ABC's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." brought the Marvel cinematic universe to the small screen, and now the series is expanding even further by returning to its roots this December when Marvel gives the show its own ongoing comic book series.
Agent Phil Coulson (played by actor Clark Gregg in the show and seen in Marvel films like "Iron Man 2" and "The Avengers") will be leading the top team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the in-continuity series inspired by the hit TV show, with all of the main characters from the show such as Agent Skye, Leo Fitz and Melinda May also appearing as they team up with superheroes and face superhuman threats.
Mark Waid, the Eisner-Award winning writer for his work on Marvel's "Daredevil," will be crafting the story for the comic, with each issue being a one-and-done mission consisting of 20 pages. Alongside Waid on "S.H.I.E.L.D." will be the art of various artists like Carlos Pacheco, Alan Davis and Chris Sprouse.
"[S.H.I.E.L.D.] has the best toys," Waid says in an interview with Marvel.com. "And the best allies - anyone and everyone in the Marvel Universe is a potential guest-star in this book, from Dr. Strange to the Thing to Spider-Man to Cloak and Dagger to Groot - if they've got the skills needed for the task at hand, they're on the front lines (like it or not.)"
Waid is no stranger to the world of S.H.I.E.L.D., with his recent run on "Indestructible Hulk" having Bruce Banner team up with the spy organization. Waid said some characters from that series will return in "S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I'll certainly throw the spotlight back on some of the characters that showed up there-but not at the sacrifice of one Phil Coulson, maybe the coolest S.H.I.E.L.D. agent ever not named 'Fury,'" Waid says.
The agents will certainly be partnering with all manner of superhumans and villains from the Marvel universe, and because this is all being done in a comic book and not on TV the sky is potentially the limit for what can be done.
"We've got what amounts to an unlimited budget and the ability to bring in any character at any time," Marvel executive editor Tom Brevoort says in a press release. "So that's an advantage that we're going to press, with the most spectacular set-pieces we can dream up, and involvement from characters from every corner of the Marvel Universe."
"S.H.I.E.L.D." #1 is set to hit comic book store shelves this December. "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." will be returning to ABC on September 23 with a number of new faces, including that of "Quantum of Solace" actor Simon Kassianides as a new recurring character by the name of Bakshi, described as being a confident right-hand man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.
