The Ambassadors, Vol. 1

The Ambassadors #1-6

by Mark Millar (Writer), Frank Quitely (Illustrator/Colorist), Travis Charest (Illustrator)

You've cracked the superhuman mystery and can give superpowers to six different people around the world. Who do you choose? The world's greatest and most ambitious superhero comic needs the world's greatest comic book artists. Step forward Frank Quitely, Travis Charest, Olivier Coipel and an international line-up of superstars introducing all the characters from the brand-new Netflix sensation.

Collects THE AMBASSADORS #1-6

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

184 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2023

About the author

Mark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.

His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.

Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 80% | Very Good
Notes: An art buffet (it's all gourmet), its pickles never get too dicey, a little nuts with blood and guts, it's mostly mild-spicy.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #1-3 ◦ Issues #4-6

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought Millar was going to do something interesting with origin stories - not showing us how these people, these Ambassadors, get their powers (seeing as every Ambassador has access to the same set of 50 powers), but who they are as people making them viable as superheroes. And he does that.. a bit. We get a bit of commentary about why they're chosen, but I would've liked to see more of the process.

All of which leads to the baddies getting introduced too late and too haphazardly. Millar is good at writing really horrible villains, the kind you can't wait to see eat shit, but here they barely have the time to develop. And then it's over before you know it.

The art, done by six different artists, is uniformly great.

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another twist on the old "what if people got superpowers in real life" trope. At times this felt like a Gaiman Miracle Man story with Chung having a futuristic base in the Antarctic and giving superpowers to a select group of people.

The structure of the book is good. Each chapter basically focuses on one of the people that get superpowers and is drawn by a different artist. At times the story is good, but it also feels like a first draft.

Overall I'm not a fan of Millar - but wanted to check this out because Frank Quitely and Travis Charest each draw an issue (and they did not disappoint).

In the end it descends into ultra violence. I don't know, I feel like I've already read this story in a Warren Ellis or Garth Ennis comic. It seems to imply, if there is a volume 2, these guys are going descend into being like the "heroes" in The Boys. After the battle where they kill dozens of billionaires and brutally destroy Chung's ex-husband -- an incredibly traumatic event -- they are hanging out in a nightclub like celebrities after the Oscars.

I know Millar sold his soul to Netflix. The comic is nearly crediting Millar and Netflix equally. This is "the brand-new Netflix sensation" but a youtube search shows nothing. I didn't watch any of Jupiter's Legacy - but I just don't think a live-action show could ever match Quitely's artwork.

[Mik Cope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the individual issues. This is another typical Millar combo of humour and ultra-violence. The phrase seems familiar; I may have used it in a previous review, because - well, it's just Millar's go-to style. I mean, he had an anthology comic in England (featuring Kick-Ass and Nemesis, amongst others) called CLINT and I must admit, it took me a while to see the hidden title in the optics. But it basically sums up his attitude. (Btw, c*nt in England is much more widely used and can basically be applied as a synonym for "mean-spirited, amoral, dangerous", etc.) The concept is a good one, "who would you choose to be given superpowers, and why? The ending however is a pretty standard cliché of white vs black hats, with a lot of gore.

[Rob Schamberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s really cool seeing Travis Charest doing sequential art again.

[b · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s very fun. The action is, for the most part, pretty clearly dictated, the world-building seems choate, and the pace isn’t so fast that I can’t follow (most contemporary comics); my main reservation comes from the edgy “what if” para-hero comics all hinge on these days, “what if it was a limited bank of shared powers, and what if billionaires could buy powers, and what if it was gory and what if” and on and on. It’s very very very occupied territory, and I’m not sure Millar and co. have done anything original enough to draw my attention here long-term. I might pick up some of the floppies to see how the future of the story feels. Unless this kind of gritty comic pseudo-realism is your thing, I am ambivalent about recommending this.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Millar’s best superhero team book, in my opinion. Still a couple ridiculous Millar elements in this one, but it wouldn’t be Millar without them. This was a great showing of character development and writing in this one. Only knock would be the pacing at times. I enjoyed the different artists on each issue, as well! It really made the real world aspect of Millar working with artists parallel with the story of a Choon-He picking out her team of ambassadors/heroes.

[Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10 Concept, Characters, Art, and Ending were all great.

Some parts felt rushed.

