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Champions (2016) (Collected Editions)
Champions, Vol. 5: Weird War One
The Champions' mission in space (in INFINITY COUNTDOWN!) has left its mark, and the team tries to move on. A chance to bring life back to a desolate village might be just what they need - or push them even farther apart... While Ironheart and Amadeus Cho take major steps forward in their super hero journeys, Nova takes a step back. As the team faces a complicated and dangerous threat, Sam Alexander wonders: Is there a future for him with the Champions? COLLECTING: CHAMPIONS 22-25, TBD
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 29, 2019
About the author
Jim Zub
949 books331 followersJim Zub is a writer, artist and art instructor based in Toronto, Canada. Over the past fifteen years he’s worked for a diverse array of publishing, movie and video game clients including Disney, Warner Bros., Capcom, Hasbro, Bandai-Namco and Mattel.
He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and Program Coordinator for Seneca College‘s award-winning Animation program.
He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and Program Coordinator for Seneca College‘s award-winning Animation program.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
March 24, 2024
A bit out there with half the volume spent with Man Thing in Tanzania and the other half spent in Weirdworld, all underscored by Riri's internal issues caused by how Thanos dealt with her, Sam's power loss, and dealing with a school shooting(!) -it's these strong sub arcs that held this book together and and a look at the way they/we stand for, and by one another. 7 out of 12, Three Stars.
2019 read
2019 read
March 16, 2020
Outside of the school shooting issue, this was all pretty substandard. The stories weren't bad per se, they just weren't much to speak of either. The school shooting issue was terrific. It's one of those difficult kind of subjects that comics seem to be able to tackle well. Zub certainly likes to bring back artists he's worked with before on his projects. First it was Sean Izaaske from Uncanny Avengers, now it's Max Dunbar from Zub's Dungeons & Dragons run. In the relaunch for Champions it's Steven Cummins from their creator owned book, Wayward.
June 28, 2019
I'd probably give the Earth-based issues 4 or 5 stars (particularly the 'interlude' issue dealing with school shootings) and the stuff on Weirdworld 3 stars. I think I've just read too many 'superheroes-transformed-into-alternate-versions-of-themselves' type stories over the years.
March 26, 2019
Story: Basically broken into three parts. We start off with the aftermath of the defeat of Thanos. The Champions aren't feeling very heroic, Riri is scared now, and Sam lost his power. So no one is doing very good there. Then we roll into a single issue of a school shooting that's actually done very well, and covers our heroes dealing with that. Last but not least the heroes go into the "weirdworld" dimension and are now dressed up like knights and warriors and such.
Art: Still vibrant as ever. I really dug a lot of character designs for this volume because of the old setting of midevil type suits. I also think the emotional moments connected well thanks to the reactions, faces, and body language characters had when the school shooting happened. Art is one thing this series always did well.
Enjoyment: Between the solid art and emotion-fueled school shooting story this volume stands out above the rest. I even really liked the story with them dealing with the Thanos loss and the swamp thing storyline. All that was good. It gave us strong emotional moments, character growth, and new storylines for each person.
What didn't work: I honestly thought the weirdworld story was kind of bleh. I know what it was going for but it didn't really work. Too cheesy at points and kind of dull, with a ending you can see coming from a mile away.
Overall a stronger volume than the last one but not mindblowing. Inbetween good-great at a 3.5 out of 5.
Art: Still vibrant as ever. I really dug a lot of character designs for this volume because of the old setting of midevil type suits. I also think the emotional moments connected well thanks to the reactions, faces, and body language characters had when the school shooting happened. Art is one thing this series always did well.
Enjoyment: Between the solid art and emotion-fueled school shooting story this volume stands out above the rest. I even really liked the story with them dealing with the Thanos loss and the swamp thing storyline. All that was good. It gave us strong emotional moments, character growth, and new storylines for each person.
What didn't work: I honestly thought the weirdworld story was kind of bleh. I know what it was going for but it didn't really work. Too cheesy at points and kind of dull, with a ending you can see coming from a mile away.
