The Champions embrace social media in Champions #7, as our heroes try to infiltrate Roxxon’s nefarious plan for Generation Z domination. Written by Danny Lore, art by Luciano Vecchio, color art by Federico Blee, and letters by Clayton Cowles.
Like any good Internet article (nakedly aiming for a high SEO rating), it is my pleasure to introduce the Top 10 Moments from Champions #7 YOU need to know NOW! #needtoknow
- These kids don’t talk like kids. I don’t mean in their use of slang or cultural references (or thier merciful lack thereof). I mean in tone and tenor. And to a degree, that’s ok; it’s hard to get that voice right, and I’d rather you try less than try too hard. Still, when I think about the teens I mentor, these voices just feel…off. #howdoyoudofellowkids
- So at one point, Viv came on to Riri, forcing a kiss, making Riri visibly and audibly (and understandably) uncomfortable. And while that scene may not have been perfect (I’m not the right person to determine that, I’ll be the first to acknowledge), it was something that happened. It is something that does happen. Here, in Champions #7, there is a scene with Riri and Viv, together, alone, talking around what happened while never explicitly saying what caused the discomfort. And while, yes, not acknowledging is part of adolescence, I can’t help but feel It makes something already awkward and uncomfortable (but still an honest part of adolescence) taboo. Not getting the kids’ voices right is ok. To strip the kids of a voice completely? #fail
- Miles looks 12 here. Maybe 14. In his comic he looks 17. Pick an age and stick to it. #growup
- Kamala explicitly stating that she’s been traumatized by Roxxon, only for Nova to offer her up as a prize is cold, bordering on cruel. Of course, I’m sure he has a convoluted plan that likely won’t put her in harm’s way (but probably will, because comics.) but I’m never comfortable with men offering up women’s bodies in any capacity without concern, and I hope this gets called out explicitly in the next issue. #nobueno
- Calling the Avengers millennials is wild. But then you do the math and, oh shoot, all the Avengers would be millennials, (save for Cap and Thor), wouldn’t they? Does this make me, a millennial, an old? Nah, can’t be. Not at all. #notanold
- My mom taught me that if I can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. So that’s my comment on the art in this issue, which can best be described as “cherubic anime”. #nocomment
- They really called my Miles a “well spoken” “kid from the block.” And I get that this was done tongue in cheek — of course the bad guys at Roxxon would talk about the Black kid that way. But that’s the thing about irony: if played too subtle, it’s imperceptible from honesty. #articulate
- I appreciated Bombshell, in the previous run, sympathizing with her captors. Not because I think that sympathy was warranted or inherently good, but because sympathy in that situation happens. It’s messy. Life is messy. People are messy. And acknowledging mess — acknowledging moral ambiguity — is what makes comics great. But this issue walks back her moment and attributes it to brainwashing. By pushing her past the moment so quickly, you take away her growth. The more three dimensional characters that were forming during Dr. Eve Ewing’s run are starting to cede space (and development) to two-dimensional pastiches. And while this may make characters easier to track when you’re dealing with 8-9 people, it makes that character tracking a lot less interesting and involving. #wemisseve
- Sparky! Who’s a good boy! #goodsynthezoiddog
- My critiques notwithstanding, this is a good comic. It’s very exposition heavy. It doesn’t have the depth of previous iterations. I maybe don’t love the look of it. But it’s digestible, it’s (pretty) easy to follow, and there are a few smiles along the journey. You should pick it up. You should read it. You just may need to lower your expectations. #goodbutnotgreat
A proud New Orleanian living in the District of Columbia, Jude Jones is a professional thinker, amateur photographer, burgeoning runner and lover of Black culture, love and life. Magneto and Cyclops (and Killmonger) were right.
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