Review: SHIELD # 4
Did I like SHIELD # 4?
Heck yes! Not just like, I LOVED EVERY DAMN PANEL!
So what was to like about Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver‘s awesome awesome book?
First of all we get to know more about the returning Leonardo Da Vinci who travelled back to the future in order to save us all. Yes, it might sound like the lyrics of Black Sabbath’s IRON MAN song but trust me, it really translates well into paper.
We find out that in ancient China a Celestial has struck with another brother of the SHIELD for the protection of the earth and the birth of the first celestial concieved outside of a planet. Ofcourse this breaks the moldt to but it makes sense. Why not put the infant celestial into the sun and have Da Vinci play midwife when the baby is finally born.
Nostradamus also makes his triumphant appearance on the pages of a Marvel book and it’s an appearance thats both depressing and cool. In a bid to squeeze out more details about the prophecy, Nostradamus is imprisoned and left to rot slowly but surely for over 500 years. He plays witness to man’s movements in history.
Leonid still remains the same Leonid we met back in issue # 1, still asking questions and still not getting any right answers.
For the standard fans of Marvel Universe lore, Hickman’s stuff is pretty good. It ties neatly to the concepts he’s presented in the pages of Fantastic Four (yeah with Nathaniel Richards and the currently running “Three”). And the backup appendix portion at the end of the issue has already become a welcome sight for Hickman fans following the writer’s career in the House of Ideas.
Easter Eggs for this issue include:
Nick Fury’s INFINITY FORMULA as well as the FOREVER FORMULA which was placed in Nostradamus.
I’d also sell the book for History geeks such as myself. Seeing all these historical figures all getting connected with a single organization is a great piece of fiction. (or is it really fiction, remember these guys were also tagged as the real ILLUMINATI)
I would most definitely give this book a 4 out of a possible 5, 4 being because when you pop the book, you’ll want to read more only to get mildly irritated or annoyed because of the shipping schedule for the book. But hey, deadline issues aside, I’m sure as hell wouldn’t want SHIELD any other way.
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Earl Maghirang is the owner and founder of thefanboyseo.com