[Alex Sarll]

You should know the deal with new Mark Millar comics by now: the laziest, most route one scripts imaginable, but so long as you wait for the library to get them in (and they will), they're just about worth a look because they never take long to read and he always gets good artists. The twist this time is that each issue is drawn by someone different, so instead of just wasting a lot of one art team's time, he's wasted a little of six's. And to be fair, the likes of Frank Quitely, Karl Kerschl and Travis Charest all make superhero action look as spectacular on the page as it always should but often doesn't. But what, then, is the premise of The Ambassadors, described by the back cover, or someone who's actually mental, as "the most ambitious superhero comic ever produced"? Well, it's superheroes, right, except - get this! - in the real world! Yeah, as in a premise even Marvel has done at least four times. The problem being that the minute the superheroes are revealed, it's not the real world anymore. And even aside from that, the number of spectacular, cinematic but non-systemic disasters for our heroes to avert is every bit as implausible as the prevalence of old-school bank robberies in Spidey's NYC. The twist, such as it is, is that the powers are the invention of a South Korean tech billionaire, intent on giving them only to the world's most deserving. Except, wouldn't you know it, the dastardly ex who framed her has meanwhile been selling his own version to billionaires who, even reading this in a world which has Musk, come across as the thinnest of caricature villains. A few restrictions on powers disappear at the most convenient moments, and recruitment screening appears to be as useless as in most fiction aiming for thrills, but by the thumbed-in standards of modern Millar the plot isn't all that incoherent - just deeply, deeply predictable.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

É difícil atualmente uma história em quadrinhos de Mark Millar cair no meu gosto. Mas achei a proposta desta HQ interessante e fui conferir. Pessoas de diversos países do mundo, inclusive o Brasil são escolhidas por uma cientista milionária sulcoreana para formarem um esquadrão de super-heróis mundial. Elas podem acessar até três poderes ao mesmo tempo, contanto que nenhum de seus colegas os esteja usando. Cada parte deste encadernado enfoca um país: Coreia do Sul, Índia, França, Brasil, Austrália e México. Paralelo a isso, o ex-marido ambicioso da Codinome Coréia está reunindo bilionários mundiais e distribuindo poderes a quem pagar mais. Isso gera um conflito entre as duas facções de poderosos, que poderá ser parada com um elemento que estava adormecido, mas tão poderoso quanto qualquer um outro desses seres poderosos. Os desenhos de cada edição são feitos por desenhistas diferentes, também de diversas nacionalidades. Destaque para a arte de Travis Charest que estava afastado do quadrinhos fazia alguns anos.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ambassadors presents a global proposition towards would-be superheroes that will represent their respected countries. Throughout the course of six issues – each drawn by a different artist – we see these individuals, hailing from India, Australia, France and Brazil, recruited by Doctor Choon-he Chung to become the titular Ambassadors, whilst becoming targets of Chung’s evil husband who is building his own team of superhumans.

Please click here for my full review.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it perfect? No. But is it interesting? Absolutely. Excited to see where it goes.

[Davy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being the Mark Millar fan that I am maybe helps me turn a blind eye to the fact that this premise is fairly common/popular these days. However, I feel that there is enough nuance and new takes to keep me entertained for the entire read. Ultimately that is what I’m here for in a story like this, an action packed afternoon escape. Quietly’s art bumped this up from a 3.5 to a 4 for me!

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this.
A combination of extreme ( ok..ultra ) violence and digs at super heroes..cliches..etc.
Some of the main group weren't exactly fleshed out too much and hopefully further volumes will do this.
♥️Darkstars. So..
I ❤️ Travis Charest chapter.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fine but would have been much better if Frank Quitely had done the art for the whole thing.
Other than that, it's a less good version of Millar's Ultimates but that was 20+ years ago so here we are again.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out pretty strong, but my interest really waned as it went on.

[Mendousse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très bonne idée, des dessinateurs que j'apprécie, un chouette projet.

[Jon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Script may as well have been created from an AI prompt. Some great artists on board, but even they lost their souls to the void of a story.

[Jamil · Rating 2 out of 5]

A surprising meh from millar

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Some not very memorable superhero vignettes strung together by an uncomplicated frame story where every character is unambiguously good or evil, save one, who is just a grifter. Maybe it's building up to some emotional depth or at least tension, but I'm just not feeling it yet.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Millar produces yet another superhero series, not even a particularly unique one, and yet somehow it works - or at least it fizzes past without engaging too many important brain cells. A South Korean scientist has found a way to give people access to a set of superpowers. How does it work? Doesn't matter! What matters is that the scientist has been in prison because her evil ex-husband stole her science and has been working to undermine her.

