“Champions” #20

I love stories about superheroes solving problems with superpowers. You’d think you’d see a lot of that in comics, but thanks to the influence of modern writers like Bendis and Johns, a lot more masks and capes books are about super-folk sitting around and eating and talking. There’s a time and a place for that, but thankfully there’s a book like “Champions” that delivers some solid entertainment every month.

Cover by Stefano Caselli

Written by Jim Zub
Illustrated by Sean Izaakse
Colored by Marcio Menyz
Lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles

What good is conquering a world if it’s already destroyed by the time you take over? The Master is determined to save Earth from itself and the Champions are going to help him do it… Plus, a new hero from an unexpected source — Who is Snowguard?

To make a big impact on sales, most Big Two comics need to feel consequential, either in status-quo shaking developments or artistic achievement. “Champions” #20 is neither. This issue will probably not be cited by future issues, and it is about as standard as things get in terms of art and writing style. That’s not a bad thing! What it lacks in risks, this issue makes up for in the things you hope to get from a Marvel book every month: fun team dynamics, a breezy, intriguing plot, and a conflict taken from right outside your window.

Conflict is something that “Champions” has given itself a bit of an obstacle to overcome. The mission statement of the book states that the young team of heroes tries to avoid solving problems with their fists and energy blasts whenever possible. As such, the writers need to work a little bit harder to create a nuanced problem. In this issue, the Champions are tackling climate change.

Rather than feeling preachy, the environmental problem is matter of fact. A villain is solving climate change and restoring ice to the arctic. This is part of a larger plan to take over the world sometime in the next few centuries. His evil plan mirrors the evil of climate change itself. By expediting a solution to a problem of today, he’s creating a brand new problem somewhere vaguely down the line. “If he’s serious, then he won’t even be a threat ’til the year 2300-something,” Miles Morales says. “By that point we’ll all be dead or clones or whatever.” Solving climate change creates a super villain problem for future generations.

Subtle it ain’t. But this is a comic about teens, accessible to teens. Even with its blunt metaphor, there’s something clever about that parallel, and it lets the characters go through the same sorts of arguments you might hear in the current debate. Isn’t that the kind of good good goodness you’d hope to get out of an “X-Men” book at peak Claremont?

You also get a good portion of other soapy super storytelling. Nova is harmed by a laser and nearly frozen in the icy sea. It’s up to Viv Vision to nurse him back to health. Nova being a good skater boy (or Sk8r Boi if you’re feeling vulgar) takes the opportunity to flirt. Viv ain’t having it, and you the reader are highly entertained.

I found myself a bit perplexed by the style of artist Sean Izaakse. His prologue has a softer painterly style before slipping into more standard pencils-and-inks for the bulk of the issue. His panel layouts are good- really good! I especially liked a series of full-face reaction shots from each member of the team as they realized the bad guy was trying to do something good. Not only were the faces pretty great, it was a good storytelling beat that telegraphed the significance of the moment.

It’s the panels themselves I take issue with- they’re overly busy. Early on, when Nova realizes he’s been shot, he’s standing in a pile of rubble, criss-crossed by lasers, on a plane being piloted by Hulk. It’s so busy, and there’s way too much information. Lots of panels layer on levels of central action, destruction, debris, and background action. It all becomes a blurry mess, filled with hard to follow details that don’t further the story.

There’s also a missed opportunity with the Champions’ winter gear. Miles has a cute hat and jacket combination, and Kamala Khan has a matching coat, but Viv Vision’s sweater was awful. That was my first note, the first thing I noticed while reading this. It’s so bad it kind of crosses over to the other side and becomes endearing, but Izaakse is not one of those fashion-focused artists. He’s good at laying out a comic, and good at drawing people, but his sartorial choices aren’t always pleasant to look at.

With a conflict relevant to the real world, “Champions” is a book trying to appeal to young people. Sometimes that comes across in a silly “how do you do fellow kids” kind of way, but there’s enough drama, action, and debate to keep the issue interesting. The busy art doesn’t allow this book to become an instant classic, but I know I would have been all over this series as a kid. “Champions” #20 proves that sometimes it’s nice to have a disposable comic, as long as it remembers to have some fun along the way.

Final Verdict: 7.0 – A fun but disposable environmental adventure story.