Today in Comics History, February 4, 1962: Happy birthday, Star-Lord!

This is an combined and updated version of posts originally published February 4, 2014 and 2017.

Born today in 1962: Peter Quill, Star-Lord! Well, at least the black-and-white pre-Guardians of the Galaxy non-Marvel Universe version of him. Yes, he was born on the exact same day that Elvis's rural version of "In the Ghetto" hit the Billboard charts!


from "Starlord: First House: Earth!" in Marvel Preview #4 (Marvel, January 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils and inks by Steve Gan, letters by Tom Orzechowski
Yes, the very same day that, a lucky thirteen years later, Quill runs away from home so he doesn't have to shovel the driveway.


Happy birthday, Star-Lord! For this special day we will say that yes, everyone in the galaxy has heard of you.

Today in Comics History, September 22, 2016: It's especially humiliating because the raccoon has a much better press agent

from Star-Lord (2017 series) #2 (February 2017), script by Chip Zdarsky, pencils and inks by Kris Anka, colors by Matthew Wilson, letters by Cory Petit

365 Days of Defiance, Day 210: Oh the humanitree

I try not to normally reprint...(counting carefully)...a full four pages from a single comic book in this feature, but the build-up and the pay-off are just so good I couldn't edit it down without feeling like I was doing injustice to the pacing. Okay, Star-Lord is facing off against ultravillain and glamour ab model Black Swan, armed with nothing more than his wits, his sarcasm, and...is that a toothpick?





Panels from Secret Wars (2015 series) #7 (January 2016), script by Jonathan Hickman, pencils and inks by Esad Ribic, colors by Ive Svorcina, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, December 31, New Year's Eve: Star-Lord plays "Alone Again (Naturally)" on his Walkman

from Guardians Team-Up #9 (Marvel, October 2015); script, pencils, inks, and colors by Javier Pulido; letters by Cory Petit



"Alone Gaain (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan, (MAM, 1972), written by Gilbert O'Sullivan

Today in Comics History, August 11, 1973: Walkman remains not yet invented, Peter Quill's mom dies anyway

from "Starlord: First House: Earth!" in Marvel Preview #4 (Marvel, January 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils and inks by Steve Gan, letters by Tom Orzechowski

Today in Comics History, June 7, 1989: Woody Harrelson launched into space

from "Starlord: First House: Earth!" in Marvel Preview #4 (Marvel, January 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils and inks by Steve Gan

Today in Comics History, February 9, 1990: Models display the new Dave Cockrum Fashion Line

from "Starlord: First House: Earth!" in Marvel Preview #4 (January 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils and inks by Steve Gan

Today in Comics History, January 26, 1990: Big-screen TVs are invented just in time for Super Bowl XXIV

from "Starlord: First House: Earth!" in Marvel Preview #4 (Marvel, January 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils and inks by Steve Gan, letters by Tom Orzechowski

Today in Comics History, November 23, 1989: Star-Lord gets in trouble skipping astronaut training to watch the Doctor Who 26th Anniversary Special

from "Starlord: First House: Earth!" in Marvel Preview #4 (Marvel, January 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils and inks by Steve Gan

Today in Comics History: The year is 1987, and NASA launches the last of America's deep space probes...oh, wait, wrong comic book.

Panel from "Starlord First House: Earth!" in Marvel Preview #4 (January 1976),
script by Steve Englehart, pencils and inks by Steve Gan