Champions #13 review: Fighting a Minotaur with the Avengers
By Alex Widen
The Champions are teaming up with the Avengers. Yet can a space Minotaur and shaking buildings beat them?
Champions #13
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Humberto Ramos
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Inker: Victor Olazaba
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A threat which requires a team of superheroes is usually immense. Yet one which requires two superhero teams should be twice as dangerous. And it is very possible that this six-part crossover between Champions and Avengers will become that by the finale. As of now, however, it does border on treading water or running in place. The novelty of a fire-breathing Minotaur from space is one of few highlights to this second installment. At least some of the dialogue is entertaining! Yet the rest of the story so far remains too routine to stand out in mainstream comic books.
Image by IDW Publishing
Amid a debate as to whether Counter-Earth really exists between members of both teams, a meteor fell to earth. The two teams put past their baggage (for the most part) to save the Earth. Yet from within, a fire-breathing Minotaur emerged. Furthermore, a strange sonic force is causing three of the tallest buildings on the planet to tremble, all of which are occupied. This splits the team up, leaving Amadeus Cho and Hercules to rekindle their tag team to battle the space Minotaur.
Image by IDW Publishing
A Shame Theseus Isn’t Here to Help!
Despite becoming their own team, Falcon has fallen into a similar role with the teenage Champions as he had when they were all Avengers. He’s ordered the teams to split up to cover the quivering buildings. Cyclops, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), and the Vision head to Dubai to save everyone from the world’s largest skyscraper shaking to its foundation. While Cyclops and Vision have a lot in common, Miles is frustrated that the Vision hasn’t been treating his daughter well.
Image by IDW Publishing
Yet when saving the building injures Vision, his words regarding Viv bring this issue to the fore. It seems like Vision is keeping her at an arm’s length deliberately, and it has something to do with his recent time traveling adventure with Kang. It also seems like the Vision is always getting hurt to showcase how dangerous a threat is. He was felled by the meteor last issue, and Waid often had him hobbled in his Avengers run. It’s sometimes called “jobbing,” and it can be predictable.
Image by IDW Publishing
Across the globe in South Korea, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Thor (Jane Foster) and Ms. Marvel also seek to save a tower as well as the civilians within. All the while, Kamala and Spidey are still loosely debating the existence of Counter-Earth, especially as it looks like the High Evolutionary is involved. During the height of the crisis, Ms. Marvel figures out a way for Thor to save the building using some fantastic comic book super science. It impresses Thor and Spider-Man.
Image by IDW Publishing
Yet Another Middling Moment for Spidey in Avengers!
Speaking of predictability, it’s hardly surprising that Spider-Man is out shined by Ms. Marvel. He gushes that she, a teenage heroine with moderate experience, has come up with a plan that he, a superhero with a doctorate and decades of experience. It isn’t surprising because Waid continues the trend of Peter Parker acting like a moron at worst, and a mascot at best, as an Avenger. It is utterly mind boggling how useless he has been in over twelve years of being an Avenger.
Image by IDW Publishing
It seems like in losing his marriage in 2007, Spider-Man also lost his sense of maturity and experience on a near line wide basis. Trying to repeat many of his college-era stories and dynamics with a guy who should be pushing 30 isn’t innovative; it’s regressive. It was a big deal when a loner hero like Spider-Man first joined the Avengers in 2005, as the beginning of an era. Yet I would defy anyone to describe a single notable moment he ever had with such an illustrious super-team.
Image by IDW Publishing
Plenty of superheroes who own their own franchises act in teams, yet many also have notable moments within them. Fans could easily find ten or more great moments in Avengers history for Iron Man, or Captain America, or Scarlet Witch, or Luke Cage. Yet for Spider-Man, he’s often a comic relief at best or a wisecracking immature load at worst. He is a hero who is routinely outdone by kids. As cool as Kamala Khan is, it merely highlights a tiresome trend Waid repeats.
Image by IDW Publishing
As a Result of Two Super-Teams, Buildings Stopped Shaking!
