What do you think?
Rate this book
S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014) #1-6
S.H.I.E.L.D., Volume 1: Perfect Bullets
High-tech weapons. High-stakes missions. High-octane adventure! For the men and women of S.H.I.E.L.D., it's just another day in the field! Special Agent Phil Coulson brings together the best and the brightest, the gifted and the elite, normal people and superhumans from across the Marvel Universe on an as-needed basis to confront, combat and curtail dangers beyond the scope of any conventional peace-keeping force!
Collecting: S.H.I.E.L.D. 1-6
Collecting: S.H.I.E.L.D. 1-6
144 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2015
20 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
Mark Waid
3,151 books1,251 followersMark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
December 8, 2015
Nothing raises a red flag more than these types of blurbs on the cover of a graphic novel:
“Based on the New York Times bestseller”
“Based on the bestselling computer game/mega hit movie of the same name”
Or this one:
“Inspired by the hit TV series”
I happen to like the TV series. It started out as a dreadful X-Files/superhero mash-up, but it tied itself into the Winter Soldier movie at the end of its first season and has been fairly solid ever since. I scanned the book briefly in the library, noticed it was written by Mark Waid and saw Spider-Man cavorting inside, so I picked it up.
The comic basically does what the TV show can’t or never will do, completely integrate its characters into the Marvel comics universe. So far, the series has transferred Agents Coulson (“just a guy with a plan”), May, Simmons and Fitz into the graphic novel world. Waid has a good read on TV Coulson’s drool wit and the science twins transfer over fairly well. SHIELD has enough kick-ass women already, so Agent May – meh!
In addition to Spider-Man, we get an issue featuring Simmons substitute teaching at Ms. Marvel/Kamala Kahn’s high school and an over-arching storyline involving Dormammu and the Mindless Ones.
Waid does a decent job incorporating some of the Marvel heroes that you don’t get to see that often. Behold the Black Knight!
Each of the six issues is penned by a different artist so your mileage may vary with the art.
Bottom line: If you lower your expectations, this is actually a fun read, nothing substantial, just fun. If you like the show, give it a read.
“Based on the New York Times bestseller”
“Based on the bestselling computer game/mega hit movie of the same name”
Or this one:
“Inspired by the hit TV series”
I happen to like the TV series. It started out as a dreadful X-Files/superhero mash-up, but it tied itself into the Winter Soldier movie at the end of its first season and has been fairly solid ever since. I scanned the book briefly in the library, noticed it was written by Mark Waid and saw Spider-Man cavorting inside, so I picked it up.
The comic basically does what the TV show can’t or never will do, completely integrate its characters into the Marvel comics universe. So far, the series has transferred Agents Coulson (“just a guy with a plan”), May, Simmons and Fitz into the graphic novel world. Waid has a good read on TV Coulson’s drool wit and the science twins transfer over fairly well. SHIELD has enough kick-ass women already, so Agent May – meh!
In addition to Spider-Man, we get an issue featuring Simmons substitute teaching at Ms. Marvel/Kamala Kahn’s high school and an over-arching storyline involving Dormammu and the Mindless Ones.
Waid does a decent job incorporating some of the Marvel heroes that you don’t get to see that often. Behold the Black Knight!
Each of the six issues is penned by a different artist so your mileage may vary with the art.
Bottom line: If you lower your expectations, this is actually a fun read, nothing substantial, just fun. If you like the show, give it a read.
January 17, 2016
Phil Coulson was always into superheroes.
So he signed on with SHIELD once he was out of college. Now his job is to often work with superheroes and to fight supervillains.
So as a fan of Phil Coulson and Agents of SHIELD I had to read Perfect Bullets. First off it's awesome that film and TV Phil Coulson was so awesome that they basically have him headlining a comic book.
This should be called Phil Cousin's superhero team up because he teams up with a different superhero in each issue.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does take away from the awesomeness that is Agent Coulson. Coulson's team up takes on some random adversaries and it was somewhat fun.
