Champions #10
(W) Mark Waid (A/CA) Humberto Ramos
Rated T+
In Shops: Jul 05, 2017
SRP: $3.99
SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!
• The Champions are put to the ultimate test. This is no small-town problem they’re facing – it’s up to them to help right an entire world turned upside down!
A bit ago we showed off some of the homage covers Marvel will be releasing as part of their Marvel Legacy. Check out a new round of them below.
Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!
We’re bringing back something we haven’t done for a while, what the team thinks. Our contributors are choosing up to five books each week and why they’re choosing the books.
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.
Logan
Iceman #1 (Marvel) – Marvel finally gives us a solo comic with a queer male lead, and it’s one of my all-time favorite X-Men, Iceman. I love Iceman because of his sense of humor as well as how he struggles to live up to his Omega mutant potential. I’m excited to see Sina Grace’s approach to superheroes after writing/drawing some kick-ass autobio comics, like Not My Bag and Self-Obsessed, and Alessandro Vitti’s work on Secret Warriors was fantastic too so it looks like Bobby is in good hands.
Giant Days #27 (BOOM! Studios) – Esther going political should be a treat, and I’m really interested to see what our favorite Goth drama queen has to say about thinly veiled parodies of Nigel Farage, Theresa May, and Jeremy Corbyn. Giant Days is my go-to slice of life and humor comic, and I can’t wait to see what hilarious moments John Allison, Max Sarin, Liz Fleming, and Whitney Cogar have cooked up.
Batman #24 (DC Comics) – From the solicit, it looks like this issue will be the connective tissue between “The Button” and the upcoming “War of Jokes and Riddles”. One thing I’ve liked about Tom King and David Finch’s run is their ability to tell epic scope stories in the confines of one book, and I’m looking forward to seeing their takes on more of Batman’s classic rogues. Also, Catwoman/Batman romance is always fun, and King has given them some flirty chemistry in previous isuses. (See “The Bat and the Cat” one-off from him and Mitch Gerads)
Nothing Lasts Forever OGN (Image) – This is really a good week to be a Sina Grace fan even though it seems like the next issue of Lil Depressed Boy is light years away. I really enjoy how honest he is in his memoirs, and how his art doesn’t idealize Grace’s body and reactions to the world around him. Plus this graphic novel seems to have more of a central narrative focus than his previous book Self-Obsessed , and it’ll nice to see the character of Sina Grace grow and develop through all the hardships he faces in the story.
KISS/Vampirella #1 (Dynamite) – One thing I love about Dynamite is their no holds barred approach to crossovers. Casting Vampirella as the frontwoman of an all-girl band in L.A. in the 1970s sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Plus throw in the insanity of the KISS mythos and plenty of supernatural elements, and this should definitely be a unique comic from Chris Sebela and Annapaola Martello.
Paul
Top Pick: Champions #9 (Marvel) – I have really been enjoying this book and it just gets better and better with every issue. The action is great, but it’s the banter between the team that really makes this book work and shows them growing closer together. This issue will be focusing on Viv Vision, and if you read The Vision series, you know she has been through a lot. This will no doubt be a great read.
Iceman #1 (Marvel) – I’m interested in seeing how Bobby will be explored in this new solo title and how he can carry a book on his own. I know he’s had limited series’ in the past, but I didn’t bother with them. And with the time displaced, younger Iceman being so different from the Iceman we know, I’m curious to see what direction Bobby will go in next.
X-Men Gold #5 (Marvel) – This title has brought the X-Men back to being super heroes and has been a great read so far. A classic line up and great action makes this a book you don’t want to miss. And now the team is facing a new generation of Sentinel; of course the X-Men need Sentinels to fight, it’s a rule.
Joe
Top Pick: Dark Knight III The Master Race #9 (DC Comics) – This series hasn’t lived up to the pedigree of what it should be known for, but I’ve still enjoyed it. Here we get the final issue and it’s still Frank Miller, so I’m excited to see how this all plays out, and appreciate the career of one of the greats.