Meanwhile in Shanghai, Nova and Wasp (Nadia Wasp) try their hand at saving their skyscraper. Nova continues his trend of attempting awkward conversations with teenage heroines he’s first meeting, yet Nadia gets in some dorky bits of her own. Modern slang involves people using the word “science” as a verb. Nova attempts to do so with “physics,” and it provides one of those awkward moments when a middle aged man tries to write teens. Sometimes it comes off oddly.
Image by IDW Publishing
Finally, the Falcon and Viv Vision hold down the fort in Manhattan, trying to save the One World Trade Center. Falcon has some fun imitating Aquaman by noting how his ability to “talk to birds” seems like it is useless. Yet he quickly finds a way to utilize the visual advantages of a flock of birds to tell Viv Vision exactly how to save multiple civilians from falling shards of glass. Yet all of their efforts to save the skyscrapers are for naught of the source of the vibrations is a mystery!
Image by IDW Publishing
Hercules and Cho manage to overwhelm the Minotaur and get inside his meteor. It consequently proves to be a highly technologically advanced spacecraft within. And as superheroes tend to do with critical equipment that is causing trouble, they smash it in the hopes of ending the threat. Yet the Minotaur brags that the damage has already been done, and Earth’s vibrations have been placed out of sync. This causes Falcon and Viv Vision to wind up surrounded on Counter-Earth!
Image by IDW Publishing
Yet It Isn’t All Bad!
As the above has hinted in places, I am less than thrilled with Mark Waid’s story here. The inclusion of the Champions in Avengers has aided that book, which was often boggled down in continuity quests. Yet adding the Avengers to the Champions for the crossover hasn’t aided a series where Waid often capitalizes on the young cast for more cutting edge stories with more emotional soap opera involved. It’s grounded down the series in a routine adventure.
Image by IDW Publishing
While this arc involves the High Evolutionary, a classic yet mostly unknown villain, we haven’t seen any of him yet. Instead the story has spent two issues (the first act of three) hyping him up with falling meteors and shaking buildings. The fire-breathing Minotaur is fun, yet in the end he’s just another generic monster for Hercules and Hulk to smash. It seems clear that Mark Waid could easily tighten this arc up to four issues if he had to, yet the crossover gimmick justifies decompression.
Image by IDW Publishing
There are a few entertaining moments here. Any reunion of the two leads from Incredible Hercules is great. Considering the tension between both teams, it’s different seeing two of them be old chums. Cyclops has an interesting moment relating to the robotic Vision. Miles, who often struggles to have a personality here beyond “good guy,” has a nice line sticking up for Viv. Nova’s awkwardness is fun, and while it came at Spider-Man’s expense, it was cool seeing Ms. Marvel step up.
Image by IDW Publishing
An Amazing Run on Art Almost Makes up for the Flaws!
Humberto Ramos continues on his unbelievable uninterrupted run as solo penciler. Thirteen monthly issues without a fill-in or major lateness is unheard of these days for most comic book artists. Regular colorist and inker Delgado and Olazaba also continue backing up his lines with solid inks and colors. While there is some sign of rush — especially near the finale of the issue — it’s on par with previous issues. Big men, elastic girls, and big monsters are among Ramos’ forte.
Image by IDW Publishing
A final addendum comes from the Marvel Legacy inspired back up strip. In order to celebrate Marvel’s latest indulgence of nostalgic renumbering, every comic offers a back up strip regarding the origin of the stars. Champions naturally summarizes the team’s founders and how they met, yet goes too far with Miles. It mentions the spider-bite, without a peep of how Miles is a refugee from a parallel universe (Ultimate) that is now defunct with a whole new family alongside his old memories.
Image by IDW Publishing
Next: Scope the start of the collision of worlds in Avengers #672!
In conclusion, this “Worlds Collide” crossover may have done wonders for the Avengers, yet it has bogged the Champions down. Even the arc’s title is fairly generic. The only title more overused in comic books than that is a title with the word “resurrection” in it. The bigger question of whether Waid has a clever enough angle to make an oftentimes boring villain like High Evolutionary work are for the future. For now, this arc seems like it is going through the motions of an opening act.