Creed: The Next Round has delivered what fans are looking for from the Rocky and Creed franchises. Amara Creed has shown herself as someone who will not let anyone stop her from achieving her dreams. That has created some conflict with her father, Adonis Creed, as Amara has turned to her Aunt Artemis Creed to be her trainer. With this situation going on how will things turn out next? Find out with our advance review of Creed: The Next Round #3.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers: LaToya Morgan and Jai Jamison
Artists: Wilton Santos and Valentine De Landro
Colorists: DJ Chavis and Marissa Louise
Letterer: Andworld Design
SOLICITATION
“While Amara-with two trainers in an uneasy alliance-crosses paths with her greatest rival in the tournament circle, Adonis and Bianca face the cutthroat capitalism of the business world, where only one Creed will be the victor. The shocking new sponsor of the monumental upcoming fight only adds insult to injury as Adonis is forced to make a frustrating decision.” – BOOM! Studios
REVIEW
Creed: The Next Round #3 hits on all the notes that you want from the middle act of a story. The story of this middle chapter places an equal focus on the progress of Amara Creed’s story as a rising boxing star and the sibling rivalry between Adonis and Artemis Creed. Even when we do get a predictable ending to move us into the third act it is what needed to happen for the third act to bring the hype the franchise is known for.
What particularly stood out in Creed: The Next Round #3 is how LaToya Morgan and Jai Jamison handle the change in the two perspectives the story is framed. When Amara, Adonis, and Artemis are the focus Wilton Santos and DJ Chavis are assigned to the art team. Then when we have shifted to Jamie “Slayer” Pierce’s perspective Valentine De Landro and Marissa Louise take over art duties. This is a great way to reframe how the reader should view the conversations and developments in the story. Both art directions match the tone that Morgan and Jamison are going when writing the Creed Family and Jamie as the focus characters.
This was important for Jamie as we get a deep dive into her history. While Jamie is certainly positioned as the antagonist there is an argument made in Creed: The Next Round #3 that she could carry the as the protagonist. Jamie’s life story and how it connects to her own family’s legacy shows us a different side of what happens to boxing legends. Giving us all this context makes this issue end a more effective way to make Jamie an antagonist who is multi-layered.
Amid Jamie getting a bigger spotlight, we see progress with Amara’s character arc. She continues to show she is ready to take that next step. Though she is honestly more of a supporting character for this chapter in the story.
That is not only because of the spotlight Jamie gets but also the developments between Adonis and Artemis. This issue brings to the forefront everything that has been boiling up between Adonis and Artemis. The way they go about getting out everything was a great way to further showcase the themes of legacy and family with them. The way things end up places the Creed legacy at the forefront in even more intriguing ways.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Creed: The Next Round #3 does an excellent job of building excitement for the final act of this story. We get a deeper dive into Jamie “Slayer” Pierce’s character which made her a potent antagonist for Amara Creed to overcome. The additional elements of how the Creed legacy continues to be tackled made this all yet another winning round for this series.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10