While Mark Millar’s once-trailblazing edgy style is now practically standard, his Millarworld imprint is still releasing interesting projects well worth a look. One such project, The Ambassadors, is out this week.
The Ambassadors presents a global proposition towards would-be superheroes that will represent their respected countries. Throughout the course of six issues – each drawn by a different artist – we see these individuals, hailing from India, Australia, France and Brazil, recruited by Doctor Choon-he Chung to become the titular Ambassadors, whilst becoming targets of Chung’s evil husband who is building his own team of superhumans.
Millar’s writing has always been more successful when it emphasizes the ideas themselves, and there are some interesting ones in this comic. Beginning with the first issue, we see the U.S. government talking about their attempts at creating the Superman during the Cold War, whilst reacting to the public announcement of Doctor Chung’s global plan. Though there isn’t much of an American presence throughout this initial run, you do wonder if Millar has plans for America’s involvement, should he continue the series.
Whilst you get a progression of the larger narrative during the series, each issue functions as their own narrative by focusing on one of the Ambassadors transitioning from zero to hero. Although there are some compelling arcs going on with these characters, such as the revelation of the young Codename India gaining his superhero status after being comatose due to a shootout, or the elderly Codename Australia moving beyond his past as a right-wing politician, you always wish for something more. Each of these characters are worthy of having their own title, but due to the series’ structure where they are being assembled as a team, you don’t get that much of a team dynamic, which again might be explored in subsequent issues.
Some of the six artists involved have previously collaborated with Millar, and they are all on their A game here. Starting with the best of the bunch, Frank Quitely, whose quirky, but highly detailed style relishes the huge scale that you expect from superhero spectacle, as well as the hyper-violence that you expect from a Millar comic. Whilst the subsequent artists can’t be Quitely, Travis Charest, Karl Kerschl, Olivier Coipel, Matteo Buffagni and Scalera lean into their own aesthetics that feel as diverse as the Ambassadors themselves.
The Ambassadors is big on ideas, yet the execution feels oddly small. But there is enough good will from The Ambassadors, from its diversity of artists and fictional heroes, to make it worth a read.
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