Overall a stronger volume than the last one but not mindblowing. Inbetween good-great at a 3.5 out of 5.
May 9, 2019
Another volume of Jim Zub's Champions, and it unfortunately continues to be kind of mediocre.
The first issue is pure procedural, about how various characters are reacting to the changes in their status quo. It's terrific. This is the sort of thing that team books can do well if they have cast members who aren't entirely bound by what's going on in other titles.
But the next five issues are much more mediocre. We get a pretty pointless battle against Man-Thing, then we get a visit to Weird World that does almost nothing to highlight the coolness of that place (not that Marvel has done great with it, post-Secret Wars). In fact, all five of these issues are quite shallow. There's a lot going on, like the presence of the Master of the World in Weird World, but there's just no depth. We don't get any nuances of these elements that should be interesting. Oh, there's some good character work here and there, but it's in the margins of the story.
The final story is an annual about Snowguard. I haven't really liked her to date because she's been so poorly defined, and this annual does a much better job of revealing who she is. But then there's some dull battle with forgettable Canadian spirits.
(Oh, I missed the school-shooting issue: let's just say that it tries really hard. But then it literally depicts thoughts and prayers for the victims, and I wanted to throw the collection at the wall.)
The first issue is pure procedural, about how various characters are reacting to the changes in their status quo. It's terrific. This is the sort of thing that team books can do well if they have cast members who aren't entirely bound by what's going on in other titles.
But the next five issues are much more mediocre. We get a pretty pointless battle against Man-Thing, then we get a visit to Weird World that does almost nothing to highlight the coolness of that place (not that Marvel has done great with it, post-Secret Wars). In fact, all five of these issues are quite shallow. There's a lot going on, like the presence of the Master of the World in Weird World, but there's just no depth. We don't get any nuances of these elements that should be interesting. Oh, there's some good character work here and there, but it's in the margins of the story.
The final story is an annual about Snowguard. I haven't really liked her to date because she's been so poorly defined, and this annual does a much better job of revealing who she is. But then there's some dull battle with forgettable Canadian spirits.
(Oh, I missed the school-shooting issue: let's just say that it tries really hard. But then it literally depicts thoughts and prayers for the victims, and I wanted to throw the collection at the wall.)
March 20, 2026
A decent volume. The crew gets whisked away to weird world. There, everyone takes on new costumes and identities. They all also forget who they really are except Riri. It was a cool idea for a plot but felt it ended too easily and abruptly which lowered my score. The annual sees Snowguard go back home to visit her family. The story focuses on remembering where she came from and not forgetting the stories of her people. Had some heart to it. Pretty solid.
September 30, 2019
Taking over a book after Mark Waid is a tough act. To me, the switch felt forced and the book had a really hard time finding its direction. But in the end, I think I started to warm up to Jim Zub’s writing. It’s evident he’s really trying hard to work with what he’s been given.
This book has become such a challenge, with some of the characters having their own solo books, and their own main challenges elsewhere. For example, Miles vanished for a few issues and all we knew is that he was in the hospital, and just like this, important aspects of their stories just kept happening elsewhere. This really takes away from the book’s consistency.
The new characters took a moment to start making waves. So far, I think the Wasp is the only one doing nothing and the book could have done without her so far and no one would have noticed. Snowguard’s role seemed a bit forced. To me, it looks as if Zub created her long ago and wanted to place her somewhere and finally found an opening. Which doesn’t mean she necessarily belongs in this team. Her personality is a bit generic, no matter how much of a spotlight she got in her solo adventure in the annual.
With all the issues at hand, there’s yet another one, a huge one: the incessant crossover events— Frankly, why should this title care about the Infinity War? it was just an excuse to change a couple of characters, but other than that, it was pointless. Same with the Weirdworld storyline. These arcs didn’t matter.
One of the strengths of this book was its team dynamics and idealism. It should build on that instead of jumping into every crossover around and creating too-many-times-seen-already reality-warping storylines.