Perfect Bullets was a solid start for a Coulson centric SHIELD comic, but there is so much more they can do. I'll have to check back later to see how things develop.
So he signed on with SHIELD once he was out of college. Now his job is to often work with superheroes and to fight supervillains.
So as a fan of Phil Coulson and Agents of SHIELD I had to read Perfect Bullets. First off it's awesome that film and TV Phil Coulson was so awesome that they basically have him headlining a comic book.
This should be called Phil Cousin's superhero team up because he teams up with a different superhero in each issue.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does take away from the awesomeness that is Agent Coulson. Coulson's team up takes on some random adversaries and it was somewhat fun.
Perfect Bullets was a solid start for a Coulson centric SHIELD comic, but there is so much more they can do. I'll have to check back later to see how things develop.
December 5, 2015
When I first heard Marvel was putting out a SHIELD book, based around the Agents of SHIELD television show (which I quite enjoy, although the quality REALLY varies episode to episode) I wasn't expecting it to be much good.
Then I found out Mark Waid was writing it and I started to hope it might be better than I initially thought...
Turns out, this book was actually pretty damned good! Waid delivered some really nice, pretty much self contained stories featuring a different guest star from the wider Marvel universe in each issue. Until you get to the final chapter... in which Waid pulls off a universe-wide crossover event in just twenty pages and with absolutely no 'extra curricular' reading required! This was quite a coup and I can't help wondering if Waid was trying to make a point. :-D
The only reason I've docked a star is because, apart from Coulson (who, let's face it, has a pretty high visibility level in the comicbooks anyway), the other characters from the t.v, show barely make an appearance... and, when they are shoehorned into a scene, hardly have any dialogue. I didn't really mind but it rendered most of the promotion for the book a bit inaccurate.
Despite this minor quibble, this book was a lot of fun.
Then I found out Mark Waid was writing it and I started to hope it might be better than I initially thought...
Turns out, this book was actually pretty damned good! Waid delivered some really nice, pretty much self contained stories featuring a different guest star from the wider Marvel universe in each issue. Until you get to the final chapter... in which Waid pulls off a universe-wide crossover event in just twenty pages and with absolutely no 'extra curricular' reading required! This was quite a coup and I can't help wondering if Waid was trying to make a point. :-D
The only reason I've docked a star is because, apart from Coulson (who, let's face it, has a pretty high visibility level in the comicbooks anyway), the other characters from the t.v, show barely make an appearance... and, when they are shoehorned into a scene, hardly have any dialogue. I didn't really mind but it rendered most of the promotion for the book a bit inaccurate.
Despite this minor quibble, this book was a lot of fun.
October 31, 2015
Okay, anyone who knows me in real life, or on Tumblr, will know how much of an Agents of SHIELD fangirl I am. I have a blog dedicated to Melinda May - bow down to the queen - I write fanfic for my ship and then cry hysterically into the night when things go wrong... the show basically consumes my life and I'm proud of that.
So, as soon as I saw this was being released, I knew I had to get it and read it.
And, whilst it was an enjoyable ride, I had a couple of issues with it.
The positives: I loved all the appearances from various avengers and characters, including Kamala Khan, Carl Kreel, Scarlet Witch, Spiderman, etc. I loved the mishmash of the worlds and universes, and enjoyed the various adventures. Ward was nowhere to be seen thank goodness, and FitzSimmons are as awesome as ever. Phil and Melinda are friends still and everything is good and rosy in the world heheh.
However, I felt overall the volume was a little jumpy, with each seperate issue (minus the latter two), being completely different storylines with different characters. Also, I felt Melinda was OOC, mainly because she was talking so much, but that's only a small issue.
I think to enjoy this, you need to have watched the show, mostly because it helps to already know all the characters. Plus there are elements from the show mentioned in here that wouldn't really make sense if you've only seen the movies etc.
Overall I would probably give this somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, about 3.5, but I'll round down to 3.
