Because the World Still Needs Heroes - Champions Appreciation 2019

[Digifiend]

Hmm, let's see then. The writers mentioned, and who would likely be on the next roster if they took over:

Jeremy Whitley:
Pros: he wrote the Champions Monsters Unleashed one-shot. He also wrote Unstoppable Wasp, so Nadia would definitely stay on the team.
Team changes: He'd probably add Priya (speculation: Zub clearly already knows who's taking over - was Whitley setting it up, hence Priya's ending in Unstoppable Wasp?), and maybe Finesse and former Young Avenger Stinger.
Negative: Wasp's two runs only lasted two TPBs each, and his other Marvel work is one-shots.
Eve Ewing:
Pros: Has written Ironheart for 11 issues (so Riri's roster spot would be secure), with Kamala, Miles, and Nadia appearing in them. Also wrote three issues of Kamala's secondary book Marvel Team-Up. Definitely embraces past continuity as she's using New Warriors lore in Ironheart.
Negative: Lack of experience. Ironheart was her comic book debut.
Christos Gage:
Pros: Wrote Avengers Academy which had a two year run with entirely new characters. Is also the writer of Superior Spider-Man, which made use of the West Coast Avengers in War of the Realms.
Team changes: Would probably use some of the 2000s era teens.
Negative: Lack of history with the established Champions cast.
Rainbow Rowell:
Pros: Current Runaways writer. She does use past continuity, notably with Victor Mancha's involvement in Avengers AI and The Vision. Wrote a Ms. Marvel story for it's 50th issue.
Negative: Runaways isn't an action driven book.
Kelly Thompson:
Pros: Wrote the mostly teen West Coast Avengers recently.
Negative: Said book got cancelled after two TPBs, as was her Jessica Jones. WCA's cancellation was recent enough that she'd likely not be interested.
Saladin Ahmed:
Pros: Already writing Kamala's and Miles's solo books.
Negative: Exiles got cancelled after two TPBs (you can see a pattern here).
Al Ewing:
Pros: Has done several team books already, and did use teen heroes on some (Power Man, White Tiger, Squirrel Girl, Wiccan, Hulkling, America Chavez). Loves referring to past continuity.
Team changes: Would probably add Squirrel Girl.
Negative: Probably too busy, and Power Man is the only Champion he's written (I'm not counting No Surrender, as Waid probably provided most of Nadia's lines in that).

[Woozie]

Correction. Kelly Thompson's Jessica Jones wasn't cancelled, they were minis. She stated their lengths at the very outset. You're right about the rest though.

[Snoop Dogg]

TIER 1:

Whitley, Gage, A. Ewing

TIER 2:

E. Ewing, Rowell

TIER 3:

Ahmed, Thompson

[Grimm911]

I wouldn’t count, Saladin’s, Exiles run as a negative against him when it come to his skill with team books. I read all the issues and it seems he’s actually very good balancing out team dynamics and development. This is also evident with the first half of his Black Bolt series when the character had to partner up with the other inmates. Exiles was on borrowed time the moment it was announced since it dealt with rather obscure characters for modern times. Still had fun reading though.

Side note: which artist would you partner with you’re choices. I think a relaunch would need an attention grabber so why not Marvel Young Gun Pepe Larraz? Or how about relative newcomer to Marvel Moy R.?

[Snoop Dogg]

To clarify, I only put Ahmed on Tier 3 because he's already doing double-duty in that corner of the line, and KT's only there because she admitted she's not good at the boom smash pow epic kaploosh the series needs.

[Grimm911]

To clarify, I only put Ahmed on Tier 3 because he's already doing double-duty in that corner of the line, and KT's only there because she admitted she's not good at the boom smash pow epic kaploosh the series needs.

Fair points I didn’t take into consideration. Nothing worse than a writer being stretched too thin or one working outside their wheelhouse.

[Woozie]

KT's best series is jessica Jones and i'd call WCA her weakest easily. So yeah the regular team punch stuff isn't her wheel house

[Frontier]

To clarify, I only put Ahmed on Tier 3 because he's already doing double-duty in that corner of the line, and KT's only there because she admitted she's not good at the boom smash pow epic kaploosh the series needs.

Which is kind of ironic when you put her on a Rogue and Captain Marvel book.

[Digifiend]

I wouldn’t count, Saladin’s, Exiles run as a negative against him when it come to his skill with team books. I read all the issues and it seems he’s actually very good balancing out team dynamics and development. This is also evident with the first half of his Black Bolt series when the character had to partner up with the other inmates. Exiles was on borrowed time the moment it was announced since it dealt with rather obscure characters for modern times. Still had fun reading though.

