New Champions
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Champions is an American superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics that follows the team of the same name. It was written by Steve Foxe and illustrated by Ivan Fiorelli.
| New Champions | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date | January-September 2025 |
| Main character | See below |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Steve Foxe |
| Artist(s) | Ivan Fiorelli Ig Guara |
Publication history
Following Spider-Boy's success in headlining his comic series, Marvel Comics tasked its artist with creating more "sidekicks" for a variant cover program. This lineup of covers was announced under "New Champions Variant Covers" on 12 July 2023. In October 2023, these covers were released for their respective titles and teased younger counterparts of superheroes, including the cast of New Champions.[1] In Timeless, vol. 3 #1 (2023), many of these characters had debuted in cameo appearance and were teased to join Earth-616 continuity.[2]
In July 2024, Marvel Comics' Editor-in-Chief C. B. Cebulski presented promotional art for the comic series during San Diego Comic-Con.[3] New Champions series was officially announced on 17 September 2024, written by Steve Foxe and illustrated by Ivan Fiorelli. Foxe said that the cast was reverse-engineered from the covers and for him it was "unlike any other creative process he have ever been involved in."[4] In December 2024, Foxe revealed that the series will be full of guest and recurring cast but these "core four" characters will remain centrally: Cadet Marvel, Hellrune, Liberty and Moon Squire. Foxe had written these four characters in Spider-Woman (vol. 8). He also stated that New Champions team will not be replacing Champions and teased the latter's appearance in the issue #3.[5][6]
The publication of New Champions began in January 2025.[7] In the same month, Gold Tiger was introduced whose costume design was revealed to be homage to Jack Kirby's unused Black Panther design.[8]
In August 2025, writer Steve Foxe confirmed that New Champions had been cancelled and that the series' eighth issue would be the last.[9]
Plot
The New Champions consists of Cadet Marvel, Hellrune, Liberty, and Moon Squire who were formerly brainwashed by Hydra.[a] They arrived at the location where the Brothers Grimm were committing theft. They swiftly defeated the brothers, after which Hellrune teleported them back to their respective homes. Liberty constructed Star-Spinner while Hellrune had been using magic in search of any biological relatives, which led her to an island in Norway, only to discover it was a trap. The New Champions were also teleported to the island after Hellrune summoned them, when zombie Vikings began to emerge. The team encountered Fantasma and reunited with Hellrune, witnessing a battle of several other superheroes (consisting of Amaranth Hawlut, Gold Tiger, Hulkette, Kid Juggernaut, Monte, Nightshade and Spider-Boy) fighting off zombie trolls. The New Champions realized they, along with Fantasma, had been unintentionally summoned by Hellrune.[7][8][10]
Main characters
Critical reception
David Brooke of AIPT, opined that New Champions #1 succeeded at introducing of a new team while balancing their personal life with the challenges of heroism, and that fans of teenage superheroes or character-driven narratives would enjoy the issue. He also commented that the action and pacing of story could use refinement as "dialogue-heavy sections slowed the pacing and overshadowed character development".[7]
Collected editions
| Title | Material collected | Pages | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | ||||
Notes
- As revealed in Spider-Woman Vol. 8 #10.