Reading Concert of Champions #1 is a study in expecting the unexpected. For starters, the title puts a spin on the iconic “Contest of Champions” storyline that brought together various figures from across the Marvel Universe to do battle. But while the Contest of Champions was conducted by cosmic beings with life and death stakes, the Concert of Champions is more about bragging rights to see who’s Marvel’s best musician.
To that end, some of the best musical talents/superheroes make an appearance in this book. There’s Dazzler, fresh off her world tour and dealing with some immense mental health issues. There’s Luna Snow, K-Pop sensation and Marvel Rivals fan favorite. There’s Ghost-Spider, aka Spider-Gwen, who’s literally swinging by to check out some of her favorite singers. But a new band by the name of Dark Void turns out to pose more than just a threat to their fellow singers…
Concert of Champions #1 comes to stores courtesy of Jason Loo, who’s been scripting some standout series, including the Dazzler miniseries and Werewolf by Night, which makes full use of Marvel’s horror branding. Here, he picks up on plot threads from Dazzler, specifically how Alison Blaire’s last tour has affected her. “I can’t let the world think that it all got to me,” Alison says in one page, which focuses on her shaking hand. “When it really did.” With one simple sentence, Loo delivers a mountain’s worth of emotion.
Credit: Marvel
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Most of the fun of Concert of Champions comes from Luna and Dazzler’s interactions, as Luna is a big fan of the mutant pop powerhouse. (So is Gwen, who ends up attending the concert in disguise.) That dynamic, ranging from verbal barbs to pooling their powers together to defeat Dark Void, is a large part of what makes Concert of Champions such a fun read.
Concert of Champions #1 is also a gorgeous book to look at, thanks to the artwork by Rafael Loureiro & Rurari Coleman. Lourerio is also returning from the Dazzler miniseries, and much like the trio of singers in this book, he and Coleman make a great team. They draw the concert scenes big and bombastic and display them in a variety of ways; one panel is drawn entirely within the screen of a smartphone, while another is a POV shot from a drone camera. Lourerio and Coleman also capture the different aesthetics of each singer, backed up by Yen Nitro and Fer Sifuentes-Sijo. Luna’s K-Pop attire is displayed in shades of black, blu,e and white, which also matches her ice powers. Gwen has pink, white, and blue. Dazzler’s is a mesmerizing mix of blues and pinks.
That same color choice influences the lettering, another trick that carries over from Dazzler (which isn’t surprising considering that Ariana Maher was also the letterer on that miniseries). Depending on the songs, word balloons are depicted in a wavy blue for Dazzler’s songs, pink (sprinkled through with Korean) for Luna, and deep black for Deep Void. Loo even includes lyrics for one of Dazzler’s songs, and once again, I wish that it existed.
Concert of Champions #1 brings together Marvel’s musical heroes for a story that’s equal parts emotional and exciting. If you missed out on getting tickets to your favorite band, you should definitely pick up this comic – and hopefully, this isn’t the only time these superpowered sirens join forces.
Concert of Champions #1 is available wherever comics are sold.
You must be logged in to post a comment.