Arcadia is gone, and the Battleworld is just a memory for those in the newly reminted Marvel Universe. But there are still a few loose ends from that lost alternate world… Your Major Spoilers review of A-Force #1 awaits!
A-FORCE #1
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Jorge Molina
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Editor: Daniel Ketchum with Katie Kubert
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in A-Force: :”On Battleworld, there was an island paradise called Arcadia, protected by the women of A-Force. But, Battleworld is gone, along with all the women who fought to make it better.
Except for one…”
“BIRTH IS… VIOLENCE…”
This issue begins in orbit around the Earth, as the strange character known as Singularity sudden appears. This catches the attention of Alpha Flight Space Station and its commander, Captain Marvel. Remembering her experiences on the Battleworld, Singularity immediately greets Marvel as the old friend she believes her to be, but the Captain doesn’t remember her at all. Even worse, Singularity has been accompanied by another being who looks like her (only red, meaning evil, and seemingly a masculine body rather than her feminine one.) While Captain Marvel confronts the creature, Singularity makes her escape to Earth, where she seeks out another friend, the gamma-charged powerhouse known as She-Hulk. Once again, the other stellar creature follows her, engaging in battle with She-Hulk and Singularity, a battle which takes them to New Attilan, the Inhumans new stronghold, where Medusa gets involved…
…and puts Singularity in chains, since the whole thing is obviously all her fault.
A WORLD SHE NEVER MADE
The first thought that I had upon picking up this issue was to realize that we’d never been inside Singularity’s head in the previous A-Force series, instead focusing on the defenders of Arcadia. The double-page spread upon arriving on Earth, which depicts Singularity’s memories of her friends (Dazzler, Nico Minoru, She-Hulk, Medusa and Captain Marvel) is one of the best bits of exposition/infodump in recent memory, putting all the information that one might need to pick this up as a fresh number one into the story without feeling like an “EVERYBODY GOT THAT?” moment. The art in this issue is lovely as well, and Jorge Molina is as skilled at drawing She-Hulk’s office setting as Captain Marvel’s orbital techno-base, with special attention paid to the important bits of fighty-fighty that occur. Queen Medusa is especially imposing under his pen, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the team fully assembled…
THE BOTTOM LINE: AN INTERESTING START
Wilson’s character work was the heart of the A-Force limited series, and while I’m a little bit disappointed that Disco Dazzler isn’t going to be full-on mirrored jumpsuit and roller skates (at least based on her appearance on the cover), I’m still impressed by the work in this issue, and the anticipation of seeing these heroes once again coming together and forging team friendships is compelling. A-Force #1 is a solid issue, featuring excellent art and a well-done script, earning a very impressive 4 out of 5 stars overall. Part of me hopes that this book becomes the premiere Avengers title, based solely on the fun-factor of the characters involved…
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1 Comment
Is it dazzler then between Nico (who I only recognized due to her unique staff) and She-Hulk?
I would never have guessed. On a second look, the outfit does seem to have a few elements of her second costume and I seem to recall that she used similar face makeup in some of her earlier appearances. But the fashion sense, apparent age and body type are all wrong.