I hope Zub finally gets a of hold of the characters for the new run that apparently started right away (Marvel and it’s infinite relaunches...). We’ll see.
This book has become such a challenge, with some of the characters having their own solo books, and their own main challenges elsewhere. For example, Miles vanished for a few issues and all we knew is that he was in the hospital, and just like this, important aspects of their stories just kept happening elsewhere. This really takes away from the book’s consistency.
The new characters took a moment to start making waves. So far, I think the Wasp is the only one doing nothing and the book could have done without her so far and no one would have noticed. Snowguard’s role seemed a bit forced. To me, it looks as if Zub created her long ago and wanted to place her somewhere and finally found an opening. Which doesn’t mean she necessarily belongs in this team. Her personality is a bit generic, no matter how much of a spotlight she got in her solo adventure in the annual.
With all the issues at hand, there’s yet another one, a huge one: the incessant crossover events— Frankly, why should this title care about the Infinity War? it was just an excuse to change a couple of characters, but other than that, it was pointless. Same with the Weirdworld storyline. These arcs didn’t matter.
One of the strengths of this book was its team dynamics and idealism. It should build on that instead of jumping into every crossover around and creating too-many-times-seen-already reality-warping storylines.
I hope Zub finally gets a of hold of the characters for the new run that apparently started right away (Marvel and it’s infinite relaunches...). We’ll see.
May 16, 2019
Another fun storyline. The Weird World Arc was neat to see. The African Arc was only OK same with the Annual which focuses on Amka.
January 19, 2019
The Champions battle Man-Thing and gun violence (not at the same time), and take a trip to Weirdworld for a Dungeons & Dragons adventure! Then, Snowguard heads home - but all is not as she left it, and her new Champions buddies aren't around to pull her fat out of the fire.
Champions has really done such a 180 under Jim Zub - it's gone from a series with forgettable characters and barely interesting villains to one of my favourite Marvel books in just a few short issues. The characters actually seem to care about each other, their interactions are so natural and real, and the stories that they're thrown into really seem to have an effect on them going forward.
We open with a short two-part arc that's really just a vehicle for the third arc, but it's a prime example of how well Zub gets these characters - it's all a bit transitory anyway because of what's been happening with Amadeus in his own series, and both Riri and Nova during the Infinity Countdown mini, so it makes perfect sense that it should feel this way.
Issue 24 is a one-off set just before the rest of this arc, focusing on the subject of school shootings from Miles' perspective. It's as far away from a PSA comic as you can get, and it's handled extremely well. It could have been preachy and unfeeling, but it's the total opposite, and Zub should be proud of this single issue if nothing else.
Finally, the last three issues give everyone a new identity as part of the trip to Weirdworld. This is another perfect example of how well Zub knows what he's doing - even though these characters are going through a different kind of situation with new identities and motivations, they all reflect where they are on their own journeys, so that when all is said and done, they've learned something about themselves whilst swinging swords and throwing magic spells at the same time.
The annual, focusing on Snowguard, is a nice way to spotlight the newest character and really give her some time to shine. She's been a great addition to the team, but it's good to get some one-on-one time inside her head, especially since Zub brings in a co-writer to ensure he captures the Inuit way of life as best he can.
Artwise, we get Sean Isaakse, Kevin Libranda, Max Dunbar, and Marcus To across these issues - they're all fairly new names to Marvel (bar To I suppose, but I always associate him with DC moreso), but they're excellent. Isaakse is the best of the bunch, while Libranda is a little more fast and loose, and Dunbar falls somewhere in the middle.
Champions is, to put it mildly, brilliant. Great art, a writer who knows exactly what he's doing, and a cast of characters that keep you on your toes - this is a teen hero book done right.
Champions has really done such a 180 under Jim Zub - it's gone from a series with forgettable characters and barely interesting villains to one of my favourite Marvel books in just a few short issues. The characters actually seem to care about each other, their interactions are so natural and real, and the stories that they're thrown into really seem to have an effect on them going forward.
