REVIEW: A-Force, #1

[Charles Knight]

I haven't read it so I can't give my opinion on it. But being a woman myself, I find it hard to believe a group of superheroines can make a world like Arcadia exist peacefully without bitching behind each other's back or pulling hair... seriously, I work in an almost all-female place and let me tell you sometimes it can get ugly.

It's not all female - for example, they work with an version of Namor - I think there are two issues - one which lies with the writer and one which does not:

Writer's fault: It's OK but no more than ok, I think part of the problem is that they start this ongoing series with (what will be) an alternative universe version of the team coupled with going through the motions pretty standard superhero stuff - it's a competent but not particularly memorable monthly comic.

Not the writer's fault: Given this has had a lot of mainstream press, it's a shame that this will be absolutely incomprehensible to anyone but long-term readers - a lot of the small moments rely on existing knowledge and the cliff-hangers will mean less than nothing to most people. None of which is the fault of the writer as they will have been surely given a brief to fit in with the main crossover.

[Park Slope Pixie]

Yeah, like everybody did to Jill Lepore.

There are a lot of issues with the book. Unfortunately, I also have a lot of issues with Lepore's sexist judgementalism evinced in her critique.

[ChronoRogue]

Every variant we've had has had the main team in it.

Only one with someone that wasn't a member of the main team being center stage was the rogue one. And even that one she was surrounded by the main A-force team

Including the main team on a cover does not mean they still aren't using other characters popularity to boost sales. If this isn't supposed to be a Marvel Team-Up, and the focus is going to be on main team, then the covers should reflect that.

As for the Dauterman cover, Rogue was center, but Storm and Wasp were bigger presences than She-Hulk (the leader). And on the Molina one, we have Phoenix, Pixie, Spider-Gwen and no Medusa. Scottie Young's cover is near the same, with the core cast sprinkled in, but still adding in others not part of the main cast to get people's attention. If I hadn't read the interviews, I would assume this was a female marvel team-up.

[jen]

I was expecting much more from the first issue because I was promised that.

I was expecting cameos from Scarlet Witch, Wasp, Tigra, Kitty, Rogue, Jubilee, X-23, Emma, Magik, Songbird, other teenage and many other adult heroines.

Sure it wouldn't have been hard to draw 1 small female character with wings on one of the panels. It's not like the characters that did make a cameo made any sense.

So I tweeted this to Ms. Wilson a while ago how dissappointed I was that Rogue was not part of this. This pretty much confirms it. Nope. Will not support a bait and switch. Bad form.

[Starleafgirl]

So I tweeted this to Ms. Wilson a while ago how dissappointed I was that Rogue was not part of this. This pretty much confirms it. Nope. Will not support a bait and switch. Bad form.

I personally don't care that Rogue isn't in this so far. Covers do lie, it happens all the time, and while it's unfortunate, it's a well known part of comic book publishing.

At least she'll be in the beautifully drawn Angela's book, X-Men '92, and anything else I don't remember at the moment... XD



• In a haunted castle, a tormented witchbreed girl named Anna Maria – a.k.a. the 1602 Rogue – makes a deadly deal – with a shocking price!

[Ragdoll]

This comic is going to be so good in the long run. I love that Dazzler and Nico are prominently featured on a team for the first time in a long time (that I recall, anyways) and issue 1 was a great set up. It also explored a lot of Battleworld politics and gave us a better idea of what is happening there than just what SW #2 showed us.

[Mary Jay]

I don't think they are going to find out what's wrong with Battleworld because they're women or because they are inherently better than anyone else. It's because the answer literally crash landed on their doorstep. (specifically Nico and Loki's doorstep, another stray for Loki to take in i guess) it's not by merit of them being 'better' that they figure things out, it's that, by sheer coincidence, they have a puzzle piece that others lack. also, we already know from some other solicits that some characters in other books, some of them men, will also begin to piece together things. Old Man Logan, Guardians of Knowhere, Captain Marvel (ok, so that's another all-female book, but still), Odin in Future Imperfect, and characters in Weirdworld all begin to figure out something's not quite right.

