A Return Of A Hero In Champions #8
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Ms. Marvel has left the team, so Viv Vision now leads the Champions. She works from the Mobile Command Bunker and coordinates the team to respond to threats around the world. Ironheart pays her a visit; there’s something she needs to talk to Viv about. Meanwhile, Locust, Power Man, Snowguard, and Dust are staking out a military facility in Iowa which Viv believes will soon be under attack. Sure enough, the Freelancers arrive to steal some decommissioned S.H.I.E.L.D. technology. The Champions ready to intervene when Sam Alexander and Kaldera suddenly return to Earth just over their heads.
Champions #8 finds the team dealing with the return of the Freelancers while Sam finally comes close to getting his Black Nova helmet back.
It’s a pretty straightforward and mostly self-contained issue. Elements of it were set up in previous issues of course–plus there is the obligatory stinger–but the main conflict with the Freelancers and Sam’s Black Nova helm are resolved within its pages.
The team chemistry is growing well too. Power Man, Snowguard, Dust, Sam, and Locust each have strong personalities and get chances to play off one another.
Kaldera continues to be quite fun, but the comic does bring her back down to Earth by confronting how violent and murderous she truly is as well as how many lives she’s taken and/or destroyed.
Steven Cummings once again knocks it out of the park in the visuals department. The Champions look detailed, dynamic, and expressive throughout. The action scenes are clear and coherent, and the flow of action is easy to follow. Marcio Menyz’s color art is vibrant and appealing as well, adding a lot of extra flare and life to the comic.
Champions #8 is another exciting and charming story with Marvel’s youngest and most optimistic hero team (not counting the Future Foundation, I suppose). It’s a delightful cast with solid dialogue and wonderful artwork. This one gets a recommendation for sure. Check it out.
Champions #8 comes to us from writer Jim Zub, artist Steven Cummings, color artist Marcio Menyz, letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles, and cover artist Kim Jacinto with Rain Beredo.
Final Score: 8/10