Marvel Comics A-Force #3 By Geoff Hoppe August 13, 2015 - 23:47 Publisher(s): Marvel Comics Writer(s): Marguerite Bennett and G. Willow Wilson Penciller(s): Jorge Molina Inker(s): Jorge Molina and Craig Yeung Colourist(s): Laura Martin Letterer(s): VC's Cory Petit Cover Artist(s): Jorge Molina $4.00 In A-Force #3, She-Hulk gets in trouble with the Thors, a member of A-Force buys it, and one of the the lady Thors is wearing Madonna’s early 90s cone bra. SPOILERS, as usual. A-Force #3 shows the early parts of the fall of Arcadia, one of the many Battleworld kingdoms. Arcadia, which looks a lot like the Delfino Plaza level of Smash Brothers Brawl, is run by She-Hulk, and staffed by several other heroines and villainesses. The issue’s big conflicts are 1) a group of Doom’s lady Thors attacking Arcadia, 2) the seeming death of Medusa, and 3) the fact that Arcadia is on Doom’s bad side because of an Arcadian traitor. The issue ends with Doom’s various troops rounding up Arcadians, and a mute, nameless teenage girl whose skin is the color of stars offering to let the protagonists hide in her. She’s apparently “a universe incarnate.” This is my first issue of A-Force, because the $8.00 it would take me to get the first two issues buys a lot of caffeine, and I have my priorities. From this issue, at least, A-Force seems to be a competent title. Though the overall story is a little busy, the pace is brisk and exciting enough to keep the reader’s attention. Better yet, Marguerite Bennett and G. Willow Wilson have novelists’ eyes for engaging details: Captain Marvel fighting back tears as she flies away from a dead Medusa, a young girl playing with (a still alive) Medusa’s hair, or the random tigers living in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan flat. From what I’ve read, competence is a hallmark of the Battleworld/Secret Wars titles. Though I’ve only read a few, these tie-in titles seem a lot better than, say, the tie-in issues from 2007’s Civil War arc. Though competent and engaging, however, nothing in this issue demands the reader’s attention. Given that it’s part of a mega arc that’s supposed to restructure all of Marvel’s continuity, I expected a little more oomph*. Worth the money? If you like the title or the characters, yes. If not, pass on this one. *critic's technical term © Copyright 2002-2019 by Toon Doctor Inc. - All rights Reserved. All other texts, images, characters and trademarks are copyright their respective owners. Use of material in this document (including reproduction, modification, distribution, electronic transmission or republication) without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.