replies that he has thought of nothing else, but it would be cruel and selfsh and he doesn't want to put her in a situation where she wouldn't be safe. He says however that he will try to come back. He asks that Meredith keep his blaster, as a romantic gesture, as it was made for him especially and there is no other like it. He then kisses her and leaves in his starfighter. Meredith turns to go back in, then suddenly grabs her stomach. She realises she is pregnant.
Ten years later, a young Peter Quill is reading a comic book when Meredith calls him in, saying that he hasn't finished his maths homework. As he turns to go in, she stops him, saying that he looks like his father all of a sudden. This upsets Peter, as according to him, he doesn't have a father. A few days later at school, Peter sees a bully picking on a girl. He gets involved telling the other kid to leave the girl alone. When the bully refuses to listen and tries to mock and intimidate Peter, he smacks the kid across the face, starting a fight that's quickly broken up by a teacher.
Peter returns home where his mother asks him about the incident. He says he got involved because no one was helping. As Meredith tells him to go in and wash up for dinner, she sees a bright light flash in front of the house. She assumes it to be J'son, but it is in fact a pair of Badoon soldiers who open fire on Meredith, killing her instantly. The Badoon enter the house searching for Peter, who spots both them and his mother's body from upstairs. Peter flees into his bedroom as the Badoon attempt to blast him, then he makes his way into his mother's bedroom from the outside of the house, before the Badoon break down his door. He makes for the closet, where he retrieves his mothers shotgun just in time to kill the aliens. He then notices J'son's blaster, which he flee with just as the Badoon ship destroys the house. The blast knocks Peter into the woods, where he blacks out.
Peter regains consciousness in hospital, where he's told by the nurse there that, even though he doesn't feel like it, he's a very lucky boy. She gives him his "space toy" back. We then transition to the present day, as an adult Peter Quill stands on the bridge of a starship in a new costume as Star Lord. He says that the Badoon wanted him dead so as to end the Spartax bloodline and his "ass of a father didn't do a damn thing about it". He says that while his dad can keep on fighting his never ending war and the Badoon can go on wreaking havoc all over the galaxy, he can make sure they never touch Earth again. At this point it is revealed that Peter was talking to Tony Stark/Iron Man, with Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Groot & Drax present on the bridge as well. Tony replies that that was exactly what he wanted to hear. The pair toast one another and Tony asks Star-Lord "what now?" to which Star-Lord replies, "now we show them how it's done... Thoughts:
This is a fantastic start to the new series. By the end of this issue, Brian Michael Bendis has shown us exactly what kind of person Star-Lord is. Peter Quill is bold, kick-ass and completely sympathetic., there are a lot of comparisons to be drawn between Peter & Luke Skywalker of Star Wars (including their "daddy issues"). Bendis also rams home the tragedy of Meredith Quill's death by making her likable and in some instances comedic. The dialogue is polished to near perfection and the pace is breakneck, by the time this issue is finished, you'll be left wanting more.
Steve McNiven's artwork is simply stunning. It gives the series a grandiose, epic feel (and we don't even go into space until the final two pages). The characters exhibit a variety of emotions and the action is fast paced and dynamic. The character designs are also a treat, the amount of detail on Star-Lord's costume is just brilliant. I'm quickly becoming a big fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy and I'm really looking forward to seeing what Bendis & McNiven have in store for this oddball bunch of heroes...
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