We open with a short two-part arc that's really just a vehicle for the third arc, but it's a prime example of how well Zub gets these characters - it's all a bit transitory anyway because of what's been happening with Amadeus in his own series, and both Riri and Nova during the Infinity Countdown mini, so it makes perfect sense that it should feel this way.
Issue 24 is a one-off set just before the rest of this arc, focusing on the subject of school shootings from Miles' perspective. It's as far away from a PSA comic as you can get, and it's handled extremely well. It could have been preachy and unfeeling, but it's the total opposite, and Zub should be proud of this single issue if nothing else.
Finally, the last three issues give everyone a new identity as part of the trip to Weirdworld. This is another perfect example of how well Zub knows what he's doing - even though these characters are going through a different kind of situation with new identities and motivations, they all reflect where they are on their own journeys, so that when all is said and done, they've learned something about themselves whilst swinging swords and throwing magic spells at the same time.
The annual, focusing on Snowguard, is a nice way to spotlight the newest character and really give her some time to shine. She's been a great addition to the team, but it's good to get some one-on-one time inside her head, especially since Zub brings in a co-writer to ensure he captures the Inuit way of life as best he can.
Artwise, we get Sean Isaakse, Kevin Libranda, Max Dunbar, and Marcus To across these issues - they're all fairly new names to Marvel (bar To I suppose, but I always associate him with DC moreso), but they're excellent. Isaakse is the best of the bunch, while Libranda is a little more fast and loose, and Dunbar falls somewhere in the middle.
Champions is, to put it mildly, brilliant. Great art, a writer who knows exactly what he's doing, and a cast of characters that keep you on your toes - this is a teen hero book done right.
July 1, 2021
An incredible shooting issue, followed by a mediocre fantasy arc...
October 3, 2022
3.5 stars. The Weirld World concept was pretty cool and the art really brought life to it.
July 18, 2019
I really love how the Champions are always able to reinvent themselves... adding new members, exploring new worlds. Makes it an exciting book to read, and one that will appeal to all ages.
Highlights:
- Amadeus Cho has a new form (kind of the guy version of She-Hulk) and he is now calling himself Brawn. Riri has new armor (Mark 3), and Samis still reeling from the loss of his Nova helmet.
-Viv and Snowguard have been living together as friends. Vision, unbeknownst to his daughter, is dying, and is allowing Amka to stay with them to help Viv acclimate better to human emotion.
- The Champions use their updated scanning system to search for places to help, and they head off to Mbali to assist with water issues. Viv confides in Amka about her complications with handling emotions, and they begin to talk, but are interrupted when Amka detects magic. Finding Man-Thing (who is the reason the village is having water problems), the Champions fight him and stop him. In the aftermath of the fight, Viv is immobilized by her emotions, which recalls Man-Thing. This time, Sam can no longer sit still and the fight ends with Nadia, Sam, and Man-Thing getting sucked into a portal to Weirdworld.
-Heading into Weirdworld, they not only get separated, but also develop new looks and skill sets:
Ironheart - new medieval inspired armored suit, called Lady Ironheart
Miles Spider-Man - becomes Shadow Spider, taking on properties of both Cloak and Spidey
Brawn - is now an orc Blacksmith known as Brawnhammer
Snowguard - now a shapeshifter elf known as Snowgore
Ms. Marvel - now Mystic Marvel, combination of Ms. Marvel and Doctor Strange
Viv Vision - now the Vivid Vessel
Wasp - now a villain known as the Wicked Wasp
Sam Alexander - gifted with a crystalline blade, becomes the villain known as Nova Knight
- The confusion over who they are supposed to be causes fighting, both amongst themselves and the inhabitants of Weirdworld. When Ironheart fights Nova, he begins to remember her and lashes out in anger, thinking they want to take his power away from him in order to go back home. This makes Viv merge with Ironheart, which somehow fully restores the memories of who they really are. The team consoles Sam, helping him understand that he is still valuable to them, despite not having any powers.
