Only one comic on my list this week: Marvel’s Champions, which does an awesome job of demonstrating why Marvel’s events suck.
Champions #12
So, this issue picks up after the hugely traumatic events of Secret Empire. During Hydra’s takeover, something happened to Kamala/Ms Marvel, because in one issue the others were searching for her in an internment camp and in the next she was inexplicably absent. Our young heroes also dealt with the aftermath of the destruction of Las Vegas and that was an impressive chapter.
But here we pick up as if none of that happened. It’s karaoke night at Champions HQ, the old team is back together and everyone is happy and well-adjusted, except Cyclops, who isn’t into the fun but for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with the world being taken over by Nazis.
On the one hand, I’m glad Secret Empire is over. On the other, wiping the slate clean with neither consequences nor explanation is terrible storytelling that badly detracts from the quality of this issue if its divorced from that context.
Because there is a good story here. A villain who uses a device to turn reasonable people into a violent mob attacks and the Champions interrupt their karaoke party to respond. Cyclops uses his eye beams to destroy the machine and in doing so gets hit by its energy. This has the effect of stripping away his inhibitions…just for a little while. As a result, we learn a few things about why Cyclops is so uptight. It’s a fascinating character moment.
But I would have preferred to know what happened to Kamala or where the temporary-Champions of last issue have got to.