Paper Girls #15 (Image) – The other book that Vaughn writes currently, and one that should also be required reading. This is part sci-fi, goonies, and much more as this awesome cast of female characters find their way through time, and some weird Apple products.
Batman #24 (DC Comics) – Another issue to slow things down after “The Button”. I am eager to take time to reflect on the Bane aftermath, Gotham Girl, Catwoman and Batman’s relationship, and to take a quick look at where everything is at before we take a break for the upcoming “The War of Jokes and Riddles”.
Superman #24 (DC Comics) – One of the most consistent books coming from DC Rebirth. It looks like this will deal with the continuing Hamilton County story, as the Kents already moved back to Metropolis in Action Comics.
All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #3 (Marvel) – I have been pleasantly surprised with this title so far. It has only been two issues, but so far so good from the creative team of Duggan and Kuder.
Shay
Top Pick: Divided States of Hysteria #1 (Image) – Holding up a mirror to the US that’s just as frightening as what’s going on in the real world. I expect this one to be way more interesting than a Trump tweet with an equal amount of societal terror.
Top Pick: Suicide Squad Vol. 2 Going Sane (DC Comics) – Kryptonite, Lex Luther, Amanda Waller and all kinds of world ending Squad hijinks collected in one volume, containing four of my fave issues with a bonus Harley comic!
Bane Conquest #2 (DC Comics) – Nobody puts Bane-y in a corner er, I mean cell. This is one promising issue showcasing pure Bane badassery and some back story in kings.
Harley Quinn #21 (DC Comics) – The beginning of the Red Roses story arc part deux focuses on the interesting relationship and unrequited, maybe, love between Red Tool and Harley and I’m all kinds of ready to sip that crazy tea.
Bullseye #5 (Marvel) – SHIELD to the rescue, or capture, Bullseye’s mission coming to an end and what promises to be a great story.
Brett
Top Pick: Catalyst Prime Noble #2 (Lion Forge) – The first issue was top notch as we’re introduced into this new world that beyond the superpowers actually looks like a world we live in. Diversity on the page (beyond characters, but locations, situations, dynamics) and on the creative end are already paying off in an entertaining way.
The Flintstones #12 (DC Comics) – Some of the best political and social commentary anywhere wraps up with this final issue. Twelve issues weren’t enough and at the same time, it feels like we didn’t deserve this beyond intelligent comic series.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #1 (Marvel) – Writer Charles Soule tackles this new series focusing on Vader and the time after Episode III as he was learning to become Vader, a Sith, and the dawn of the Empire.
The Unsound #1 (BOOM! Studios) – A new horror series from writer Cullen Bunn. His previous horror series have all been top notch and I’d expect no less from this.
The Walking Dead #168 (Skybound/Image Comics) – The last issue showed this series can still surprise and deliver a punch to the gut. This issue begins the fallout in what I imagine will be a not very stable Rick.
It’s Wednesday which means new comic book day with new releases hitting shelves, both physical and digital, all across the world. We’ve got two new volumes from Marvel featuring Wolverine and the Champions.
All-New Wolverine Vol. 3 Enemy of the State II collecting issues #13-18 by Tom Taylor, Nick Virella, Djibril Morissette-Phan, Scott Hanna, Michael Garland, and Jesus Aburtov.
Champions Vol. 1 Change the World collecting issues #1-5 by Mark Waid, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, and Edgar Delgado.
Find out about the trade and whether you should grab yourself a copy. You can find both in comic stores May 3 and bookstores May 16.
Get your copies now. To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
All-New Wolverine Vol. 3 Enemy of the State II
Amazon/Kindle/comiXology or TFAW
Champions Vol. 1 Change the World
Amazon/Kindle/comiXology or TFAW
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
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Champions #8
(W) Mark Waid (A/CA) Humberto Ramos
Rated T+
In Shops: May 03, 2017
SRP: $3.99
The fallout from the team’s encounter with the Freelancers continues! The Champions realize they have to reframe their purpose – but does that mean undertaking even riskier missions?
