Exclusive Interview/Preview: Sam Humphries Shares The Legend Of Star-Lord

Two of Marvel's biggest team players—one in the fictional side, the other on the creative—are finally setting out on their own. The Legendary Star-Lord #1, hitting shelves tomorrow, will not only feature the titular character's first solitary adventure, but also the first solo book for series scribe Sam Humphries. Humphries, a Marvel-exclusive writer whose spent the last few years at Marvel, has stayed firmly in the realm of team books. Humphries couldn't have picked a hotter character to start the next phase of his career with. Star Lord, a.k.a Peter Quill, may soon become Marvel's next household name, thanks to his headlining role in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy film and an already-beloved depiction by actor Chris Pratt. But beyond his role as a miscast space adventurer, there hasn't been an awful lot to say on the character's deeper lore. That's where Humphries comes in. Utilizing his newfound legroom as a solo writer, Humphries will explore what really motivates Peter to raise some intergalactic ruckus. Read on as the writer explains what truly makes the space cowboy exceptional in a world of countless superheroes, demi-gods, and gun-totting space raccoons. While you're at it, enjoy some exclusive art from the second issue.

Thanks for taking the time to talk, Sam. How does Star Lord stand out as a unique character in the Marvel universe? And looking even further, how is he a character that is unique enough to warrant his own team book, his own solo series, and the starring spot in a blockbuster movie. What gives Star Lord that extra push above everyone else?

Peter has dual heritage. He is half-human and half-alien, the alien half being Spartax. That gives him a very interesting character dynamic within himself. But he also has a dual heritage split between his very different parents. His mother was a very honest, hard working, noble person who lived in Colorado. She sacrificed her life to save Peter's life when he was 10 years old. And his father is a war-mongering emperor of an alien empire, controlling a ton of different star systems under his iron hand. So Peter's really got two warring sides and personalities within himself. That's how I've really been focusing the entire book. All of the stories have been coming from that dramatic tension within him. He's a scoundrel, but he has a heart of gold. He's the kind of guy who likes to gamble and drink and fly fast ships. He like to shoot and steal. But as someone who grew up as an orphan on Earth, he feels very strongly for the underdog. He feels very strongly for justice, in that people in power shouldn't be holding down those without power. So, it's that dynamic tension that really makes him stand out s a character. It comes from deep within.

As for what makes him qualified to anchor a team book, a solo book, and a blockbuster movie—he's a charming mother******. People love him. That's why.

Stemming from his fractured family and heritage, how do you think Star Lord defines family? He defied his father and his kingdom, when J-Son reached out to him. His mom is dead. And now, he bounces around the galaxy with a bunch of misfits. What do you think Star Lord's concept of family really is?

If you're looking for the way in which Peter defines family, I think you're focusing on the wrong area. Looking at it as Peter rejecting his father does a lot of injustice to Peter. Peter's father rejected him first. J-Son came to earth, had a little affair with peter's mom, got her pregnant, and then left and never came back again. And during his absence, aliens ended up killing Peter's mother. So in Peter's point of view, he was straight up abandoned by his father. And because his father abandoned him and didn't take care of him, his mother was killed as a side effect of a galactic war that she had nothing to do with. I don't think his father has any right to go around acting like his love has been rejected.

To see the way Peter defines family, you have to look at the Guardians. They're a gang of misfits. Most of them are completely unique individuals, or the last individuals of their own dying races. They come from all different sorts of backgrounds with different personalities and different motivations. But they have really banded together and bonded together as an impromptu family. They look out for each other. They care for each other. They fight with each other. But, they'll always go to bat for each other.

You mentioned that Star Lord is a high-flying, hard drinking guy. And in other conversations, you've characterized him as a space cowboy. Where did that angle come from. Why did you want to take Star Lord in that direction?

In terms of anachronisms, science fiction and westerns as genres are millions of light years apart—but they have quite a lot in common. I'm hardly the first person to draw connections between them. There are elements of westerns in Star Wars. Then you have things like Firefly and Cowboy Bebop. To me, it seems like a really clear choice for an outlaw who likes to bend the rules a little bit, explore new planets and shoot aliens with ray guns. But he also has the heroic side to him; the heart of gold that always motivates him to do the right thing. That's a very traditional western character. Marvel's got a lot of great cosmic stuff going on right now, But we've only seen stories featuring huge armadas battling with thousands of ships and explosions and all that. I wanted to show what the cosmic end of the Marvel universe looked like on the ground floor, in the dirt. I wanted to shows bars and orphanages and bounty hunters and heists. All those kinds of things are very western.

This is your first solo title in the Marvel Universe. From a writer's perspective, what's it's like shifting from an ensemble cast to a solo title?

