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America Chavez: Made in the USA #1
Writer: Kalinda Vazquez
Artist: Carlos Gómez
Colors: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover: Sara Pichelli

America is probably one of the most real characters I have met so far in my comic journey (which honestly just started a few months ago)! I was really impressed by the true emotional insight that Vazquez gave as we often see the tragic backstories of characters but don’t get to see as much of the emotional impact this makes on the characters as adults.  In this issue, Vazquez and the art team of Gómez, Aburtov, and Lanham, give us glimpses into America’s past in which she was found by the Santana family. Vazquez shows us some very real topics that come up with adoptions: money, housing, timing, potential legal issues, etc. Granted, we don’t all usually find strange children lying on the beach but hey, the family still goes through the conversations, just really briefly (as in the time it takes for them to get home). The team also touches on relational issues; in this case it’s meeting families and sticking together when things get tough.

The art in this book was wonderful for the most part. They created such clear facial expressions for the characters which definitely accentuated the emotions going on in the story. I liked that Gómez drew the characters as having various sizes and body shapes; he drew America as strong and slightly muscular which is how such a kick-a$$ lady should look. Also, Gómez made America and Hawkeye have practical outfits which I like. Both characters had flat shoes which makes way more sense than the stilettos that women in fights are often shown wearing in modern media. They also both have outfits that aren’t really sexy, but just cute and comfy. These choices made way more sense for someone fighting because personally, I can’t think of any woman who would choose to wear stilettos and super short skirts to do any physical activity. My only real complaint is that I was really confused why Ramone, America’s girlfriend and another heroine, had a metal suit but then threw on a crop top and shorts over it. Is she a cyborg? Why was she able to fly? Why doesn’t she wear shoes when she is fighting (the metal looks like she is barefoot) but does when she isn’t? I need more information on Ramone for any of it to make sense… and also because she seems really cool.

Vazquez creates an exciting story with such relatable characters which is brought to life through the art team’s work. While America is fighting moles and sudden power losses and navigating a relationship, there is a mysterious individual at work to destroy everything America loves. Another hero that we all know and love also makes an appearance and adds some humor to the story. This book has it all: mystery, humor, emotion, action, and the biggest game of Whack-a-Mole ever! What am I talking about? You’ll have to read America Chavez: Made in America #1 to find out!

Anna Copp
anna@comicattack.net