Talking About Champions

Once the October solicits arrived online, I knew discussion would start around our current run. It’s with a heavy heart that I let all of you know CHAMPIONS will be wrapping up with issue #10.

I built this new take on the team as a way to try and bridge classic teen superheroic drama with an eclectic cast of characters – old school Marvel brought to the present with a new generation of heroes.

I took a risk with the book and it didn’t click the way we hoped, so my long-term plans for the series have been cut short. That’s the way it goes sometimes.

It hurts. Dressing that up any other way would be disingenuous. I wish it had worked out. I’m sorry I let you down.

The readers and reviewers who keyed into what we were going for were incredible. Their excitement kept us going month after month. If you didn’t get a chance to read the current run, I hope you’ll consider giving us a shot in single issues, collections, or digital.

Big thanks to our whole creative team – Steven Cummings, Marcio Menyz, Clayton Cowles, Juanan Ramirez, Kim Jacinto, and Rain Beredo. An even deeper thank you to editors CB Cebulski, Tom Brevoort, Alanna Smith, and Shannon Andrews for letting me run with this idea in the first place. The risk didn’t pay off this time, but the only way we can build new classic stories is to push out into the unknown and see what’s possible.

If you’re reading this and lamenting the future of your favorite young heroes, I can tell you that there are big plans for Marvel’s teens in 2020. I’ve heard about the next stage of the Champions story – It’s exciting, vibrant, and absolutely worthy of the House of Ideas. I’m a bit wistful that it’s not mine to tell, but also hopeful for the future of these inspiring young heroes.

Thanks for the support,

Jim