Cyttorak finds a new champion of destruction in Kid Juggernaut #1, but does he actually want to do their bidding…?
Kid Juggernaut #1 collects the entire Kid Juggernaut: Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic series from Marvel Unlimited, where it originally existed in vertical format and is now presented in more traditional form. This isn’t the first time they’ve collected their Infinity Comics into one-shots for print — and I’m glad they do it, because I’m honestly just not in the target demographic for mobile web comics released in small chunks despite a lot of these series otherwise being up my alley. But unlike several other digital comic initiatives attempted by the company, this one specifically seems to be working since they keep making new ones, so clearly I’m the outlier.
In any event, Kid Juggernaut #1 introduces Justin Jin, a Korean-Canadian teen who discovers a secret familial connection to the extra-dimensional being known as Cyttorak. It turns how Justin’s late grandfather once held the title of Juggernaut —as in, the popular X-Men villain— and following the suspicious passing of his dad, he comes into the possession of the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, which transforms anyone who touches it into a big, armored tough guy. Before he learns the conditions of this object, it’s too late. Cue some familiar tropes of unwitting young superheroes coming to terms with their new powers, yada yada.
Kid Juggernaut #1 is a classic superhero origin story, but writer Emily Kim does a good job of making Justin’s first outing as Kid Juggernaut feel complete in a way that these sometimes don’t, and his characterization is pretty clear by the final page. Despite his imposing, bulky appearance, Justin is actually a big softie and wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt anyone, either physically or emotionally… which, naturally, puts him at odds with his new title. (The Juggernaut is, essentially, meant to be an agent of chaos and destruction.) It’s a classic Marvel setup, giving a character an ironic set of superpowers that creates inherent tension for them to fight against. And while this doesn’t really come up in this issue itself, I do know that Justin’s homosexuality is later established in Anthony Oliviera’s popular Avengers Academy comic for the Unlimited platform, and we love a new LGBTQ superhero on the roster.
The art of Kid Juggernaut #1 is a little inconsistent and underwhelming, but given that this was originally intended to be seen on phones and tablets and required some adapting for the page, I’m willing to forgive it. It’s not bad, but you can definitely notice a lot of long, vertical panels that appear somewhat awkwardly when compiled together. But again, that mostly just goes back to my lack of preference for vertical-based formats. Regardless, Kid Juggernaut #1 is a fun little comic that introduces an interesting new character with breakout potential, and we can all get behind that.
Kid Juggernaut #1
6.99
Credits
- Writer: Emily KIm
- Artists: Minkyu Jung & Peter Nguyen
- Color Artist: Michael Wiggam
- Letterer: VC's Ariana Maher
- Cover Artist: Woo-Chul Lee
Credits (cont)
- Editors: Lindsay Cohick & Sarah Brunstad
- Pub