- The Champions go home and begin to recruit, hoping a larger team can provide more help to more people. Viv reveals that she has been developing feelings for Riri, and kisses her, which confuses her. (Potential relationship, maybe?)
-The entire time, an Ultron-bot has been in their ship. It finds Sparky, Viv's synthezoid dog, and assimilates it. I guarantee this will cause trouble in the future.
A well rounded Volume, with the promise of a new roster soon. Excited to see who!
Strong recommend. Semi-weird Volume, but still a Marvel book you should be reading.
Highlights:
- Amadeus Cho has a new form (kind of the guy version of She-Hulk) and he is now calling himself Brawn. Riri has new armor (Mark 3), and Samis still reeling from the loss of his Nova helmet.
-Viv and Snowguard have been living together as friends. Vision, unbeknownst to his daughter, is dying, and is allowing Amka to stay with them to help Viv acclimate better to human emotion.
- The Champions use their updated scanning system to search for places to help, and they head off to Mbali to assist with water issues. Viv confides in Amka about her complications with handling emotions, and they begin to talk, but are interrupted when Amka detects magic. Finding Man-Thing (who is the reason the village is having water problems), the Champions fight him and stop him. In the aftermath of the fight, Viv is immobilized by her emotions, which recalls Man-Thing. This time, Sam can no longer sit still and the fight ends with Nadia, Sam, and Man-Thing getting sucked into a portal to Weirdworld.
-Heading into Weirdworld, they not only get separated, but also develop new looks and skill sets:
Ironheart - new medieval inspired armored suit, called Lady Ironheart
Miles Spider-Man - becomes Shadow Spider, taking on properties of both Cloak and Spidey
Brawn - is now an orc Blacksmith known as Brawnhammer
Snowguard - now a shapeshifter elf known as Snowgore
Ms. Marvel - now Mystic Marvel, combination of Ms. Marvel and Doctor Strange
Viv Vision - now the Vivid Vessel
Wasp - now a villain known as the Wicked Wasp
Sam Alexander - gifted with a crystalline blade, becomes the villain known as Nova Knight
- The confusion over who they are supposed to be causes fighting, both amongst themselves and the inhabitants of Weirdworld. When Ironheart fights Nova, he begins to remember her and lashes out in anger, thinking they want to take his power away from him in order to go back home. This makes Viv merge with Ironheart, which somehow fully restores the memories of who they really are. The team consoles Sam, helping him understand that he is still valuable to them, despite not having any powers.
- The Champions go home and begin to recruit, hoping a larger team can provide more help to more people. Viv reveals that she has been developing feelings for Riri, and kisses her, which confuses her. (Potential relationship, maybe?)
-The entire time, an Ultron-bot has been in their ship. It finds Sparky, Viv's synthezoid dog, and assimilates it. I guarantee this will cause trouble in the future.
A well rounded Volume, with the promise of a new roster soon. Excited to see who!
Strong recommend. Semi-weird Volume, but still a Marvel book you should be reading.
December 28, 2018
Si la série démarré par Waid était sympathique à lire, elle a vraiment prit son essort essort sous la plume de Jim Zub. C'est franchement plaisant, la dynamique de groupe fonctionne à merveille et cet arc dans le Weirdworld avec son ambiance fantasy était très fun.
January 1, 2019
(Read in single issues)
The Champions really ended on a high note. The background on Snowguard made her one of my favorite additions to the Champions. I still feel a little weird about all the additions.
I miss the original line up in the series.
The Champions really ended on a high note. The background on Snowguard made her one of my favorite additions to the Champions. I still feel a little weird about all the additions.
I miss the original line up in the series.
March 26, 2019
Orc-ish Amadeus Cho can get it.
