Neha Patil (Editor)

The A Team (comics)

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Type of organization
  
Team

Publisher
  
Marvel ComicsIDW Publishing

First appearance
  
The A-Team (vol. 1) #1 (March 1984)

Created by
  
Frank LupoStephen J. Cannell

Leader(s)
  
Col. John "Hannibal" Smith

Agent(s)
  
Lt. Templeton "Faceman" PeckCapt. H.M. "Howling Mad" MurdockBosco "B.A." BaracusAmy "Triple A" Allen

The A-Team TV series and film have been adapted into several comics.

Contents

Marvel Comics

In 1983-1984 Marvel Comics released an A-Team title which ran for 3 issues. Due to the huge popularity of both comics and The A-Team show at that time, information which lists this as a "3-issue mini-series" is probably accurate. The Marvel Comics series was sold individually then released in "packs": one pack contained the first 2 issues, the next all 3 issues. Each pack was a sealed transparent bag featuring Marvel's logo and a picture of Spider-Man. Marvel released the series in a trade paperback called The A-Team Storybook. (ISBN 0517553856).

The Marvel US comics were also reprinted by Marvel UK in a variety of formats including hardback annual book and The A-Team Summer Special 1985 and The A-Team Summer Special #2 (1986). The final Marvel UK hardback A-Team annual was released in 1991, several years after the cancellation of The A-Team TV series, showing its continued popularity in the UK despite this.

The A-Team: War Stories

In 2010, a miniseries titled The A-Team: War Stories was released to promote the film. The miniseries consisted of four one-shot comics based on each team member before they joined the A-Team. Although Chuck Dixon and Erik Burnham are credited as co-writers for each installment, Dixon stated that they split the work, with Dixon writing the installments for John "Hannibal" Smith and Templeton Peck, and Burnham writing the installments for B. A. Baracus and Howling Mad Murdock. The series contains art from Hugo Petrus and Casey Maloney, among others.

Although the story has been updated to the Gulf War like in the film adaption, and the characters take the appearance of the film's cast, Dixon stated that the miniseries is based on the original TV series.

  • War Stories: Hannibal was primarily written by Dixon. Hannibal, deep into trouble extracting a chemical weapon engineer from Saddam Hussein's army with a poor disguise and only a glimmer of a plan, must think (and shoot) his way out of it. Dixon stated, "He takes some crazy risks in inserting himself into Iraq early in January [19]91 to kidnap a scientist who's aiding Saddam. Everything goes wrong, and Hannibal has to keep changing his plans on the fly."
  • War Stories: Face was released in April 2010, primarily written by Dixon. Face "races to locate an expensive motorcycle in the middle of a warzone." Dixon stated, "In the Face story, we have Templeton Peck making one deal too many in his capacity as a scrounger. His error compounds himself through a series of disasters until he finds himself on the infamous Highway of Death, saving the life of a beautiful woman he just happened to run across. Classic A-Team stuff." Face was illustrated by Alberto Muriel and colored by Gerry Kissell.
  • War Stories: B.A. was released in March 2010, primarily written by Burnham. "B.A.'s story, quite naturally, deals quite a bit with his...aversion to flying." It features B.A. "driving, smashing and otherwise bulldozing his way through a dilemma that ultimately leads to his dishonorable discharge."
  • War Stories: Murdock was released in April 2010, primarily written by Burnham. "Murdock's story is a tale told by him through his own skewed perspective on reality."

    • "Both [B.A.'s and Murdock's installments] are very funny, with Murdock's story being packed with laugh-out-loud lines. Erik killed on both of them."

    The A-Team: Shotgun Wedding

    Shotgun Wedding is another miniseries that brings the whole team together. It was written by the film's director Joe Carnahan and Tom Waltz, and illustrated by Stephen Mooney.

    Taking place after the events of The A-Team, after their escape, Shotgun Wedding unfolds on a cruise ship. The A-Team is tasked with protecting the daughter of Hannibal's old comrade, after her life is threatened and her upcoming wedding is endangered. Posing as members of the ship's crew and the wedding team, Hannibal becomes the priest, Murdock the chef, B.A. the chauffeur and bodyguard, and Face becomes the couple's wedding planner. There are complications as Murdock's culinary abilities are questionable and Face is already all-too familiar with the bride.

    Other adaptions

    An A-Team comic adaptation appeared in Look-In throughout the 1980s. An A-Team strip also ran in TV Comic sold in UK. The length of its run unknown.

    References

    The A-Team (comics) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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