by MrBlack » Wed May 19, 2010 1:35 pm
S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
Any comic book that begins with the title, "The Unholy Resurrection of Leonardo da Vinci" is automatically off to a good start in my eyes.
This is a great beginning to what looks like an interesting series. Although much of the backstory of the protagonist, Leonid, is left up in the air by the end of the issue, the secret history of S.H.I.E.L.D. that Jonathan Hickman casually tosses into the issue is enough to make up for it. I have always been attracted to the idea that ancient cultures held secrets that we have not been able to unlock, and seeing a second century Chinese emperor fighting a Celestial, or Galileo taking on Galactus is quite a treat. The story is not much more than an introductory piece, but it is a successful one: I am dying to read the next issue!
The art is equally fantastic. Dustin Weaver creates wonderfully detailed images that bring to life the concepts that Hickman has created. Christina Strain's wisely chose her color palettes for each scene, using bolder, darker colors to accentuate the architecture of the secret city beneath Rome, and using more subdued colors to illustrate the flashbacks to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s history.
This is the most entertaining single issue of a comic I have read in a while, and certainly one of the most visually stunning. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Story: 10
Art: 10
Overall: 10