Absolute Power: Task Force VII #1 attempts to be ruthless. The issue is an exciting and dramatic brawl through an iconic location. Read Full Review

Overall, Absolute Power: Task Force VII #1 is a reasonably suspenseful and an action-packed first chapter that sets the stage for a complex and potentially brutal DC event. Pick it up if you're interested in a different perspective on superhero stories and enjoy morally complex characters. If you prefer a more straightforward superhero brawl, you might want to wait for future issues to see how the action unfolds. Keep in mind that this is the first issue of a tie-in to a larger event, so the full scope of the story is still being revealed. Read Full Review

Absolute Power: Task Force VII sets out a plan to explore important elements of Mark Waid's event story narrative. As well as clues to the wider direction of travel for the event, Task Force VII is a fun, energetic story in its own right. Read Full Review

This arc promises to be action-packed, and I cannot wait to see where it leads. My hope is that future issues continue to incorporate minor, intriguing DC characters into the narrative. Read Full Review

It is so very, very difficult to keep everything running smoothly in a huge and sprawling crossover event. Thus far Absolute Power has managed to feel reasonably well-integrated. The crossover reaches into mid-summer with a bit of an awkward posture that doesnt set-up the second half of the summer all that well. The series should improve as the crossover continues. The narrative just needs time to catch-up with everything thats happened so far and provide some sense of perspective on it all. As it is FAR too much has gone on and so very, very little of it seems to have been framed properly in page and panel. Read Full Review

Amanda Wallers plan stretch across the DCU with a chapter taking a closer look at her victorious ways. Williams gives readers a deeper look at the evil rising with an excellent story. Yarsky, Guimares and Sharpe construct a focused look at Wallers attack with the visuals. If youre looking for a broader picture of the evil takeover, this will be one for you. Read Full Review

If you're a diehard Shazam fan, Absolute Power: Task Force VII #1 is going to be a no-brainer purchase. For casual fans just looking for the full Absolute Power experience, however, skip this issue as it has little that can't be summed up quickly. Read Full Review

I can't take Task Force VII seriously! Perhaps it is the custom skin androids with flawed yet self-righteous personalities, or the incredulous circumstances they operate upon, but I can't get onboard with Absolute Power. Most especially, the pacing of this particular issue is off putting. One panel Black Adam deflects freeze breath, the next he's dodging statues out of nowhere. A better handle on key-framing the most important moments in sequence go a long way in effective storytelling. The strongest part of this issue is the whimsical use of Mr. Dinosaur and Black Adam's “vessel” conversation with Last Son. There is a chance that the analysis of A.I verses human personality could go in a great direction in the series overall. For now, this was a often fun but unappealing start. Read Full Review

Absolute Power: Task Force VII #1 takes all the urgency, dramatic tension, and seriousness of the Absolute Power event and tosses it out the window in favor of a silly, disjointed, poorly constructed mess of a comic. Williams's script has all the weight of a deflated balloon, and Yarsky's confused action choreography is shockingly unskilled. Read Full Review

The result is a dismal acknowledgement of what's occurring on the fringes of Absolute Power and raises the question: Couldn't all of this have been included in a few narrative captions instead? Read Full Review

Not very good. The tonal difference between this and the first issue of Absolute Power is night and day. This wouldn't be terrible if this weren't such a serious and gloomy event and this was a standalone story in the middle of some random DC title. But for what Williams is going for in this, it doesn't work. I'm glad this Task Force VII series is all a set of one-shot stories, so I'm hoping we're onto better things.

Absolute Power #1 felt serious, like things that were happening mattered.

Task Force VII #1 feels like the writer thought "this comic has two kids as center characters, so of course it needs to be comic relief!"

It also doesn't add anything interesting to the main event. Yes, they were imprisoned, Parasite is probably dead or unconscious, at least, and now we wait for the next issue.

One word to describe Task Force VII #1: pointless.

I hope the next one is better.

I don’t think I’ve ever given a comic this low of a grade.