This makes a lot of sense. Thanks for clearing it out. As I said, I haven't read the issue yet, so my opinion on it is based solely by the comments I've read. I should know better than draw conclusions before reading the actual thing

[MyriVerse]

This was supposed to be the Secret Wars book that mattered most to me.

And then it was junk.

Really depressed right now.

[Cryptid]

Gotta say, I did not expect the first battle in A-Force to be a tongue-in-cheek homage to Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, with a megalodon breaching its way up to cruising altitude, nor did I expect the dialogue to punctuate this moment with a direct callout to Sharknado. With so many questions unanswered, continuity buffs must be relieved to know that the end of the multiverse did not leave these heroes stranded on a world without Syfy Channel originals. Thank Doom for that, I guess.

Meanwhile, this issue seemed very capricious about what it explained and what it ignored. Without a glimpse into Secret Wars #2, it seems likely that references to "The Thors," "The Shield," "the Barons," and Doom's newfound divinity will be head-scratchers. But we get a welcome refresher on how Sister Grimm's powers work. And we learn some of the fine-points of international law on Battleworld, but we barely get a glimpse of how things work on the island of Arcadia beyond the fact that it's patrolled by a team of superheroines. The Grecian name Arcadia sets up the parallel to Wonder Woman's matriarchal paradise of Themyscira, but it also alludes to Les burgers D'Arcadie, a painting about the way that no earthly paradise can keep away death: "I am even in Arcadia." We have an intimation that not all is well, but so far it is built on literary hints without much back-up from the plot itself.

And it's hard to know how facetious the dialogue is supposed to be. Have Wilson and Bennett chosen to ostracize Ms. America Chavez because she is needed in another title, because her name makes the dialogue pop right through the fourth wall, or both? "I couldn't save -- A-America," sobs Nico. Moments later, she brightens her tone: "America!! You found your way back." Are we looking at a playful political commentary of some kind or is this merely a funny coincidence.

Nice moments, but it just feels like the whole issue is talking around the point. Neither the world nor the plot comes into focus by the end of this issue.

[Darthfury78]

This book has the same problem that most of Secret Wars has been having, too much set up. Most of this issue was set up. Secret Wars #2 was essentially set up for Battleworld. So was Secret Wars #1 was set up for #2. Time Runs Out was set up for Secret Wars. Master of Kung Fu #1 was great because you were thrown right into the story. This book was fine, but I don't feel like anything really happened until the end when Captain Universe fell down into Arcadia.

Don't you mean too many characters in the book's dialog? That was the main problem with Bendis X-Men run and Hickman's Avengers run because they want to use so many characters at once.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Let's be honest, there's no way someone could say this issue wasn't good and not be labelled a chauvinistic mysoginist.

I agree with every single word of this quote

[FlawedCoil82]

Well that's disappointing if Rogue wasn't featured. She was the only reason I wanted this book. If I can find the variant cover I may get that but otherwise I may hold off on getting into this series until I am sure she will appear. But at least I know I still have the "X-Men '92" title to look forward to.

[Godlike13]

Pretty generous review for a rather ho-hum issue. Not surprising though. Wasn't bad, but nothing really stood out either.

[gantz_alien_killer]

I think it was a good setup first issue although you do feel dumped right in the middle of Arcadia but didn't take itself to serious with the sharknado appearance to start the show. I bought the white variant cover(love those) as opposed to the normal or baby covers(hate those). I fully expect things to move faster now that there is mystery afoot. The political subtle drops in it were enjoyable without feeling hit over the head. I really didn't consider buying this book at first but now im glad i did and after reading the solicits for the final three issues ill be glad to plop down more greenbacks for this surprisingly delightful read.

love how Molina drew She-Hulk's face, meyow sexy.

and can someone tell me when or how Dazzler can fly? Secondary mutation?

Make Mine Marvel.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

It's an alternate reality remember, so the Dazzler that you see isn't the one from the 616 verse that we all know and love...