America Chavez: Made in the USA

America Chavez: Made in the USA #1-5

by Kalinda Vázquez, Carlos Gómez (Illustrator), Jesus Aburtov (Color Artist)

America Chavez is incredible — her origins, her strength, her dimension-shattering star portals! But when the foundation of everything that she believes is shaken, America must stand up and confront the parts of herself she’s been running from. Her life is about to be shattered into a million pieces by a mysterious adversary. When her tormentor is revealed, their face will be shocking, to say the least — but it’s what they reveal that will rock the foundations of all that America knows. And then? It’s just a matter of whether or not to believe them… From writer Kalinda Vazquez (Marvel’s Runaways) and artist Carlos Gomez (AMAZING MARY JANE) comes an explosive, brand-new story all about what made America Chavez who she is — and what she’ll do to protect the ones she loves. 

COLLECTING: America Chavez: Made In The USA (2021) 1-5

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, LGBT, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2021

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing isn't bad but I hate the whole idea of this retcon. It completely changes her past and origin. The addition of the foster family after she came to our dimension makes sense. The retcon that she was experimented on and made up her whole origin is stupid. I don't like how she's been depowered either. Pretty much the only thing that remains the same is that she's queer. I'm guessing this was done to more align with her introduction into the MCU. I did really like Carlos Gomez's art.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good!

It starts with America teaming with Kate but then she gets a call from her adopted family aka Santanas like who raised her and they are in trouble and she has to save them and then we find out about this mystery enemy and get a whole explanation of her real origin. Its way different than she believed. We see her mothers Amalia and Elena and how they came to this island of Dr Gales and the Utopia Parallel and the retconned origin and its so well done and makes sense and provides a biggeer context and changes her forever and she faces off against her sister Catalina and its an epic fight between adopted family and accepted family.

Its filled with retcons, new past and questions of family and like changes America's world forever and I love how the writer does it. She makes you care about a character who to me felt one dimensional before this and gives her such a tragic origin and even confronted with her mortality and strange enemies and choice of family, she still comes out on top and I love how smoothly it was done and the ending was just beautiful. And the best part was Spider-man and her teaming up fighting villains here and there. Kalinda writes them so well. The best part is the art and its some of the best I have seen. One of the best reads of the year for me for sure.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything you know is wrong! America Chavez gets an unnecessary and unnecessarily convoluted secret origin retcon.

I really love the character, but this and her previous solo series just don't seem to do her justice. Maybe third time will be the charm?

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's always been this problem with America that she's Latinx rep, but is from another dimension so she's not really Latinx, so what do we do with that? And this book is like... yeah let's give her entire history a retcon to make that happen. Let's retcon every story she has been a part of and make them meaningless. Let's take everything interesting and unique about her and turn her into another failed science experiment. Oh, and let's make her weaker and more limited by the end because we can't have America Chavez being strong and cool, can we?

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series' embrace of Latino identity within the U.S.A. including a refreshingly accurate use of Spanish (poor gramática is a longstanding pet peeve of mine), and I felt the story was focussed and easy to follow.


Honestly star punches are pretty rad. I bet Stan wished he'd come up with them.

Honestly coming into this I was only familiar with América from the latest Doctor Strange movie so while I understand a lot of the criticism about altering her origin story substantially it's not something that affected my personal enjoyment so no points deducted from me.

[Lenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore America Chavez and even though her last solo series was a little scattered, it was joyful, vibrant and unapologetically queer. There are a lot of different kinds of origin stories at Marvel, and America's was unique.

Now this reboot of America's origin cleans a whole lot up for her upcoming MCU debut - but unfortunately that also meant getting rid of a lot of the positives. America's queerness in particular feels shoved to the side. While her moms are still there technically, they are quite underdeveloped and there's really no distinguishing one from the other. Killing them off will be an easy way to keep straight audiences comfortable. To make things worse, Vazquez even has America break up with Ramona from West Coast Avengers after barely even a moment together as a couple.