The ending sentence of "Next: Daisy Johnson and Dr Hyde" however has definitely convinced me to carry on and buy volume 2 when it gets released.
So, as soon as I saw this was being released, I knew I had to get it and read it.
And, whilst it was an enjoyable ride, I had a couple of issues with it.
The positives: I loved all the appearances from various avengers and characters, including Kamala Khan, Carl Kreel, Scarlet Witch, Spiderman, etc. I loved the mishmash of the worlds and universes, and enjoyed the various adventures. Ward was nowhere to be seen thank goodness, and FitzSimmons are as awesome as ever. Phil and Melinda are friends still and everything is good and rosy in the world heheh.
However, I felt overall the volume was a little jumpy, with each seperate issue (minus the latter two), being completely different storylines with different characters. Also, I felt Melinda was OOC, mainly because she was talking so much, but that's only a small issue.
I think to enjoy this, you need to have watched the show, mostly because it helps to already know all the characters. Plus there are elements from the show mentioned in here that wouldn't really make sense if you've only seen the movies etc.
Overall I would probably give this somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, about 3.5, but I'll round down to 3.
The ending sentence of "Next: Daisy Johnson and Dr Hyde" however has definitely convinced me to carry on and buy volume 2 when it gets released.
July 28, 2015
The stories were great but a little bit rushed. Didn't love the constant change in the art. Overall, it was good.
September 8, 2019
"Inspired by the TV Series" it proudly says on the cover. But it just barely is. Sure, Coulson is omnipresent, but the rest of the team are basically guest stars in what I'd call Marvel Team-Up starring Phil and your favorite Marvel hero of the week. Which is a shame because the issue spotlighting Jemma (teamed up with Ms. Marvel) is the best of the volume.
The individual stories are all one-offs, without enough depth to be particularly great. There is a barely connected meta-story, but it uses the old formula of minor elements in individual issues leading to the big bad, and that's rarely fulfilling.
Overall, this feels like an opportunity squandered. It could have had great continuity and really developed the TV characters in the Marvel comic Universe, but instead it's quite unfocused, and never seems to know what its core really is.
The individual stories are all one-offs, without enough depth to be particularly great. There is a barely connected meta-story, but it uses the old formula of minor elements in individual issues leading to the big bad, and that's rarely fulfilling.
Overall, this feels like an opportunity squandered. It could have had great continuity and really developed the TV characters in the Marvel comic Universe, but instead it's quite unfocused, and never seems to know what its core really is.
December 21, 2019
At first it was fun to spend time with these characters, and I liked the procedural, case-of-the-week nature of the stories. But after a bit, it just felt a little repetitive. Plus, I missed the extra time with the characters that you get in the TV show. The art in some of the stories was really great, but I didn't love all of it. If this had stopped after the Sue Richards story, I think I would really have liked it, but by the last two, I didn't care at all. I think I'll go back to watching the TV show instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 18, 2015Despite only intermittently being any cop, TV's Agents of SHIELD gets incarnated in the Marvel comics universe, because synergy. Which turns out to work surprisingly well. Here it doesn't have to worry about licensing and rights, or FX costs, or being derailed twice a season by the latest movie, so it can pull in elements from anywhere in Marvel's sprawling toy cupboard and plough its own furrow. Each issue has a new artist (including big names like Chris Sprouse and Alan Davis), and a new team-up for the agents. The core idea is that Coulson, as a massive superhero geek, knows exactly the right hero (or sometimes villain) to deal with a given situation, sometimes suggesting uses for their powers they hadn't even thought of themselves. Much the same goes for veteran writer Mark Waid, whose deep grounding in this world makes him perfect for the project - I don't think there's a single guest star where he gets the voice wrong. And he even captures Clark Gregg's voice too, making Coulson work on the page as more than a placeholder, something I've not seen the comics manage before. Yes, seeing Fitz and Simmons in jumpsuits feels a bit odd, and yes I would like the previous SHIELD series by Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver to get its long-overdue conclusion, but in the meantime, this is good stuff - and surely it can only improve once Fitz earns his helper monkey.
