The Rocky franchise is one I grew up watching as a kid. Thanks to my dad it is a franchise that connects to memories of my childhood. The recent Creed trilogy did a fantastic job at continuing the story of both Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed through Adonis Creed. Now after the trilogy we are seeing the Rocky and Creed legacy live on in comic book form by BOOM! Studios. Creed: The Next Round is being co-written LaToya Morgan and Jai Jamison Working with artwork by artist Wilton Santos and colorist DJ Chavis. We got an chance to check out an early copy of Creed: The Next Round #1. Find out how it turns out with our advance review
CREATIVE TEAM
Creative Director: Michael B. Jordan
Writers: Latoya Morgan and Jai Jamison
Artist: Wilton Santos
Colorist: DJ Chavis
Letterer: Andworld Design
SOLICITATION
“Ten years after the events of the blockbuster Creed III, Amara Creed is on her own path, stepping outside her father Adonis Creed’s shadow and training like there’s no tomorrow. But when her division opponents no longer present a challenge, Amara’s drive will have her following in her father’s footsteps, going underground. She’ll also need the perfect trainer, but perfection comes with tangled strings attached.
Superstar writers LaToya Morgan (Dark Blood, AMC’s The Walking Dead) and Jai Jamison (Superman & Lois), artist Wilton Santos (Break Out), alongside Creed III director and star Michael B. Jordan bring Creed to comics in a story no fan of the franchise can afford to miss!” – BOOM! Studios
REVIEW
Flashing forward in time to tell the story of Amara Creed is already showing why it was the best choice to make for Creed: The Next Round. Much like her father Adonis Creed, we are able to examine what the legacy of Rocky and Creed is with the next generation. Given the legacy her father, grandfather, and father’s mentor have we are able to get a new perspective of what that all means.
It’s rare to get content with deaf characters and sign language used, especially in comic books. With Creed: The Next Round the lead character is Amara, who in Creed 2 & 3 was established as being born deaf. Writers Latoya Morgan and Jai Jamison and artist Wilton Santos make sure this part of the narrative with is treated respect by the way the Creed family communicate is normal.
Amara does everything you expect a teenager her age would do as she builds her own life in the world of boxing. Her inner monologue speaks to someone who knows she comes from a family with a well-known legacy and believes in her own talents. Still being young she battles against her overprotective dad. It’s a story that you can easily connect with and one that is built on a major narrative device we have seen in the Creed and Rocky movies.
Morgan and Jamison are smart in showing how Adonis is an overprotective dad because of his own history with boxing. Having been in the boxing world for decades he has a lot of knowledge of the world his daughter doesn’t. Every decision he makes is based on his own experiences and explains why he makes the decisions he makes. This leads to things we see with the narrative around multi-generation athletes across sports to come into play for the story of Creed: The Next Round.
This all builds several obstacles for Amara to overcome in Creed: The Next Round. They are all from different parts of her life. In this way Morgan and Jamison showcase how you can establish several antagonists without having them all be positioned as villains. An antagonist can be someone that our protagonist must overcome or prove themselves to. By going with this direction Morgan and Jamison create a narrative that both builds on the Creed movies and stands on its own with Amara as a strong lead.
All the strong storytelling in Creed: The Next Round #1 wouldn’t have been as successful as it was without Wilton Santos artwork. Santos does an excellent job at showing how the Creed family communicate through sign language. That is not the easiest thing to do since comic books are a storytelling medium done in still form. Santos makes sure the sign language matches the dialogue spoken as well as possible. Both the boxing matches and training are also well done to showcase where Amara is at this point in her life and all the hard work, she is putting in. All of Santos artwork is elevated even more by DJ Chavis coloring that helps every panel pop off the screen with vibrant colors.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Creed: The Next Round #1 is a fantastic start to explore the legacy of the Creed and Rocky movies in comic book form. Amara Creed is quickly established as a lead whose journey you want to follow. Her journey both builds on the legacy of her father and stands on its own, even if you haven’t watched any of the Creed movies. It all comes together for a must-read comic book by Latoya Morgan, Jai Jamison, and Wilton Santos.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10