Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Jim Zub, art by Steve Cummings, colors by Erick Arciniega, and letters by Clayton Cowles. In a world where the Squadron Supreme of America are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, several young people have stepped up to follow in the footsteps of the heroes that have inspired them. But is it enough to strive after others? Or will these young people strive to be true champions?
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The Heroes Reborn event has been all about taking the Marvel Universe we know and making it decidedly less familiar. Characters are seen in different spaces and roles, giving readers a glimpse into what could be. This reframing of the Universe we know is taken a step further in Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1 by taking the trio of Kamala Khan, Sam Alexander, and Miles Morales and giving them new, yet oddly familiar, origins.
The familiar elements of the trio that will become the Young Squadron hearken back to comics’ earlier ages. The origin stories of these characters feel like reworks of heroes that would’ve been written decades before any of them made their original first appearances. By utilizing this older format of storytelling, writer Zub takes what might’ve been simply another otherworld story and turns it into something more akin to an homage to earlier times in comics’ history. However, while this makes the story a bit unique within this event, it does come with a price. That price is the reminder of why stories aren’t told like this anymore.
The novelty of Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1‘s approach to its characters is overwhelmed by the cut and paste feeling of the origins. This problem is made noticeably worse because three origins and a team-up of the characters are all told within 34 pages. So any nuance or creative twists that could’ve been added to these stories are lost in the crunch to get all four stories into one issue.
Beyond the structure of the story itself, Zub does a good job of writing the characters in the panel-to-panel interactions. These characters feel like the familiar personalities we know, but with a twist. It’s good to know that Kamala will remain the fangirl she has always been, no matter what reality we see.
The art in Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1 does a good job of blending the design of our heroes so their outfits have nods to their classic designs while still being unique and eye-catching. Artist Cummings also does a solid job with the story’s various action sequences. The combat is always delivered in a dynamic and exciting style. The energy of these moments is further aided by Arciniega’s vibrant colorwork.
Rounding out this issue’s presentation is Cowles’s quality work on letters. As the issue bounces from story to story, Cowles maintains a clear and easy-to-follow performance on letters.
Taken all together, Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1 is a fun, interesting blending of the old and the new. While the book tries to do a bit too much to fully stick the landing, there is nonetheless enjoyment to be found in this title.
Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.
Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1
TL;DR
Taken all together, Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1 is a fun, interesting blending of the old and the new. While the book tries to do a bit too much to fully stick the landing, there is nonetheless enjoyment to be found in this title.
