Red Circle: The Shield #1

JMS did a nice job with his Red Circle re-launch. The last two one-shots were much stronger than the first two. Both the Web and the Shield made very positive first impressions.

The issue opens with a tense scene of combat as a unit commander takes his group into danger facing off against arms traffickers in Afghanistan. It ends with an ambush that kills most of the unit but leaves the leader mortally wounded and perfect for an experimental new procedure. After a few months, Joseph Higgins is reborn as the Shield, one of the first super-heroes to be an active part of the military. Higgins is an earnest patriot doing his duty. He's got a public ID to inspire his fellow soldiers and he's out there fighting for them until the Shield procedure drops in price to be available for more soldiers. There is some typical shady dialogue from Higgins' commanding officers, but for the most part I was pleased at the positive portrayal of the American military. In his Civil War tie-ins, the heavy-handed political statements were very common, but I think JMS may have dialed back his agenda a bit here. I love the idea of a public hero working in the military, I'd love to see him interact with other heroes like Magog. Another great character available (and previously drawn by Scott McDaniel) would be the Veteran.

Scott McDaniel's art is a known quality now; you either love it or hate it. I love the way McDaniel handles kinetic action scenes and his storytelling is very clear. I think the Red Circle experiment was a successful one and I'll keep an eye on both ongoing titles over the next few months.

Good