March 24, 2021
¿Qué decir de este volumen? Tiene tres arcos autoconclusivos en su interior. Primero encontramos el más largo (y el que le da nombre al título) que es el arco del Weirdworld. Retomando un poco la premisa inicial de la saga, los Champions viajan a África para ayudar con unos problemas locales en el suministro de agua. Al comienzo se nos enseña los cambios que el equipo sufrió (la pérdida de poder de Nova, el cambio de Hulk a Brawn, y el nuevo traje y trauma de Ironheart. Ya en el lugar se toparán con Man-Thing quien los guiará a una aventura en el Weirdworld donde, mediante una estética medieval, volverán a enfrentarse al Amo del Universo.
Ese arco comienza flojo, mejora muchísimo con la ambientación y la historia de Weirdworld y decae en picada con ese final sacado de la galera y sin ningún sentido.
El segundo arco es una historia autoconclusiva de Miles Morales donde hay un tiroteo en su escuela que produce la muerte de un maestro y la herida de uno de sus amigos. En este cómic se nos presentará una situación que enciende cada vez más alarmas en Estados Unidos y parece ser la versión actual del legendario Pistolas Asesinas de Bill Mantlo. Esta historia es profunda, y está perfectamente hilada, si se pudiera votar de forma individual le daría cinco estrellas.
Finalmente encontramos el Annual donde el único personaje nuevo que Champions nos ha dado, Snowguard, vuelve a su pueblo natal y se enfrenta a una serie de situaciones que representan planteos filosóficos interesantes con respecto a la tradición, la memoria y las costumbres. También es una buena historia, aunque parece que Jim Zub tiene problemas para los finales.
No estoy seguro que el volumen en sí merezca cuatro estrellas porque tiene tanto altos como bajos, pero ponerle 3 sería injusto porque el annual y la historia de Spider-Man merecen un puntaje mucho mayor.
La saga termina, por ahora, con un final agridulce. La trama y los conflictos que Waid planteó al inicio parecen definitivamente perdidos y el grupo cae en las historias de siempre perdiendo la originalidad con la que se creó. Una saga decente, pero que seguramente se olvidará pronto.
Ese arco comienza flojo, mejora muchísimo con la ambientación y la historia de Weirdworld y decae en picada con ese final sacado de la galera y sin ningún sentido.
El segundo arco es una historia autoconclusiva de Miles Morales donde hay un tiroteo en su escuela que produce la muerte de un maestro y la herida de uno de sus amigos. En este cómic se nos presentará una situación que enciende cada vez más alarmas en Estados Unidos y parece ser la versión actual del legendario Pistolas Asesinas de Bill Mantlo. Esta historia es profunda, y está perfectamente hilada, si se pudiera votar de forma individual le daría cinco estrellas.
Finalmente encontramos el Annual donde el único personaje nuevo que Champions nos ha dado, Snowguard, vuelve a su pueblo natal y se enfrenta a una serie de situaciones que representan planteos filosóficos interesantes con respecto a la tradición, la memoria y las costumbres. También es una buena historia, aunque parece que Jim Zub tiene problemas para los finales.
No estoy seguro que el volumen en sí merezca cuatro estrellas porque tiene tanto altos como bajos, pero ponerle 3 sería injusto porque el annual y la historia de Spider-Man merecen un puntaje mucho mayor.
La saga termina, por ahora, con un final agridulce. La trama y los conflictos que Waid planteó al inicio parecen definitivamente perdidos y el grupo cae en las historias de siempre perdiendo la originalidad con la que se creó. Una saga decente, pero que seguramente se olvidará pronto.
December 9, 2020
Oh wow
Oh my
Oh gosh
Oh golly
You’ve really gotta read this one.
I’m serious.
Following the fight with Thanos in Northern Lights, the champions are a little shaken. Especially Riri (Ironheart ((man that is incredibly hard to say. Go ahead, try it)))and Sam (Nova ((my sweet baby boy))). While Riri sees this as her opportunity to start fresh, Sam takes this personally. And with a few of the champions getting upgrades, Sam feels left out. Sam’s emotional journey throughout this comic was stunning. I already love Sam so much so seeing him deal with all that was just the kind of emotion I wanted to feel on a Monday afternoon. L O V E.
