S.H.I.E.L.D. #3 – Review

By Jonathan Hickman (writer), Dustin Weaver (artist), Christina Strain (colorist)

The Story: The secret history of High Council member Isaac Newton is revealed along with tantalizing clues regarding the development and significance of the Five-Fold Understanding.

The Good: This comic is really being published, right? I mean, this isn’t some strange spectre of an old hashish dream come back to haunt me is it? I sincerely hope not, because this comic is a tour de force of staggering imagination, and I need to believe that there is a place in the mainstream industry for comics this unique. Taking a slight breather from last month’s cliffhanger, this issue takes a step back in time to reveal the secret history of Isaac Newton and his rise through, and possible corruption of, the ranks of Shield. Newton, who I assumed would be a hero without fault in this complex web of intrigue, is here revealed to be an intellectual of such astounding innovation and vision that he is all too willing to travel down dark and seemingly unholy roads in his quest to quench his thirst for new knowledge. Newton’s journey to the Deviant City of Ashomia was especially unsettling and reminded me of something I should have read in a good Lovecraft story. His time in Ashomia, coupled with whatever dark insecurities may have already existed within him, seem to have corrupted Newton and his leadership of Shield, but to what end? What is Newton doing with this ancient order that Da Vinci and the Night Machine feel they must destroy? Hickman plays his hand obscenely close to his sleeve, choosing to play the long con with this story and slowly reveal the plot to the reader.

It’s funny: I actually complained that Secret Avengers was trying to do the same thing with its plot, but here on SHIELD I find that same storytelling technique to be an asset and a virtue; Hickman succeeds in being able to slow down the pace of the story while still keeping it engaging and damn intriguing. How is it Newton, Galileo, Nostradamus, and Da Vinci are still alive (Besides the fact that they all seemingly reside in the Immortal City, which I still think doesn’t quite explain it…)? What is the significance of the Five-Fold Understanding to Shield’s machinations? And what, oh what the hell is Da Vinci doing challenging the cabal he was once a member of? Hickman is careful to reveal just enough of these storylines to make us want to come back every two months to get the next few, precious kernels of story, and it’s a testament to his skills as a writer that I love letting him string me along like this. Hickman makes me want to unravel this mystery one issue at a time, and it’s stories like this where that journey is worth the price of admission.

The Incredible Hercules #120 (Secret Invasion) – Review

By Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (Writers), Rafa Sandoval (Penciler), Roger Bonet & Greg Adams (Inkers) and Gracia with Calero & Trevino (Colors)

In the comics world, there are two kinds of writers: the Innovators, who come up with wild new ideas that don’t always make sense, and the Consolidators, equally talented people who spend most of their time filling in the gaps and coming up with ways to explain the inconsistencies in the work of the Innovators. Of course, sometimes a Consolidator will devote years to making sense of an Innovator’s work (as Mark Gruenwald did with Kirby’s Asgardians and Eternals), only to have another Innovator (Walt Simonson) come along to make things nice and messy again.

Well, wherever Mark Gruenwald is right now, he must be smiling, because Hercules #120 is his kind of book, and builds on one of his ideas. Gruenwald was the guy who decided that the Skrulls were a race where the Deviants had taken over the planet by killing all the Eternals and Normals. Well, now Pak and Van Lente are doing a little consolidating of their own by asking the question, “What was that epic battle like, and what if a single Eternal had survived?”

You may notice I haven’t said a lot about the plot of the book yet. That’s because I don’t want to spoil all the comic-y goodness that awaits you when you read it. But the premise is so good I have to share it: the “He” that the Skrulls keep invoking when they say “He loves you,” is the Skrull’s last Eternal, elevated to Godhood. The events of this issue tie into the core of the Secret Invasion, and will have long-lasting repercussions in that storyline and others.

What else can I give away without spoiling the fun? There’s a big, big battle. The unbeatable are beaten. The unkillable are killed. Goodness triumphs, and so does evil. Hercules continues to be written with the same perfect blend of arrogance and self-doubt that makes him so likable in this series. The art is still beautiful, if a bit confusing at times (What can you expect with no less than three shape-changers in the cast?). And vertebrae and mosquitos are very, very important.

One other thing: the Skrull Book of Worlds, their Bible, is as inconstant as they are. Forget Reed Richards escaping the Skrulls—if you really want to experience the true turning point of the Secret Invasion, imagine if Billy Graham or Rick Warren opened the Good Book one morning and the only words inside were, “YOU’RE WRONG.” (Grade: A+)

– Andrew C. Murphy