The art was slick, I loved the Kate Bishop cameo, but the story was lacking - because so much of what makes America America was missing. I'm afraid this was a disappointing foreshadowing of what's to come with America in the MCU.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good, but I’m unsure how I feel about the massive retcon. 4/5 stars.

[A. Roots · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know how to feel about this one... This should probably get 1-2 stars, but I can't emotionally do that to my favorite character of all time.

On one hand, America Chavez is like the love of my life and she can do no wrong, but on the other hand, this was a pretty bad retcon that undercuts literally her whole past and doesn't make sense alongside all of the Teen Avengers series's going into her past. It lacks the emotional weight of Gabby Rivera's (the previous writer for America's series) writing and basically saying her whole past was a fantasy created as a trauma response was kinda upsetting to be jammed into such a short series. :/ I like the addition/callback to her adoptive family and I get the concept of this series, but it feels kinda empty. Like it's not really an America Chavez appearance if you don't cry...? The art is really beautiful and it keeps the comedic/constant-terrible-puns element, but it's so hallow. I've been waiting on this one for almost a year and it was really disappointing.

[Sana · Rating 2 out of 5]

'I've heard enough. Who put you up to this? Loki? Mister Hyde?'

Not sure if I appreciate retconning America's origins and then making the ending so that there was really no point to it at all? It was fun seeing cameos by Kate Bishop (BFF now because apparently America is dating someone called Ramone Watts now?) and Peter Parker and they are really the reason for my 2 stars because not every single superhero needs to have been experimented on as a kid zzzz.

As for the art, the landscapes are done so well but the character art definitely suffers because ~male gaze sigh.

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fans: “I can’t believe you made Carol half-Kree, it rips the heart out of what makes the character so special”

Marvel: “lol hold my beer”

[Alex Jiménez · Rating 2 out of 5]

um…what. the WACKEST backstory retcon. like almost worse than the scarlet witch and quicksilver backstory retcon. what even was the point of this. i’m going to choose to ignore this. 😐 the art was good tho and i liked the team-up with spider-man but everything else was WACK!!

[Alex Sarll · Rating 2 out of 5]

After how shabbily she was served in her screen debut, I was looking forward to some of the proper America Chavez, the kick-ass version from the actual 616 who, rather than being a limp hybrid of Macguffin and damsel-in-distress, can be relied upon to turn up with a smart remark, kick something in the face, and save the day. And this gets off to a good start, America and Kate Bishop fighting giant moles in LA and remarking that the mad scientists seem to be running out of ideas...except, oh no, America's powers are faltering. Which, OK, it's not like this never happens to male superheroes, but feels much more overused as a trope when it comes to the women. And then it turns out that as well as her established background with two mums in the Utopian Parallel, America also has a family on regular Marvel Earth, the Santanas of Washington Heights, who took her in after she fell out of her own world. And while I can understand the frustration of there finally being a big Latina superheroine, but one whose background is nowhere near relatable, the net effect of this new wrinkle is to take a character whose background was wildly and gloriously different, and drop her into a slight variation on the standard teen hero template, Marvel edition, with a series of flashbacks of her family telling her to keep her head down as she sneaks out to fight crime anyway. That it's all happening in New York and not even, say, Miami only exacerbates the sense that we've seen this story over and over before, from Spidey to Ms Marvel – and where the latter at least had the space to develop the cultural specificity and bring out the differences over time, this handful of issues really don't. And then we get an assortment of other origin changes sprinkled in too, none original and most depressing, ultimately getting to the point where one is left hoping the whole business will be quietly ignored by subsequent writers because all it's achieved is to make a previously distinct and interesting character much less so. It's not without its moments – at least being in New York enables a delightful encounter with Spidey, whose "chatty Cathy" tendency brings out traces of America's usual sass. But overall it lacks the particularity, scale and verve I've come to associate with the character.

[Jaye Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't actually know much about this character behind the MCU but even I know that this was full of recons. It completely changes her past into such a boring backstory. From another dimension? Nah, experimented on with a bunch of other little girls by some random old white man. The amnesia was also super dumb and it was all just badly written- I'm sorry. I don't get the point of messing with her origin story but okay.