So, there are hero and villain teams and of course they're gonna fight. The Ambassadors ends predictably with all the characters devolving into one-note characterizations. The middle issues are good, though, because each one serves as an introduction to one of the heroes. These are fantastic! Character-focused, fun, and with exciting action. Too bad the book didn't stick to that format.

On art are a revolving door of artists, which normally wouldn't work, but Millar's rolodex holds all the best artists working now, so each issue looks great, even if very different from its predecessor. The Ambassadors is more of the same from Mark Millar. Whether that's praise or damnation depends on how you feel about Millarworld.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story was pretty good, the art was amazing though! Each issue features a different character and artist and it's a murderer's row of talent! Hard to decide on which issue was my favourite art-wise.

Going in, I would have guessed the Quitely issue (#1), and it was outstanding, but a full issue of Travis Charest interior work blew me away (issue #3). That guy just keeps getting better and better! However, all that being said - I think the Oliver Copiel issue was my favourite (issue #4). I've always liked Copiel's work, but he has taken it up several notches here. Super impressive.

Gotta hand it to Millar for hand-picking the best artists to work with. Apparently he treats his collaborators really well and compensates them really well too. Kudos Mr. Millar!

[Alex Castillo Barona · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Estrellas. Un acercamiento diferente al género de los superhéroes. Viñetas entretenidas y personajes interesantes aunque en algunos casos mejor desarrollados que otros. El villano central queda a deber y la confrontación final genera expectativas que, desde mi punto de vista cumple a medias. Me intrigan dos cosas: saber hacia dónde irá el próximo volumen y la historia del embajador de México que sigue sin ser revelada.

[Jared Sarnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A murderer's row of artists anchored by a glacial, fragmentary and underdeveloped story. Copiel's issue was my favorite, it came the closest to having a true arc.

Millar has his moments, but his uber-edgy tics and lack of follow-through leave so much of his recent work feeling like the Harlem Globetrotters. The skill is there, the entertaining tricks deliver, it seems somehow vaguely adjacent to pro-ball. But it's all flair, no stakes.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Uno no jode a la mujer mas inteligente del mundo y se sale con los huevos intactos.

Ocho millones de personas, y 06 tendrán superpoderes, ¿a quien escoges?. Pues esa pregunta nos lleva por un centenar de paginas con poderes varios, aspirantes dispares y preguntas que puede que tengan respuestas...o no. Una científica sabe como hacer que las personas tengan poderes, y no quiere objetivos militares no hacerse mega millonaria, solo quiere ayudar a la humanidad.

LO BUENO: La idea sin ser meganovedosa, tiene sus momentos de genialidad: La idea de la selección de personas del común, el miedo de los poderosos y los gobiernos, ¿como reaccionan los ricos?, ¿que harían personas muy del común con superpoderes?, y eso es lindo, llamativo y lo que mas me atrajo del comic, una idea que crecia en las paginas y se dejaba leer, y todo acompañado por un grupo de artistas que te cagas: FRAN QUITELY !!!, que se deja la vida en unas paginas hermosas, y me quede viendo embobado cada diseño, cada panel, el tipo es el mejor desde hace 20 años y ahí sigue cuando quiere, y también esta un gran TRAVIS CHEAREST que lleva mucho tiempo en perfil bajo y se deja un numero hermoso, y un siempre cumplidor Scalera y un positivo Olivier Coipiel !!!.

LO MALO: Los cliches de Millar atacan !!!, ¿que necesitas un traidor? CHECK, ¿Que unos enemigos que no eran necesarios para el numero final? CHECK, ¿una pelea contra un enemigo cuasi invencible que se derrota de una manera muy DEUS EX MACHINA? .CHECK, y así pierde fuerza, el tipo debería darse un respiro y contarnos un par de cosas mas del pasado de los personajes , alargar peleas que deberían ser épicas y no comprimidas a una pagina porque si.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Millar's newest series with Image is about a scientific outfit that figures out a way to give people superpowers, though their ability to create heroes is limited. To create the ultimate super team, they find people from all over the world who would make the ideal heroes. The concept isn't all that innovative, but Millar's approach is subversive enough to keep things interesting. The various characters are all distinctly memorable and the villain is entertaining.