August 28, 2015
It was ok. Just ok. Maybe at some points I liked it, but most of it was just ok. Nothing to be excited about. Nothing to do with the TV series (dunno if that's good or bad actually..) But.. my main problem was that it had to do with ONE, two at the most members of the Shield and a bunch superheroes all over the place guest-starring in every issue.
I really can't stress this enough, I don't want to read about superheroes in a title called SHIELD. I want to read about the Agents of Shield, be that the ones on the tv show? or from the comics? I don't care. Just don't give me superheroes teaming up with a member from the shield to crack cases and then having the classic "save the day" ending with a "HUGE" threat being solved and whatnot. Nope.
Artwork was good but I wanted more from the story as I said, which was from the beginning a cliché thing to follow. I wish Waid just stopped using heroes in this title. I love Waid's work. And I am a huge fan of his Daredevil, but this just didn't do anything for me.
Hope it gets better with not so many heroes all over the place in every single issue and more Shield agents trying to do what they do.
Till the next one.
I really can't stress this enough, I don't want to read about superheroes in a title called SHIELD. I want to read about the Agents of Shield, be that the ones on the tv show? or from the comics? I don't care. Just don't give me superheroes teaming up with a member from the shield to crack cases and then having the classic "save the day" ending with a "HUGE" threat being solved and whatnot. Nope.
Artwork was good but I wanted more from the story as I said, which was from the beginning a cliché thing to follow. I wish Waid just stopped using heroes in this title. I love Waid's work. And I am a huge fan of his Daredevil, but this just didn't do anything for me.
Hope it gets better with not so many heroes all over the place in every single issue and more Shield agents trying to do what they do.
Till the next one.
December 20, 2015
3.5
This wasn't bad, I found it to be quite entertaining and as a fan of the show i liked seeing some of my favourite characters in here. Also seeing some of the other characters like Spider-Man, Ms Marvel and Scarlet Witch was awesome as well.
The first 4 or so issues in here reminded me of season one of the show, in the way that they could be read out of order or you could skip one and not be confused as each story had it's own different storyline. It wasn't until the last two issues in this that we got a constant storyline and everything came together.
I LOVE fitzsimmons they were so awesome in the parts of this they were in (which wasn't as much as I'd hoped) and May was badass and amazing as expected. Coulson annoys me, I don't know why but he just annoys me to no end.
I'm going to pick up the next volume of this for sure because Dr Hyde and Daisy Johnson?? Yes please! Also I know Mockingbird is in one of the issues and yes I'm super keen for that, if you're a fan of the show I recommend picking this up you'd probably enjoy it!
This wasn't bad, I found it to be quite entertaining and as a fan of the show i liked seeing some of my favourite characters in here. Also seeing some of the other characters like Spider-Man, Ms Marvel and Scarlet Witch was awesome as well.
The first 4 or so issues in here reminded me of season one of the show, in the way that they could be read out of order or you could skip one and not be confused as each story had it's own different storyline. It wasn't until the last two issues in this that we got a constant storyline and everything came together.
I LOVE fitzsimmons they were so awesome in the parts of this they were in (which wasn't as much as I'd hoped) and May was badass and amazing as expected. Coulson annoys me, I don't know why but he just annoys me to no end.
I'm going to pick up the next volume of this for sure because Dr Hyde and Daisy Johnson?? Yes please! Also I know Mockingbird is in one of the issues and yes I'm super keen for that, if you're a fan of the show I recommend picking this up you'd probably enjoy it!
March 19, 2016
Perfect Bullets!!! It actually hurts me to say that I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
I think I just expected something different. I'm not sure.
There were some great lines and some great artwork but together as a whole, I just didn't love or enjoy it that much.
