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Contest of Champions (2015) #1-6
Contest of Champions, Vol. 1: Battleworld
You've played the game, now watch the action play out across page after page of super hero showdowns! Welcome to the Battlerealm - a broken section of space-time where cosmic beings gamble for ultimate power using unwilling pawns drawn from across the multiverse. Your favorites must fight for their lives and a chance to return to their Earth. Iron Man! Venom! Gamora! Ares! Plus sensational breakout stars-in-waiting like Outlaw, White Fox and the Guillotines! And don't miss the incredible battle between the man who trained Daredevil and the woman who loved Matt Stick versus... Bullseye?! But what roles in this celestial game are the Collector and the Maestro playing? And, the biggest question of all - who will survive the Contest of Champions?
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 4, 2016
Maestro (the bearded Hulk) wants to rule the shattered ruins of Battleworld because he’s nothing if not persistent - he wanted it during Secret Wars and he still wants it after it’s turned to shit! What a moron. Except he’s enslaved to The Collector who’s using a magical McGuffin to have godlike powers to kidnap Marvel heroes and make them battle one another pointlessly. You’d never know this was all because of a popular game called Contest of Champions would you, the story is so solid!
If you’re not familiar with the game, it’s a beat-em-up with Marvel characters. You make up your team of characters, you go through the stages, level up, fight tougher characters, and so on. It’s actually pretty tedious but it’s been downloaded millions of times so here we are with a spin-off comic!
Imagine that Bjork song with “rubbish” replacing “quiet” - sshh, it’s so rubbish! - and then characters going after each other in the loud part. That’s basically the structure of Contest of Champions: quiet worthless dialogue in between loud tedious battles. But then it is just arbitrary characters fighting one another - no motivation, no story, no stakes or consequences, no nothing! Boredom would be a step up from what I felt reading this drek.
There are some well-known characters here like Iron Man and Hulk but most of the comic is weirdly centred around practically unknown characters like Outlaw (the British Punisher) and Night Thrasher (he has a skateboard)!
Each issue ends with a caption asking “Are You Not Entertained??” - no, not once, not even slightly. If you read this review without following the lines with your finger and moving your lips, you are not the target audience for this garbage.
If you’re not familiar with the game, it’s a beat-em-up with Marvel characters. You make up your team of characters, you go through the stages, level up, fight tougher characters, and so on. It’s actually pretty tedious but it’s been downloaded millions of times so here we are with a spin-off comic!
Imagine that Bjork song with “rubbish” replacing “quiet” - sshh, it’s so rubbish! - and then characters going after each other in the loud part. That’s basically the structure of Contest of Champions: quiet worthless dialogue in between loud tedious battles. But then it is just arbitrary characters fighting one another - no motivation, no story, no stakes or consequences, no nothing! Boredom would be a step up from what I felt reading this drek.
There are some well-known characters here like Iron Man and Hulk but most of the comic is weirdly centred around practically unknown characters like Outlaw (the British Punisher) and Night Thrasher (he has a skateboard)!
Each issue ends with a caption asking “Are You Not Entertained??” - no, not once, not even slightly. If you read this review without following the lines with your finger and moving your lips, you are not the target audience for this garbage.
September 23, 2016
So, what we have here is a comicbook based on a computer game that was based on a comicbook.
WHAT THE HOLY HELL?
If you can wrap your head around the concept without getting a migraine, what you actually get here is a bunch of pretty damned obscure heroes and villains beating the tar out of each other for... well, no good reason, to be honest.
Yes, the plot's practically non-existent and if you want deep you really need to look elsewhere... but... I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a kick out of this book. What can I say? Sometimes I want to watch Schindler's List and sometimes I just want to switch my brain off and watch Sharktopus.
Also, the artwork was quite nice.
WHAT THE HOLY HELL?
If you can wrap your head around the concept without getting a migraine, what you actually get here is a bunch of pretty damned obscure heroes and villains beating the tar out of each other for... well, no good reason, to be honest.
