Champions Outlawed #1 // Review
Champions Outlawed #1 takes place after Outlawed #1.
In Champions Outlawed #1, Miles Morales, aka Spider-Man, and his teammates deal with the fallout of Kamala’s Law as they try and keep themselves, and the citizens they want to protect, safe. Champions Outlawed #1 is written by Eve L. Ewing, drawn by Simone Di Meo, colored by Federico Blee, and lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles.
The Champions failed to stop a group of armed mercenaries at Coles Academic, resulting in Viv Vision’s death and the injury of Ms. Marvel. But while Kamala’s secret identity remains intact, her injury inspired Kamala’s Law, which outlaws underage superheroes. Now, the government organization C.R.A.D.L.E. hunts down teenage heroes all in the name of keeping them safe.
But the danger is not only from C.R.A.D.L.E. themselves but their own peers, some of whom have sided with C.R.A.D.L.E. and oppose teen superheroes.
Most of Champions Outlawed #1 takes place in Miles point-of-view which allows Ewing to explore just how stressful and terrifying it is to be a teenage superhero under Kamala’s Law. Not only does Miles now have to deal with the guilt of feeling like Viv’s death is on his, and all of the Champions, hands, but he has to weigh the options of still acting as a hero or taking a break until the heat dies down. Ewing does a great job of writing Miles and his teammates, giving them voices that feel authentic; as superheroes, they’ve been through more than most teenagers, so they do feel a little more mature. But they are still teenagers, so they aren’t going to act the same as adults. And Ewing captures this balance perfectly.
Throughout Champions Outlawed #1, the art is beautifully crafted. Di Meo’s line-work is well done; the characters are solid and stand out from the background, but they don’t have a solid, harsh black outline. This fits with the art style of the coloring. Throughout the issue, Blee uses a lot of contrasting colors for emphasis. Miles suit has red, as does Kamala’s and many of their teammates; this helps them stand out against the cool colored backgrounds. Rounding out the art aspects of the issue, Cowles’ lettering is good, but nothing that particularly stands out.
Champions Outlawed #1 is an all-around well-crafted story, and it’s a great place to jump into the Champions’ story.