Phil Coulson is still one of my favorite people in the Marvel verse. And I really loved his intereaction with Kamala Khan. So funny and wonderful. So that was pretty much my favorite out of the six stories.
I also loved to see May, Fitz and Simmons in these stories. I need more May. She is just my favorite person on the tv show. So maybe that is my problem with it overall, that when I picked it up I thought it would tie in more with the show.
I'm still gonna pick up the next volume though.
I think I just expected something different. I'm not sure.
There were some great lines and some great artwork but together as a whole, I just didn't love or enjoy it that much.
Phil Coulson is still one of my favorite people in the Marvel verse. And I really loved his intereaction with Kamala Khan. So funny and wonderful. So that was pretty much my favorite out of the six stories.
I also loved to see May, Fitz and Simmons in these stories. I need more May. She is just my favorite person on the tv show. So maybe that is my problem with it overall, that when I picked it up I thought it would tie in more with the show.
I'm still gonna pick up the next volume though.
June 26, 2015
Not bad. The Ms Marvel issue was a lot of fun. The rest was enjoyable. Just nothing super special.
May 21, 2018
Se volete leggere la mia recensione, cliccate qui! http://ascwblog.blogspot.it/2018/05/s...
June 26, 2022
Perfectly fine anthology series bringing the TV version of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents to mainstream continuity to see if there was an appetite for them. Who doesn't love Phil Coulson? Or perhaps it's Clark Gregg's portrayal of him which is the real source of his charisma. Some nice touches here as Coulson's fanboy recognizes Kamila Khan's fangirl game and a good old-fashioned bit with Sue Richards and her unique set of abilities being needed for a unique set of problems. This was the closest I've seen to a 1970s Marvel Team-Up kind of comic where the stakes are low, but the chance to show off a side of a familiar hero is a winning prospect. There were also hints of the much missed Global Frequency here. So, better than it needed to be, but still inconsequential.
October 24, 2017
I love this book, Mark Waid's amazing creativity paired with amazing artists to tell a story of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) figuring out how to combat and beat things that seem insurmountable. It does help to have seen the tv show, since characters from the ABC program show up in the comics with no explanation or characterization. However, the usage of multiple characters from across the Marvel Universe was fantastic.
January 25, 2022
Its fun, but thats kinda it
May 17, 2022
Lots of fun stories wrapped with an interesting plot. Happy the library carries these.
June 14, 2025
I really liked this one. It has all the best parts of the TV show, except for Daisy, who's in the next issue. Love Coulson!
June 11, 2021
I had a lot of fun reading this adventure featuring some of the characters in Agents of Shield. It was an interesting plot and I enjoyed the way it went with all of the heroes and the unexpected ones too. I liked seeing some heroes I haven't seen before and ones that have only just come out to play in the Marvel Universe.
July 6, 2015
There are days when I truly believe that Mark Waid is the greatest comic book writer alive today. And S.H.I.E.L.D. is a glowing example of that.
This easily could have been a "spin-off" comic book. It highlights Phil Coulson, it guest stars members of his team from the T.V. show, and it is meant to sate the appetite of the ABC fans. But Waid makes it truly fan book.
For one thing, Waid knows he can use any superhero that he wants and he does. Spider-Man to Invisible Woman to the new Ms. Marvel; they each get their own "episode" to shine.
At the same time, Waid adds even more layers to the already fan-approved Coulson. How does he survive torture? He focuses on, and recites, every team member to ever join the X-Men. In chronological order. The man is one of us. And as we find out, his role comes from his appreciation of the Marvel Universe heroes. He is a fan who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the characters around him and he uses that information to recruit the perfect person for the strangest tasks. Not only is Coulson a comic book nerd, he is one whose obsession is validated. (We see what you're doing Waid, but we still appreciate it.) ;)
The stories are wrapped up in each issue. The guest artists are high profile. But as with all of Waid's recent Marvel work (Original Sin #0, Daredevil by Mark Waid, Vol. 1, Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 1: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.), the character comes first, then the action.
