Comic Book Pull of the Week: ‘Creed The Next Round #1’

The Creed story continues—but this time on the pages of BOOM! Studios comic book Creed The Next Round #1. In this faithful extension of the world that Michael B. Jordan helped preserve, we see what becomes of Adonis Creed’s daughter—Amara Creed.

Aiming to carry on the Creed name, Amara sets her sights on the boxing ring. The result is a fairly familiar story told through the new perspective of Creed’s daughter.

Written by Latoya Morgan and Jai Jamison, the story begins with Amara training under her father’s eye. After easily taking down another of her opponents, Adonis critiques his daughter, claiming that she is getting cocky and will get hurt if she doesn’t protect herself. The father-daughter duo continues the argument until mom, Bianca, steps in.

Back at home, Amara is going through her trophy cabinet, hoping for stronger opponents. Meanwhile, Adonis admits to Bianca about the difficulty of raising a child who wants to be just like him. The next day, at Adonis’ gym, tensions again flair between the two after Amara reiterates that she wants tougher opponents, but her father refuses. Later at school, Amara meets up with her friend Mel, who tells her about an underground fight club that could be the perfect place for the bright-eyed boxer to test her skills.

While Adonis is at a business meeting, Amara and Mel sneak out to the underground fight, located at the bottom of a drained pool at somebody’s house. Amara, going under the name “AJ” to remain anonymous, puts on the gloves and defeats her first opponent—a fellow young boxer at her father’s gym. We are then introduced to Amara’s next big opponent, Jamie Pierce. The two square up and nearly begin their fight, before it is interrupted by Adonis crashing in to take his daughter home.

At home, Adonis and Amara argue about her actions while Bianca tries to reason with her husband. The following day, Amara searches for somebody new to train her; ultimately finding Artemis Creed—Adonis’ half-sister.

The work that the entire team has done, most notably letterer Andworld Design, deserves a dedicated section. With Amara being hard of hearing, the majority of characters use BASL (Black American Sign Language) in the story.

It isn’t flawless, but the highs largely outweigh the lows when it comes to when signing is used. The signing is specified through word balloons that do not have dark outlining to them. At times, the balloon backgrounds have slightly more opacity to them and, most notably, the direction that they come from is not the mouth—but the hands. It takes a while to pick up on, but it is a beautiful touch that adds a new layer of appreciation.

Artist Wilton Santos draws an animated signer from panel to panel incredibly well, ensuring hands are the center of focus during conversations.

When it comes to its connection with the films, this story honors past events while not changing anything major. The choice to introduce Artemis is a surprising one, however, it has been mentioned throughout the Creed trilogy that Adonis has several half-siblings.

The art is rather enjoyable; Santos nails Michael B. Jordan’s look. With a style that flows throughout the page, the action is solid and bold when it needs to be. The colors from DJ Chavis pop—the heavy purple is used to contrast the bright whites and reds of the world around Amara.

If you are a fan of the movie trilogy, this Creed comic is a no-brainer to pick up. The story doesn’t take any major risks, and Amara’s story plays out fairly similar to her father’s, but as the saying goes—if it ain’t broke!

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Creed The Next Round #1

Writers: Latoya Morgan & Jai Jamison

Artist: Wilton Santos

Color Artist: DJ Chavis

Letterer: Andworld Design