Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
A-Force #1
Marvel Comics
Bennett, Wilson, Molina & Martin
"A-Force" opens with a bang and ....a prehistoric shark. The comic ties into the Secret Wars event, but the Secret Wars series is not required reading to get into this comic book. The comic does read like a " What If?" story, but it is definitely a fun read that brings together a lot of the female characters and presents some good team dynamics and good plot potential for further issues. This is worth checking out.
She-Hulk is the main character in this book. To make things interesting, she is the baroness of her region, which makes her accountable for a lot, primarily her super-hero team, but answerable to Doom. The balancing act proves to be difficult for her. The mix of politics, morals, honor and ethnics all get touched on. However, the comic opens with a lot of action.
Somehow a prehistoric shark shows up and She-Hulk dispatches her team to deal with it. The collection of characters is an interesting one, but they all get little snippets of panel time and they all seem to establish their personalities in a short amount of space. Something goes wrong with the monster shark and it results in the banishment of one of She-Hulk's team. This rift sets things up nicely for the coming issues.
The book moves at a swift pace and provides some character depth that makes the ending hold some meaning. The comic book looks to be a gem in this event because it juggles a team well and provides some surprises along the way. Honestly, this comic is a breath of fresh air.
The artwork is everything it needs to be for a story like this. Sharks, strange cities, surprise after surprise in the back half of the book. Visually, this comic is detailed and presents an epic story fitting of the event. The comic book screams out excitement and stands on its own as a visual work of art.
"A-Force" may or may not be on your radar. With so many tie-in comics for the Secret Wars event it is difficult to know which to pick up and which to pass on. This is definitely one to pick up. The comic is focused on the female characters, but provides nice characterizations and interactions that it feels more like a team book about super-heroes than a gimmick about female characters. With surprises left and right and great visuals you will be entertained from the beginning until the end. I recommend picking this up.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
