The world still needs heroes! But… does it need so many of them? In the first issue of the new volume of Champions, writer Jim Zub and artist Steven Cummings double down on the expanded roster of teenage superheroes, immediately showcasing the breadth of characters in Marvel’s junior varsity ranks. The book opens with team leader Ms. Marvel coordinating the efforts of three different squads, each working to tackle a different crisis in a different part of the world. In addition to members of the original lineup, as envisioned by Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos when the second volume of Champions debuted in 2016 (minus Kid Cyclops), Kamala’s charges include other next-gen heroes introduced to the team in recent months, like Ironheart and the new Wasp, as well as brand-new or nigh forgotten kid crime-fighters like Pinpoint and Bombshell.
That’s a lot of heroes.
I’m not complaining, although I can understand how an already marginally recognizable team might suffer further complication by including ever more unrecognizable faces. In fact, I’m glad Champions exists. The success of the X-Men in the 80’s and 90’s birthed a glut of mutants and as many team books as a spinner rack could hold. In the 00’s and 10’s the same was true for the Avengers brand; those guys even needed their own planet to base operations. But Champions, both in the fictional world and in the retail environment, exists because the world needs heroes. And good superhero teams. Sure, there might be a little bit of cashing in happening in the immediate future thanks to the presence of Miles Morales, but Marvel hadn’t been banking on Sony’s fantastic Into the Spider-Verse achievement when they first put this book out. This book was engendered because some very talented creators gave life to some very compelling characters, and a few other very talented creators decided they could pull these kids together for some very compelling stories. And that’s exactly what they’ve been doing for almost thirty issues now.
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Ms. Marvel
Kamala’s backstory is an ironic take on the classic tragic origin: after disobeying her strict Pakistani-Muslim parents and sneaking out to a party where there would be boys and booze, Kamala Khan is unwillingly doused in Terrigen mist, which basically turns her into a super-powered Inhuman. In Kamala’s case, with irresponsibility comes great power. Unlike the cosmically powered Carol Danvers, Kamala is a polymorph, with the ability to stretch, bend, and change in size. She initially emerges from the mist with the ability to mimic forms, and morphs herself into the blonde, curvaceous Carol Danvers. In her disguise, but guided by her Islamic upbringing (“If you save one life, it is as if you’ve saved mankind entirely”), she rescues a classmate from drowning with her polymorph powers. However, after sustaining an injury, Kamala loses the ability to imitate other people. This loss is a defining moment for her character. It’s a statement that the need to blend in is not necessary. It underscores that Kamala Khan is her own Ms. Marvel with her own voice, and will be taking on various challenges differently than those before her.
The Institute of Idle Time 