It isn't Kingdom Come-level, but it sure is fun.
This easily could have been a "spin-off" comic book. It highlights Phil Coulson, it guest stars members of his team from the T.V. show, and it is meant to sate the appetite of the ABC fans. But Waid makes it truly fan book.
For one thing, Waid knows he can use any superhero that he wants and he does. Spider-Man to Invisible Woman to the new Ms. Marvel; they each get their own "episode" to shine.
At the same time, Waid adds even more layers to the already fan-approved Coulson. How does he survive torture? He focuses on, and recites, every team member to ever join the X-Men. In chronological order. The man is one of us. And as we find out, his role comes from his appreciation of the Marvel Universe heroes. He is a fan who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the characters around him and he uses that information to recruit the perfect person for the strangest tasks. Not only is Coulson a comic book nerd, he is one whose obsession is validated. (We see what you're doing Waid, but we still appreciate it.) ;)
The stories are wrapped up in each issue. The guest artists are high profile. But as with all of Waid's recent Marvel work (Original Sin #0, Daredevil by Mark Waid, Vol. 1, Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 1: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.), the character comes first, then the action.
It isn't Kingdom Come-level, but it sure is fun.
September 16, 2015
This was a fun read, and it doesn't require a lot of commitment. You could definitely read the standalone issues out of order. I think there is exactly one frame that throws back to another issue and it explains itself on its own. I enjoyed reading it. Hands down, the best issue was the 2nd one, where Ms Marvel comes in. I loved the way her and Coulson's fangirl qualities played off each other. In other news, now I have to catch back up on Ms Marvel. She's such a fun, relatable character for my generation, in my opinion. I like that it had many of the same characters as the show, but I wish I could've seen more of Skye. I know that's touchy, considering the show's constantly-changing dynamic, but still. More Skye, please!
Also, can we talk about that Simmons development?! Is this still in the same universe as the show? Feel free to educate me!!
Also, can we talk about that Simmons development?! Is this still in the same universe as the show? Feel free to educate me!!
February 24, 2016
3-4 out of 5
It's certainly a fun little chain of stories with some fun fights/ problem solving on the part of the SHIELDies. However it lacks character development in the characters that make Agents of SHIELD so great, aside from Coulson.
Fitz, Simmons, and May's involvement in the presented stories is lacking a bit in my opinion. Their sense of teamwork, kind of lost amidst the Coulson-show. Luckily I love Coulson, so I'm not crushed by this but there is certainly room for improvement.
I did enjoy the sort of through-line plot tying the stories together along a rough science vs. magic theme. A couple of the team-ups around the middle are also very fun and include what I would consider to be the better writing in the volume.
Here's hoping volume 2 has as much fun and maybe a bit more heart.
And more FitzSimmons!
It's certainly a fun little chain of stories with some fun fights/ problem solving on the part of the SHIELDies. However it lacks character development in the characters that make Agents of SHIELD so great, aside from Coulson.
Fitz, Simmons, and May's involvement in the presented stories is lacking a bit in my opinion. Their sense of teamwork, kind of lost amidst the Coulson-show. Luckily I love Coulson, so I'm not crushed by this but there is certainly room for improvement.
I did enjoy the sort of through-line plot tying the stories together along a rough science vs. magic theme. A couple of the team-ups around the middle are also very fun and include what I would consider to be the better writing in the volume.
Here's hoping volume 2 has as much fun and maybe a bit more heart.
And more FitzSimmons!
June 7, 2018
4.2/5 stars
1st Read (2016): I'm really enjoyed reading these. It was pleasant to take a break from classics and Greek mythology for a bit, between revision. But sad Daisy/Skye wasn't in them, but Fitz and Simmons were great, and May was perfect. I'm going to be reading a lot more comics in the future!
2nd Read (June 2018): One of my all time favourites, and even better the second time round. Plus the artwork is amazing!
