A-Force Presents (Vol 3)

 Description: The Marvel heroes everyone is talking about continue their epic adventures! Black Widow stages a daring jailbreak from a South American prison! In the middle of an alien uprising, will Captain Marvel defy the Avengers and side with the underdogs? Find out why Kamala Khan, the new Ms. Marvel, is the most lovable (but awkward) new hero around! When her client, the son of Dr. Doom, seeks asylum, She-Hulk will go to the ends of the earth for justice! What happens when the all-new Thor is separated from her hammer?

Collects: Black Widow (2014) #3, Captain Marvel (2014) #3, Ms. Marvel (2014) #3, She-Hulk (2014) #3, Thor (2014) #3, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015) #3
Authors: Various
Artists: Various
Published By: Marvel
Published When: Feb. 9 2016
Parental Rating: PG

Review:

I have been a fan of comics in general, and super-hero stories in particular, since my childhood in the '80s. Now that I have a young daughter, I want to share my life-long interest with her.

But, while the gender imbalance has improved in recent years, it is still proving challenging to find good, strong female heroes to offer to her. They are much smaller in number and presence than their male peers.

This is not limited just to comics, of course. Franchises like Thomas the Train have a similar bias of male over female - last time I counted, the male to female ratio in Thomas characters was on the order of 8 to 1.

So the idea behind Marvel's A-Force, an all-female group of Avengers, caught my attention right away.

This TPB takes some of the A-Force characters and collects single issues from each of their standalone series. It makes good sense from a marketing and cross-selling perspective. It exposes fans to the characters on their own terms, and points us to their continuing solo adventures.

Alas, it does not work so well as a coherent collection.

The volume includes issue #3 from each standalone series.

Black Widow faces some ambiguity and issues of place and belonging, and a beautifully painted complete story. It makes for a strong leading entry.

She-Hulk's tale is next, with a completely different tone in the tale and cartoonish feel to the art, as she helps Doctor Doom's son apply for asylum. It also tells a complete story, and is the most pure fun of the entries in this collection.

Captain Marvel wrestles with promises and questions of which is the right side to be on. But it is in the middle of a larger story-line, making this chapter more challenging to get into and leaving things hanging at the end. Granted it is the nature of this collection, but left me wrestling with whether I'm hooked enough to track down the rest of the story or not. Leaning towards No.

To some extent, Thor and Ms Marvel suffer from the same problem. A larger story is being told, and by collecting only issue #3, the reader is left confused at the start of their tales, and with an incomplete resolution at the end.

And Squirrel Girl is, well, Squirrel Girl - art style reflective of children's cartoons, light and goofy premise.

The jumbled mix of styles, tones, characters and story completeness is inherent in the nature of such a collection, so take it for what it is. But the overall effect was to make this TPB basically a cross-sell. It does not really stand on its own merits.

That said, there were two main highlights for me.

First, the extended intro sequence in Ms Marvel #3, including her attendance at mosque, was a delight. The efforts Marvel has made at growing diversity are evident in spades, and the first few pages of this chapter are a clear, if possibly too lighthearted, example of that. The lightness of its tone may offend some for whom this expression of faith and belief is a core element of their life, which would be regrettable but understandable. With author G. Willow Wilson being a convert to Islam herself, this part is told with love and affection, as well as humor.

Second, the beautiful art in Black Widow #3 elevated those pages to one of my favorite highlights. Phil Noto gives the feeling of painted panels, and the muted water-color tones complement well the pensive reflections in the narrative voice.

Overall, I accept this collection for what it is – a vehicle for pointing fans of A-Force the team to the solo adventures of some of its members. And I do appreciate the easy glimpse into the art, characters, and stories of the characters as individuals. It makes for a rather fragmented read, but that is still by design.

Score: 3 capes

ISBN-10: 0785199004
ISBN-13: 978-0785199007
Language: English
Pages: 136 pages