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S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 Review – TV Agents, Now In Print

By Nick Tylwalk

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You know how the Ghostbusters reversed the polarity of something when they crossed the streams of their proton packs? S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 is kind of like that, in the sense that it takes the usual pipeline of Marvel characters going from comics to TV and movies and completely reverses it.

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Phil Coulson, you already know. Played by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel wisely made him into a comic book character a while ago. Agents Melinda May, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons haven’t been so lucky, but even with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ratings only so-so (except in the Live + 7 numbers, where it rocks), they’re getting a chance to make the same jump.

They couldn’t be in better hands than with writer Mark Waid and artist Carlos Pacheco, who give this series the kind of A-list creative team it probably needs to gain some real traction. They also pack it with not one, but two world-threatening crises, which turn out to be related in a classic TV storytelling trick.

The idea, which is spelled out for us in this debut issue, is that Coulson will have both the authority and the foresight to call in any heroes he needs to accomplish a particular mission. That’s a cool gimmick. It’s just a little overdone in #1, as the enemies are so powerful and so numerous that he needs to summon darn near everyone.

That crowds the agents out a bit, and while I’m thinking they’ll get more of a chance to shine in subsequent issues, the person who gets the most informative scenes is also the one we already know best: Coulson. It’s tough to even say how the print versions of May, Fitz and Simmons are different from their TV counterparts, simply because we don’t spend much time with them. We do learn that Fitz wants a helper monkey, though, so that’s something.

Pacheco is a pro’s pro, of course, capable of handling everything that Waid throws at him with ease. The two-page spread where the villain gathers everyone who’s been battling in different places is worth the price of admission alone, and something you’d never get to see on television unless Marvel authorized a budget of $100 million for one special episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which it might be able to afford after Avengers: Age of Ultron comes out).

Ultimately, S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 gives you a good example of what the TV show would be like if Marvel listened to the segment of fandom that constantly wants to see more super heroes on it and decided money was no object. It’s not necessarily better or worse, just different, and it’s going to take a few more issues to decide if that makes it worth getting to know some of the same characters all over again.

SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT!

You may think you’re the ultimate fanboy or fangirl, but you’ve got nothing on Coulson. He’s been a super hero nerd since his youth, and he even managed to survive a torture session once by repeating the names of the X-Men — all the X-Men — in the order in which they joined the team.

In the present, he’s got a crisis to manage, asking for help from all kinds of heroes for something that looks like an overlapping invasion from the Ten Realms of Asgardian legend. Simultaneously, there’s a terrorist leader in a fictional Middle East country who’s got his hands on a magic sword. To the heroes’ surprise, Coulson decides that’s a priority, taking FitzSimmons, May and two mystery guests with them. Unlike the show, they all get to wear real S.H.I.E.L.D. bodysuits.

The guest heroes turn out to be Black Knight and Valkyrie, the perfect pair to do a little swordfighting. The terrorist is defeated, which is good because it’s Heimdall’s sword he’s waving around. Only Heimdall isn’t quite himself, since there’s some kind of mystical black rock in his chest causing him to talk even stranger than normal and threaten the planet.

Coulson has a plan, because he’s Coulson. With various heroes distracting the possessed Heimdall, he hides the Vision inside him until he can get close enough to phase and grab the stone. Returned to his senses, Heimdall explains that a mysterious black rock showed up in Asgard, exploding into pieces and shattering the Rainbow Bridge, Bifrost.

In the epilogue, we see May is reporting to S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill (Coulson’s title in the comics is Special Ops Supreme Commander, which actually sounds more impressive than Director in my book), Fitz is one step closer to earning his helper monkey and Jemma is happy because she gets to study the rock fragments. Only Phil seems ill at ease, because he prides himself on knowing everything, and he doesn’t know anything about the black stones.

Favorite moment: Fitz actually has a little card that says “Good for one helper monkey” and has tabs on it like when you get the seventh sundae free after buying six at the normal price. It looks like he gets credit every time he does something good, which is pretty funny.

Final thought: Is it strange that Marvel expects we already know May, Fitz and Simmons because we watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? That’s weird in a “sign of the times” way, right?

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