1st Read (2016): I'm really enjoyed reading these. It was pleasant to take a break from classics and Greek mythology for a bit, between revision. But sad Daisy/Skye wasn't in them, but Fitz and Simmons were great, and May was perfect. I'm going to be reading a lot more comics in the future!
2nd Read (June 2018): One of my all time favourites, and even better the second time round. Plus the artwork is amazing!
June 1, 2016
3 stars | I was a bit disappointed with this graphic novel. Since it's 'based' on the TV show, I expected to find the same characters, but it's mostly only Coulson, Fitz, Jemma and once in a while May popped in. Also, Jemma and Fitz are nothing like they are in AoS, and it killed me because I always need more Fitzsimmons in my life!
August 15, 2016
Even though this is supposed to be based on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., the majority of the six stories in this volume are Phil Coulson teaming up with various different superheroes, sometimes assisted by one or two of the characters from the show. That being said, this was great fun and, in spite of having different artists almost every issue, it worked well.
September 5, 2024
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.
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.
September 5, 2025
Read this review or all of my reviews on my site!
Well that was a weird, wild, and chaotic ride. More than most comics even, this volume didn’t feel like a volume so much as a series of vaguely connected issues. It’s fun to see Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. doing their thing, but I honestly couldn’t really get into the story before off we go again.
Perfect Bullets The Animator Home Invasion Fuel Magic Bullets Dark Dimensions Perfect BulletsThe Norse Worlds are coming to Earth Midgard one way or the other. Who better to stop them… then S.H.I.E.L.D.?
I quite enjoy this comics Coulson.
Weaponized super geek!
The Animator
Read this already. That’s why I’m reading this run of S.H.I.E.L.D.!
Home Invasion
Spider-Man!
Also, Lola!
Also also, the Sanctum Santorum. Quite a lot for one issue!
FuelThe Invisible Woman, prison breaker…
… and impromptu medical doctor.
Magic Bullets
Satana… daughter of Satan.
Comic names (and outfits) are so ridiculous sometimes.
Also:
😆
Dark DimensionsOh hey. There was an overarching plot the whole time.
Or something.
A brain virus, staring at the highest IQ first.
It’s one of those ‘
August 21, 2017
Trying to figure out how to best create a S.H.I.E.L.D. tie-in comic with the television series that still worked within the worlds of the printed Marvel Universe can't have been an easy task for Mark Waid, and at times, you end up with bland stories that equate to the worst of the first season of the show. There are some fun bits to chew on here, including Coulson's photographic memory for the intricacies of the heroes and villains of Marvel (and how he chooses these "perfect bullets" to deal with threats). Actually, Coulson is the ONLY character here with any kind of development while Melinda May and others from the show are cyphers. Things are NOT helped by rotating artists on an issue to issue basis, making it sometimes tricky to follow along and identify characters (especially if you like the ABC series, which has only gotten more impressive with each passing year). The best of the collection here is a tale where S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to enter the Sanctum Sanctorum of a missing Doctor Strange, and Coulson chooses Spider-man and a second rate criminal sorcerer to help with the mission.
June 26, 2021
I really enjoyed this. It was great to revisit these characters after watching the show. If I hadn't watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it's hard to say if I would have connected with this as much. This book mostly focuses on Agent Phil Coulson, which was fine with me because I like that character. There are a lot of cameos from various heroes, and the book does a decent job introducing the characters or at least labeling them. You also do not need to have read any previous stories to understand this, so this book is an easy recommendation for fans of the show who haven't read many comics. The artwork varies between issues. I'm looking forward to the next volume.
June 30, 2017
What started out as one and done stories morphed into this nice little arc that Waid injects with humor and intelligence. The series doesn't need the TV show for success and that's a good thing. Phil Coulson is the star and its obvious from the jump. The supporting cast are done well but need more time to shine. The six chapters had different artists for each but that didn't take anything away from the final product because they were all well done, especially Carlos Pacheco's work in chapter one. Overall, a very well done book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews