Review: A-Force #1

I’m going to be so broke from buying comic books.

A-Force got everything right in this first issue: it’s beautifully drawn (the colors are vibrant!), the story grabbed me right away, and the ending left me wishing issue two was already available.

The few domains we’ve seen since Battleworld/Secret Wars began haven’t been all that nice. This is not the case with Arcadia, an island near The Shield (the great wall which separates the domains of Battleworld from The Deadlands). Arcadia is lush, filled with art and commerce, and happy people who are protected by the A-Force.

The A-Force operates out of the Hall of Justice, and is led by She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters). These women are tasked with keeping local law and order and border patrol. We know, from the most recent Battleworld issue, domain crossing is prohibited by Doom.

When an extinct Megladon appears on Arcadia’s coast and threatens civilians, the A-Force assembles to deal with it. Ms. America (America Chavez) eventually tosses the beast beyond The Shield and into The Deadlands. She may have saved the day, but Doom has strict rules against breaching The Shield and disturbing the sanctity of the Doom borders.

Jennifer appeals to Sheriff Strange, but to no avail. A team of Thors arrive to escort America to The Shield prison where she’ll spend the rest of her days. Sister Grimm (Nico Minoru) and Loki take this particularly hard (Nico and America were wards of Loki) and Nico blames Jennifer for not doing enough to keep America in Arcadia.

That may have been out of her control, but Jennifer - as Baroness of Arcadia - decides to take out of her frustrations on figuring out how the megladon appeared there in the first place. She calls on the Sub-Mariners (Namor, Namorita, and Namora) to investigate the waters for an answer.

Meanwhile, Nico sits by the lighthouse, crying for her lost friend. Suddenly, a streak of light falls from the sky. At first, Nico assumes America has found a way home, but it’s not her. Not her at all.

Overall Thoughts:

• I can’t get over how RIGHT this issue is - just the perfect way to kick off a news series. You understand immediately what kind of place Arcadia is and the challenges Jennifer has to face as Baroness. Not all of the women on the A-Force are in agreement with the way she does things.
• I wonder why Doom is so strict on border crossings? Is it simply a way to keep the people from talking and possibly overthrowing him? Maybe they’ll figure out that this is all wrong and they’re not supposed to be here to begin with.
• The Sub-Mariners discovered something in the ocean and it doesn’t look good. Can’t wait to find out what it is.