Also, the team ends up in the WeirdWorld (hence the title “Weird World One”) And oh my goodness
F A N T A S Y
R E D E S I G N S
I’m in heaven
9/10 close-to-home emotional beat, stellar fantasy designs (making Riri and Miles knights was a b l e s s i n g), and great plot line
Be still my heart
Oh my
Oh gosh
Oh golly
You’ve really gotta read this one.
I’m serious.
Following the fight with Thanos in Northern Lights, the champions are a little shaken. Especially Riri (Ironheart ((man that is incredibly hard to say. Go ahead, try it)))and Sam (Nova ((my sweet baby boy))). While Riri sees this as her opportunity to start fresh, Sam takes this personally. And with a few of the champions getting upgrades, Sam feels left out. Sam’s emotional journey throughout this comic was stunning. I already love Sam so much so seeing him deal with all that was just the kind of emotion I wanted to feel on a Monday afternoon. L O V E.
Also, the team ends up in the WeirdWorld (hence the title “Weird World One”) And oh my goodness
F A N T A S Y
R E D E S I G N S
I’m in heaven
9/10 close-to-home emotional beat, stellar fantasy designs (making Riri and Miles knights was a b l e s s i n g), and great plot line
Be still my heart
July 19, 2023
This is a difficult book to read because the Champions visiting Weird World and becoming Dungeons and Dragons characters for a bit should be awesomely entertaining but, well, isn't. Also, the battle against Man Thing isn't as fun as it could be. None of the characters attempt to communicate with Ted and treat him like a villain. It's a sharp contrast to the recent Werewolf by Night handling of Man-Thing. However, I give props to the issue dealing with a school shooting. Which is a rare sentence. Miles Morales is off with his buddies when a spree killer hits the Visions Academy and he isn't there to stop it. It's a horrifying tragedy and one that he has to deal with the consequences of. It's easily the best single issue of Champions and about the only time I think it's "revelance" actually works.
September 2, 2022
Loved it until the Weird World stuff.
I guess that's the stuff a few people (skimming reviews) responded to, but for me it just felt kinda like gibberish. Even reading it out loud, which often makes you internalize things better because you're not skipping words, I felt like I was just reading phonetics. On top of that, I feel like very little of it does anything to add to any of the characters. Nova gets a good moment, but it also comes during a climax that just packs no punch otherwise and then ends in a somewhat confusing manner.
The school shooting issue is a 5/5. The couple issues set in Africa with Man-Thing are a solid 3.5/5.
Everything else just exists and doesn't add anything really.
I guess that's the stuff a few people (skimming reviews) responded to, but for me it just felt kinda like gibberish. Even reading it out loud, which often makes you internalize things better because you're not skipping words, I felt like I was just reading phonetics. On top of that, I feel like very little of it does anything to add to any of the characters. Nova gets a good moment, but it also comes during a climax that just packs no punch otherwise and then ends in a somewhat confusing manner.
The school shooting issue is a 5/5. The couple issues set in Africa with Man-Thing are a solid 3.5/5.
Everything else just exists and doesn't add anything really.
March 3, 2020
A solid read. I'm not really a fan of Weird World (and honestly, Dungeons and Dragons-like tales such as the one that took center stage here aren't really my thing), but overall, this was still an engaging graphic novel. The standout issue for me, however, was the one dealing with a school shooting. It was difficult to read because of how "real" it was. Miles' reaction in particular was a punch to the gut. It was heart-wrenching but also expertly handled. All in all, this graphic novel delivers solid comic book action... but with one particularly strong issue that manages to offer, not only a dose of reality, but also the right amount of hope.
December 13, 2021
This feels like they're finally giving them voices as independent characters, free of their namesakes/history. Nova has to deal with being average. Riri has some PTSD from Thanks and has to adjust. Amadeus has been depowered and debulked, so there's no instantly recognizable Hulk on the team.
