Monica Rambeau: Photon #4 (of 5)
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Luca Maresca (CA) Lucas Werneck
Rated T+
In Shops: Mar 22, 2023
SRP: $3.99
With nowhere left to turn and the universe crumbling around her, Monica must look to an unexpected source to find answers – or life as she knows it will be gone forever! And as the journey continues, so do the revelations about Monica’s past… for better or for worse.
The cover and design sheet for the highly anticipated Black Panther #1 has been revealed! Coming this June, T’Challa returns in the new solo ongoing comic book series by writer Eve L. Ewing and artist Chris Allen.
Banished from the throne and a fugitive in his own homelands, T’Challa still can’t leave Wakanda without its sworn protector. A king without a crown, he finds new purpose lurking the streets and shadows of the Wakandan city that bears his father’s name, BIRNIN T’CHAKA. New direction, new villains, new creative team – get in on the ground floor of Marvel’s next smash hit! Get a first look at the revamped design for T’Challa now.
Eve’s new ongoing series follows notable flagship Black Panther runs written by legendary authors, most recently including John Ridley, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and many talented writers who have contributed to other Black Panther and Wakanda series including Nnedi Okorafor, Roxane Gay, Yona Harvey, Evan Narcisse, Bryan Edward Hill, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rembert Browne, and more.
Check out Taurin Clarke’s cover and Chris Allen’s design sheet now and pick up Black Panther #1 when it hits stands this June!
Monica Rambeau: Photon #3 (of 5)
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A/CA) Luca Maresca
Rated T+
In Shops: Feb 15, 2023
SRP: $3.99
THE FATE OF A WORLD RELIES ON THE POWER OF PHOTON!
Still searching for answers as to why the universe has gone all topsy-turvy, MONICA RAMBEAU blazes into a forgotten corner of the cosmos. But even as she seeks help to put her friends, family and life right side up again, she encounters a group of wanderers who desperately need her assistance to survive?
Monica Rambeau: Photon #2 (of 5)
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Luca Maresca (CA) Lucas Werneck
Rated T+
In Shops: Jan 11, 2023
SRP: $3.99
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND!
Have you ever had one of those days where everything is going wrong? Like you’ve somehow been sucked across the infinite cosmos into the wrong corner of fragmented space-time? And you run into someone from your past you really can’t stand? Like, say, someone from…beyond? If so, maybe you’ll have some good advice for Monica. (She’ll take what she can get.)
Monica Rambeau: Photon #1 (of 5)
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Luca Maresca (CA) Lucas Werneck
Rated T+
In Shops: Dec 14, 2022
SRP: $3.99
HIGHER. FURTHER. FASTER.
Universal powerhouse MONICA RAMBEAU stars in her very own all-new adventure! The hero known as PHOTON has been charged with making a very special, very cosmic delivery – should be light work (get it?) for Monica… if family drama doesn’t hold her back!
Monica Rambeau: Photon #1 (of 5)
(W) Eve L. Ewing (A) Luca Maresca (CA) Lucas Werneck
Rated T+
In Shops: Dec 14, 2022
SRP: $3.99
HIGHER. FURTHER. FASTER.
Universal powerhouse MONICA RAMBEAU stars in her very own all-new adventure! The hero known as PHOTON has been charged with making a very special, very cosmic delivery – should be light work (get it?) for Monica… if family drama doesn’t hold her back!
This December, universal powerhouse Monica Rambeau will star in first-ever solo comic series! A five-issue limited series, Monica Rambeau: Photon will be written by award-winning author and scholar Eve L. Ewing and drawn by new Marvel talent, artist Michael Sta. Maria. The iconic Marvel super hero with four decades worth of amazing stories will at long last headline her own saga.
From the New Orleans Harbor Patrol to the Avengers to the Ultimates, Monica Rambeau has been a leader and team player her entire life but now she’ll face a reality-shattering crisis that she’ll have no choice but to take on single-handedly. In order to do so, Photon will need to reach new heights of her incredible abilities—and then surpass them! In a revelatory journey spanning time and space, fan will behold Photon’s true potential. The adventure begins when Photon is charged with making a very special, very cosmic delivery. What should be light work (get it?) for Monica becomes increasingly complex and dangerous due to a threat from beyond and family drama.
Explore the outer reaches and wildest vagaries of the Marvel Universe through the eyes of one of its most powerful heroes. Monica Rambeau: Photon #1 debuts December 7th with a cover by Lucas Werneck.
