Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. note
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a 2016 comic book published by Marvel, intended as a replacement for Mark Waid's SHIELD, which ran for twelve issues before being relaunched into this title.
Differentiating itself from its predecessor's anthology comic format, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. promises to be more plot-based, introducing additional characters from the television series that inspired it, specifically Mockingbird, Quake, and Deathlok.
Its initial arc, "The Coulson Protocols," features the return of Coulson's former lover Lola (not his car, mind you) and sees the team dealing with potential traitors.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. provides examples of the following tropes:
- Action Girl: Half the team. May, Daisy, and Mockingbird compose the bulk of the combatants (Deathlok and Coulson being the only other two combatants), while Simmons is the more action-oriented of the non-combatants, at least going by previews.
- Adaptation Distillation: Like the previous run, it takes the basic premise of the show, transplanted into the main Marvel Universe. Amusingly, the updated roster reflects that of the show's second season, which saw Skye transform into Quake and and introduced Mockingbird.
- Adapted Out: However, due to difficulties with continuity, Lance Hunter and Mack, whose comic counterparts are considerably different than their show counterparts, aren't slated to appear. Hunter will appear in Mockingbird's ongoing fulfilling the same role he did in the show, though.
- Ascended Extra: In two ways. The previous volume only featured Quake and Mockingbird in guest roles, the former appearing three times and the latter once, but now they're regular staples. Deathlok didn't appear at all, but was a reccuring supporting figure in the show, but here he's one of the headlining characters (and is front and centre of the first issue's cover). Amusingly, this isn't even the same Deathlok, as the show used an original character and the comic is using the recently introduced Henry Hayes.
- Badass Normal: May and Coulson are the only combatants who aren't enhanced. Mockingbird was previously a Badass Normal but received a super-powered upgrade into a Badass Abnormal, while Quake is an Inhuman spy, and Deathlok is a zombie cyborg super-soldier.
- Canon Immigrant: This comic introduces the 616 version of Grant Ward.
- Fun with Acronyms: Lola, Coulson's car, stands for Low-Orbit Liftoff Automobile.
- Mythology Gag:
- Daisy has had a mild redesign to resemble Chloe Bennet, her actress in the show (rather than Daisy's original inspiration, Angelina Jolie in Hackers) now sporting long hair and being less Ambiguously Brown (Chloe, and Daisy in the show, are both half-Asian). Ironically, prior to the comic starting Daisy in the show went through a make-over to look more like her comic counterpart by sporting shorter hair.
- "Unintended Consequences" isn't the first time Grant Ward has been shown killing Phil Coulson's love interest.
- The Mole: Part of the pitch for the comic is dealing with internal threats, and the preview revealed a mole on the team, who happens to be Fitz.
- We Named the Monkey "Jack": Coulson named his car "Lola" in reference to his ex.
- Working with the Ex: Coulson must work alongside Lola in the first arc.