Yes, the plot's practically non-existent and if you want deep you really need to look elsewhere... but... I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a kick out of this book. What can I say? Sometimes I want to watch Schindler's List and sometimes I just want to switch my brain off and watch Sharktopus.
Also, the artwork was quite nice.
May 28, 2016
Ha! Weird. But true. One of my favorite new Marvel titles is based on a game! Seems ridiculous. Strong talent at work here though. Ewing's doing everything right. And Paco Medina's art is flawless as usual. Fun little book. Better than you'd expect.
May 20, 2017
I didn't realize at first this was sort of a mobile game tie-in, and when I found out I got worried. However, it was surprisingly good. Punisher 2099 showed up, and I always liked that character. Plus you have the Maestro and various other alternate dimension heroes and villains. I was worried this would just be a bunch of mindless fight scenes, and while there was some of that there's also a core plot that takes things beyond the fights. The art is pretty good too. Curious to see where this ends up.
Read
October 23, 2016It would be wrong of me to give this a star rating, and this won't go down as one of Al's major works. But if you wanted an example of how he operates, you won't find much better ones than the time he got the job of doing a FTP mobile beat-em-up adaptation and turned it into the story of a bloke from Yorkshire who's given up violence and loves his cat.
May 11, 2016
Once upon a time, in the '80s, Marvel came up with the idea of heroes fighting heroes and the result was Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions (Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions. It was successful, so a few years later saw the release of a more thoughtful fight comic, Secret Wars. So it feels quite ironic that decades later Marvel followed up a new Secret Wars with a new Contest of Champions, set on the Battleworld.
This newest Contest of Champions actually originated as a fighting video game; DC made the same conversion several years ago when their Injustice: Gods Among Us became Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1. Tom Taylor's Injustice was brilliant, because he delved into the history of the setting. Al Ewing's Contest of Champions instead goes straight to the fighting, and it's unsurprisingly weaker as a result. But that doesn't meant that it isn't a good comic.
Somehow, Ewing makes even the fighting interesting, because it's thoughtful and brief. However, Contest of Champions is much more than that. There's also the story of the heroes (and villains) discontent about being used like this. And, there's another story about investigations back at home. As a whole, this story is moving forward in a number of different directions, and that makes it intriguing. I want to know what's next.
This new Contest to Champions compared to is the brilliant Avengers Arena of several years ago now. Sadly, Contest of Champions doesn't hold up to that either. It doesn't have the depth of character, the shock, or the storytelling chops.
But, it's still a good book. Just expect it to be a fun, well-written romp, not something deeper.
This newest Contest of Champions actually originated as a fighting video game; DC made the same conversion several years ago when their Injustice: Gods Among Us became Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1. Tom Taylor's Injustice was brilliant, because he delved into the history of the setting. Al Ewing's Contest of Champions instead goes straight to the fighting, and it's unsurprisingly weaker as a result. But that doesn't meant that it isn't a good comic.
Somehow, Ewing makes even the fighting interesting, because it's thoughtful and brief. However, Contest of Champions is much more than that. There's also the story of the heroes (and villains) discontent about being used like this. And, there's another story about investigations back at home. As a whole, this story is moving forward in a number of different directions, and that makes it intriguing. I want to know what's next.
This new Contest to Champions compared to is the brilliant Avengers Arena of several years ago now. Sadly, Contest of Champions doesn't hold up to that either. It doesn't have the depth of character, the shock, or the storytelling chops.
But, it's still a good book. Just expect it to be a fun, well-written romp, not something deeper.
Read
April 2, 2016Initially my least favourite of Al Ewing's new Marvel books: wasn't it just a videogame tie-in with people hitting each other? Done better than pretty much anyone else currently at Marvel would ("ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"), but still a little light? Less and less. As the cast filled out with progressively stranger combatants, and the cosmic elements loomed larger, it became clear. This and Ultimates are halves of the same project, in which Al is not just running rampant in the Marvel toybox, but redefining its rules for the new era - literally, these are the books in which the reborn multiverse's (meta)physics are being laid down. And I'm somewhat astonished they're letting him get away with it, but very pleased.
