The Good
Writer Sam Humphries has a real knack for not only giving each character a very particular voice. Both Kitty and Peter really have distinctive voices and more than that, they're entertaining characters to read. I caught myself having a giggle or two when Kitty says "space is not my jam" or when Peter sees his reflection in the Black Vortex.
Kitty's dialogue is what really drives the story and that's set up from the first page of the issue. Yes, there's a lot of narration in this issue but it gives us a glimpse into Kitty's mind, right up until the final moments of this issue.
Can we just rename this book KITTY & STAR-LORD already? That's the best part about this issue and series, since Kitty came in. We get to watch their relationship blossom and there's some great moments here, because of Kitty's narration, where we find out how she feels about Peter's actions during pivotal moments.
With Paco Medina on pencils, Juan Vlasco on inks, and David Curiel on colors, you can't go wrong. At this point, I just associate Curiel's colors with anything cosmic, thanks to his work on NOVA. His colorwork is always top notch, especially the scene where Peter punches his way out of the Black Vortex vision. Obviously, colors are just one part of the art. Vlasco does some solid ink work, giving the characters a nice outline without distracting the reader from the entire scene.
The ending here is really solid and when it pops up, it's the obvious choice for the story to go, but early on, it's not something the reader will suspect. I know that's incredibly vague, but so many books spend a lot of time giving readers the least possible scenario to surprise readers. Here, the ending is forshadowed at page one and throughout the rest of the book. It's kind of a refreshing way to tell a story.
The Bad
It feels like this story has been going on forever and not much has happens, issue to issue, since it jumps through so many books and sometimes, multiple books in one week. This particular issue just builds up to one moment here and a lot of what happens feels almost like a placeholder for the story line as a whole.
The Verdict
Surprisingly, Black Vortex has been pretty great, with only one issue to go. I say "surprisingly" because the past few events and cross-overs and floundered towards the end of the story, but Black Vortex still has my attention. The writing is delightful and the art is near perfection. The only problem with this chapter is that is services the story between Kitty and Peter more than the story for the Black Vortex. Regardless, you should still check this one out.
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