The Team Splinters In Champions #4
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Ms. Marvel confronts Spider-Man in Dubai about the secret he’s keeping from her. Meanwhile, Kaldera attacks former-Nova Sam Alexander on the Champions Mobile Bunker, currently over Manhattan. The rest of the team comes to Sam’s defense, but Kaldera is crazed and is destroying the Mobile Bunker. She’s able to rebuff most of the team’s attacks, and it may be up to Sam himself to pacify Kaldera. Can he do it without his Nova powers?
Champions #4 forces Miles to open up with Kamala about what really happened in Dubai while an old Nova foe comes back to haunt Sam.
It’s an intense issue, and it puts the team at many crossroads. Sam’s lack of powers has become untenable in his own eyes, and Miles and Kamala have to work out their trust issues.
Kaldera is an entertaining villain. I wasn’t reading Nova during her first appearance, but she’s dripping with personality. The way she exits this issue is pretty damn entertaining and even serves to balance the high drama between Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel.
It is a shame that a lot of this won’t be resolved in the near future since this book is tying in with War of the Realms.
Steven Cummings continues to prove himself an artistic powerhouse with this comic. The action scenes are lively, the and the more dramatic scenes come together really well under Cummings’ pen. Dust’s powers look especially good in this issue. Marcio Menyz’s color art is dynamic and popping too, giving this book the high energy tone it needs.
Champions #4 is another impressive showing from Jim Zub and Steven Cummings. They balance the fun, the drama, and the action really well. It’s a darker take on the team than what we’ve seen, but it’s compelling and leaves me wanting more. This one gets a recommendation. Check it out.
Champions #4 comes to us from writer Jim Zub, artist Steven Cummings, color artist Marcio Menyz, letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles, cover artist Kim Jacinto, and variant cover artist Khoi Pham.
