The pre-New 52 “Red Robin” team of Christopher Yost and Marcus To reunite to rejuvenate yet another teen-hero sensation.

Written by Christopher Yost
Illustrated by Marcus To and David CurielWARRIORS REBORN! Adventurers SPEEDBALL and JUSTICE have come together with a group of young heroes including NOVA, SUN GIRL, and HUMMINGBIRD (and even a couple of new faces) to stop the latest threat to the Marvel Universe—the Atlanteans, Inhumans, clones and hundreds of other so-called “superior” beings are living among the humans of the Marvel Universe, but not everyone is pleased about it. THE HIGH EVOLUTIONARY has raised an army to combat the evolution of humanity – and the New Warriors are locked in his sights!
“New Warriors” has some pretty large shoes to fill. As a teenage superhero team book, it in some ways fills the void left by Keiron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s “Young Avengers.” Of course, such a comparison is somewhat unfair. Yost and To take a considerably different approach to launching their own teenage titans. The result is certainly more traditional, but still enjoyable.
This debut issue is undoubtedly a “getting-the-band” together style foray. Focusing on four separate groups of heroes, Yost and To introduce the large cast of characters along with the first major big bad. In that regard, the issue is a success, quickly setting the stage for the story to come, rather than dragging things out.
The heart of these All-New New Warriors is the duo of classic members; Speedball and Justice. The pair show up in New Salem, a town inhabited by various magical folk and under the protection of the “Salem Seven,” who Speedball has unintentionally antagonized. Yost uses these two to establish the legacy of the New Warriors for incoming readers. This, of course, means tackling the storm cloud that, eight years later, still hangs over the team. However, it seems clear that Yost is finally ready to push the team past the events of Marvel’s “Civil War.” It’s certainly about time.
Another high profile character, with New Warriors legacy by association, is Sam Alexander aka Nova. Sam doesn’t show up until late in the issue, but his inclusion is certainly welcome.
The rest of the cast consists of several of Yost’s darlings, chief of which is Kaine, the Scarlet Spider. Fans of the character’s recently concluded solo series should be delighted to know that “New Warriors” offers a smooth transition for Kaine and his companion Aracely. Another carry over from Yost’s Spider-Man work is the new Sun-Girl. Selah Burke isn’t afforded any interactions with the rest of the cast, making her segments somewhat less engaging. However, the character lends an appreciable level of diversity to the group in gender, race, and power set. Finally, Yost and To introduce a new character, Faira Sar Namora to the group. An Atlantean warrior wielding an energy based weapon a la the most recent Aqualad, Namora is another pseudo-legacy character, one that makes a rather striking first appearance.
As witnessed by the cover, the cast is quite visually striking with their vibrantly colored and stylized costumes. Marcus To does a commendable job on artistic duty. His fun, dynamic style is a great fit for such a youthful book. The artist makes limited and smart use of breaking panel boundaries. Instances where Speedball or Sun-Girl break through the edges of a small inset panel feel as if the characters are bounding off the page. To also has an eye for powerful and dramatic imagery, such as the previously mentioned debut of Namora, or the sinister apparition of the issue’s robotic fiends. The latter scene features some awesome energy/distortion effects, and the entire issue is alive with explosions, light beams, electrical bolts, crackling force fields, and all other manner of superhuman magic. Coupled with David Curiel’s bright, saturated color palette, “New Warriors” is a delightful book to behold.
Of course, as good as the book looks, it would be a shame if the characters themselves weren’t likable. Even with such a large cast, however, Yost manages to give each character a chance to shine. Most of the characters exude an optimistic exuberance, a far cry from typical angst ridden teenage drama. Even though the team hasn’t officially “assembled,” there’s already a chemistry on display that promises some enticing story opportunities.
“New Warriors” certainly isn’t the artistic or literary game changer that some of its fellow “All-New Marvel Now” colleagues have proved to be. However, it’s certainly a respectable superhero book, and more than a few rungs above the Distinguished Competition’s equivalent offering.
Final Verdict: 7.2 – Not quite an instant buy, but definitely worth a look.