WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS !!!!!

Hello Chums,

For me, nothing or no-one makes better use of the word "champions" than when the late, great Freddie Mercury sings it. I mean even though Freddie has been dead since '92 and the song has been around since '78, it's still used for just about any championship. It has had some real staying power. Kudos to Queen for that.

In the '70's, Marvel comics also used the word "Champions", for their newest super hero group. Did it have the same staying power as the famous song? Heck no. The Champions comic book ran for a measly 17 issues. That is not much of a success, when you consider the books line up. The Champions featured Hercules, The Black Widow, The Angel, The Iceman and Ghost Rider.

That's a pretty decent line up with a strong man, Russian agent and two former X-men.

So what's the Ghost Rider doing there? He's not a team player. Remember when the Avengers started out with the Hulk as a founding member? He didn't work out. He left the team and was soon replaced by Captain America! Ghost Riders not that popular of a character anyway. He deals with the dead and spirits of hellfire. Not really the right fit for a fun team book set in southern California. Maybe if he'd been replaced by a better character the book would have made it. Imagine if the book had Hawkeye, Spider-woman, The Vision or Scarlet Witch. Add any of them to the line up for an interesting book.

I recently read The Champions Classic vol. 1 & 2. These two volumes feature all 17 issues and their appearances as guests in other books. While I liked the story of how the team came together, as the their story progressed it got weaker and weaker. So weak in fact the Iceman contemplates leaving the group early on. I just wish it could have been Ghost Rider.

After I finished reading the 22 issues, I couldn't help but wonder; What if there had been a little better story through out the run? Maybe a slightly different line up of characters? Would the Champions still be around today? Maybe so.

Even though the art went through numerous artists, it was always adequate. For me the BIG eye sore is the terrible 70's coloring. I wish that they would re-color these trades as they release them.

Rating: Story C+ Art B+ Coloring D-

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D.L.