The negative was that it got cancelled so soon, not the quality of the book itself. Quality doesn't equal popularity.

ANY writer will have strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, several have the SAME weakness - their past books failing to last a year.

[Chris0013]

Unfortunately, he's now a villain called Talonar.

I would love for Robbie to get out of the whole Fraternity or Raptors but keep the Nega-Bands.

As far as the cancellation at lest they are getting Sam his helmet back.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, thank goodness at least THAT will be resolved. If it wasn't, that could've been the end for Sam, permanently.

[J. D. Guy]

Bad news guys. Stick a fork in it, it's done.
https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDo...E1NjQwMDI5NTU=

CHAMPIONS #10
JIM ZUB (W) • STEVEN CUMMINGS (A)
Cover by KIM JACINTO
• The next generation made a vow to do better.
• Now, they have to live up to it, as the future of the Champions hangs in the balance.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Kamala's lost her Team-Up book as well.

It's over

Talking About Champions
Once the October solicits arrived online, I knew discussion would start around our current run. It’s with a heavy heart that I let all of you know CHAMPIONS will be wrapping up with issue #10.

I built this new take on the team as a way to try and bridge classic teen superheroic drama with an eclectic cast of characters – old school Marvel brought to the present with a new generation of heroes.

I took a risk with the book and it didn’t click the way we hoped, so my long-term plans for the series have been cut short. That’s the way it goes sometimes.

It hurts. Dressing that up any other way would be disingenuous. I wish it had worked out. I’m sorry I let you down.

The readers and reviewers who keyed into what we were going for were incredible. Their excitement kept us going month after month. If you didn’t get a chance to read the current run, I hope you’ll consider giving us a shot in single issues, collections, or digital.

Big thanks to our whole creative team – Steven Cummings, Marcio Menyz, Clayton Cowles, Juanan Ramirez, Kim Jacinto, and Rain Beredo. An even deeper thank you to editors CB Cebulski, Tom Brevoort, Alanna Smith, and Shannon Andrews for letting me run with this idea in the first place. The risk didn’t pay off this time, but the only way we can build new classic stories is to push out into the unknown and see what’s possible.

If you’re reading this and lamenting the future of your favorite young heroes, I can tell you that there are big plans for Marvel’s teens in 2020. I’ve heard about the next stage of the Champions story – It’s exciting, vibrant, and absolutely worthy of the House of Ideas. I’m a bit wistful that it’s not mine to tell, but also hopeful for the future of these inspiring young heroes.

Thanks for the support,
Jim

https://jimzub.tumblr.com/post/18654...solicits#notes
I'm very curious about what this 2020 plan is though, considering this looks like they'll still be called Champions.

This is... disappointing.

I can definitely concede to your last point. For good or bad, Zub was doing a slowburn with all of his plotlines which, in addition to his later decision to expand the team to like 15 members, really wasn't the best idea pacing wise. As cool as it was that he was bringing characters out of limbo, he probably should have stuck to the core team that he has established before the relaunch.

You see, for me, while I can see and understand the idea put forth here, I don't wish to believe it is the right course. Especially not in this case,. I love these slow-burn type stories that include everyone relevant, and brings forth those who should be relevant but that don't get used anyway, and gives them moments of awesomeness to their names and progress their own individual character narratives. Power Man's showing not too long ago in this very book is a perfect example of why I love, respect and appreciate this approach to story-telling.

I don't know... I guess there's the pragmatic perspective, but I'd rather they push books like theses, like how they will push books like Captain Marvel. In this case, even, I feel it didn't even under-perform in a way that warranted serious cancellation, or even relaunching. Not at this point. I'm just... disappointed.

[Digifiend]

Honestly, I think this book might have been doomed once issue 2/29's direct market sales estimates were released. The book hadn't improved it's sales from the previous volume at all. Issue 19, not issue 28, should've been when they relaunched. That would actually mean this isn't Zub's fault, but editorial's.

[Anthony W]

Honestly, I think this book might have been doomed once issue 2/29's direct market sales estimates were released. The book hadn't improved it's sales from the previous volume at all. Issue 19, not issue 28, should've been when they relaunched. That would actually mean this isn't Zub's fault, but editorial's.

I don't think it's anyone's fault. They did pretty good considering what they were working with.

[Digifiend]

Another point of contention would be the TPBs. The new one is Champions by Jim Zub vol 1. Isn't that confusing? It's actually his third, and the fifth overall for the team, so people will probably look for volume 5, think it's not listed yet, and not order it. They'll have lost pre-orders because of that. The relaunch was mistimed, there's no denying that.