S.H.I.E.L.D. #1

First impressions aren't always correct.

A quick skim of this book and I thought, "Wow, I'm going to hate this one." Quick images of Leonardo da Vinci in a flying batsuit and Galactus visiting Earth 400 years ago - while wonderfully drawn - left me thinking this issue was going to have all the historic accuracy of an episode of The Wild, Wild West (a TV show, I should hastily add, that I loved despite the way it played fast and loose with historic technology).

But then I read the issue, and guess what? I liked it!

Writer Jonathan Hickman seems to specialize in really big concepts, and he has one here. He's tracing the "true" origins of S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization devoted to protecting the world from menaces beyond normal human understanding.

That story (apparently) dates back to the dawn of civilization, as humanity faced down an alien invasion. We see some of the key moments in history, and learn of the existence of another organization - the SPEAR.

We learn just enough to incite our curiosity about this secret organization - what it knows about the past and the future, and the nature of the young man who's been drawn into its mission.

And for those (like me) who wince at the liberties taken with actual history, we get some indications that there's more going on here than we realize (which may help excuse the excesses).

It's all helped by some fantastic art by Dustin Weaver, with colors by Christina Strain. I'm not familiar with Weaver's work, but it's very impressive - incredibly detailed with imaginative angles, amazing battle scenes, vivid landscapes and heroic figures.

I'm not exactly sure what's going on here, but the story is very appealing and thought-provoking, and the artwork is outstanding. Recommended!

Grade: A