September 14, 2016
This collection was fun enough, and the artwork was awesome, but it didn't really have enough substance, with issues taking about five minutes to read.
May 30, 2021
A lot better than I would have expected for a comic based on a fighting game.
October 18, 2019
For a book based on a mobile video game, this wasn't half bad.
If you haven't guessed already, this book is pretty light on plot. I mean, Ewing did the best he could under the circumstances, but don't anticipate the Watchmen as far as intricacy or depth of story. It's basically in the realm of Secret Wars (the original one) where heroes and villains are brought together to fight because near omnipotent beings WANT them to, basically.
There is a little bit more to it. Some stuff about a powerful substance that grants the holder the power of the gods, double crossing, secret plots, and of course, a lot of fighting. One thing that is really great in the book is the art. Paco Medina manages to elevate the book just based on his art alone. If you have seen his work before, you know its very pretty to look at, and to be honest, I'm a little surprised he did this instead of something like Avengers or a big book like that.
Overall, this book is just fun, and if you go into it with that type of mentality, you will have a good time reading it. Recommended for people who like good ol' fashioned Marvel brawlin'.
If you haven't guessed already, this book is pretty light on plot. I mean, Ewing did the best he could under the circumstances, but don't anticipate the Watchmen as far as intricacy or depth of story. It's basically in the realm of Secret Wars (the original one) where heroes and villains are brought together to fight because near omnipotent beings WANT them to, basically.
There is a little bit more to it. Some stuff about a powerful substance that grants the holder the power of the gods, double crossing, secret plots, and of course, a lot of fighting. One thing that is really great in the book is the art. Paco Medina manages to elevate the book just based on his art alone. If you have seen his work before, you know its very pretty to look at, and to be honest, I'm a little surprised he did this instead of something like Avengers or a big book like that.
Overall, this book is just fun, and if you go into it with that type of mentality, you will have a good time reading it. Recommended for people who like good ol' fashioned Marvel brawlin'.
July 28, 2023
One of Al Ewing's first Marvel forays, I believe. With Battleworld destroyed as a result of the latest Secret Wars, the Elders of the Universe decide to set up a new Contest Of Champions - but the players and the game aren't all that they seem.
This could have been a fairly bog-standard battle series, but Ewing manages to make it a little more than that by focusing on some surprising characters, and the story around the fighting almost moreso than the fights themselves (which are bombastic and gross in equal measure). He doesn't just opt for your standard Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America variants, giving this book a bit of an Exiles feel if I was going to liken it to anything. And while the Contest may come to a close at the end of the book, there's definitely a sense that the story still has legs yet.
The artwork is entirely handled by Paco Medina, who does a bang up job. He's one of those solid artists that shows up every now and then that makes me go 'Oh I like him!' even if I'd never actually think of him when asked who my favourite artists are.
Not what you'd expect, and all the better for it.
This could have been a fairly bog-standard battle series, but Ewing manages to make it a little more than that by focusing on some surprising characters, and the story around the fighting almost moreso than the fights themselves (which are bombastic and gross in equal measure). He doesn't just opt for your standard Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America variants, giving this book a bit of an Exiles feel if I was going to liken it to anything. And while the Contest may come to a close at the end of the book, there's definitely a sense that the story still has legs yet.
The artwork is entirely handled by Paco Medina, who does a bang up job. He's one of those solid artists that shows up every now and then that makes me go 'Oh I like him!' even if I'd never actually think of him when asked who my favourite artists are.
Not what you'd expect, and all the better for it.
May 17, 2022
A comic based on a video game based on a comic. In continuity, even! Very 80's.
After Secret Wars, the Battleworld is in fragments floating around in extradimensional space. The Collector and the Grandmaster have arranged a Contest of Champions in order to gain control of the iso-sphere. The rules of the contest aren't laid out very well, and some of the characters seem like odd choices. The plot is just kind of random, with thibgs not getting explained until the 6th issue (well after everyone stopped reading the monthly).
With appearences from the Maestro, Punisher 2099, the introduction of Guillotine, the Sentry, Venom, Gamora still souped up by the Black Mirror, Joe Fixit, some other characters who I'm pretty sure were made up for this, and the return from the dead of a character you never cared about in the first place.
