The first issue of Marvel's new series, America, was released this past Wednesday. America centers around a hero named America Chavez, also known as Miss America. America Chavez is a Latin American hero that falls on the LGBT+ spectrum. Marvel has had a rise of Latin American Characters getting their own series, such as Miles Morales in Ultimate Spider-man and Robbie Reyes in Ghost Rider. However, it's a lot harder to find latina characters or LGBT+ characters in the spotlight, much less characters that fall into both categories. America Chavez is the first of her kind for Marvel.
America Chavez is a tough hero that was raised by her superhero mothers. She wears red, white, and blue while punching star-shaped inter-dimensional holes through which she travels. She debuted in the 2011 series Vengeance by Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta. She appeared again in Young Avengers in 2013, which is where she really started gaining popularity. From there, she moved to A-Force, then Ultimates. As a fan of her in particular, it was frustrating to only find books of her as a part of a team. Finally, her fans can show support for her by buying a series that centers around her.
The writer of America is Gabby Rivera, a Puerto Rican novelist known for Juliet Takes A Breath, a novel about a Puerto Rican lesbian that goes on a journey of self-discovery. Marvel did a good job on hiring a queer Latina to write the story of a queer Latina character. It's nice to see a character being written by someone that shares her background, making the storytelling more realistic, even in a world of superheroes.
In this issue, America Chavez takes a break from saving the world and goes to college. The issue is entertaining and it's a good start for people that are new to her story. Gabby Rivera and the rest of the team working on America have made a good first impression with this issue and I'm excited to see where the story goes.
Be sure to pick up your copy of America #1 at your local comic shop!
