A review by spacestationtrustfund
America, Vol. 1: The Life and Times of America Chavez by Gabby Rivera, Joe Quiñones

1.0

The art is AMAZING! Unfortunately, the writing felt very juvenile. Gabby Rivera has my eternal respect for being the first(!!) Latina to write for Marvel comics, an accolade that is SERIOUSLY overdue, but... hmm, I think I'm just too old to be the target audience for this? I'm so conflicted because the art is incredible and I love America Chavez with my whole heart and soul, but overall I wasn't at all impressed by the story or dialogue—far too much exposition, nobody talked like real people, the backstory and worldbuilding were poorly developed, there were too many snappy comebacks and witty quipping, and the slang was pretty cringey (not to mention guaranteed to be outdated within a year or two).

There were moments that gutpunched me, though! Like this bit from issue #3:

After my moms died, I left the parallel. I found spaces on earth where little brown girls blended into the scenery and became part of the family. Once Abuela Santa offered me that first plate of arroz on gandules, I was one of hers. No questions asked. Didn't even know what a Puerto Rican was. I just knew these folks looked like me and let me in. [...] Still, I was a tourist everywhere. Lifting language and culture from the love of people who weren't my kin but held me as their own. Dove fists first into being a super hero 'cuz it felt right. Like I was honoring my moms, you know?

I'm delighted that Gabby Rivera was able to explore cultural identity in this collection, I really am! Positive representation is super important, and I hope that Latine kids reading this comic are able to connect to America's journey.

I also hope we get better comics starring America Chavez, because she's awesome and I love her.