But, here's the thing. Everything I've described up until now? It's all window dressing for the main story set in the 1950s. Leonid, a young man with powers relating to the stars, is recruited to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and brought to the Immortal City beneath Rome. That's where the rest of this story lies, as we start to learn hints of the source of the organization's power, as well as Leonid and his father's connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. even before Leonid's recruitment. There are lots of little surprises in store for you, like the figures chasing after Leonid's father, or just why we're learning about all of these S.H.I.E.L.D. agents from the past. It's an imaginative, fun introduction to this new "S.H.I.E.L.D." series, and it's quite frankly the best issue #1 I've seen in a very long time. It will be hard for "S.H.I.E.L.D." to keep up this rush of newness and wonder and excitement throughout every issue, but for now I'm absolutely in love. This is a top-notch debut, and I wish all superhero Read Full Review

Until they release the next issue, that is. Read Full Review

SHIELD #1 was a superb read and I strongly recommend that you give this title a try. Hickman and Weaver are a dynamic team and they complement each other perfectly. This issue should appeal to super hero fans as well as fans who typically avoid super hero titles. SHIELD #1 is simply a cut above the other comic books that currently populate the market. Read Full Review

The organization known as SHIELD is about to get a major redefinition. In Hickmans hands, and with no Nick Fury in sight (at least not yet), SHIELDs readers are going to be taken where no Marvel Comics fan has been before. Not only is this series gonna to be a blast, its gonna be huge. Read Full Review

Like Chew #1, S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 is in many ways a perfect debut. It accomplishes nearly everything a first issue should, providing readers with a strong hook, a sense of its characters and an idea of what sort of craziness is to come. The issue sucks you into its world on the very first page and doesn't let go until the last. It's not quite as complete as Chew #1 was, but then again not many debut comics are. The only real problem I have with it is that its protagonist is the least developed and intriguing of all its characters. Regardless, after only one issue I'm already comfortable calling S.H.I.E.L.D. the boldest, most creative and exciting Marvel comic on the stands. Read Full Review

Every once in a while, a comic comes out that you know is special from the minute you open the first page. SHIELD is one of these comics, but I'll be damned if I can tell you exactly what it's about. It's like a secret history of the world that actually delivers on that billing. Read Full Review

The hype surrounding this issue was pretty huge, but the creative blows that away with a takenoprisoners approach to Marvel mythology that simultaneously flies in the face of everything you thought you knew about the Marvel Universe and captures the sense of wonder that makes Marvel's Silver Age comics so timeless. This is a beautiful book that is going to be divisive, but if you can stomach the retcons and playful approach to history, there was no other book that could even come close to this one this week. Read Full Review

S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 is as fascinating a launch as I can remember anyone putting out in several years, and it earns a more-than-impressive 4 out of 5 stars overall. Bottom line: Its good, and I want to know more. Read Full Review

History buffs might find some errors with some of the dates in the stories, but the inclusion of some of these historical characters is fairly brilliant in its own right. This is a story that exams a secret organization that has had some famous members for thousands of years and this is the ground floor of that story. Thirty pages of amazing art and a great story should be enough to get you to drop down four bucks on this. It's definitely worth a read. Read Full Review

One hopes that Hickman has a well-thought-out plan here, since every indication points to exciting and interesting secrets revealed, crazy sci-fi action, and mind-bending concepts like time travel and cosmic Marvel characters like Galactus and the Celestials. And, of course, it would be nice if he gets a chance to tell whatever story he has planned, rather than getting cancelled after four issues or so. But whatever the case, it's nice to see Marvel do something so interesting and offbeat, expanding their universe into the past as well as the future and setting one of their more imaginative writers loose to come up with whatever he can. It might not be perfect, but we can enjoy it as much as possible while its here. Read Full Review

Though it is hard to follow, it sets up an interesting starting point for the history of SHIELD