For a book that is full of characters, we are getting a whole issue of basically dialogue on the evolution of teens into adulthood. Viv is getting a full lesson on what youth go through to become their true adult form. Kamala is getting it hit in her face about the implication that maybe the Champions actions have to be reigned in. Miles is also on that wavelength, and seems either timid, or non-committal about teen superheroes. Only Sam is bombastically still aggressively a superhero. Riri, I don’t think wants to address these issues. It will be interesting if as Riri was dragged into this situation, that she becomes more immersed as a hero than she appears here. Maybe she becomes as strong as Kamala in leadership? I’d like to see that. (Miles too. He has the most experience, but hangs back and lets others lead)
Cyclops to me doesn’t seem to need to be involved in confronting the government at this stage of House of X. This is a specifically domestic issue in the USA, and to get involved, we can see Kamala has taken on a more confident stance, once an adult stands up for the Champs. This takes away the gravitas of the moment from Kamala hands, after she sobbed so hard that they were probably not doing the right thing. Now? Cyclops has reassured her, as you see her demeanour is a lot more aggressive with the confidence of being defended.
A whole issue where there is no fighting, (just fleeing), and it takes me back to the Initiative, where kids were put into training camps and forced to become an army for the government. The re-education classes, the breaking down teens like the CIA terrorist camp in Cuba. There are ways to do this without the heavy hand, (as seen also in this months Snapshot CW issue). In Australia, the African refugees, and new immigrants, are struggling with their teens forming gangs in my city of Melbourne, and authorities are trying to address the situation as best they can. But the tradition of a thousand years in their home countries is difficult to change. The Champions are in a similar situation, where they are doing harm, and need to have another way of being heroes. I liked how Kamala Khan started out using a different method to deal with crises when she came across it. Kamala brought this to her Champions, and was being successful doing that, until Outlawed.
I want this “Outlawed” series in a hardcover, to get the whole story from the perspective of all the solo characters and the Champs in one volume, as a reference read. As wrong as C.R.A.D.L.E. starts out as a political ploy for someone’s elevation, it was a topical exercise for a group like the Champs to confront their stance after CWII when they broke apart from the Avengers completely, and struck out by themselves. If they come out of this strengthening their stance that adult superheroes are wrong and teens do it better, then good. I want a good reason why that is the case. But if they learn something about adult responsibility and that you are allowed to make mistakes, then that is okay too.
Last edited by jackolover; 12-06-2020 at 09:21 PM.
I would also like to see an Outlawed collection that would make for relatively easy referencing, and on the philosophical topics and themes you raise, there are some pretty good points in there. I thought Cyclops showing up at the end . . . well, he didn't need to do that, per se, but at this point, a sympathetic adult ear that knew what it was like to be trod underfoot just for trying to do the right thing by or in a society that was unwilling to offer understanding, compassion, or basic human empathy was more than welcome, at least in my opinion. That said, I do agree that aside from the elation Kamala must have felt in that moment, there should be more room for her to explore, examine, and reconcile her doubts in herself and her self-given mission.
The spider is always on the hunt.
I just wanted to chime in that I have really enjoyed Eve Ewing's writing thus far. I think Outlawed / Champions 1-3 were really solid stuff, and I feel bad that Covid-19 derailed some of the momentum of this book because it took what was a slightly stale idea (Civil War but with kids...which Civil War already kind of did) but is updating it in a smart way that reads far better than Civil War did.
I loved Cyclops coming in to help his old team at the end of issue 3 and I am just very impressed by Ewing's craft in these 4 issues. It's really quite good
I suppose I have to consider Cyclops was considering the teen Champs like teen mutants misunderstood and hounded. Cyclops has been warning the world that anytime a young mutant is threatened, they will have to deal with him, so from that view I can see Cyclops takes this kind behaviour by Kamala’s Law very personally.
As for Kamala internalising her predicament, we only have one more issue of Champs to see how this pans out, (plus 2 issues of Magnificent Ms Marvel), so it’s going to be tough to address Vivs involvement, and how Kamala sits after this.
And yes, give me a hard cover at the end of this. I want to read what Ewing and Ahmed have to say where they were going with this.
#4's not the last issue. It just got delayed from January to February, resulting in a duplicate solicitation. I expect to see issue #5 in the March solicits next week.
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Riri's getting a live action Disney+ series! Dominique Thorne will be playing her.
https://twitter.com/MarvelStudios/st...99696343863296
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I wonder if they'd adapt that Bendis arc where Riri and Pepper team-up against Tomoe/Techno-Golem to give Pepper an excuse to become Rescue again (which I found kind of silly in Endgame, but it is what it is).
I feel like Ironheart should take the onus off of MCU Peter to be so tethered to Tony but so much of that ship has sailed.