This past weekend on Comixology, they offered the first issue of the new series America, centered around America Chavez, aka Miss America, for free. I decided why not pick it up, it’s free. Before reading it, I knew next to nothing about America Chavez. I only knew that she can throw inter-dimensional punches and her powers manifest in star flourishes, as seen in The Ultimates and The Ultimates 2 series by Al Ewing. What I didn’t expect was how unique and special this story has the potential to be.

This first issue does an amazing job at setting up America’s character, where she’s been, and where she’s at. It does this without been boring as well. Which is difficult for characters with long, convoluted, and traumatic backstory’s. Within the first few pages the issues manages to give you everything you need to know, trimming the fat and giving the raw essentials to understand America. With America still an important part of The Ultimates, I feel this book will be able to explore the character in a way the other book cannot and hopefully not come into conflict with the each other.

First of all, this story is about personal growth. Although America has a bad-ass action hero attitude, she is also impulsive and stubborn nature like your average action hero. Shown in both her heroics and her relationships. Thinking it’s her way or the highway, America makes decisions with her gut and doesn’t look back. This is an amazing place for America to start her adventure, full of potential to go new and interesting places and tell a story that represents discovery, change, and what it means to take a chance on yourself. I believe writer Gabby Rivera has captured not only a unique voice for Marvel’s Miss America, but one that will be a positive influence to everyone who reads it.

If there is one thing I can start with when talking about the art, it’s expressive. This book features iridescent backgrounds that bring me back to my time hunting for rare foil Magic the Gathering trading cards, shining in the light. The strong character art really brings life to this book, grounding the fantastic Sotomayor University grounds with characters that are truly expressive. It all comes together beautifully. The art team, Penciler Joe Quinones, Inkers Joes Rivera & Paolo Rivera, and Colorist Jose Villarubia have defined America’s strong and colorful style. Standing apart from other books, America showcases amazing art that feels wholly unique to America’s personality.

While we start at a place of impulse, I can see this book taking us on a journey that will leave people wanting more and more. Not only is this important for Marvel and telling stories that haven’t had a chance to be told, it expands comic books as a whole to tell stories of LGBTQ characters by people in the LGBTQ community. I think this is a great book, and can’t do anything but recommend it. If you were able to pick it up for free this past weekend, I hope you start picking it up regularly because this will be a series to follow.