Still getting used to the Pym daughter with the Wasp moniker. Still learning more about Snow Guard and her similarities (imho) to Snowbirds of Alpha Flight. Miles Morales is back, but being ultra angsty after his time in other Spider titles. Viv has to deal with...life.
I can see how this collection ended a run, as they definitely changed out worldviews by the end of the collection.
Still getting used to the Pym daughter with the Wasp moniker. Still learning more about Snow Guard and her similarities (imho) to Snowbirds of Alpha Flight. Miles Morales is back, but being ultra angsty after his time in other Spider titles. Viv has to deal with...life.
I can see how this collection ended a run, as they definitely changed out worldviews by the end of the collection.
March 18, 2022
I loved the story of Weirdworld. The Characters that Zub came up with were interesting and the artist's designs were cool. (I agreed with Miles when he said he wished he could keep the cape (Basically Cloak's transport cape)
My biggest disappointment was in Amadeus -- "Brawn" is such a eh villain name and I liked that he could change from Amadeus to the Hulk, but they just made him into an Asian Doc Samson - the younger version. Intelligent and green and strong. Disappointing.
Learning more about Snowguard was interesting. SOme of the other secondary characters could use that kind of treatment as well.
My biggest disappointment was in Amadeus -- "Brawn" is such a eh villain name and I liked that he could change from Amadeus to the Hulk, but they just made him into an Asian Doc Samson - the younger version. Intelligent and green and strong. Disappointing.
Learning more about Snowguard was interesting. SOme of the other secondary characters could use that kind of treatment as well.
April 3, 2021
The other reviews reminded me that there were other parts of the book in addition to the "Champions but as a D&D campaign / Avengers vol. 3 #2" story.
And I'm captivated by the Vision / Viv Vision stories more than the others, perhaps because the famous characters have solo books and so they can't really evolve here.
The "remember your true self" story was good enough. I think the Wasp's part made the least sense.
And I'm captivated by the Vision / Viv Vision stories more than the others, perhaps because the famous characters have solo books and so they can't really evolve here.
The "remember your true self" story was good enough. I think the Wasp's part made the least sense.
May 11, 2021
I truly enjoy the team interactions of Champions. Each character is strong individually but the way that they support each other and work together makes them a formidable team. I especially enjoyed the way the team stays with Sam following the events of the previous volume. I’m really interested to see where this goes next. Also, superheroes addressing school shootings? That’s some strong storytelling.
December 15, 2020
70/100.
Este volumen contiene historias autoconclusivas, excepto una ambientada en Weirdworld (#25, #26, #27). Me sigue gustando que la serie se mantenga fresca. A pesar de los dramas, de los cliffhanger a los que nos tienen acostumbrados las viñetas de los cómics, estos personajes combinan tan bien de forma tan orgánica que no puedo evitar disfrutarlos muchísimo.
Este volumen contiene historias autoconclusivas, excepto una ambientada en Weirdworld (#25, #26, #27). Me sigue gustando que la serie se mantenga fresca. A pesar de los dramas, de los cliffhanger a los que nos tienen acostumbrados las viñetas de los cómics, estos personajes combinan tan bien de forma tan orgánica que no puedo evitar disfrutarlos muchísimo.
July 5, 2022
A fun little story about the Champions being trapped in a medieval fantasy world and I do like it is mostly about Nova trying to regain his pride and purpose after he lost the Nova helmet. It is a fun read and I do love the alternate costumes they get while in Weird World as they still look similar to their old costumes but still have a distinctly different style that fits with the world.
February 22, 2020
I like this cast of characters, including the new Snowguard, but they're always being waylaid by crossovers and events. Some good nuggets here like Nova de-powered and the shooting issue, even love the Man Thing addition, but it never gets to build like a title should before they move on.
December 19, 2019
least favorite volume so far
December 18, 2020
viv vision really is the stand out star in this series
January 17, 2021
Enjoyed this but why did they have random cutaway to a school shooting then didn't solve the problem? Seems like they wanted to be topical but not political.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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