Marvel's latest superteam comic New Champions launched this week with a great first issue that saw the squad of youthful heroes on their first proper mission. But while the group is quite capable of taking down goons like the Brothers Grimm, the issue ended with the Champions mysteriously transported to a realm of deadly Norse zombies! And they're not the only heroes summoned there...
The initial line-up of New Champions is made up of Moon Squire, Liberty, Cadet Marvel, and the mysterious Hellrune. As we saw at the end of the first issue, however, the Champions are about to be joined by some familiar and not-so-familiar faces including Spider-Boy, Amaranth, Hulkette, and more. One of the characters who made a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo at the end of that issue is a new Wakandan hero named Gold Tiger. In our exclusive unlettered preview of the next issue you can see her in action for the first time.
The New Champions were initially introduced by Marvel as a series of speculative characters on variant covers. Liberty debuted on the cover of Captain America #2; Moon Squire on Moon Knight #28; Cadet Marvel on Captain Marvel #1; Hellrune on Immortal Thor #3; Hulkette on Sensational She-Hulk #1, and Amaranth on Scarlet Witch #9. They characters are now fully-fledged heroes – albeit still young enough that they need to get the bus home after a hard day's crimefighting.
Here's what the official synopsis has to say about New Champions #2:
"NEW ALLIES... AND ENEMIES? Hellrune has summoned young heroes from far and wide, but who among them has what it takes to become a New Champion? The smooth-talking magician Monte seems to be a prime candidate, but is he more than he appears? And who is the mysterious MAGNETRIX?"
New Champions #2, by writer Steve Foxe, artists Ivan Fiorelli and Ig Guara, colorist Arthur Hesli, and letterer Travis Lanham, is published by Marvel Comics on February 12.
Will the New Champions reach the heights of the best teen superhero teams of all time?
