S.H.I.E.L.D., Vol. 1: Perfect Bullets

I really enjoyed ABC's Agents of SHIELD. Sure, a lot of it has to do with me being a big fan of Nick Fury and the spy elements of the Marvel Universe. Regardless, Agents of SHIELD was a show that got better with age. Ironically, as the series progressed, it strayed further from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's because it was established that despite Agent Phil Coulson dying at the hands of Loki, everything that happened afterwards followed a slightly different timeline on another universe. So despite what you think about Spider-Man: No Way Home introducing the multiverse to Marvel movie fans, it was Marvel's Agents of SHIELD that did it first.

And before I get into my review of this book, can I just comment on the actor who brought Phil Coulson to life on many occasions? Clark Gregg is just wonderful as the walking Encyclopedia Britannica of superheroes and their adversaries. I may not agree with all of the actor's politics. But I thought he brought such an energy to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the show. I hope he's not truly retired from the role. I'd love to see him interact with Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Cumberbatch 's Sorcerer Supreme.

This series, penned by Mark Waid, was Marvel's attempt to bring the Agents of SHIELD into the Marvel 616 Universe. Waid's been known to make some controversial changes to established DC and Marvel canon. But he did a fantastic job here. 

One of the smartest moves was to essentially have each issue be a team-up with at least one superhero. Coulson, May, Fitz and Simmons conduct missions with the likes of Spidey, Ms. Marvel, The Invisible Woman and many others. The first assignment has Phil Coulson spread extremely thin when creatures from all of the nine realms begin an all out invasion of Midgard. There's literally dozens of comics brightest stars in that story, including Tony Stark who's in his Superior Iron Man stage of life. 

6 different artists pencil an issue in this book. My favorite was Alan Davis' work in the Spider-Man story that takes place in Doctor Stranger's Sanctum Sanctorum. He evoked a mix of Steve Ditko and Steve Englehart's tenures on the good doctor's title. 

The book concludes with an odd little segment of comic strips about Agent Fitz and his new artificial intelligence program H.E.N.R.Y., which takes the holographic form of a green Capuchin monkey. I felt like there were clues or maybe some Easter eggs that were hinting to what will occur in Volume 2. However, if that's the case, I was a really bad detective.

I really enjoyed this volume. Too bad, I don't have the next volume immediately on hand. But I've got trade credit and a hole burning in my pocket. So maybe I'll continue these adventures real soon.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Deadpool: World's Greatest, Volume 7: Deadpool Does Shakespeare

Things still kinda suck for Deadpool. But this was a much more enjoyable volume. 

Love is in the air. Madcap has decided to make it a Valentine's Day to remember. Receiving an actual human heart in your box of chocolates can really make for a bad V-Day gift. (Do you know what blood can do to caramel?) 

Seeking the help from Agent Preston and the Russian mob, it looks like the Merc with a Mouth might finally have the upper hand.

Then in a team-up with Phil Coulson, Deadpool is summoned to Washington DC. A trio of time travelers have taken the Lincoln Memorial hostage and threaten to reveal the truth about Captain America. It’s a thrilling prelude to Secret Empire!

This volume wraps up with Deadpool’s take on Shakespeare. Wade has tackled movies, American literature, and the multiverse. So it’s kinda a no-brainer that he’s skewering the Bard- literally!

I am in no way a fan of Shakespeare. I never really understood him, his use of iambic pentameter, or about half of the vocabulary he would use. While I am still not a Shakespearean, I actually have a better understanding of his works and it’s all thanks to Deadpool! Honest! Whoever said that comics weren’t educational?!

The Deadpool/Shakespeare segment was great fun and actually funny. It was great getting Coulson in on the action and the Deadpool vs. Madcap saga was thrilling. It’s how I like my Deadpool- upbeat without still knocking the mutant merc down a peg or two.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Volume 1: The Coulson Protocols

Art imitates art in this series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., based on the ABC television show of the same name. In this volume, a villain bearing stolen Stark Iron Man tech has broken into the Pentagon. Making off with a set of contingency plans to take out superheroes that go rogue, the good guy community is on high alert! For this mystery baddie looks to auction the so-called Coulson Protocols off to the highest bidder!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has some great elements as well as a few that put me off. All of your favorite characters from the show are here- Coulson, May, Daisy, Fitz and Simmons. Only there's no Fitzsimmons here. The two characters aren't a couple. Heck, they're so far apart from each other, I highly doubt these two even went to the Academy together. 