The art was pretty but it was a little weird how he was drawing teenage girl bodies like you good dude? Why draw them like that besides "heh hot girl boob and ass."

Whole thing was disappointing and it was so short. The ending... also bad like the baddie just fell in a hole for no reason and it was so easy and anticlimactic.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art in this run is gorgeous! But why the unnecessary retconning of America’s origins? *sigh*

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

so many panels where this was so clearly drawn by a man

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't realize America will be joining the movie-verse, which is exciting, but not sure what I think of this volume. I wasn't an expert on her origins, but was it really that odd to be from a different dimension, given the X-Men frequently pop in and out of different realities? Feels like a bit of a letdown for it to be part of a science experiment not even headed by her moms, and for there to be numerous starlings with her powers. While her depowering also felt like an easy way to create drama, I did like seeing her adoptive family and wish they had also added the contrast of the West Coast Avengers as her found family.

Might just reread her Young Avengers run instead..

[Loreee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that this book discusses trauma is one of the things I liked the most. America thought all her life she came from another dimension and having to rediscover she doesn't is wholesome. I really love how the writers made her approach the plot at a young but still very mature way. And of course there's no way on Earth I wouldn't love a well written lesbian character

[Frank-Intergalactic Bookdragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

America Chavez has quickly become one of my favorite Marvel characters between this and her run in Young Avengers. I feel this run helped add more depth to her by showing us some of the people important in her life and exploring her repressed trauma. But that trauma part is a double edged sword. This story retcons her origin and I don't particularly like this new origin.

Not only is it less interesting than her old one, it creates a few plotholes for Young Avengers. If she isn't from another dimension, how tf did she know who the demiurge was? Why did her moms come back in YA the way she remembered them instead of how they actually were? I think that instead of completely retconning her origin, it should've just enriched the one she already had. We could've still had the experiment stuff and her sister, just have it take place in the Utopian Parallel dimension.

Outside of YA, this is a pretty good story though. It creates plotholes and the origin is less interesting, but it's still a fun read with good characterization and some amazing art!

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to start this by saying I didn’t hate this, because I’m about to complain about it for a minute. I’m not completely against changing the origin of a character by saying they made up a story to deal with childhood trauma. But… as to why they would wait 11 years to change that origin baffles me. The only way a retcon like this would be acceptable would be at the end of or half way point of the debut solo story for the character. I’ve loved America Chavez for many years and I’m so happy to have her in the MCU now. But I’m really disappointed that they would strip away such a cool origin just to tell a fresh story. If you can’t make the story work with the established canon, then don’t make the story. That being said, the art work and writing here is fantastic but since they changed her origin they had to stuff a lot of new content in a very short amount of time. So at times it seems to move very quickly, but it is a good read once you temper the anger of the massive change.

[kelsi 🦇 · Rating 2 out of 5]

i liked it enough and the art was pretty, i think america is really interesting and i love her powers, but from all the other reviews saying her origin was retconned i dont really like the story and what it did for her origin, which i’m assuming was originally much different so idk. 2.5

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything you knew is wrong. Well, most everything. They retconned America's origin into a bland bowl of mush. But, oh look....she has two moms. How modern!

Marvel again takes two steps forward and one step back with a interesting concept of a character.

[Esme 🦢 · Rating 4 out of 5]

america es tan piola

[nati · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75*
bruh i dont like the new origin

[mj · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty fun

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

ehhhhh

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This retcon honestly sucks - I love America, but I hate the bland tropey (surprise evil sibling) backstory they stuck her with. She deserves better.

[4rthurM0rg4n · Rating 2 out of 5]

średniak

[Sam Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the most disappointed I’ve been with a comic in a WHILE. The first issue was SO GREAT and I think America having a foster family who took care of her makes so much sense!! And works very well!! I really like the Santanas and I think they’re great. The characters are totally not where my issues lay.

But changing her origin story to a bland “IT WAS A RICH WHITE MAN EXPERIMENTATION OOOOOO” and tossing in a random new sister was just Not It and I don’t understand why anyone at Marvel thought this was a good way to go.

I think this book has a lot of good ideas: I would like to be America as a character with a chronic illness be developed more, but this just didn’t work for me. It feels really unnecessary to change her origin like this, to add a random sister, AND THEN create a new random illness on to of it.

Why not still do the foster family plot line WHILE ALSO maybe having America develop a REAL chronic illness that can affect her powers? Have that be the focus of the story instead of this weird retcon.

The answer is that the Marvel creative doesn’t want to be in the research efforts, probably, and actually give us real chronic illness representation. I swear, every time Marvel tries to make some strides with representation (of all different kinds) they take 1 step forward and 3 steps back. It’s getting real tiresome to keep seeing.

Honestly, this book probably deserves less stars, but GOD I really liked the first issue! The art also saves it too—this book is ducking beautiful.

Edit 12/9/2023: Nah this is still my worst book of 2023. I'm taking a star off

[Dr. T Loves Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

What it's about: An origin story for the super-powered Puerto Riquena. Young America was found on a beach by a family from the Bronx; they take her in and raise her as their own. When she begins to manifest powers, she also begins to remember - she came from an alternate dimension, where her mothers died while trying to save the world.

Teen America decides she'll be a hero like her moms, and takes to the streets to stop villainy. This leads to friction with her family, and soon America decides she's had enough and heads out on her own.

Several years later, America finds herself back home, saving her family from a mysterious fire. It turns out that America's family was targeted as a way to lure America into a trap. And the one herding America is the last person she would ever expect.

What I thought: I didn't know ANYTHING about this character before reading this book, except that she's been around in one form or another for several decades.

Overall, I found the book to be a bit meh. It felt like a lot of wasted potential. I am usually all about "get to the story already", but this book seemed to skim across all the character development, particularly when it got to the villain, who REALLY was way to two-dimensional. She is also clearly set up to return as a big-bad at a later point in the series.


Why my chosen shelves: This is clearly a series meant for teens; it deals with the death of America's mothers, and the consequences of making choices. America seems to be in a romantic relationship with another character who is either female or nonbinary (it's not explicitly stated); America learns she was experimented on as a child, along with many other children, some of whom were treated much worse that America; trigger warning for dead parents and cruelty towards children; the book focuses on America's family.

Why I rated it like I did: This whole story felt very rushed to me, which was a shame, because I would love to see this character given some strong depth and background, rather than getting a rough sketch.

[Rosa Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not gonna lie i don't know a lot about America, but after reading this i really like her.
Though the last issue kind of felt just a little rushed though it seems like there's going to more to it so that's exciting.
Gotta say though I really like America, and this insite on her backstory is really good too. The art style is really nice and that is another factor that i really liked. The story telling was actually really good and able to understand to the point that I literally didn't say anything till i was done because i was so concentrated in it. Like the emotion through the pages is so good, don't really see that a lot cuz some writing now a days just isn't good.
I kind of just into America from reading the young avengers where she was in it with kid loki, so i kind of got part of her backstory and as much as that was confusing i really like this told version of it. The fact that because of her trauma (just like her therapist said), she created this sort of fantsy life, which was partcially true but also she created only the happy moments she had. All the tramatic parts were taken out because her young self couldn't handle that.
The only thing that i wish was a had a little to it was the end with the little girls and her sister being accidently thrown into the portal. Like i get why she left was because she needed to take care of things now and that was a now problem but getting these girls safe and her brother dafe and out of their was the main priority. She didn't know where that portal sent her sister and she was getting weaker so obviously getting stuck their wouldn't have been the best, but the fact that she left her sister again just felt wrong.
Like i thought she was going to go after her but that didn't happen, i thought she was going to make things right between them or like help her but i guess that's going to happen in the next issue which i am super excited about.
Overall i really liked this, and i can't wait to read more. It's great to see a puerto rican super hero, love the representation.