This was phoned in. But this didn't have to suck. Avengers Arena didn't suck. DC versus Marvel didn't suck. They could have at least tried here.
Every chapter ends with the phrase "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" I mean, if you have to ask ....
After Secret Wars, the Battleworld is in fragments floating around in extradimensional space. The Collector and the Grandmaster have arranged a Contest of Champions in order to gain control of the iso-sphere. The rules of the contest aren't laid out very well, and some of the characters seem like odd choices. The plot is just kind of random, with thibgs not getting explained until the 6th issue (well after everyone stopped reading the monthly).
With appearences from the Maestro, Punisher 2099, the introduction of Guillotine, the Sentry, Venom, Gamora still souped up by the Black Mirror, Joe Fixit, some other characters who I'm pretty sure were made up for this, and the return from the dead of a character you never cared about in the first place.
This was phoned in. But this didn't have to suck. Avengers Arena didn't suck. DC versus Marvel didn't suck. They could have at least tried here.
Every chapter ends with the phrase "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" I mean, if you have to ask ....
January 31, 2026
Voto e recensione riferiti ad entrambi i volumi.
E qui decisamente, FINALMENTE, la direzione ed il team creativo hanno fatto pace e si sono detti "Ecco il piano! Approfittiamo del Reset da Secret Wars! Usiamo un pugno di eroi e di criminali provenienti dalla nostra e da diverse realtà alternative, e diamo loro una ragione credibile per darsele di santa ragione, alla morte!" E poi ci mettono anche una sottotrama riguardante gli organizzatori di questo gioco al massacro, e il risultato è un mini di ben DIECI (dieci) episodi strutturati, ben caratterizzati, che trasmettono al lettore un piacevole senso di familiarità anche se c'è almeno un personaggio che esordisce solo in questa serie. Tutto fila liscio, tutto funziona, e si chiude senza sensazioni di spreco.
E qui decisamente, FINALMENTE, la direzione ed il team creativo hanno fatto pace e si sono detti "Ecco il piano! Approfittiamo del Reset da Secret Wars! Usiamo un pugno di eroi e di criminali provenienti dalla nostra e da diverse realtà alternative, e diamo loro una ragione credibile per darsele di santa ragione, alla morte!" E poi ci mettono anche una sottotrama riguardante gli organizzatori di questo gioco al massacro, e il risultato è un mini di ben DIECI (dieci) episodi strutturati, ben caratterizzati, che trasmettono al lettore un piacevole senso di familiarità anche se c'è almeno un personaggio che esordisce solo in questa serie. Tutto fila liscio, tutto funziona, e si chiude senza sensazioni di spreco.
November 19, 2024
El argumento no está mal, pero quizá el desarrollo e impacto de los personajes es sin más, no tienen mucho impacto en la historia salvo dos o tres de ellos.
Un cómic para traer personajes "olvidados" de nuevo.
Un cómic para traer personajes "olvidados" de nuevo.
February 18, 2018
1.5. Quite a pathetic storyline.
March 5, 2018
Really entertaining and the drawings are just beautiful
June 28, 2018
This is a much more fun series than something based on a video game series should have been. It's not deep, but it is enjoyable.
October 6, 2019
Al Ewing is so good at comic books and he’s having so much fun here.
November 19, 2019
I thought this was a lot of fun. I wasn't too distracted by the attempts to sell me the video game except that British Punisher character.
June 26, 2021
Very, very, (very) not good
May 14, 2016
Al Ewing and Paco Medina combine their talents to turn a gamed-based franchise into a highly enjoyable comic series. The Collector and the Grandmaster have entered into a contest over the precious energy source dubbed Iso-8, and have opted to battle via selected champions from alternate Marvel Universes. The sole survivor of the Secret Wars empire, the Maestro, is tasked with summoning heroes to fight for the Collector; the Punisher of 2099 is revealed to be in a similar role for the Grandmaster. As the heroes and villains of each side battle in various arenas, the Maestro plots to upstage his master by any means necessary and become the god-king of the realm. The writing from Ewing is surprisingly adept, using numerous twists and turns to capture the fan-based attention of the readership. His selection of characters is also widespread, adapting classic Marvel heroes, fan-favorite alternate universe mashups, and even incorporating new pieces like the White Fox and Guillotine into the Marvel Universe proper. Paco Medina's loose and stylish art is perfect for the franchise, evolving the game's look from computer graphics to emotive pencils. The Contest of Champions has begun anew, so pick up this series to add to your collection before the Collector does!