You read that right! Yes, X-Men Trading Cards. As a team comprised of some of the most fan-favorite mutants ever assembled join forces in the pages of July’s Astonishing X-Men #1, Marvel is bringing the fanfare and returning to one of the most iconic pieces of X-Men history by one of its most famed artists! To celebrate the launch of this must-read new series, Marvel’s Merry Mutants take your comic shop by storm throughout the month of July for a series of nearly thirty X-Men Trading Card Variants by legendary artist Jim Lee!
Remastered and recolored from the original trading cards, relive this iconic era of the Children of the Atom with a series of eye-popping covers. Originally penciled by legendary X-Men artist Jim Lee with inker Scott Williams, colorists such as Jesus Aburtov, Israel Silva & Chris Sotomayor apply modern coloring techniques to these classic masterpieces!
Look for these can’t-miss X-Men Trading Card Variants on your favorite Marvel titles, coming exclusively to comic shops throughout the month of July:
Champions #7
(W) Mark Waid (A/CA) Humberto Ramos
Rated T+
In Shops: Apr 05, 2017
SRP: $3.99
THROWDOWN WITH THE FREELANCERS!
THROWDOWN WITH THE FREELANCERS!
Well, we finally get the showdown that was promised in issue #6, but the Champions aren’t ready for what they’re about to find out and I think it hurts them a lot more than any punch could.
The Champions have to deal with the events from the last issue, and Mark Waid brings us a story that really deals a bad blow to the team and really shakes them up. This is especially felt through Ms. Marvel and Waid does a fantastic job of showing the gravity of the situation through this character. From the get go of this title, she was easily the strongest, most positive voice of the team. Her optimism and determination has definitely been a huge influence to her teammates, and it’s really hard to watch as all of that slowly starts to crumble after the events of this issue. I also enjoyed how this issue showed her naivety after discovering what the Freelancers had been a party to. It’s great to want to go out there and give people something positive to believe in, but this issue shows how easily it can be distorted to work against you. And through Ms. Marvel we see how devastating this can be; how the fear of losing it can really take a hold of you, and I think these events are going to stay with her for some time.
And as I have mentioned in my other reviews for Champions, I absolutely love Humberto Ramos‘ art on this book. His style really gives this book the fresh, youthful feel it deserves for these characters, and his action scenes are big and bold, which is also due to the great coloring provided by Edgar Delgado. I will never get tired of seeing their work and I really hope they never leave this title. I really think this title would lose something important if the art was to change.
Overall, I really enjoyed this issue and if it wasn’t too obvious, I am a huge fan of this team. This entry really dealt them a blow, and I am very interested in seeing how or if they can overcome and rise above it. The writing is solid, the art is fantastic and this book continues to deal with subjects and issues that are relevant and have an impact on us today. If you aren’t reading this book, what the heck are you waiting for? And if you are, I really hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.
Story: Mark Waid Art: Humberto Ramos Colors: Edgar Delgado
Story: 8.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE issue for review
It’s new comic book day tomorrow! What’s everyone getting? What are you excited for? Sound off in the comments! While you think about that and dig out of the snow, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.
Around the Tubes
Deseret News – Comics’ sweeping graphic novel ‘Prince Valiant’ turns 80 – Wow, 80 years!?
ICv2 – Rosalind Morehead Moves to DC – An interesting move.
The Beat – The Retailer’s View // Should Printed Single Issues Go Away? – This is a very good question. Thoughts?
Around the Tubes Reviews
The Beat – Champions #1-6
The Beat – Deadpool the Duck #5
Champions #6
(W) Mark Waid (A/CA) Humberto Ramos
Rated T+
In Shops: Mar 01, 2017
SRP: $3.99
Versus their counterparts, the Freelancers! And you’ll be surprised to see who’s left standing at the end of the battle!