I found my way into this series out of sheer curiosity based on the fact that the first issue was illustrated by Frank Quietly. It's been sometime since I've seen Quietly on interiors, and he does deliver a splendid looking first issue. However, I didn't realize that the artists would rotate for each of the six issues (à la Rick Remender's Scumbag series), so I did feel a bit cheated when Karl Kerschl takes on the second issue. That said, every artist holds their own. Kerschl, Travis Charest, Olivier Coipel, Matteo Buffagni, and Matteo Scalera all deliver some nice looking issues, with Scalera in particularly delivering a phenomenal final issue. This isn't a comic that will blow anyone away, but it is a pretty well executed one nonetheless.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Millar hat gemeinsam mit Netflix einen neuen Comic veröffentlicht und präsentiert mit „The Ambassadors“ eine globale Auswahl an Superhelden, die ihr jeweiliges Land wie ein Botschafter mit Superkräften präsentieren. Dieses Konzept ist nicht besonders neu bei Millar, denn wie schon bei seinem früherem Projekt „MPH – Schnelle Pillen“ sind diese Botschafter normale Leute aus allen Gesellschaftsschichten, die einfach nur uneigennützig handeln. Eine originelle Herangehensweise an das Superhelden-Genre ist es trotzdem, denn erfreulicherweise spielen hier weder die USA noch ein US-Amerikaner irgendeine tragende Rolle.

Der Clou an dieser Story ist, dass die jeweiligen Superkräfte die Erfindung einer südkoreanischen Tech-Unternehmerin sind und in fünf einzelnen Kapiteln verfolgt man den Werdegang dieser Superhelden und erst im finalen sechsten Teil finden sich alle als Team zusammen, um gegen einen konkurrierenden Rivalen vereint zu kämpfen. Leider ist da die Geschichte schon zu Ende und macht so Lust auf eine Fortsetzung, denn insgesamt ist sie sehr einfallsreich und die visuelle Gestaltung wird in jedem Kapitel von einem anderen Künstler übernommen, was die Unterscheidung der einzelnen Charaktere erleichtert.

[AviChaim Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fine, but ultimately underwhelming. Millar’s writing remains engaging, his ability to capture the voices of a wide range of characters is as sharp as ever, but the structure of the story was lopsided. Nearly the entire book felt like a setup, with very little attention given to the arc’s actual resolution. The central conflict, while mentioned sporadically, came across as an afterthought. By the time the conclusion arrived, it was wrapped up far too quickly and easily.
The stakes should have felt high and the villains truly threatening, yet the danger never landed; aside from one assistant being harmed, no one of consequence faced real peril. When the villains were finally confronted, they were dispatched with little effort. The concept itself is promising, but this volume spends too much time explaining what the larger series might be instead of delivering a satisfying story in its own right. At times, it even felt more like a lecture than a narrative, which became grating.
The artwork, while serviceable, suffered from inconsistency; the frequent changes between issues made it jarring to follow. In the end, this book functions more as an introduction than a compelling standalone read. While I appreciate the premise, I can’t recommend it.
Grade: C

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sound bite description of this is might be-

What if someone discovered how to give people super powers in the real world.

Because despite the power levels available to some of the "heroes" (and when you get to the episode set in France I think you will see why that character and another UK character fall very much into potential gray areas) this is a very grounded first installment.

When Choon-He Chung made this discovery she wanted to do right, establish an agency that could go about saving in the world. Of course her husband stole her ideas, money and got her tossed into prison, from which she finds a way out. she announces her plan to the world to give six people, each from a different country super powers. She's deciding who gets to be the hero.

The last issue is the big climatic battle, but I think I enjoyed the individual chapters more as they relied on Millar having to get the reader invested in the character.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not terrible. Not very good, either. The idea is a good one: through technology, a woman scientist is able to give superpowers to anyone and now has to find the perfect 9 people (or whatever, the numbers seem to shift over the course of the story) to give them to. They need to be good, altruistic people (and yet, somehow, a couple of real creeps make their way onto the team; how did the Australian ambassador ever get selected?). Meanwhile, her husband is competing to create his own team of superheroes, by giving powers to a group of tech billionaires. Every issue (there are 6) has a different artist, which is a bit strange at first, but the stories start out by focusing on individual characters before the eventual team-up and faceoff at the end. By the end, it kind of felt like most of the potential in this idea had been realized already. As with a lot of recent Millar projects, this one races by, plot-wise.