It’s time for The Champions to face the music and own up to their deeds, yet unexpected allies may change the plan. Your Major Spoilers review of Champions #5 from Marvel Comics, awaits!

CHAMPIONS #5

Writer: Eve L. Ewing
Artist: Bob Quinn
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editor: Alanna Smith
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 17th, 2021

Previously in Champions: The team has been on the run ever since the implementation of Kamala’s Law, which banned teenage vigilantes. But, with a new outlook on things, the team prepares to stand up and fight.

MS. MARVEL GOES TO WASHINGTON

Champions #5 opens with Viv Vision and Brawn infiltrating one of C.R.A.D.L.E.’s re-education camps. During which they find gear provided by the Roxxon Corporation. In Chicago the rest of the team prepares to make a broadcast, when they’re interrupted by Brawn and Viv that inform them that Roxxon is behind everything. They then broadcast surveillance footage from the re-education facility that shows how abusive it all was. The team then goes to confront Senator Patrick. Before they arrive Roxxon shows up and threatens the politician who’s showing a willingness to repeal Kamala’s Law. The Champions then arrive, their presence mixed with the Senator’s unwillingness to back down force Roxxon to retreat.

A HAPPY, YET SAFE CONCLUSION

It’s good that this series has been greenlit for at least another story arc, because there are a few strings left dangling by the end of this issue. Characters like Bombshell, who got it the worst at the re-education center, are characterized as having lasting trauma after what they went to, but that’s sort of brushed away when it’s time to be heroic. Also, rifts between the team, like between Kamala and Riri aren’t wrapped up and Roxxon’s involvement in child abuse and an open attack on a teenage environmentalist is left unaddressed, and the list goes on. But, when it comes to the “Outlawed” story arc, things do feel concluded. The downside to this story arc ending here is that it does away with a lot of the themes about personal responsibility and oversight in the series by basically absolving both The Champions and the U.S. Government of any wrongdoing and making Roxxon the big bad guys. There’s no denying it though that moments like the normal citizens rushing to help The Champions, Viv reuniting with her team, and seeing Senator Patrick standing up to the Roxxon thugs are feelgood moments that should be appreciated.

THE BOTTOM LINE: WRAPS SOMETHINGS UP, LEAVES MUCH MORE TO BE ADDRESSED

Throughout this run of Champions, there have been a lot of serious themes touched on, as well as interesting character developments But, most of the themes and elements aren’t followed to any sort of conclusion or simply brushed away and that is on full display here in Champions #5. While there’s no denying that this chapter in the team’s story is complete, the amount of unaddressed elements dampens the amount of satisfaction that closing has. 3 out of 5 stars.

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Champions #5

60%

60%

Shaky Landing

While Champions #5 does manage to bring things back to pretty much status quo, it does so by either ignoring things from the rest of the series or by solving them in quick, convenient, and safe ways.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  6
• Coloring

  6
• User Ratings (1 Votes)
  4.1