A-Force #8 Review: A Civil War With Giant Green Bugs

How can A-Force make its obligatory crossover tie-in story unique? By telling it within a 1950’s horror movie setting!

A-Force #8

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Paulo Siqueira

Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg

If ever there was an ongoing series at Marvel which was destined to be drastically effected by their “crossover of the day,” Civil War II, it is A-Force. The event features both Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) and Medusa in starring roles within the conflict, but She-Hulk was mortally wounded at the series’ onset. Considering that She-Hulk was the leader of A-Force in command of Carol and Medusa within that team, this is a book in which the roles of half of its cast have been affected.

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It begins by recapping the events of Civil War II #1 and weaving between scenes from Civil War II #2, from the perspective of A-Force in general and of team member Nico “Sister Grimm” Minoru. This has arguably been one of her first massive team battles against a cosmic level opponent, and it has proven to be as tragic as many of the incidents she experienced in series such as Avengers Arena and Runaways. Once again, she is seeing a dear friend hurt and is pitted against others.

The gimmick behind Civil War II is that an Inhuman named Ulysses is able to predict future events with a great degree of accuracy, and both Carol and Iron Man (and associated heroes) disagree on how best to proceed. Carol has become the leading figure behind those who seek to use this knowledge to stop crime before it happens, regardless of the risk to civil liberties. Nico finds herself at the center of this debate when the latest vision centers around her killing a young girl.

The philosophical split within the superhero community happens within She-Hulk’s own hospital room. While Carol and Medusa’s opinions on the matter were set editorially, Dazzler winds up rising to the fore of the counter argument of trading liberty for security. As a mutant and a former X-Men member, it makes perfect sense that Dazzler would be staunchly against Carol on this one. Poor Singularity is caught in the middle even more so than Nico is.

Yet rather than focus exclusively on the conflict of the crossover, Thompson veers almost 180 degrees. Nico flees to what she thinks will be a safe haven in middle America, only to find herself smack dab into the middle of a B-horror movie featuring Elsa Bloodstone (complete with her Nextwave era potty mouth). Elsa is trying to liberate a small town from a magic curse which is turning them into giant bugs that even Kafka would fear, with Nico begrudgingly tagging along.

Crossover tie-ins are a reality for every writer within Marvel or DC Comics, and can challenge even veteran writers. Much as she’s proven on Jem and the Holograms, Thompson’s instincts towards character interaction and in knowing when to avoid tropes and when to play them straight mixed with her unique imagination wind up turning simple plots into amazing adventures. She covers all points of view without sternly choosing one or the other, and throws in some cameos and twists.

Thompson also does a service to She-Hulk in that she firmly establishes why Jennifer wound up hospitalized despite being a Hulk. It wasn’t War Machine’s missile accidentally hitting her which mortally wounded her, it was Thanos’ subsequent attack afterward. The idea of She-Hulk being felled by a small missile, even from War Machine, felt odd for months. And Dazzler’s debate with Carol allows Jennifer’s point of view to present itself without her even being conscious.

Paulo Siqueira is the newest artist and he does a beautiful job with this issue. All of the heroines look great and display their full emotions without posing for the “male gaze.” The tense dramatic scenes carry that weight while the over-the-top bug blasting bits are fun and exciting. Rachelle Roseberg’s colors being it all together in a vibrant package.

A-Force has quickly become one of Marvel’s best team series, and one which probably doesn’t get recognized often enough. Considering the effect this crossover is having on its cast, hopefully some extra issues find themselves into the hands of fans. They’ll find an engaging story which is never predictable yet always as simultaneously fun and serious as an old friend often is. It will be a shame if the core roster doesn’t survive, but even if it doesn’t, A-Force will remain an A-list comic.

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