It's a huge relief. With a team book, you shift the focus between a lot of characters and their backgrounds and motivations in situations. You have to explore how they'll all handle various crises. With a solo title you can really dig deep into one compelling character and get into all the interesting character work. You can put them into various situations and see how they react. Instead of just doing that with one panel or one dialogue balloon, you can get really deep and develop a bond with the character. It's been a lot of fun doing that.

How has it been working with Paco Medina? What has he brought out in your writing and what has he taught you with his style of art?

Paco has been great. I've been reading his work for a long time. When I worked on The Ultimates, he worked on Ultimate X-Men. We would be on the same email chains, and I would see his artwork coming in every day. I used to get a little jealous of his beautiful artwork and think, "Man, whom am I going to have to blackmail to get Paco to do my book?!" But this project came together very organically. [Editor] Mike Marts brought him to the book. He's a fantastic artist to begin with, but I think even the biggest Paco fans are about to be blown away by the work that he's doing on Legendary Start Lord. There's' something really specific to Paco's art and style, and the way he looks at things. It's almost manga-like. It's a little bouncier and shinier and it's got that really epic feel to it. I think it's really suited towards a sci-fi heavy book like the one we're doing in Legendary Star-Lord. Having the freedom to design new ships and aliens and environments has really favored Paco's style.

The book is kicking off with a series of one-issue stories that are self-contained, but with plot lines that build over time. So, every issue has a new environment, it has a new antagonist. Sometimes there will be a whole new race of aliens or planets. All of that original design work can tax some artists, but for Paco it's like been spinach to Popeye. I feel like every design I throw at him, he just comes up with something that's cooler and crazier and beautiful to look at. Every issue of Star Lord gives you something fantastic.

For most of his publication history, Star Lord has been a bit of a blank slate. What is it like giving an authoritative voice to a character who hasn't had much of his personality fleshed out?

Well, I think he's had an authoritative voice. Before Annihilation, he was a character that was passed around a lot, and had a lot of different interpretations. But Keith Giffen, Dan Abnett, and Andy Landing deserve the credit for making Star Lord who he is today. He could have really ended up in the dustbin of history, but now he's headlining a blockbuster movie. That's a crazy turnaround for a character. But, I give all the credit to Giffen an Abnett and Lanning for the work that they did on the character in Annihilation and their cosmic books at Marvel. They coalesced him, and they made him not just likable, but an exciting character that you want to read. And Bendis has done a great job carrying that tradition. So I'm just following up on all of that.

How has the impending release of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie influenced your take on Peter Quill and the cosmic realm of the Marvel Universer?

I started working on the book long before the trailers came out. I do know people who have seen the movie, and they've said that my take in the The Legendary Star Lord is definitely in the same vein as the movie. The movie and the book are on parallel paths, but there hasn't been any cross-pollination between them as far as I'm aware. I think we've both just really done a good job of looking back on the original material, like the Annihilation books. We just focused on the core of the character and what makes him worth paying attention to. From what I understand, if you like the movie or you like the book, you'll like the other one, too.

Now there's a sales line
[Laughs] Yeah.

What's the general tone you're trying to strike with this series? Will there be elements of comedy, or is it all business?
I wouldn't call it a comedy. It definitely has its funny moments. Peter's a funny character. He's a smart ass, and the series leans heavily into that. This isn't Deadpool or Archie, but it's not a grim and gritty book, either.

I've heard that Peter's new romance, Kitty Pryde, shows up in the first issue. What type of role will she play in the series?

Kitty is going to be a regular presence in the book. And as we advance from issue to issue, her presence is going to increase. Their relationship is going to grow, and it's not always going to fun and flirty for them. They have two very different personalities and they're going to clash sometimes. But, there's no denying that there's' an attraction happening there. They have these holographic phones that they can talk t other with over extreme distances, so it's like they're in the room together. As they talk more and get to know each other more, and as their attraction develops, she will be an increasingly important part of the of the book. Kitty Pryde is not going anywhere.

So how will Peter Quill, the ultimate loner, handle being in the ultimate long distance relationship? Will this status quo change affect how he goes into his adventures?
To see that, you'll have to read the book. That's a very good question though. You'll have to see how that plays out.

Will this be a self-contained title, or will we see developments from Guardians or X-Men reflected in this book?

This is like Iron Man having his own solo title, but he also appears in the Avengers. Guardians of the Galaxy is not Peter's home book. Guardians of the Galaxy is what he does part-time. He is full-time Legendary Star Lord. This is really where we're going to see the most of Peter's development. But we're planting some major seeds and some epic developments in the first issues that will have a massive impact on the Marvel Universe in the not-too-distant future.

Legendary Star-Lord #1 is available tomorrow in comic stores around the world and digitally.