Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The team first appears in ''The Champions'' #1 (October 1975) and was created by writer
Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella (born December 22, 1951) is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and as ...
and artist
Don Heck
Donald L. HeckComic_Media.html" ;"title="ic; actually Comic Media">ic; actually Comic Media/nowiki>, in 1952," Heck recalled in 1993, Hardy “called me up and asked me to join."Heck, ''Comics Scene'' #37, p. 55 Heck's first known comics work appe ...
. Their titular series is regarded as an example of a failed superteam comic, suffering from constant turnover in the writers and artists working on the series, lack of a consistent direction or concept, and mediocre sales.
Publication history
According to the letters page of ''Champions'' #6, writer
Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella (born December 22, 1951) is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and as ...
developed the concept of a new team of superheroes and originally wanted the roster to consist of former
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
the
Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
and the Iceman, and the newly created Black Goliath. Black Goliath became unavailable when the character debuted in his own title, forcing Isabella to rethink the concept. Editor Len Wein insisted on at least five members, and Isabella added three established heroes: Russian
spy
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
Greek god
The following is a list of gods, goddesses, and many other divine and semi-divine figures from ancient Greek mythology and ancient Greek religion.
Immortals
The Greeks created images of their deities for many purposes. A temple would house the ...
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the ...
, and the supernatural avenger
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
.Captain Marvel, Power Man, and the Son of Satan were all considered for the final place on the roster before selecting the Ghost Rider. Writer and publisher
David Anthony Kraft
David Anthony Kraft (May 31, 1952 – May 19, 2021) was an American comic book writer, publisher, and critic. He was primarily known for his long-running journal of interviews and criticism, ''Comics Interview'', as well as for work for Marvel C ...
is credited with naming the team, with the title originally intended to be published in the ''Giant-Size'' format as ''Giant-Size Champions''. Production difficulties, which caused a three-month delay between the first and second issues, prevented this.
Isabella has disputed this account on several points. First, he said, his original concept for the series was not a team book at all, but a humorous heroes-on-the-highway series in the vein of '' Route 66'' with Angel and Iceman. Black Goliath was not discussed during the meeting which laid out the series concept, but rather was a character he planned to have join the Champions later, precisely ''because'' he was a character with his own series, also written by Isabella. Finally, he insisted that the series was always going to be in a regular size format, and has hypothesized that the "giant-size" story was put forward to cover up the fact that the team was missing deadlines. He also said that he chose the Black Widow, Hercules, and the Ghost Rider for the group under the editorial requirements that the team must have a woman, a strong man, and at least one character with their own series.
The title was eventually published as ''The Champions'', and ran for 17 issues from October 1975 to January 1978. Publication continued to be erratic; the series went back and forth between monthly and bi-monthly throughout its run. The creative team saw an exceptionally high level of overturn, with 12 different writer/penciller/inker combinations over the course of just 17 issues. In addition to
Don Heck
Donald L. HeckComic_Media.html" ;"title="ic; actually Comic Media">ic; actually Comic Media/nowiki>, in 1952," Heck recalled in 1993, Hardy “called me up and asked me to join."Heck, ''Comics Scene'' #37, p. 55 Heck's first known comics work appe ...
, Bob Hall, and John Byrne. Starting with issue #8, the remainder of the series was written and pencilled by industry newcomers still learning their craft with the sole exception that the final issue was pencilled by Tuska. Though the reason for this is not known, it has been hypothesized that the series was already on the brink of cancellation at this point, making it a less risky place to field rookie creators.
A common criticism of ''The Champions'' was that the team lacked any sort of theme or reason for the members to continue working together. Isabella intended from the beginning for the Champions to be a superhero team for the common man, but admitted that the series never brought this theme across in a convincing way. The team never acquired their own rogues gallery, and instead battled established Marvel villains such as
Pluto
Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...
Swarm
Swarm behaviour, or swarming, is a collective behaviour exhibited by entities, particularly animals, of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot or perhaps moving ''en masse'' or migrating in some direction. ...
. The Black Widow is elected the leader of the Champions in issue #5, and in issue #7 the team gets a headquarters. Russian heroine Darkstar became a regular character starting in issue #10, though she never actually joins the team. Black Goliath guest-stars in issue #11.
In an effort to boost the series's flagging sales, the Champions were featured as guest-stars for three consecutive months: in '' Iron Man Annual'' #4 (August 1977), '' The Avengers'' #163 (September 1977), and '' Godzilla, King of the Monsters'' #3 (October 1977). The attempt failed, and ''Champions'' was cancelled with issue #17. The second-to-last issue continued a story involving a power struggle between villains Doctor Doom and
Magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
from the title ''
Super-Villain Team-Up
''Super-Villain Team-Up'' is the name of two American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Both series featured supervillains as the protagonists.
Publication history
The first series started in 1975 with two giant-size issues before ...
''. Loose plot threads left by the last issue were wrapped up in ''
Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics.
Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...
'' #17-18 (April–May 1978), in which the Champions disband.
In the short story "On the Air", published in the 1996 anthology ''The Ultimate X-Men'', an interviewer asks the Angel about the Champions. The Angel defends the group's worth, saying they should be judged not by the short time they were together, but by how many people they helped. The group briefly reunite in an ''
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in '' New Mutants'' #100 ...
/Champions Annual''. An issue of ''
The Incredible Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...
'' features an untold tale of the Champions.
A new team also called the Champions, composed of teenage superheroes and with no connection to the 1970s team, debuted in October 2016.
Trademark dispute
In 1987, Heroic Publishing began using the name "The Champions" for a role-playing game series which has been adapted into comic books. The
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alex ...
ruled that Marvel had abandoned its trademark of the name and could no longer use it, causing a planned 2007 revival of the series to be renamed '' The Order''. This has since been resolved, with Marvel publishing a new ''Champions'' series that debuted following their ''
Civil War II
"Civil War II" is a 2016 comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in June of that year, it is the sequel to 2006's "Civil War" and consists of a nine-issue eponymous core limited series, by writer Brian Michael Bendis ...
'' event.
Collected editions
*''Champions Classic Vol. 1'' collects ''The Champions'' #1–11, 208 pages, July 2006,
*''Champions Classic Vol. 2'' collects ''The Champions'' #12–17, '' Iron Man Annual'' #4, '' The Avengers'' #163, ''
Super-Villain Team-Up
''Super-Villain Team-Up'' is the name of two American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Both series featured supervillains as the protagonists.
Publication history
The first series started in 1975 with two giant-size issues before ...
'' #14, and ''
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man
''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics.
Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...
'' #17–18, 216 pages, January 2007,
*''The Champions: No Time for Losers'' collects ''The Champions'' #1–3 and 14–15, 100 pages, October 2016,
*''Champions Classic: The Complete Collection'' collects ''The Champions'' #1–17, ''Iron Man Annual'' #4, ''The Avengers'' #163, ''Super-Villain Team-Up'' #14, ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #17–18, and '' Hulk Annual'' #7, 472 pages, July 2018,