Announced on Saturday at New York Comic Con, CHAMPIONS gets a brand new issue #1 in January and we are bringing aboard my incredible Wayward co-creater, Steven Cummings, to celebrate this new era of Marvel’s next generation of heroes!

Check out this stunning first issue cover artwork by Kim Jacinto, with colors by Rain Beredo:

Why a new issue #1?

The response to my Champions stories has been great so far and many of the single issues have gone into second printings, but in the current retail climate the simple truth is that readers look to issue #1’s as a clear jumping on point for stories and characters. When new Marvel Editor-In-Chief CB Cebulski came on board I was already announced as the writer of Champions with issue #19 and so, as other Marvel series have been getting Fresh Start issue #1’s to mark important story changes and signal to readers and retailers that they have big plans, it was decided that Champions should get the same treatment in the new year. Marvel is really happy with what I’ve been doing and they want to make sure more people know about it and get on board.

In order to make sure we were worthy of that new issue #1, we’re swinging for the fences with wild ideas and a big dramatic story to open things up in 2019. Bringing on Steven, the phenomenal line artist on Wayward, gives me the confidence that we can really go for broke with action and drama in the Mighty Marvel Manner.

What kind of big ideas?

Ms. Marvel is now the formal leader of the Champions and she’s decided that the team needs to make their mission bigger than ever. She believes that since young people will inherit the world some day, they need to step up and make it a better place. Dozens of teen heroes around the globe have answered her call and the Champions are becoming a movement like no other.

How many heroes are we talking about?

On our first cover there are 11 characters, and inside that first issue there are 3 more who join them. That means there are 14 heroes so far and more will appear in future issues. There are five heroes at the center of the Champions story – Kamala Khan, Miles Morales, Amadeus Cho, Sam Alexander, and Viv Vision – with many others contributing depending on where in the world (or across the universe) they find themselves. There are a lot of popular and obscure teen heroes in the Marvel Universe who haven’t had a ‘home’ in quite some time and I hope Champions will be able to spotlight some of them as our story grows.

You mentioned big drama…

Yeah. With a team this big, the Champions have gained the attention of some A-list evil in the Marvel Universe as well, a major villain who wants to stop their movement before it starts. This villain’s plans lay the groundwork for our first arc, a twisted tale of dark secrets and betrayal that could destroy the very future Kamala is working to protect. This first arc will have major repercussions on the team and will change some of them forever.

At the same time, there’s unrequited love brewing among team members, friendships being broken, and new egos to contend with. More heroes means the Champions can tackle huge threats, but it brings a ton of other unexpected problems. Ms. Marvel and her friends will be tested like never before.

As we get closer to the January launch, I’ll be showing preview pages and teasing story revelations. Keep an eye out because in 2019 the Champions go BIG and I can’t wait for you to read it!

CHAMPIONS #27
JIM ZUB (W) • MAX DUNBAR (A)
Cover by SEAN IZAAKSE
FANTASTIC FOUR VILLAINS VARIANT COVER BY MARKO DJURDJEVIC
THE CHAMPIONS IN WEIRDWORLD!
• The Master of the Weirdworld?
• The Champions’ mystic quest comes to an end – but at what cost?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CHAMPIONS ANNUAL #1
JIM ZUB & NYLA INNUKSUK (W) • MARCUS TO (A)
Cover by RB SILVA
Variant Cover by BABS TARR
The spirits of the North stir and Snowguard must answer their call! Amka Aliyak’s past and present collide as she strives to understand the power she’s been given and where she belongs. Take a deep dive into Marvel’s newest young hero in this special supersized Champions issue!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

INFINITY WARS: INFINITY WARPS #2 (of 2)
SINA GRACE, CULLEN BUNN, JIM ZUB & CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS (W)
GARRY BROWN, KEV WALKER, CHRIS SPROUSE & FLAVIANO (A)
Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
With astonishing mental powers and a skeleton made of solid diamond, DIAMOND PATCH lives a life of violence and glamor! Plus, when the Chronogen Mists left KAMALA KANG forever changed, they set her on a course to becoming the teenaged conqueror of time! And finally, when their parents were killed as they got their powers, they swore revenge and became…THE PUNISHER PACK!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

• Bam Smack Pow: “This story makes no bones about emotional pain and vulnerability. It acknowledges feelings like guilt or even despair as being legitimate reactions.”

• Black Nerd Problems: 8/10 “This issue does well to highlight the constant fear, anger, and sadness we live in with the state of our society. These feelings are usually at the core of what we feel when something like this happens.”

• Caped-Joel: 8/10 “This story does a good job of showing that the Champions is the modern day successor to the classic Teen Titans.”

• Comic Book.com: 10/10 “This is a wildly emotional book, and everyone should buy it, read it, and share it with someone else. Everyone.”

• Comic Book University: “A universal tragedy that everyone can come together for. This was brilliant.”

• Comic Watch: 10/10 “A beautiful, poignant issue full of heart and difficult conversations, this is a timely, important story that ought to be shared with everyone.”