September 8, 2017
Collects Contest of Champions (2015) issues #1-6 and All-New, All-Different Point One #1
Spinning out of "Secret Wars," the power of Doom's Battleworld still remains. The Elders of the Universe decide to fight over the power in a Contest of Champions. The Collector and the Grandmaster each choose a team of fighters from across the new Multiverse (actually referred to as an Omniverse during parts of this story), so the parallel worlds fun continues in this collection. Having the rotating cast of characters come from across the Multiverse allows for the inclusion of alternate versions of well-known characters. There are also fun, new characters introduced in these pages. I really liked this and am very excited to read on in this series.
SPOILERS:
I only read the first issue of this collection when it originally came out, so here is a mini-review for that issue:
Contest of Champions (2015) issue #1: I thought the first issue did a pretty good job of setting the stage, although articles I’ve read on the series revealed more than is revealed in these pages. I’d be interested in reading on in this series that transverses both time and the new Marvel Multiverse. (read 10-20-15 – 3.5 stars)
Spinning out of "Secret Wars," the power of Doom's Battleworld still remains. The Elders of the Universe decide to fight over the power in a Contest of Champions. The Collector and the Grandmaster each choose a team of fighters from across the new Multiverse (actually referred to as an Omniverse during parts of this story), so the parallel worlds fun continues in this collection. Having the rotating cast of characters come from across the Multiverse allows for the inclusion of alternate versions of well-known characters. There are also fun, new characters introduced in these pages. I really liked this and am very excited to read on in this series.
SPOILERS:
I only read the first issue of this collection when it originally came out, so here is a mini-review for that issue:
Contest of Champions (2015) issue #1: I thought the first issue did a pretty good job of setting the stage, although articles I’ve read on the series revealed more than is revealed in these pages. I’d be interested in reading on in this series that transverses both time and the new Marvel Multiverse. (read 10-20-15 – 3.5 stars)
October 22, 2016
Al Ewing writes some of the smartest and most thoughtful superhero comics coming out today. He also writes totally goofy smash-um-ups. This is the latter. Lots of characters (mostly obscure) fighting and killing each other all in services of a story that ties in with both Secret Wars and a video game I haven't played. It's exactly what you want from an action superhero comic.
December 8, 2023
Still amazing, and don't you think I wasn't hyped they finally introduced Night Thrasher into the game nearly 3 years after this comic was published.
Also, Guillotine will always be my number one gal. Sure she's a liability for Science-champions, but maybe it's just the anime fanboy in me enjoying wrecking shop with a giant sword.
Also, Guillotine will always be my number one gal. Sure she's a liability for Science-champions, but maybe it's just the anime fanboy in me enjoying wrecking shop with a giant sword.
July 31, 2016
Not great but not bad
Good artwork but the story failed to grab my attention. I also didn't care for the ending...left me hanging and didn't feel like it was worth the time I spent reading the story.
Good artwork but the story failed to grab my attention. I also didn't care for the ending...left me hanging and didn't feel like it was worth the time I spent reading the story.
May 8, 2016
I want to like this more than I do. And I still have hopes that the story can ramp up a bit. But it just isn't the kind of book I can passionately suggest to other readers.
June 13, 2016
A comic based on a video game based on a comic.
And I don't play the game.
Night Thrasher stuff was kind of funny.
And I don't play the game.
Night Thrasher stuff was kind of funny.
November 29, 2016
A not-terrible beat-em-up series featuring a bunch alternate versions of Marvel superheroes beating each other up. Like I said, not terrible.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews