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Champions (1975) #1-17
Marvel Masterworks: The Champions, Vol. 1
Collects Champions (1975) #1-17; Iron Man Annual (1970) #4; Avengers (1963) #163; Super-Villain Team-Up (1975) #14; Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #17-18, Hulk Annual #7.
Join the Black Widow, Hercules, Ghost Rider, Iceman and Angel as they form an all-new super-team: the Champions! This massive Masterworks collects the Champions' complete adventures in a single volume! Every issue, every highlight, every page as the lives of these Marvel icons play out together. Their struggles will reveal the origin of the man who created the Black Widow, pit them against the combined might of Magneto and Doctor Doom; unleash the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man on Los Angeles; team them with the Stranger in the fight for an Infinity Gem; and bring fan-favorite artist John Byrne aboard for some of his greatest early work, including stories featuring the Sentinels and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!
Join the Black Widow, Hercules, Ghost Rider, Iceman and Angel as they form an all-new super-team: the Champions! This massive Masterworks collects the Champions' complete adventures in a single volume! Every issue, every highlight, every page as the lives of these Marvel icons play out together. Their struggles will reveal the origin of the man who created the Black Widow, pit them against the combined might of Magneto and Doctor Doom; unleash the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man on Los Angeles; team them with the Stranger in the fight for an Infinity Gem; and bring fan-favorite artist John Byrne aboard for some of his greatest early work, including stories featuring the Sentinels and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!
460 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2016
37 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Tony Isabella
398 books24 followersTony Isabella is an American comic book writer, editor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and as a columnist and critic for the Comics Buyer's Guide.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 4, 2020
This was an odd try for a superhero team. While I liked all the individual characters I never thought they meshed well as a team. Good art and stories but no internal flow to the series. Worth a read. Recommended
July 28, 2024
Well, it's about time. No, The Champions are not the long forgotten greatest team in the history of the Marvel Universe. No, this is not the finest example of comic-book writing from the 1970s. In fact, there is little that really stands out here. Except ... there is a lot worth remembering here. The writers and artists who contributed to these pages wanted to make history. This rag-tag group of loose-ends were exactly what they appeared to be: a group of misfits from odd corners of the Marvel Universe that really had no business being together. Much like the Defenders this was a group of odd second tier characters that Marvel was trying to lump together to make sales. Two of the founding members of the X-Men who had quit that group; two former Avengers who had never really worked on the team together but had meet before, one of whom was a former Soviet spy and the other an immortal Greek god, well technically a Demi-god (but I'm not going to argue about it with him) and a stunt motorcyclist possessed by a demon. Yeah, this is gonna work out just fine. This was a fun read when it first came out and I've read the issues many, many times since. Angel, Black Widow, Ghost Rider, Hercules and Iceman gave it their best shot. The two years or so this comic was coming out, I never missed an issue. Guest appearances by possible future members Darkstar, Black Goliath and Hawkeye only illustrated the weird potential this group might have had, had the quirks gotten ironed out. Which they were not. The stories were average, with maybe a couple of ones that flashed with a glimmer of brilliance. The art was the same, steady reliable house style from Marvel with a couple of brilliant issues by John Byrne. But sadly it was a case of too little and too late in the run. The Champions fought an uphill battle and they just couldn't quite reach their audience. Except … they reached me. And now the whole run is collected in a single volume. Nice. I guess I'll just have to read it again and again.
November 24, 2024
This is a very interesting set of characters from the late 1970s that come together in this enjoyable but short lived series. In the end the bickering between teammates is prophetic since the book got cancelled after 17 issues. Definitely an enjoyable read!
December 10, 2022
The Champions isn't the worst 70s Marvel run - plenty of their other comics had stretches as uninspiring and purposeless, with script and art seemingly cobbled together by whoever had a spare week. There are moments here of occasional competence from a story perspective, and some early John Byrne does a little to salvage the later issues art-wise.
But there's something uniquely pitiful about The Champions, a book with no reason to exist beyond using a few stray characters, and where that existential doubt transfers fully to the page: these adventures are pointless scraps involving people who barely talk to one another, and even the characters admit as much.
The book cycles through a handful of ideas, each quickly discarded as it becomes apparent nobody can think of much to do with them. They're based on the West Coast! Okay, but they have two New York based X-Men, a Russian and an ancient greek demigod. They're "the team for the common man" - but the only person to approach them based on this turns out to be on the run from the cosmic powered Stranger. For a few issues the book hints at a topical turn - exo-skeletal nemesis Rampage is introduced as "the first recession supervillain" but soon enough he's a cackler and ranter like all the others. Towards the end it feels like the comic is trying to embrace the weirdness of the wider Marvel Universe, with appearances by Stilt-Man and Swarm, but it just reads like a poor man's Defenders. In the end the team break up mostly because their new HQ is so terribly built, a metaphor perhaps for the entire concept.
The only fondness I had for The Champions - and the reason I bought this exhaustive volume when Comixology had it on sale - is that back when I started reading Marvel you could get the back issues for a song, especially compared to the rest of the 70s. I bought several on mail order, only to discover there was a reason for their neglect: no hidden gems here. Perhaps, the adult me thought indulgently, they were worth revisiting. Perhaps a fuller context would reveal the charms I'd missed. No and no.
But there's something uniquely pitiful about The Champions, a book with no reason to exist beyond using a few stray characters, and where that existential doubt transfers fully to the page: these adventures are pointless scraps involving people who barely talk to one another, and even the characters admit as much.
The book cycles through a handful of ideas, each quickly discarded as it becomes apparent nobody can think of much to do with them. They're based on the West Coast! Okay, but they have two New York based X-Men, a Russian and an ancient greek demigod. They're "the team for the common man" - but the only person to approach them based on this turns out to be on the run from the cosmic powered Stranger. For a few issues the book hints at a topical turn - exo-skeletal nemesis Rampage is introduced as "the first recession supervillain" but soon enough he's a cackler and ranter like all the others. Towards the end it feels like the comic is trying to embrace the weirdness of the wider Marvel Universe, with appearances by Stilt-Man and Swarm, but it just reads like a poor man's Defenders. In the end the team break up mostly because their new HQ is so terribly built, a metaphor perhaps for the entire concept.
The only fondness I had for The Champions - and the reason I bought this exhaustive volume when Comixology had it on sale - is that back when I started reading Marvel you could get the back issues for a song, especially compared to the rest of the 70s. I bought several on mail order, only to discover there was a reason for their neglect: no hidden gems here. Perhaps, the adult me thought indulgently, they were worth revisiting. Perhaps a fuller context would reveal the charms I'd missed. No and no.
January 28, 2022
When Len Wein revived the X-Men with Giant-Sized X-Men #1, the only original member of the team he kept was Cyclops. Beast moved on and joined the Avengers, and Claremont had plans for Jean Grey, but this left Iceman and Angel unused. Enter: The Champions. A super-hero team based in L.A. and intended to be the heroes for the common man, the Champions consisted of Angel (their founder), Iceman, Black Widow (their leader), Hercules, and Ghost Rider. It's a bizarre combination of heroes and they never really fit well together. Both in-universe and out, the Champions are a failure of a superhero team. Their fancy skyscraper was built cheaply and its security system doesn't function, their flying car almost blows up the first time they try to use it, the press conference announcing their formation is attacked by super-villains, Iceman secretly plans to quit before the team even gets off the ground, and rather than helping the common man, they spend all their time defending themselves from personal attacks. I'm sure these were intended to be early hiccups they overcome, but the comic was canceled after 17 issues so that never happens and eventually all the members quit, no longer on speaking terms with one another. It makes for a strangely depressing reading experience. It also just isn't very good.
June 16, 2019
well worth the cover price but at 5 dollars i got a great deal the last few issues are clearly rushed
May 24, 2019
The Champions frequently talk about how they didn't make sense as a team.
They don't!
Basically the closest it comes to a core story is the story of Black Widow and her long-forgotten trainer. The rest of it is a lot of general ineffectualness and isolated self-pity.
They don't!
Basically the closest it comes to a core story is the story of Black Widow and her long-forgotten trainer. The rest of it is a lot of general ineffectualness and isolated self-pity.
June 24, 2019
I didn't read this particular edition but did read all the issues. The Champions is an interesting concept especially since it might well be the first ever super-team with a female leader.
Its basically an Avengers-lite squad, with Hercules for Thor, Angel for Iron Man, Iceman as the young one, Ghost Rider as the bad boy you can't trust (kinda Hulk or Quicksilver maybe) and filing in for Captain America as leader we have Black Widow.
Black Widow as the Captain America type leader is really interesting given that she wasn't even involved with SHIELD yet in those days.
Anyway these comics are terrible. The female leader angle completely folds after the two issue formation arc. During these setup issue Black Widow starts giving orders and people follow them because it seems like she knows what shes doing and so when they decided to formalize the team they elect her leader.
In the very next issue she starts giving orders again but now all the guys react weirdly as if they have a problem following a womans orders and thats it she never really makes any decisions again. Not that anyone else takes over leadership the rest of the plots are all reactive and nobody in the team ever really gets to make any plans again.
The main conceit of the team though is that they're really bad at their job. Thats the whole point, they're written as losers but unfortunately following the exploits of people who are worthless isn't compelling.
I should also mention that Black Widow apart from having her leadership role (probably the only interesting thing about the team) completely thrown aside, also has to spend most of the run worrying about her looks and they introduce a younger hotter russian spy character to compare her to.
Finally the only good Champions comic issue apart from the two-part setup is Godzilla #3, and for some bizarre reason that doesn't appear to be included in this volume, yay :| .
Edit: Some of the other crossover issues included here are ok, mostly involving Angel and Iceman.
Its basically an Avengers-lite squad, with Hercules for Thor, Angel for Iron Man, Iceman as the young one, Ghost Rider as the bad boy you can't trust (kinda Hulk or Quicksilver maybe) and filing in for Captain America as leader we have Black Widow.
Black Widow as the Captain America type leader is really interesting given that she wasn't even involved with SHIELD yet in those days.
Anyway these comics are terrible. The female leader angle completely folds after the two issue formation arc. During these setup issue Black Widow starts giving orders and people follow them because it seems like she knows what shes doing and so when they decided to formalize the team they elect her leader.
In the very next issue she starts giving orders again but now all the guys react weirdly as if they have a problem following a womans orders and thats it she never really makes any decisions again. Not that anyone else takes over leadership the rest of the plots are all reactive and nobody in the team ever really gets to make any plans again.
The main conceit of the team though is that they're really bad at their job. Thats the whole point, they're written as losers but unfortunately following the exploits of people who are worthless isn't compelling.
I should also mention that Black Widow apart from having her leadership role (probably the only interesting thing about the team) completely thrown aside, also has to spend most of the run worrying about her looks and they introduce a younger hotter russian spy character to compare her to.
Finally the only good Champions comic issue apart from the two-part setup is Godzilla #3, and for some bizarre reason that doesn't appear to be included in this volume, yay :| .
Edit: Some of the other crossover issues included here are ok, mostly involving Angel and Iceman.
February 5, 2018
Marvel's superteam, The Champions, were conceived as sort of the West Coast Avengers before that became an actual thing in the 80s. The roster of Angel, Iceman, Black Widow, Ghost Rider, and Hercules was a solid one. The change of location from NYC to LA allowed for some unique premises. This collection includes all 17 issues of the initial run as well as five other issues from various series where the team appears.
There is no real underlying storyarc to The Champions, it's really just a hodgepodge of villains attacking and The Champions battling them. Sometimes there's infighting among the members (not anything close to absurdity of the dissolution of The Defenders every other issue) and there's a hint of romance blooming between Widow and Hercules, but no real solid foundation (or major A-list heroes) to get the title off the ground. In the final two issues included Angel talks to Spider-Man about how quickly it all went south and how it was sort of doomed to begin with, which seemed like a very tongue-in-cheek reference to me. Despite the lack of solid groundwork, these are very fun comics to read with lots of great appearances from various Marvel heroes and villains. Recommended.
There is no real underlying storyarc to The Champions, it's really just a hodgepodge of villains attacking and The Champions battling them. Sometimes there's infighting among the members (not anything close to absurdity of the dissolution of The Defenders every other issue) and there's a hint of romance blooming between Widow and Hercules, but no real solid foundation (or major A-list heroes) to get the title off the ground. In the final two issues included Angel talks to Spider-Man about how quickly it all went south and how it was sort of doomed to begin with, which seemed like a very tongue-in-cheek reference to me. Despite the lack of solid groundwork, these are very fun comics to read with lots of great appearances from various Marvel heroes and villains. Recommended.
March 18, 2024
Two X-Men, two Avengers, and a demon. The team is kind of a mess that could have been interesting if anyone cares. It threatens to be interesting, but the team dynamics never make it, even after the random addition of Darkstar. Reading this next to the Claremont X-Men is a trip. It’s so clear why Claremont’s X-Men became a juggernaut, pun partially intended, and these other series fell by the wayside.
Champions #1 ⧫ 2 Stars “The World Still Needs... The Champions!”
The start of this series basically gives the minimum amount of information on each member; then, it jumps right into the plot, which centers on Hercules.
Champions #2 ⧫ 1.5 Stars “Whom the Gods Would Join…”
The plot continues from last time and involves the machinations of the evil Olympian Pluto arranging marriages. It’s nonsense. Even the rather flat art makes this feel more like a Silver Age DC comic than anything contemporary. I can’t believe Iceman and Angel left the X-Men for this.
Champions #3 ⧫ 2 Stars “Assault on Olympus!”
I prefer this team of Tuska/Colletta over the Heck/Tartag team of the first two issues. These teams will go back and forth for many of these early issues. Also, the silly intro story finally ends.
Champions #4 ⧫ 3 Stars “Murder at Malibu!”
X-Men scribe Chris Claremont takes over for a better, but overall average issue. This issue really crystallizes the overstuffed nature of the team. It doesn’t really have time to focus on the entire team, so it’s one page of a few of the characters; then, the plot happens; then, there’s a fight, and it ends.
Champions #5 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “The Economy Is So Bad That…”
Angel finds out he’s rich, which seems weird because he’s always been rich. This one at least takes a second to have some character moments, though I guess Ghost Rider is just in this to look cool? Oh well, I’m not a big fan anyway. The Champions get their first villain as a team, and he’s shitty Iron Man. This is a very 70s Marvel book, and this isn’t exactly a high point for the company.
Champions #6 ⧫ 3 Stars “Mad Dogs & Businessmen”
A little more drama here, and the team starts having some consequences and friction. Also, the definitely permanent defeat of Rampage.
Champions #7 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “The Man Who Created the Black Widow”
Honestly, I’m pretty into this direction for the team as they manage their own pasts and try to do genuine good. I’m always a sucker for a hero who advocates for their villain.
Champions #8 ⧫ 3 Stars “Divide and Conquer!”
Bob Hall takes over art duties for issues 8-10, and I’m not a fan. He has a flat 70s Saturday Morning cartoon style that doesn’t work for me. It’s another continuation of the arc, and other than being a little cluttered, the story continues to be good and involving for the whole team.
Champions #9 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “The Battle of Los Angeles!”
And, it’s back to a weird “will the group stay together,” which seems incredibly early. It doesn’t help that the villains are generic nationalists with out of the blue personal associations with the team, and they beat the team pretty quickly.
Champions #10 ⧫ 2 Stars “One Man's Son Is Another Man's Poison!”
Kind of a mess. Fighting! Reveals? Ending! It ended…
Champions #11 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Shadow from the Stars”
John Byrne, I have been so excited. As a big Fantastic Four fan, and yes, I know he did the seminal and defining X-Men work alongside Claremont, I was super excited to get to his brief stint on the team. The start is fine. Some generic aliens aren’t great, but there is some sabotage involved in the team, so that’s cool… Maybe I shouldn’t get excited.
Champions #12 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “Did Someone Say...the Stranger?”
Another Byrne issue, but the team gets involved in fishing the plot from Black Goliath’s solo series, which makes this and the next issue feel more like coming into the conclusion of a bloated action story.
Champions #13 ⧫ 2 Stars “The Doom That Went On Forever!”
The story has several twists, but they rely way too much on continuity and not enough on character, so the story feels empty with the heroes being reduced to their powers.
Champions #14 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Creature Called... Swarm!”
The mystery is kind of neat, though the biggest mystery for me is why Swarm needed giant robot bees and where he got them. I also like the ominous ending, though once again, it’s a little too busy. The team just doesn’t have much chemistry.
Champions #15 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “Death Drone!”
More fighting with Swarm’s backstory, which is insane, but does explain the robot bees. I’m not really clear on his motives other than Nazi? The end is kind of cool, I guess. This issue certainly has some imagery.
Iron Man Annual #4 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Doomsday Connection!”
It’s not a bad little story, and even with the addition of Iron Man, it seems like the team has more time for a few individual moments. M.O.D.O.K. is silly, but fun, it’s very good for this series.
Avengers #163 ⧫ 1.5 Stars “The Demi-God Must Die!”
Why did any of this happen? It’s a silly fight issue with no plot and random twists. A shining example of why the Champions book is about to be cancelled.
Super-Villain Team-Up #14 ⧫ 3 Stars “A World For the Winning!”
A silly, but kind of neat Doom dry run for the Emperor Doom story.
Champions #16 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “A World Lost!”
While it doesn’t quite live up to the promise, it still has good scenes, and great, if underutilized villains,
Champions #17 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Sentinels Hunt Again!”
the Sentinels are a good pick. It’s almost a shame the teams is canceled,
Spectacular Spider-Man #17 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Whatever Happened to the Iceman?”
The twist is obvious, but I like the drama and frustration around Angel losing his team. Spider-Man being there is forced, but the fallout of breaking up a super team provides some solid drama.
Spectacular Spider-Man #18 ⧫ 3 Stars “My Friend, My Foe!”
Definitely weaker than the first issue, but it provides an okay ending amidst the explanations for non-Champions readers.
Incredible Hulk Annual #7 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “The Evil That Is Cast…”
Probably the best of the set. Roger Stern is a great writer and Byrne’s are is great as always. The story is a little wonky, and it fits better with X-Men issues than with these issues. It even has direct reference to the Neal Adams sentinel issues from X-Men Omnibus #2 .
Other Comics Reviews
X-Men Omnibus #1
X-Men Omnibus #2
Epic Collection Volume 4: It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #1
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #2
X-Men Classic Omnibus
Champions #1 ⧫ 2 Stars “The World Still Needs... The Champions!”
The start of this series basically gives the minimum amount of information on each member; then, it jumps right into the plot, which centers on Hercules.
Champions #2 ⧫ 1.5 Stars “Whom the Gods Would Join…”
The plot continues from last time and involves the machinations of the evil Olympian Pluto arranging marriages. It’s nonsense. Even the rather flat art makes this feel more like a Silver Age DC comic than anything contemporary. I can’t believe Iceman and Angel left the X-Men for this.
Champions #3 ⧫ 2 Stars “Assault on Olympus!”
I prefer this team of Tuska/Colletta over the Heck/Tartag team of the first two issues. These teams will go back and forth for many of these early issues. Also, the silly intro story finally ends.
Champions #4 ⧫ 3 Stars “Murder at Malibu!”
X-Men scribe Chris Claremont takes over for a better, but overall average issue. This issue really crystallizes the overstuffed nature of the team. It doesn’t really have time to focus on the entire team, so it’s one page of a few of the characters; then, the plot happens; then, there’s a fight, and it ends.
Champions #5 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “The Economy Is So Bad That…”
Angel finds out he’s rich, which seems weird because he’s always been rich. This one at least takes a second to have some character moments, though I guess Ghost Rider is just in this to look cool? Oh well, I’m not a big fan anyway. The Champions get their first villain as a team, and he’s shitty Iron Man. This is a very 70s Marvel book, and this isn’t exactly a high point for the company.
Champions #6 ⧫ 3 Stars “Mad Dogs & Businessmen”
A little more drama here, and the team starts having some consequences and friction. Also, the definitely permanent defeat of Rampage.
Champions #7 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “The Man Who Created the Black Widow”
Honestly, I’m pretty into this direction for the team as they manage their own pasts and try to do genuine good. I’m always a sucker for a hero who advocates for their villain.
Champions #8 ⧫ 3 Stars “Divide and Conquer!”
Bob Hall takes over art duties for issues 8-10, and I’m not a fan. He has a flat 70s Saturday Morning cartoon style that doesn’t work for me. It’s another continuation of the arc, and other than being a little cluttered, the story continues to be good and involving for the whole team.
Champions #9 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “The Battle of Los Angeles!”
And, it’s back to a weird “will the group stay together,” which seems incredibly early. It doesn’t help that the villains are generic nationalists with out of the blue personal associations with the team, and they beat the team pretty quickly.
Champions #10 ⧫ 2 Stars “One Man's Son Is Another Man's Poison!”
Kind of a mess. Fighting! Reveals? Ending! It ended…
Champions #11 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Shadow from the Stars”
John Byrne, I have been so excited. As a big Fantastic Four fan, and yes, I know he did the seminal and defining X-Men work alongside Claremont, I was super excited to get to his brief stint on the team. The start is fine. Some generic aliens aren’t great, but there is some sabotage involved in the team, so that’s cool… Maybe I shouldn’t get excited.
Champions #12 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “Did Someone Say...the Stranger?”
Another Byrne issue, but the team gets involved in fishing the plot from Black Goliath’s solo series, which makes this and the next issue feel more like coming into the conclusion of a bloated action story.
Champions #13 ⧫ 2 Stars “The Doom That Went On Forever!”
The story has several twists, but they rely way too much on continuity and not enough on character, so the story feels empty with the heroes being reduced to their powers.
Champions #14 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Creature Called... Swarm!”
The mystery is kind of neat, though the biggest mystery for me is why Swarm needed giant robot bees and where he got them. I also like the ominous ending, though once again, it’s a little too busy. The team just doesn’t have much chemistry.
Champions #15 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “Death Drone!”
More fighting with Swarm’s backstory, which is insane, but does explain the robot bees. I’m not really clear on his motives other than Nazi? The end is kind of cool, I guess. This issue certainly has some imagery.
Iron Man Annual #4 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Doomsday Connection!”
It’s not a bad little story, and even with the addition of Iron Man, it seems like the team has more time for a few individual moments. M.O.D.O.K. is silly, but fun, it’s very good for this series.
Avengers #163 ⧫ 1.5 Stars “The Demi-God Must Die!”
Why did any of this happen? It’s a silly fight issue with no plot and random twists. A shining example of why the Champions book is about to be cancelled.
Super-Villain Team-Up #14 ⧫ 3 Stars “A World For the Winning!”
A silly, but kind of neat Doom dry run for the Emperor Doom story.
Champions #16 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “A World Lost!”
While it doesn’t quite live up to the promise, it still has good scenes, and great, if underutilized villains,
Champions #17 ⧫ 3 Stars “The Sentinels Hunt Again!”
the Sentinels are a good pick. It’s almost a shame the teams is canceled,
Spectacular Spider-Man #17 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Whatever Happened to the Iceman?”
The twist is obvious, but I like the drama and frustration around Angel losing his team. Spider-Man being there is forced, but the fallout of breaking up a super team provides some solid drama.
Spectacular Spider-Man #18 ⧫ 3 Stars “My Friend, My Foe!”
Definitely weaker than the first issue, but it provides an okay ending amidst the explanations for non-Champions readers.
Incredible Hulk Annual #7 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “The Evil That Is Cast…”
Probably the best of the set. Roger Stern is a great writer and Byrne’s are is great as always. The story is a little wonky, and it fits better with X-Men issues than with these issues. It even has direct reference to the Neal Adams sentinel issues from X-Men Omnibus #2 .
Other Comics Reviews
X-Men Omnibus #1
X-Men Omnibus #2
Epic Collection Volume 4: It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #1
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #2
X-Men Classic Omnibus
January 21, 2017
It's the 70's! Here's a superteam! For reasons!
This wasn't a great read. There's some good art, and the Swarm story is kind of interesting, but this book failed back in the day for a reason. It doesn't have any of the thematic/conceptual cohesion that other long-running team books had, and it's not as bananas as other 70's output, so it's sort of in this no man's land. There are better uses of your time than this collection, unfortunately.
This wasn't a great read. There's some good art, and the Swarm story is kind of interesting, but this book failed back in the day for a reason. It doesn't have any of the thematic/conceptual cohesion that other long-running team books had, and it's not as bananas as other 70's output, so it's sort of in this no man's land. There are better uses of your time than this collection, unfortunately.
November 21, 2016
Another second rate team.
Like the defenders, the champions are culled from the b heroes of the marvel universe. ex villain spy black widow, ex x men, Iceland and angel, Hercules and a few others come together to have forgettable adventures. Unlike the defenders, the champions want to be together. Barely worth a read.
Like the defenders, the champions are culled from the b heroes of the marvel universe. ex villain spy black widow, ex x men, Iceland and angel, Hercules and a few others come together to have forgettable adventures. Unlike the defenders, the champions want to be together. Barely worth a read.
June 11, 2016
Nostalgic
The stories don't quite hold up but it was still a nice trip back to a simpler time. Plus the Hulk annual with Angel and Iceman was always one of my favorites.
The stories don't quite hold up but it was still a nice trip back to a simpler time. Plus the Hulk annual with Angel and Iceman was always one of my favorites.
December 13, 2016
A+ supers
Greek Gods! Deadly battle suits! Obsessive Russians! Bees!
Team-ups and accidental fights. Also undead/radioactive bees! Missing the Godzilla issue though.
Greek Gods! Deadly battle suits! Obsessive Russians! Bees!
Team-ups and accidental fights. Also undead/radioactive bees! Missing the Godzilla issue though.
December 31, 2016
classic.
This was a flashback to childhood, pretty sure I owned some of these as a kid. Well worth the very low cost.
This was a flashback to childhood, pretty sure I owned some of these as a kid. Well worth the very low cost.
March 12, 2017
Champs!
Unlikely team of superheroes bordering on dysfunctional.. it was still a fun ride through their brief adventuring time together.. great and complete collection..
Unlikely team of superheroes bordering on dysfunctional.. it was still a fun ride through their brief adventuring time together.. great and complete collection..
November 3, 2020
Reprints The Champions (1) #1-17, Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man #17-18, Super-Villain Team-Up #14, Avengers (1) #163, Iron Man (1) Annual #4, and Incredible Hulk (1) Annual #7 (October 1975-December 1978). California has a new batch of heroes. When Pluto, Ares, and Hippolyta try to take Hercules from an LA campus, Iceman, Angel, Black Widow, and Ghost Rider find themselves thrown together in a battle against the gods. When Warren Worthington puts his money behind the team, the Champions are born. The Champions are about to discover that being a team is harder than they ever expected and just keeping the Champions together could be the biggest challenge they face.
Written by Tony Isabella, Bill Mantlo, Chris Claremont, Jim Shooter, Roger Stern, and John Byrne, The Champions Classic—The Complete Collection is a Marvel Comics superhero team-book. The collection features art by Don Heck, George Tuska, Bob Hall, John Byrne, and Sal Buscema. Issues in the collection were originally collected as The Champions Classic—Volume 1 and Volume 2 in addition to The Champions: No Time for Losers, Marvel Universe by John Byrne Omnibus—Volume 1, Super Villains United: The Complete Super-Villain Team-Up, and Marvel Universe by John Byrne Omnibus—Volume 2 among others.
The Champions are the classic team that wasn’t. With an oddball assortment of characters, the Champions were essentially the West Coast Avengers before the West Coast Avengers. The big grab of the series was that there were so few California superheroes at the time that it seemed logical…but logic doesn’t always dictate sales.
The characters in many ways feel like cast offs from other books that just no longer had a place. The new X-Men didn’t need Iceman or Angel, Ghost Rider was a loner, and Hercules and Black Widow didn’t fit on the Avengers at the time. Despite the weird combo of characters (and later the addition of the new character of Darkstar), the team was kind of enjoyable…but it didn’t have enough breathing time to let the characters really get to intermix. There were already cliques like Iceman and Angel and Ghost Rider and Darkstar felt like outsiders…but it never got any down time to really explore the make-up of the team in the comic.
With a new team, new “arch” villains were needed. The comic spent a lot of time building up Rampage (who wasn’t very interesting) and it also had a few one offs. Primarily the enemies were enemies of the individual team members…though I do like Swarm who was created for the comic. You also got a few appearances by Black Goliath who was trying to establish himself at the time as well.
The series near the end started to fall into the desperate phase. It crossed over with Super-Villain Team-Up (which also was struggling) and then it unceremoniously ended in Champions #17. Oddly, the comic got a bit of coda in that the ending of the team was examined in Spectacular Spider-Man and the collection also reprints a mending of differences between Bobby and Warren in the Incredible Hulk Annual.
The Champions feels a lot like the Defenders (and both Bobby and Warren eventually did end up on that team). The Defenders were always kind of the non-team, but they had a solid, long run to become the “non-team”. The Champions never got their chance and it is too bad because I liked the characters and liked some of the muted relationships they were starting to develop. Check out The Champions Classic—The Complete Collection to see how to build and how to destroy a super team.
Written by Tony Isabella, Bill Mantlo, Chris Claremont, Jim Shooter, Roger Stern, and John Byrne, The Champions Classic—The Complete Collection is a Marvel Comics superhero team-book. The collection features art by Don Heck, George Tuska, Bob Hall, John Byrne, and Sal Buscema. Issues in the collection were originally collected as The Champions Classic—Volume 1 and Volume 2 in addition to The Champions: No Time for Losers, Marvel Universe by John Byrne Omnibus—Volume 1, Super Villains United: The Complete Super-Villain Team-Up, and Marvel Universe by John Byrne Omnibus—Volume 2 among others.
The Champions are the classic team that wasn’t. With an oddball assortment of characters, the Champions were essentially the West Coast Avengers before the West Coast Avengers. The big grab of the series was that there were so few California superheroes at the time that it seemed logical…but logic doesn’t always dictate sales.
The characters in many ways feel like cast offs from other books that just no longer had a place. The new X-Men didn’t need Iceman or Angel, Ghost Rider was a loner, and Hercules and Black Widow didn’t fit on the Avengers at the time. Despite the weird combo of characters (and later the addition of the new character of Darkstar), the team was kind of enjoyable…but it didn’t have enough breathing time to let the characters really get to intermix. There were already cliques like Iceman and Angel and Ghost Rider and Darkstar felt like outsiders…but it never got any down time to really explore the make-up of the team in the comic.
With a new team, new “arch” villains were needed. The comic spent a lot of time building up Rampage (who wasn’t very interesting) and it also had a few one offs. Primarily the enemies were enemies of the individual team members…though I do like Swarm who was created for the comic. You also got a few appearances by Black Goliath who was trying to establish himself at the time as well.
The series near the end started to fall into the desperate phase. It crossed over with Super-Villain Team-Up (which also was struggling) and then it unceremoniously ended in Champions #17. Oddly, the comic got a bit of coda in that the ending of the team was examined in Spectacular Spider-Man and the collection also reprints a mending of differences between Bobby and Warren in the Incredible Hulk Annual.
The Champions feels a lot like the Defenders (and both Bobby and Warren eventually did end up on that team). The Defenders were always kind of the non-team, but they had a solid, long run to become the “non-team”. The Champions never got their chance and it is too bad because I liked the characters and liked some of the muted relationships they were starting to develop. Check out The Champions Classic—The Complete Collection to see how to build and how to destroy a super team.
October 13, 2020
Na primeira página temos um Hércules consternado gritando: "Que loucura é essa?"
Isso resume bem as histórias, elas não fazem muito sentido, é uma loucura atrás da outra, com duas tentativas de desenvolver alguma história em comum entre meia dúzia de personagens que, pura e simplesmente, não funcionam. Mas não funcionam porque todos tem dramas internos mais importantes que fazer uma equipe de heróis de segunda divisão funcionar na Califórnia, como boa parte das histórias são do Bill Mantlo há toda aquela consternação sobre aceitação e adequação, até funcionava no Hulk, mas seis pessoas que passam o tempo inteiro duvidando se as outras cinco gostam delas é uma bosta.
No início, até vai; as primeiras edições, coincidentemente, todos os personagens estão no campus da universidade, quando deuses do Olimpo resolvem obrigar o Hércules e a Vênus a casar com a Hipólita e o Ares, respectivamente. O Anjo e o Homem de Gelo que estavam se matriculando, a Viúva Negra que procurava emprego e o Motoqueiro Fantasma que estava motocando pela região se envolvem na pancadaria. No final temos um final feliz em que ninguém casa.
O problema de um time B de super-heróis é que vão acabar enfrentando super-vilões de B para baixo, como, por exemplo: Rampage, o super-vilão da recessão econômica, tipo o Homem de Ferro pobre - e esse é o vilão recorrente do grupo.
Depois temos espiões russos, o Metalóide - o pior não é enfrentar o Metalóide, pior é não derrotar o Metalóide, cacete, o Hércules tá no time, um cara que sai no pau com o Thor e o Hulk, e eles apanham pro Metalóide -, o Enxame, o Modok e empreiteiros da Stark que lograram o Anjo e construíram o prédio com materiais de segunda categoria para combinar com o time.
E mais um monte de coisa acontece envolvendo: Homem de Ferro, Homem Aranha, Golias Negro, Hulk, Sentinelas, Doutor Samson, Magneto, a paixão do Homem de Gelo pela Estrela Negra, o Doutor Destino conquistando o mundo em uma das reviravoltas mais chocantes de todos os tempos.
É tosco. Muito tosco, nada parece se encaixar numa sequência lógica de eventos, mas é justamente essa tosquice que deixa a coisa legal.
Os Campeões são o filme B do quadrinho de super-heróis, dá pra ir com fé que fica ainda pior e, ainda assim, é divertido.
Tirando a edição do Metalóide, a incompetência é triste nessa.
Não dá para levar a sério o Metalóide.
Isso resume bem as histórias, elas não fazem muito sentido, é uma loucura atrás da outra, com duas tentativas de desenvolver alguma história em comum entre meia dúzia de personagens que, pura e simplesmente, não funcionam. Mas não funcionam porque todos tem dramas internos mais importantes que fazer uma equipe de heróis de segunda divisão funcionar na Califórnia, como boa parte das histórias são do Bill Mantlo há toda aquela consternação sobre aceitação e adequação, até funcionava no Hulk, mas seis pessoas que passam o tempo inteiro duvidando se as outras cinco gostam delas é uma bosta.
No início, até vai; as primeiras edições, coincidentemente, todos os personagens estão no campus da universidade, quando deuses do Olimpo resolvem obrigar o Hércules e a Vênus a casar com a Hipólita e o Ares, respectivamente. O Anjo e o Homem de Gelo que estavam se matriculando, a Viúva Negra que procurava emprego e o Motoqueiro Fantasma que estava motocando pela região se envolvem na pancadaria. No final temos um final feliz em que ninguém casa.
O problema de um time B de super-heróis é que vão acabar enfrentando super-vilões de B para baixo, como, por exemplo: Rampage, o super-vilão da recessão econômica, tipo o Homem de Ferro pobre - e esse é o vilão recorrente do grupo.
Depois temos espiões russos, o Metalóide - o pior não é enfrentar o Metalóide, pior é não derrotar o Metalóide, cacete, o Hércules tá no time, um cara que sai no pau com o Thor e o Hulk, e eles apanham pro Metalóide -, o Enxame, o Modok e empreiteiros da Stark que lograram o Anjo e construíram o prédio com materiais de segunda categoria para combinar com o time.
E mais um monte de coisa acontece envolvendo: Homem de Ferro, Homem Aranha, Golias Negro, Hulk, Sentinelas, Doutor Samson, Magneto, a paixão do Homem de Gelo pela Estrela Negra, o Doutor Destino conquistando o mundo em uma das reviravoltas mais chocantes de todos os tempos.
É tosco. Muito tosco, nada parece se encaixar numa sequência lógica de eventos, mas é justamente essa tosquice que deixa a coisa legal.
Os Campeões são o filme B do quadrinho de super-heróis, dá pra ir com fé que fica ainda pior e, ainda assim, é divertido.
Tirando a edição do Metalóide, a incompetência é triste nessa.
Não dá para levar a sério o Metalóide.
September 10, 2022
I remember loving The Champions, but maybe that was because I was still a kid when I first read them. This collection was all over the place and it was no wonder that the Champions only lasted seventeen issues.
The villains and storylines were a mixed bag and the dynamic of the team was always not right. Ghost Rider (one of my favorites) just didn't fit in. Hercules is a sort of big dumb, slightly smarter Hulk that just punches first. Iceman hadn't gotten his real powers yet and Angel, although I love the Angel, he really has no power except in these stories he has money.
Black Widow is always worth reading, but these 17 issues, she was knocked out more times than I can count. Darkstar was an interesting addition, but for some reason, I don't remember her in Champions or Avengers (what does that say?)
A good read, just not special enough.
The villains and storylines were a mixed bag and the dynamic of the team was always not right. Ghost Rider (one of my favorites) just didn't fit in. Hercules is a sort of big dumb, slightly smarter Hulk that just punches first. Iceman hadn't gotten his real powers yet and Angel, although I love the Angel, he really has no power except in these stories he has money.
Black Widow is always worth reading, but these 17 issues, she was knocked out more times than I can count. Darkstar was an interesting addition, but for some reason, I don't remember her in Champions or Avengers (what does that say?)
A good read, just not special enough.
April 5, 2020
BLACK WIDOW~! HERCULES~! GHOST RIDER~! ICEMAN~! ANGEL~!
First of all.... who would've ever dream that four out of these five would end up on the Silver Screen?
But for those who can't or won't appreciate this series, let's take a step back and look at the time it was written....
RAMPAGE was a character straight out of the times of the nation.... the country was on the verge of a Rescission
CRIMSON DYNAMO & TITANIUM MAN ... the USSR was a real and constant threat to us all.
and the SWARM~! Who doesn't love a Killer Bee story~!?!
There's so much to love about this series.... It really does give you an insight to America in the mid 1970s...
First of all.... who would've ever dream that four out of these five would end up on the Silver Screen?
But for those who can't or won't appreciate this series, let's take a step back and look at the time it was written....
RAMPAGE was a character straight out of the times of the nation.... the country was on the verge of a Rescission
CRIMSON DYNAMO & TITANIUM MAN ... the USSR was a real and constant threat to us all.
and the SWARM~! Who doesn't love a Killer Bee story~!?!
There's so much to love about this series.... It really does give you an insight to America in the mid 1970s...
May 13, 2020
Should have let Isabella do the road trip Route66 type comic with Iceman and Angel that he wanted! The Champions were a hilariously BAD team. There was no chemistry apart from Warren and Bobby (but even that was limited by them being constantly separated in favor of Iceman/Darkstar). At one point, Stilt-Man was kicking their asses. It was dire.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2022
A badly conveived book with a miss matched cast that never really gets off the ground. Historically, Champions is important s the first time a mutant, in this case Angel, outs themselves to the public but even that is downplayed. The one real highlight in this collection is Hulk Annual #7 where John Byrne's artwork is just jaw dropping.
June 19, 2022
This was all very average and I cannot imagine revisiting it but I enjoyed it much more than I would have ever assumed.
Read
July 16, 2022Trip down memory lane
Trip down memory lane. Little innocent but generally fun. Characters never quite meshed but did provide some continuity for the characters between teams
Trip down memory lane. Little innocent but generally fun. Characters never quite meshed but did provide some continuity for the characters between teams
February 27, 2020
In an era full of superhero teams, the Champions were yet another one.
The Champions were made up two former Avengers (Black Widow and Hercules), two former X-Men (Iceman and Angel) and Ghost Rider. The best part of these books were the fight scenes as you got to see so many contrasting styles. Set on the West Coast, they were a pre-cursor to the West Coast Avengers.
However, with more than a dozen issues to do so, they never really came together as a team. They made Black Widow the leader and never let her actually lead and she never really called them on it. The stories were dull until the fight scenes started and the original villains contributed by the book were quite lame.
Add to that, the fact that the book ended without a proper ending, and thus had to be concluded in Spectacular Spider-man. Overall, unimpressive, and easily skippable.
The Champions were made up two former Avengers (Black Widow and Hercules), two former X-Men (Iceman and Angel) and Ghost Rider. The best part of these books were the fight scenes as you got to see so many contrasting styles. Set on the West Coast, they were a pre-cursor to the West Coast Avengers.
However, with more than a dozen issues to do so, they never really came together as a team. They made Black Widow the leader and never let her actually lead and she never really called them on it. The stories were dull until the fight scenes started and the original villains contributed by the book were quite lame.
Add to that, the fact that the book ended without a proper ending, and thus had to be concluded in Spectacular Spider-man. Overall, unimpressive, and easily skippable.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews