Written by: Gabby Rivera
Art by: Joe Quinones
Publisher: Marvel Comics
I’ve been singing the praises of America Chavez since the second run of Young Avengers back in 2013. She seemed like one of those characters that was amazing and deserved to be in the spotlight but was, sadly, never going to take off. Fortunately I was wrong. She showed up again in 2015, during Secret Wars, in A-Force and then it was revealed that she was going to be apart of The Ultimates once the Secret Wars event ended. I was extremely happy that such an amazing character was finally getting the attention she deserved. And then Marvel did one of the two things I’ve been asking them to do since Young Avengers ended. They announced that America was getting her own comic and I was ecstatic. It’s finally here and it’s everything I could have hoped it was.
America #1 is such an important comic for so many reasons. It features America being unapologetically queer and brown. It showcases her being a Latina lesbian who is B.A. but also strives to better herself and get an education. It puts America in a new area and scenario while keeping her stubborn and hot headed nature. The book also shows her emotional side. Her want to be with her mothers again is referenced multiple times and seems to be one of the things that will motivate America throughout the book.
The book itself is a lot of fun. It shows off the goofy side of America and the people around her. It’s not the road I was completely expecting them to go down but actually reading it, I enjoyed it. It fits the character, and shows her in a bit of a different light. It gives us the opportunity to get more of America Chavez’s iconic, patented one liners such as “The laws of Physics can kiss my a**” or “America, no!” “America, YES!” We also get to see her reunited with her old teammate David Alleyne, or Prodigy, the openly bisexual, black, ex-mutant who is also a genius. The two have great banter and, if he continues to be in the series like I hope he does, we’ll be getting a pairing of 2 unapologetically queer people of color in one book. Queer people of color are extremely underrepresented in the media and when you do find a story featuring them, you rarely see more than one. This book could be the book that queer people of color have been asking for for a while.
The writing, for the most part, is very well done. Gabby Rivera does a wonderful job of capturing the essence of who America Chavez is while also putting her own spin on her. There are a few lines that seem a bit cheesy but I believe that’s the point, and maybe they’ll feel less so as the story goes on. The art is absolutely beautiful. Joe Quinones is the penciler, Joe and Paolo Rivera are the inkers, and Jose Villarrubia is the colorist. They bring the world of America Chavez alive and are able to capture the action filled moments as well as the more somber, slow moments. They also gave us that beautiful shot that will no doubt go down in history (herstory?) of America punching Hitler in the face, the same way Captain America did.
America #1 is the book that….well…America needs right now. In the wake of what’s been happening in our country lately, we need stories of brown, queer, female superheroes to saving the day.
