Writer: Emily Kim
Artists: Minkyu Jung & Peter Nguyen
Colorist: Michael Wiggam
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Cover Artists: Woo-Chul Lee; Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon
Special Thanks: Anthony Oliveira
Logo Design: Stacie Zucker
Production Design: Carlos Lao
Digital Production Team: Jasmine Alvarez, Annie Cheng & Tim Smith 3
Editors: Lindsey Cohick, Sarah Brunstad, Tom Brevoort & CB Cebulski
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $6.99
Release Date: April 30, 2025
Hellrune lacks a mentor and is still learning to wield her powers. While the orphan's magical birds transport Moon Squire, Liberty, and Cadet Marvel to a remote Norweigan island, they also bring Fantasma, Spider-Boy, Amaranth, Hulkette, Nightshade, Monte, Gold Tiger, Kid Juggernaut, and Deadpool Boy.
After banishing the Viking Zombies, Liberty invites the newcomers to join the New Champions team. Some of the surprise guests accept Liberty’s offer. Among those who decline, Kid Juggernaut expresses interest but explains that he is already on a team. Who is Kid Juggernaut? How did he come to wield Cyttorak’s powers? Let’s grab a coffee and donut, leap into Kid Juggernaut #1, and find out!
Story
Justin Jin grew up in Canada. He is an eighteen-year-old who rode a growth spurt into Vancouver’s Big And Tall clothing shops. Justin helps his mother run Vancity Buns when he’s not thrashing the competition at pickup basketball games. Despite his height, Justin is sensitive and insecure. Like many of us, he gets flustered when he meets someone he likes.
But Justin has more to worry about than dating in Kid Juggernaut #1. When his father dies, his mother visits the lawyer to sort out his father’s estate. But before his mom returns, Justin receives a package from Korea. After quitting Korean school, Justin can’t read his father’s Hangeul writing. Still, Justin opens the package.
In Emily Kim’s story, Justin has a lot to sort out. His father left home a long time ago and never returned. Aside from a few childhood memories, Justin feels no connection to his father. Because his father abandoned him, Justin knows little of his heritage. But when he opens a wooden container and touches the red amulet inside, Justin embarks on a journey of discovery about his family and where he belongs in Kid Juggernaut #1.
Art
Vertical panels dominate this six-part infinity comic converted into a printed double-length story. The scenes often flow horizontally like traditional comics as a man appeals to Cyttorak. Fires rage through and between panels as the cloaked sorcerer clutches his twisted, spiky staff. Justin’s mother, or Umma, interrupts his childhood memory of his father as he lays in bed near a basketball and a Dazzler poster.
After finding a photo that echoes his memories, Justin touches a red gem wire-wrapped with white and green tassels in Juggernaut #1. White and red energy arcs around his hand. The lightning casts waves of red force that swirl around him in the coffee shop lobby. Then Justin reaches out to steady himself and knocks a hole in the wall.
While Michael Wiggam paints Minkyu Jung & Peter Nguyen's art with a loaded palette, visions of Justin's grandfather receive additional texturing. The aged colors portray the Korean farmer's anger at his plight and his Olympian-like transformation after red energy swirls around him. Muted colors accompany Umma’s tale of her ex-husband's life. Beiges, browns, and reds dominate distressed panels that suggest brush marks and water absorption.
Ariana Maher hurtles uppercase black letters into white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The letters embolden for intonation and occasionally swell. Cyttorak utters a smaller, haunting font in crinkle-edged balloons. Sound effects help us hear baby Justin's wailing as his father misbehaves, Justin exploring his capabilities, and a familiar hero rushing to his aid as a red giant's laughter echoes through Kid Juggernaut #1. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
While Justin's grandfather and father chose their relationships with Cyttorak, the young Canadian baker stumbled into transformation. Once he receives the powers of the dark god, there's no backing out. All Justin can do is decide how to wield his new power.
Kid Juggernaut #1 speaks to how enriching embracing our heritage can be, how to tackle those who oppose us, and the need to follow our moral code rather than allowing anger, greed, or authority figures to dictate our actions.
Rating 9.4/10
To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
