Den
01-16-2010, 02:46 PM
Did anyone else get this?
The Shield continues to be the series that I'd nominate for "Best D.C. Comic you probably aren't reading" though I understand that R.E.B.E.L.S fans claim that spot as well for their favorite :)
#5 is another beautiful issue, with Marco Rudy back on pencils and he and the rest of the art team just fill the whole story with action packed panels.
Given that the Jaguar is mentioned on the cover, this will come as no surprise that he's making an appearance here. And anyone versed with the superhero genre will be colored unsurprised as the "appearance" occurs.
The Great Ten (August General in Iron, Seven Deadly Brothers, and Shaolin Robot to be precise) appeared in last issue, and we see their response to their embassy getting messed up. Short answer? they aren't happy. They insist the Shield surrender for his part in the damage done.
Naturally, the Shield declines. I can't say I blame him since I have no doubt the Chinese government would use this chance to carve his tech (and possibly him as well) like a Thanksgiving turkey. Besides, he has a mission involving Nazi U.F.Os and robots!
And the tale really gets going...
pretty much total spoilers below. Do NOT ruin it for yourself if you plan on getting this but haven't read it yet.
The Shield fights smart as well as hard. Had he wiped the floor with the Great Ten members, I would have groaned at the 'jobbing', but instead the Shield just gets sneaky, manages to 'hack' Shaolin Robot, and uses the distraction to get the hell out of dodge and back to work.
I have to confess, I chuckled as Shoalin Robot was hammering the back of the General's head, and Joe confesses "I can admit it. I enjoyed that"
Breaking into the Reich Saucer, he faces our goose-stepping robots and meets..well, not in person, our villain. While the man on the screen and the Shield exchange banter, the Shield ends up fighting his way to a chamber where he finds numerous subjects that have been tortured and killed, most in odd tubes of liquid. His systems inform him that the subjects have a 99% fatality rate, and 1% about to expire.
He shatters the power core, and an overload is inevitable. Mission accomplished, but for a guy who keeps claiming he's a soldier not a superhero, Joe sure acts like the latter as he finds the one survivor and get him out of there.
The Great Ten is nothing if not dogged, and is coming in as well, possibly to finish their chat with the Shield, but they find ...
the corpses seem to be reviving like something out of a zombie movie
oh..and a Nazi killbot is up and at em.
But the guy Joe saved, Rafael, transforms every other panel...and then joins into the fight as well... without a doubt, he has become our new 'Jaguar'
We pan back to snarky comments from the mastermind/nazi scum who is still watching remotely. who announces himself as "Baron Gestapo" . You can almost hear the capital letters, but what might otherwise be an over the top name is retroactively cool because he dates all the way back from 1942, Zip Comics #27- I looked it up. ;)
I have to admit, Trautmann and Rudy had to overcome a big obstacle with me when introducing the Jaguar. For one thing, it is exceptionally hard to avoid the wolverine comparisons for any clawed superhero nowadays. As I'm rather burnt out on Logan , similar types tend to bore me quickly unless they have a personality or something that makes them stand out. The other problem is this: Out of the old Impact line, the Jaguar was my favorite. She kicked ass, and that sets a tough act to follow.
So I consider myself a 'tough crowd' for poor Rafael. ;)
We don't get enough of Jaguar's personality for me to fairly judge on whether I like him as a person to read about or not, but it's too soon to expect that anyway.
However, the art team , the look, turns out to be really quite...well, awesome! There's a panel of the character in his full leaping glory that makes your inner fanboy go 'Kewl!'
So mission accomplished in getting me interested in the new guy on that angle.
Joe's commentary and banter are lively through out, and if there's anything that really raised a brow it's the point that the Shield again is stating how he's a soldier not a superhero and he needs to think like the former. It seems to be a recurring theme, and it is one that either could end up overdone, or instead, might be a good hook for later story development.
Despite my grumblings about guest stars (Magog) on earlier issues, I confess I'm now wondering how Shield would relate to more typical superheroes. Would he feel any kind of rapport with their calling at all, or does he truly consider himself a world apart? That sort of thing.
Regardless, another excellent issue IMO, and I'm sticking with it.
I should also mention the Inferno backfeature. I really think the limited pages on the back feature hurt it , because it has taken far too long to get this far. 'This far' is actually picking up some speed, and is more interesting for it. I still don't care for the art on the Inferno, it remains too muddy for my liking. Personal preference, but I think I shall enjoy the upcoming Fox a great deal more.
