Review: Legendary Star-Lord Vol. 2- Rise Of The Black Vortex

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is fun and has plenty of moderately thrilling action. Lighthearted moments can be found throughout the collection and add some charm to the mix. The crossover issues are interesting and place a good spotlight on Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde’s relationship.

Cons: Some moments between Peter and Kitty are a bit too ridiculous. Despite attempts to smooth the reading process, the crossover contained here is still fragmented.

Overall: This volume is another win for Star-Lord’s solo adventures. It collects a series of stories that showcase Star-Lord’s charm as a main character and build upon his relationships with others. Meanwhile, lighthearted adventures keep things interesting and inject plenty of fun into the experience. There are some problems but they are mostly minor and do not have a large impact on the work as a whole. This is another solid collection for fans of Star-Lord, especially those who enjoy his relationship with Kitty Pryde.

Story

Legendary Star-Lord Vol. 2: Rise of the Black Vortex, by Sam Humphries, is a charming combination between fun action and endearing romance that ends up being very appealing. The opening and closing chapters tell an individual story centered around aspects of Star-Lord’s current adventures. The middle chapters tell portions of a crossover with big implications on Star-Lord’s future. Both portions of the narrative are lighthearted and fun in a way that suits Star-Lord’s character well and also give a bit more of a glimpse into his personal life. The collection has a few problems, typically found in small moments here and there, but nothing significant enough to deter most readers. Overall, this is an enjoyable book that left me even more excited to see what the future holds for Peter Quill.

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Most of Rise of the Black Vortex follows the lighthearted misadventures of Star-Lord and his girlfriend, Kitty Pryde. This includes a holo-date, a daring rescue by Kitty, and a heartwarming reunion between the two characters. Some of these adventures are dangerous, adding suspense and thrills into the collection. Meanwhile, other adventures are fun and add in some comedy and romance. The combination of these elements works well and turns this collection into some filled with entertaining moments.

The only problem is that there are also a few weird moments thrown into the mix. Peter’s actions on their date seem too over-the-top and Kitty’s decision to start a food fight seems ridiculous. However, these moments are not too detrimental and the overall appeal is still high.

A little under half of Rise of the Black Vortex is devoted to The Black Vortex (Review) crossover event. Though the issues here only present a small portion of the total event, they are collected well and include additional pages that explain what happens in the issues not collected here. Though the narrative gaps still create a fragmented reading process, the crossover is presented about as effectively as possible outside The Black Vortex (Review) collection itself.

The issues of The Black Vortex (Review) collected here also work particularly well for this volume because they spotlight Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde’s relationship. Reading these issues on their own show how much the duo care for one another and what they are willing to do for each other. This topic is less important in other portions of the crossover so seeing it here serves the series well. The only downside is that the proposal happens in material not collected here.

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Art

The artwork in Rise of the Black Vortex looks nice and works well with the story being told. Chapters penciled by Paco Medina match the fun and lighthearted feel that is also present throughout the story. These chapters complement the reading experience and help further emphasize the overall tone. Meanwhile, chapters penciled by Freddie Williams II accomplish a similar goal, though the linework in these chapters is a bit more intense and causes them to look a bit less lighthearted. All of this is then enhanced with colors from David Curiel, which further bring the tone together.

Continuity

Legendary Star-Lord Vol. 2: Rise of the Black Vortex continues the story from Legendary Star-Lord Vol. 1: Face It, I Rule (Review). This collection also contains a three tie-in chapters to The Black Vortex (Review) crossover event.

The Legendary Star-Lord series ends with this volume. However, elements of this series continue in the Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde miniseries.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Hank McCoy’s decision to bring the X-Men of the past into the present is referenced a number of times. This action took place in All New X-Men Vol. 1: Yesterday’s X-Men.
• Thane’s recent struggles and aspects of his current situation are explained in Thanos: A God Up There Listening.