Never got to read Marvel Comics’ THE CHAMPIONS as a kid. Probably because I was only 4 years old at the time. Now that the ’70s title has a long-overdue collection in THE CHAMPIONS CLASSIC: VOL. 1, I can see what I missed out on while I was still wetting the bed.
Plenty. I’ve always been a sucker for comic-book supergroups, whether The Avengers or Justice League of America, but as I age, I find the weirder they are, the better. (And weirder usually means short-lived, as is the case here.) The lineup comprising The Champions seems more bric-a-brac than most: a mythological god, a Russian hottie, a skull-headed biker and two ex-X-Men – better known as Hercules, Black Widow, Ghost Rider, Iceman and Angel.
They’re unwittingly thrown together when a rift opens between dimensions and “creatures from beyond time” slip through to wreak havoc on the UCLA campus. (“By the cloven hooves of Pan! Amazon warriors and harpies – here on Earth!” exclaims Herc, in full Thor-speak.) Once that shit’s settled, the title’s all about squaring off against that month’s D-level guest villain (though, it should be noted, Black Widow does not wait for the danger to be over to don a bikini – thanks, George Tuska!).
The latter half of the 11 issues included here delve into Black Widow’s origins, with lots of nefarious Russian goings-on, culminating in a standalone adventure guest-starring the random likes of Black Goliath, Hawkeye and the Two-Gun Kid! So what if it leaves you hanging? VOL. 2 streets in January, and you’ll be hooked enough to be looking forward to it. This is a book that’s all about the mindless action. I’m not sure what makes it so special that warrants a glossy, full-color trade rather than the ESSENTIAL treatment, but I’ll take it, by Pan. –Rod Lott
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