One thing I love in the comic that I wish they did in the TV series was to include the Henry Hayes Deathlok as a permanent member of the cast after the completion of season 1. They missed a great chance to do that on the show. But here in the comic, I could not be more happier that he's used in great length and not just as filler. 

Bobbi Morse, Mockingbird, is also a part of this S.H.I.E.L.D. team. But she wears a costume instead of looking like Adrianne Palicki's version on the show.

It's at this juncture, I must point out that this 2015-2016 series is not a continuation of the live action show.Though masterfully written by S.H.I.E.L.D. screenwriter Marc Guggenheim, you can't expect this book to cover the gaps in-between the show's summer hiatuses. Instead, this book is Marvel's way of integrating the Cinematic Universe with the comics. I don't mind that. But I am so behind on Marvel's new stuff from the past 3 years that there were some plot points involving the Fear Itself and Civil War II story lines that kinda flew over my head.

For one reason or another this series only lasted about a dozen issues. I don't know if that was Marvel's plan or if sales were just that bad. (Marvel has this new habit of running titles for only 12-issues, so that could be the case.) But this was one of Marvel's better current titles. I'm sad to see it didn't succeed. But thankfully, there's one more volume full of story left out there for me to read and consume!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Ms. Marvel, Volume 3: Crushed (Marvel NOW!)

   Ms. Marvel continues her training as an Inhuman. But that doesn't mean life is all peaches and cream for young Kamala Khan. She still has to balance her home life and school work.

    When the son of a family friend moves into the neighborhood, it appears that Kamala has been bitten by the love bug. That affection seems to be destiny when the young man is revealed to also be an Inhuman. Sadly, Ms. Marvel will have to learn the hard way that just as there are good Inhumans, there are some rotten apples in the bunch too.

   Speaking of things not being as they seem, Loki- looking younger, hipper, and apparently on the side of good and not evil, arrives in Jersey City. (OK- When did this happen?) The former god of mischief's task, appointed by his mother Frigga, is to discover if there are any more threats from Ms. Marvel's arch-enemy, the Inventor. But in classic Marvel fashion, a battle between Ms. Marvel and the reformed Asgardian trickster breaks out before the two are able to realize that they are both fighting the same side for once.

    On paper, Ms. Marvel/ Kamala may seem to be the least Marvel-like superhero title currently out. The title's star is Muslim, she's Afghani, and she's a she. But this is probably the one modern Marvel title that is written consistently in that classic Marvel House of Ideas style. Let's compare Kamala with the character that defined the classic style of Marvel, the one, the only Peter Parker!

     Both began their careers as teens. Both are outsiders mostly for being geeks. But they are both brilliant nerds and rely on those smarts to save the day. Both teens come from working-class families and that makes things like costume repair a pressing concern when money is tight. Plus, with the two being in high school, a large number of their adventures take place in public education both as students and superheroes. And of course, there's the fair share of unrequited love and teen angst.

    Are you sure Stan Lee isn't writing this series?

    Lastly, for you fans of Agents of SHIELD, this volume contains a Ms. Marvel team-up with Phil Coulson and Agents Simmons. One of the students at Kamala's school is selling stolen super-villain tech. With SHIELD on his tail, the seller is quickly apprehended. But one of his stolen wares got mixed in with some of the food in the high school cafeteria. Thus, the ever popular pizza day is going to be one that Ms. Marvel's teammates will remember for years to come.

    I'm already a fan of this series and thanks to the bonus SHIELD issue, I'm a big fan of that series too. (I've been wanting to read it but on the fence as to whether it's worth $4 to find out. It is!) The quality of the new Ms. Marvel keeps getting better and better. This series deserves some Eisner Awards and a Hugo or two. For those of you feeling that it's unpatriotic to enjoy a book like Ms. Marvel, I say it's Un-American not too. 

   The Khan's are a typical immigrant family in that they keep their old world traditions alive while being proud to become Americans. Yes- Kamala's mom and dad are afraid that their daughter will be Americanized by their new homeland, but they are just as fearful that their son will fall in with the wrong Islamic crowd (in other words militant.) Plus, I don't know of any decent parent that doesn't want to lose their child to a growing ever so dangerous world of sex, drugs, crime, or death. 

   And no- this book is not some secret ISIS training manual or propaganda for luring kids into becoming followers of Islam. If you are that concerned, maybe you should read this book with your child. It will show an interest in things they like, such as reading comics. Plus, you can then be ready to answer or further research any questions about Islam or the war on terror that might pop up afterward.

   A quality series that keeps getting better with one of the single best issues of 2015 (SHIELD #2) inside.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.