The Shield continues to be the series that I'd nominate for "Best D.C. Comic you probably aren't reading" though I understand that R.E.B.E.L.S fans claim that spot as well for their favorite :)
#5 is another beautiful issue, with Marco Rudy back on pencils and he and the rest of the art team just fill the whole story with action packed panels.
Given that the Jaguar is mentioned on the cover, this will come as no surprise that he's making an appearance here. And anyone versed with the superhero genre will be colored unsurprised as the "appearance" occurs.
The Great Ten (August General in Iron, Seven Deadly Brothers, and Shaolin Robot to be precise) appeared in last issue, and we see their response to their embassy getting messed up. Short answer? they aren't happy. They insist the Shield surrender for his part in the damage done.
Naturally, the Shield declines. I can't say I blame him since I have no doubt the Chinese government would use this chance to carve his tech (and possibly him as well) like a Thanksgiving turkey. Besides, he has a mission involving Nazi U.F.Os and robots!
And the tale really gets going...
pretty much total spoilers below. Do NOT ruin it for yourself if you plan on getting this but haven't read it yet.
The Shield fights smart as well as hard. Had he wiped the floor with the Great Ten members, I would have groaned at the 'jobbing', but instead the Shield just gets sneaky, manages to 'hack' Shaolin Robot, and uses the distraction to get the hell out of dodge and back to work.
I have to confess, I chuckled as Shoalin Robot was hammering the back of the General's head, and Joe confesses "I can admit it. I enjoyed that"
Breaking into the Reich Saucer, he faces our goose-stepping robots and meets..well, not in person, our villain. While the man on the screen and the Shield exchange banter, the Shield ends up fighting his way to a chamber where he finds numerous subjects that have been tortured and killed, most in odd tubes of liquid. His systems inform him that the subjects have a 99% fatality rate, and 1% about to expire.
He shatters the power core, and an overload is inevitable. Mission accomplished, but for a guy who keeps claiming he's a soldier not a superhero, Joe sure acts like the latter as he finds the one survivor and get him out of there.
The Great Ten is nothing if not dogged, and is coming in as well, possibly to finish their chat with the Shield, but they find ...
the corpses seem to be reviving like something out of a zombie movie
oh..and a Nazi killbot is up and at em.
But the guy Joe saved, Rafael, transforms every other panel...and then joins into the fight as well... without a doubt, he has become our new 'Jaguar'
We pan back to snarky comments from the mastermind/nazi scum who is still watching remotely. who announces himself as "Baron Gestapo" . You can almost hear the capital letters, but what might otherwise be an over the top name is retroactively cool because he dates all the way back from 1942, Zip Comics #27- I looked it up. ;)
I have to admit, Trautmann and Rudy had to overcome a big obstacle with me when introducing the Jaguar. For one thing, it is exceptionally hard to avoid the wolverine comparisons for any clawed superhero nowadays. As I'm rather burnt out on Logan , similar types tend to bore me quickly unless they have a personality or something that makes them stand out. The other problem is this: Out of the old Impact line, the Jaguar was my favorite. She kicked ass, and that sets a tough act to follow.
So I consider myself a 'tough crowd' for poor Rafael. ;)
We don't get enough of Jaguar's personality for me to fairly judge on whether I like him as a person to read about or not, but it's too soon to expect that anyway.
However, the art team , the look, turns out to be really quite...well, awesome! There's a panel of the character in his full leaping glory that makes your inner fanboy go 'Kewl!'
So mission accomplished in getting me interested in the new guy on that angle.
Joe's commentary and banter are lively through out, and if there's anything that really raised a brow it's the point that the Shield again is stating how he's a soldier not a superhero and he needs to think like the former. It seems to be a recurring theme, and it is one that either could end up overdone, or instead, might be a good hook for later story development.
Despite my grumblings about guest stars (Magog) on earlier issues, I confess I'm now wondering how Shield would relate to more typical superheroes. Would he feel any kind of rapport with their calling at all, or does he truly consider himself a world apart? That sort of thing.
Regardless, another excellent issue IMO, and I'm sticking with it.
I should also mention the Inferno backfeature. I really think the limited pages on the back feature hurt it , because it has taken far too long to get this far. 'This far' is actually picking up some speed, and is more interesting for it. I still don't care for the art on the Inferno, it remains too muddy for my liking. Personal preference, but I think I shall enjoy the upcoming Fox a great deal more.