Comic Girl: A-Force

I’ve wanted to talk about A-Force since the first issue came out. But then the worst happened – I didn’t like it. So I had to wait until I did like it (or until it ended, whichever came first).

Thankfully, by issue three, it won me over.

When I heard about A-Force I was so excited, as you can probably imagine. An all-girl book from Marvel? Yeah, that’s right up my alley. But like I said, the first issue was a let down. Like some other “girl books” from Marvel, it just seemed cheesy and not at all like something you could take seriously. It reminded me of the first issue of Spider-Gwen, which I also didn’t like (however, I fully admit that I’ve still only read the first issue of that), and Marvel’s recent She-Hulk series, which I also only read the first issue of (the art completely scared me away, but I have heard that the series improved). With all of the other amazing books that came out with the Secret Wars events, I had high hopes for a really badass all-girl book that could actually be taken seriously.

But the first issue fell flat.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t exactly bad… it just didn’t strike me as being nearly as good as it should have been. A book filled with really awesome female superheroes should have been, well, really awesome!

Then issue two came out and things got a little bit better.

We started to see a more badass She-Hulk which was basically the most exciting thing ever. Let me just say that She-Hulk is one of my all-time FAVORITE comic book characters. I’ve always enjoyed She-Hulk titles (except for that aforementioned series that scared me away) but they’ve always been cheesy. Cheesy in the best way, because sometimes cheesy books are really great, but if you ask me she’s definitely a character that could take on a bit more of a serious role. (Hey Marvel, let’s see a really kick-ass She-Hulk book!)

And in issue number three, A-Force finally seems like it’s what it should have been since the first issue. It’s kind of taken a darker twist, which is my favorite thing, and She-Hulk has really stepped up, which is my other favorite thing.

There are times when it kind of seems like Marvel thinks that girls just want to see the cheesy books (not all the time, of course, because let’s not forget Black Widow), but clearly that’s not the case. I’m so glad that A-Force is really able to hold its own. Because listen up, comic book publishers: we want really kick-ass lead characters too! We want characters with awesome stories and really great art… plus women who are strong as hell and who can really hold their own without a man to help – and that’s EXACTLY what A-Force needed to be, and what it’s really become. Success!

I’m thrilled with how it’s turning out. At first I was really skeptical, but I’m so relieved that this series has gotten better. Major kudos to G. Willow Wilson and Marguerite Bennett, the writers (two female writers, that’s a win), and an even bigger kudos to Jorge Molina, the artist – the art in this series has been fantastic!

I’m eager to read the next issue, and seriously, Marvel, really kick-ass She-Hulk book, please!