Champions Vol. 3: Champion For a Day

by Mark Waid

Humberto Ramos (Illustrator), Mark Waid (Script Writer), and Jeremy Whitley (Script Writer)

Collects Champions (2016) #16-18 and #1.MU. Following the staggering loss suffered in their adventure with the Avengers, the Champions decide to double down on their mission to make the world a better place - and that means it's time for a membership drive! Some of the best and brightest young superhumans in the Marvel Universe - including Red Locust - turn up to be Champions for a day! But who will make the grade as the new order changeth? And how long will they last when - following a series of tragic setbacks and shakeups - the disillusioned Champions begin to consider giving up the fight after all? Plus: As monsters are unleashed on Earth, a peaceful protest in an endangered habitat leads the team into a showdown with the Freelancers - not to mention giant Leviathons falling from the sky!

• ISBN10: 1302906208
• ISBN13: 9781302906207
• Publish Date: 7 August 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 4 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Marvel Comics
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 112
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781302906207

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I read Champions Vol. 3 as single issues through the Marvel Unlimited app.

Before I get started on this review, I just wanted to say that I’m missing a few things between this volume and the last one, and I know it. I’m assuming everything I missed happened in Secret Empire or one of those event plots; I just wasn’t in the mood to try and track it down at the moment. So yeah, spoilers ahead for me. I know, and I’m okay with that.
What I do know for certain is that the Champions teamed up with the Avengers again. That usually doesn’t bode well, especially for the younger members in any team. There’s always some sort of cost to these team-ups. And it looks like this one was no exception.
The Champions team as it stands at the start of this volume (since it seems to always be changing): Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Kid Nova, The Totally Awesome Hulk, Viv Vision, and Cyclops (the kid version).



There is a lot of stuff crammed into this one volume. Though admittedly a lot of it is focused on Viv and what has happened to her. It’s an interesting read from start to finish though, so I’d suggest giving it a try.
First I just want to say that Vision is cold blooded. I mean, seriously? Replacing his (supposedly) dead daughter like that? And then being unhappy about ‘getting stuck’ with two of them instead of just the one? Yeah, that’s brutal. No wonder Viv is having so much trouble here.
Well, actually there’s more than one reason Viv is having trouble, but I don’t want to spoil it all for you. I will say that it was an incredibly interesting plot. I wouldn’t have minded reading more about it actually, truth be told. It almost made me wish she’d have her own series.
Because of all the changes going on though, the team decided that they needed to add a few new members. This had me raising my eyebrows, because I’m pretty sure they don’t have the funding or the space for more people, but hey, what do I know?
I will say that I’m happy with the people they pulled into the team, so I can’t complain about that. They picked Ironheart (totally saw that coming), Falcon (the young one, not Sam Wilson), Red Locust (I knew they were going to add her to the team! Or that she’d add herself…), Patriot (more muscle), and finally Wasp (I think she might have been an honorary member before this. It sort of feels like it anyway).
They also lose a member of the team, but thankfully not to fatality. I won’t say who it is, other than to note that I’ll be curious to see the impact of it in later plots. I think it’ll be okay, since they’re not one of the original four…but you never know. Regardless I’m looking forward to reading the next volume. Though I should probably go and track down what I missed before that…


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