I’m back! Miles Morales didn’t appear at all in Champions #5, so I decided to take an issue off from reviewing the series written by Mark Waid and drawn by Humberto Ramos. But now, Miles is back and so am I!

For older readers, Champions #6 is a gorgeously playful throwback to the era of comics when superhero teams engaged in teambuilding activities, like softball games or camping excursions. All of the team members (Ms. Marvel, Cyclops, Nova, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Viv Vision) are present and accounted for, which makes for even sides in a paintball battle.

Prior to that, though, Waid checks in on the locations where the Champions have previously made a difference- Norton Sound, Alaska; Manchester, Alabama; Brighton, England; and Bratislava, Slovakia. Their work has stuck, and the people they helped are all inspired for better. Waid writes smiles onto the Champions faces and Ramos gladly obliges, stuffing each of the youthful heroes with energy and vitality.

Waid continues to play to Ramos’ strengths throughout the issue, from the Champions paintball adventure, to the surprise guest cameo, to the introduction of the Freelancers, who are set up to be the Marauders to the Champions’ X-Men. The backgrounds and settings ebb and flow with the story, allowing Ramos to do what he does best – draw wildly animated characters that could be character sheets for an animation project.

Inker Victor Olazaba cements the figures nicely onto the pages, while the color tag-team of Edgar Delgado and Nolan Woodard match Ramos’ vitality with ample color saturation. Champions #6 has flames and paint splats, colorful costumes, and dull, muted paintball battlegrounds. Despite his exaggerated figures, Ramos clearly grounds this story with these settings and the collaborative efforts of his inker and colorists. Clayton Cowles masterfully sculpts the dialog throughout the story, carving out sections to preserve Ramos’ art while constructing a comfortable flow throughout the tale.

Plain and simple, Champions #6 is another good issue in an enjoyable series. Waid and Ramos use fan favorite characters to tackle important agendas, but their respective styles keep Champions from being preachy or overbearing. The situations in this story are not alien invasion-level life-or-death scenarios, but they are impactful and immediately relatable on some level, be it the ascending threat or the simple camaraderie found in paintball.

Champions is one of the more approachable comics on the stands today. It’s not all ages, but it’s certainly more all-ages friendly than any of the more recognizable titles on the shelf. Beyond that, Waid and Ramos have deceptively constructed a year-long (and more) tale in the shape of a cluster of done-in-ones. If you haven’t been reading this title, you have been missing out. Now’s a great time to correct that, before the Freelancers conflict fully blooms.