Review: Champions #4

Gwen Dylan Stacy

6 years ago

It seems that the creative team behind Marvel’s Champions are back at it again. Our last issue left us with questions about what exactly was going on with Miles Morales, just like we now find that Kamala Khan has and, thankfully, all of that boils to a head in this issue. Writer Jim Zub does a fantastic job of balancing the levity in this issue in between all the darker bits and trust me, there are definitely quite a few of those.

For anyone who doesn’t know the Champions themselves, this isn’t exactly far outside of the Waid writing; in fact I think the development from that time period into something more mature with more human troubles only greatly quantifies the fact that each character, especially the flagship ones like Miles, Viv, Cho, and Khan, have all come quite far from the place that they might have been when the title itself started. It’s just…exactly how far and how good has this growth been for all of them that we must question now.

The art by Steven Cumming is still its stellar best, never too outside what one typically associates with the title to be disconcerting for readers; something that I appreciate considering sometimes shifts in art styles can trip me up. The brilliantly illustrated tight panels on Miles’ and Kamala’s faces are perhaps some of the most beautiful and heartbreaking things you’ll ever seen. If you don’t feel inspired to dance on the edge of emotion when viewing them, then, well…I’m clearly just perhaps overly emotional when spurned on by good art being just that.

Hard truths come to light in this issue. Last we read everything hung on something like a cliff hanger and this issue sought to end any questions that we had about whether or not a conclusion would be reached. These, of course, are not the easiest pills in the world to swallow, but that all comes with growth; characters learn to stretch and spread themselves out in new ways that lead to new possibilities or new heart breaks. I’m not sure which of these yet but I won’t lie about getting somewhat emotional over how much comes into view.

If you’ve been following this title, this issue is it. You need to read it, if only for the peace of mind. It’s necessary if you want closure, much like these characters deserve. It’s the blend of story and art lend itself to this charming 4 out of 5 star issue (pausing here to state that Kaldera is now my new favorite character because of this) that will only make you remember why exactly you love these fledgling heroes finding their footing so much.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Jim Zub (A) Steven Cummings (CA) Aaron Kim Jacinto