A-Force #7 concludes the Countess storyline, in which a magically empowered being broke through to our world, along with a Dazzler Thor right beside her. While this is the end of the current arc, it very much feels like a new beginning for the team, which includes Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, Medusa, Dazzler, Singularity, and the aforementioned Dazzler Thor. Typically it would include Nico as well, but she’s a little preoccupied.
The best way to describe Kelly Thompson’s A-Force is to compare it to Joss Whedon’s Avengers film, at least tonally. Thompson writes humorous banter so well, and this team already feels like a dysfunctional family after only 7 issues. Things like Medusa’s squad being called the B-Team, which she constantly objects to, even in the middle of a fight, or Singularity’s infectious positivity, comforting Dazzler Thor with a big hug while calling her Shiny Thor, because well, she’s shiny. It’s a team full of varying personalities, and you can’t help but fall in love with all of them.
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By the way, let it be said that I am a vocal proponent of a Ben Caldwell and Ian Herring drawn Dazzler Thor book at some point. It might not be in the cards now, but it needs to happen. Both Dazzler Thor designs are just so well realized and stylish, and I definitely want to see more of them.
While their work on Dazzler and some of the fight scenes is wonderful, it is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to facial expressions and closeups. Some are stellar while others are just odd and look a bit off. Still, there is much more to love art-wise in this book than not, and I hope this creative team continues to stick around.
A-Force continues to be a joy amongst my pull list every month, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It has hard hitting fights, snappy dialogue, and above all substantial character development for the entire cast.
Sure it has some cheesy sentimentality every now and then, but it never feels dated or ham-fisted, and the book always seems to be in on the joke. You can’t really do a team book any better.
Rating 5 out of 5 Stars
Written By: Kelly Thompson
Pencilled By: Ben Caldwell
Inked By: Scott Hanna
Colored By: Ian Herring