The recent iterations of Champions have been something I’ve generally enjoyed. They always had a solid concept of the “next generation” of heroes stepping in and doing what the adults can’t, won’t, or don’t think is important. The basic mantra has been it’s their future and they’re fighting for it. That concept has been the underlying idea for the various volumes. The execution has varied, often sidetracked by “events”. The latest volume, the third since 2016, takes the premise of the team and lays it all out there. Champions #1 plants a flag and wears its attitude and purpose on its sleeve.
Written by Eve L. Ewing, Champions #1 kicks off as part of the “Outlawed” storyline. Unlike other events, “Outlawed” is squarely focused on the younger generation of heroes. After an accident by Viv Vision causes massive destruction, a law is passed outlawing younger heroes unless they have a mentor. The story is a bit too similar to what happened in Marvel’s first Civil War but unlike that event, this one is much tighter in those impacted.
Ewing brings the Champions into the era of David Hogg and Greta Thunberg and all of the other Millennials and Generation Z who are making their voices heard fighting injustices. This is “kids” fighting for their future. But, Ewing does it right. Not every member of the Champions is in board and many disagree with how things are going about. Ewing doesn’t present this generation as a monolithic viewpoint.
The story Ewing presents is solid. It feels like it takes a lot from stories we’ve seen in the past, Pump of the Volume comes to mind as one, but it’s all done so well. The story keeps readers on their toes and who winds up in which corner and each individual’s viewpoints are presented so that the comic isn’t so cut and dry. It keeps readers on their toes and keeps things interesting.
Simone Di Meo provides the line art with Federico Blee on color and Clayton Cowles lettering. The art is fantastic delivering a youthful energy about the story and also delivering emotional punch. The panel work is fantastic keeping the visuals interesting and packing in a lot. The angles and breaking up of the page delivers a “flash/swipe” like feel that adds to the energy of the comic. The style of the comic as a whole is a bit exaggerated in everything but it enhances the story. Instead of falling into a comical space, the facial expressions and body language helps nail down the emotional punch Ewing is going for. It’s needed to make it all work and a different style would have the issue likely fall flat our be a bit more dour than it’s supposed to be.
Champions #1 is a hell of a debut delivering a start that wears its thoughts and heart on its sleeve. This is a flag planted as to what this series is about. And delivers conflict in that even the next generation isn’t in lockstep as to how they should go about making the world a better place. It’s a beginning, and probably the best so far of the three volumes. It not only has a vision for what it wants to say but how it’s going to say it. Much like Millennials and Gen Z, it understands its politics is a part of its story. Champions #1 has no problem talking about them and trying to fight for what’s right.
Story: Eve L. Ewing Art: Simone Di Meo
Color: Federico Blee Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics
The Champions are back and ready to take on the world in a brand-new series by acclaimed and award-winning writer Eve L. Ewing and artist Simone Di Meo. A new law has been passed, forbidding anyone under 21 from being a vigilante, but luckily for the Marvel Universe, the Champions won’t be going down without a fight. United, the Champions will rise up against any obstacles that dare stand in their way, including the dangerous new government taskforce known as C.R.A.D.L.E.
Kicking off next month, this groundbreaking new series will propel some of Marvel’s most popular heroes, including Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales, and Nova, into bold new chapters of their super hero sagas. Get a peek at things to come in this explosive new trailer, featuring never-before-seen artwork from the debut issue!
The Champions are ready to change the world. Are you? Don’t miss a beat of their new adventures when Champions #1 hits shelves next month featuring a main cover by Toni Infante and a variant by Ron Lim!
When the livelihoods of young Super Heroes are threatened, they will unite as Champions to prove that the world needs them more than ever. This October, acclaimed author and award-winning writer Eve L. Ewing and artist Simone Di Meo team up for a dramatic new era of Champions that will define Marvel’s most promising heroes for years to come.
After a terrible tragedy, Kamala’s Law is passed, forbidding anyone under the age of 21 from acting as vigilantes. Not going down without a fight, Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales, Nova, and more will rise up to reclaim their destiny. With everything the Champions stand for in jeopardy, the stakes have never been higher.
Check out the daring team of heroes, ready to take on any obstacles that come their way, in Ron Lim’s variant cover below, and pick up Champions #1 at your local comic shop this October!
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