• Comics the Gathering: 9/10 “It does not trivialise or over-dramatise. It does not prescribe facile or fantastic remedies. It reminds us of the wounds to which we’re all susceptible and it inspires us to take action on our own…a potent reminder that in the wake of tragedy, stories about heroes only grow more important.”

• Do You Even Comic Book: 10/10 “I applaud the creative team for taking time to talk about this sensitive issue for readers and handling it so well.”

• Geeked Out Nation: 10/10 “You couldn’t have asked for a more powerful issue of Champions, and this year was the best time to tell it. This foe only wins when we keep silent, when we forget why we speak up against it, when we let despair keep us from hoping for better.”

• Major Spoilers: 7/10 “Champions #24 manages to provide some meaningful context while providing important character development for our young heroes without preaching or trying to hammer home a political point, doing so with lovely art”

• Newsarama: 8/10 “This is where Zub’s light touch as a writer really shines through. He seems keenly aware of how contentious the issue is – how raw this nerve will be no matter when we’re talking about it – so he instead keeps the focus on our heroes.”

• Shoot the Breeze: 10/10 “The writing from Jim Zub is very powerful, Riri’s frustrations with the endless cycle of school shootings ringing very true, and Kamala’s words to Miles were beautifully chosen. The art is likewise very effective, Sean Izaakse capturing the inevitable whirlwind of emotions Miles and his teammates experience from these events.”

• Southern Fried Geekery: “It’s an incredible book, a powerful stand alone story.”

• We Love Wednesdays: “No matter who picks up this book, they can find a message that’s important to them.”

CHAMPIONS #26
JIM ZUB (W) • MAX DUNBAR (A)
Cover by SEAN IZAAKSE
UNCANNY X-MEN VARIANT COVER BY ROB LIEFELD
• In a world of magic and glory, the Champions can take hold of what they desire, but not without a price…
• Plus, how can Snowguard protect the North, when she’s not even on planet Earth?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

INFINITY WARS: INFINITY WARPS #1 (of 2)
RYAN NORTH, MARIKO TAMAKI & JIM ZUB (W)
NATACHA BUSTOS, FRANCISCO HERRERA & Ozgur Yildirim (A)
Cover by FRANCISCO HERRERA
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY ADAM KUBERT
DESIGN VARIANT COVER BY FRANSICO HERRERA
When you gaze into the warp…you get more stories of mad Two-In-One heroes! Read about the Star Siblings of the Warped Universe – MISTER INVISIBLE and HOT ROCKS, the TERRIFIC TWO! Then, see how the covert programs of the Green Room created the gamma-powered GREEN WIDOW! And join MOON SQUIRREL AND TIPPYSAUR as they save the planet from the most dangerous threat it’s ever faced!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: MYSTERY IN MADRIPOOR TPB
Written by CHARLES SOULE & JIM ZUB
Penciled by DAVID MARQUEZ, PAULO SIQUEIRA & THONY SILAS
Cover by GREG LAND Where’s Wolverine? Who better to answer that question than some of his closest friends — Kitty Pryde, Storm, Rogue, Jubilee, Psylocke and Domino! Following a sighting of Logan’s former alter ego Patch, they head to the streets of Madripoor, the infamous island of ill repute. What they find is a twisted cabal of crime! Can even this powerful crew survive when the whole city is hunting them? Plus, what is Magneto’s connection to Logan’s disappearance? And what is the Soteira Project? Madripoor’s secrets are worth killing for — and if Kitty fails to uncover them, another X-Man may die! Past and present clash in a final battle on the island of secrets and sin! Collecting HUNT FOR WOLVERINE #1 and HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: MYSTERY IN MADRIPOOR #1-4.
136 PGS./Parental Advisory …$14.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-91305-2

• Black Nerd Problems: 9/10 “Clean work, exciting visuals, and action-packed scenes that make reading the book so fun.”

• Bleeding Cool: 8.5/10 “Champions #23 is an emotionally weighty and action-packed installment for this team of young heroes…It’s a heavy-hitting issue, and I definitely recommend it.”

• Comic Book.com: 8/10 “…another exciting edition to an already stellar series.”

• Comic Book University: “I love this one…Absolutely fantastic comic book.”

• Comic-Watch: 9/10 “Jim Zub continues to make the Champions one of Marvel’s must-read books with his incredible character work and dynamic plots. Libranda, Manna, and Menyz only add to the excitement with lush, kinetic art that helps make this book one of the best things that Marvel is currently putting out.”

• Geeked Out Nation: 8.7/10 “I was taken back by the balance of action, character development, and one heck of a twist that once again changes everything we knew about the direction this story was taking.”

• Sequential Planet: 9.2/10 “The issue is a lot of fun and drama mixed with a young adult feel. The team behind Champions has a steady rhythm, and I would definitely recommend reading them.”

• Shoot the Breeze: 9.4/10 “The issue dives deep into the emotional crisis that’s been building up within Viv since the conclusion to the recent Vision on-going series and does so in a very natural, satisfying way.”

Justin Carter at Comic Book Resources has a nice editorial talking about the renewed interest in sword & sorcery storytelling and how this could be a really good fit for our upcoming Champions storyline. Give it a read!