Champions #2: Yesterday…All My Troubles…

And so we learn why Miles was so angry in the first issue of this new volume, why Amadeus was so stressed out, and is it ever a doozy of a revelation! The Mephisto reveal at the end of the debut issue was a wild, wild twist, but the reason he appears – what he offers, what he does or doesn’t expect in return – is an interesting tale. The fact is that any villain never does anything without reason, and though Miles was very tempted by the no-strings-attached offer that Mephisto put forth, there was one little (okay, not-so-little) trade that happened when realities switched that might have a big effect on things – the woman Miles saved before the timeline switch, who he was unable to save after. While it’s not clear if he remembers the woman at all, or if he noticed that she was dead this time around, there has to be a reason why that panel was shown at the very end of the issue. It’s possible that the woman would have gone on to pose some sort of threat to Mephisto – or maybe the magical/mystical/demonic community – and so she had to die, and this was Mephisto’s very messed up way of making it happen. Granted, it could also just be to show that Miles never had a chance of saving anyone, but the moment and the character feel too pointed to just be a one-off, and it’d leave Mephisto without any sort of motivation whatsoever – he’s definitely not someone who’s simply motivated by any kindness of his heart. A secret is never kept a secret for long, though, and Ms. Marvel and the others are bound to find out what happened eventually, if not from Miles, then definitely from Amadeus. How that will play out – and how it will affect the core of the team, as well as the new expanded team – should prove to be some interesting character work.

As always, there are a couple of little character beats that Jim Zub works in that helps expand the reader’s understanding of who the character is and where they are – the opening page about Sam wanting to be back in action, but too embarrassed to ask his friends for help is very effective. I also appreciate how it’s not a foregone conclusion that Sam will become Nova again – maybe he’ll stay powerless for the foreseeable future, or end up taking on a different identity altogether. Because these aren’t the classic, original versions of the codenamed heroes, they have room to change and grow in different directions, and wherever Sam will go should be interesting to see.

Steve Cummings does some pretty solid work in this issue, especially considering he has some very big, emotional beats that he has to show, given the deaths of Kamala and Viv, as well as portraying Miles and Amadeus’ pain, shock, and horror at what’s happened. The art style is maybe a little less cartoony and a little stiffer than one would like for a book like the Champions – especially given the fact that that past artists have included the likes of Marcus To – but Cummings is able to sell the big moments, and draw a Mephisto who seems otherwordly and threatening without leaning too far into horror. Emotion can sometimes be hard to convey in comics, and Cummings has the skills required to show different emotions, and to make sure that the characters aren’t screaming on every page, even in an emotionally wrought issue. It’s commendable work, and I’m excited to see him familiarize himself with these characters more, and see him further flesh out the world of the Champions. Marcio Menyz uses a warm, flat, subdued color palette for this book, and given the gravity of the situation in this issue, it really works. A more vibrant palette, with a shinier sheen, would have seemed at odds with what was going on in this issue – it’s an intelligent use of color.