The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

S.W.O.R.D. issue 1

by Kieron Gillen, art by Steven Sanders (backup strip by Jamie McKelvie)

Marvel Comics

It’s not that I dislike superheroes, more the fact that I really haven’t got the time to decipher the vast, inter-connected-ness of the modern Marvel or DC Universes. So these days I tend to only dip into the Marvel Universe when I’m confident that I don’t need a Marvel encyclopedia at my side just to figure out the first 4 pages. Hence, this is one of the first Marvel books since Captain Britain and MI-13 and the first Ellis Astonishing X-Men I’ve picked up, purely because the whole Civil War, Secret Invasion thing just turned me off – life really is too short.

But having Kieron Gillen write a space opera featuring characters and situations following on from Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run seemed a nice idea to me. After all, this is the same Kieron Gillen who writes the oh-so lovely Phonogram. All the pre-release press worked for me as well, with Gillen saying all the right things about S.W.O.R.D. – memorably describing it as:

“My Spacegirl Friday. Fury Nick and Green-haired Nora. Joss Whedon writes Deep Space 9. West Wing in orbit (plus zap-guns). 24 with the neo-con-agenda swapped for gags. The fastest-paced comic Marvel puts out, I think. We move at escape-velocity. IN SPACE NO-ONE HAS TIME TO BREATHE.”
(Kieron Gillen on S.W.O.R.D. in this Newsarama interview)

(Two people who really don’t want to work together; Agent Brand and Agent Gyrich, co-commanders of S.W.O.R.D. From issue 1, by Kieron Gillen, art by Steven Sanders. Marvel Comics.)

In this first issue we get a fastpaced intro to everyone, a lot of character stuff, crackling dialogue and a host of subplots all juggled nicely. The green haired lady on the cover is Agent Abigail Brand; half human, half alien head of Sentient World Observation and Response Department (S.W.O.R.D.) that protects Earth from alien threats. She’s currently dating The Beast; supersmart, blue, furry mutant X-Man (who, for reasons unknown is drawn on John Cassady’s cover as the cat headed version from Astonishing X-Men and inside as some equine/goat faced thingy. That really needs sorting out).

Brand, following the events of Secret Invasion, has to share chairmanship of S.W.O.R.D. with Henry Peter Gyrich, the old Avengers National Security Advisor who seemingly exists in the Marvel Universe to annoy people and be an asshole. Gyrich is up to his usual tricks and is manipulating S.W.O.R.D. against Brand with the aim of ridding Earth of every alien he can, including Brand. So while Brand micro-manages every little problem and jets off into space chasing the old Marvel UK bounty hunter Death’s Head who’s nicked off with her half-brother, Gyrich puts his grand plan into action.

(Beast and Brand’s relationship at work – all based around muffins. Maybe the rejection explains the long face? From S.W.O.R.D. issue 1, by Kieron Gillen, art by Steven Sanders. Marvel Comics.)

We also get reacquainted with Lockheed the dragon, who is far smarter and dangerous than people give him credit for, but is currently pining (and drinking) for his companion of many years – Kitty Pryde, last seen phasing her way out of the solar system inside a moon sized bullet. The whole Kitty/Lockheed thing features more in the Jamie McKelvie illustrated backup story, with Brand filling Lockheed in on the things they’re doing to rescue Kitty and Lockheed secretly visiting UNIT, the super smart, alien robot thing kept locked up in the max security brig and used by Brand as an intelligence source. UNIT is obviously very bad news and will feature again somewhere down the line.

As hopefully will Jamie McKelvie, since his artwork is just lovely. Not that Steven Sanders’ art isn’t good, but, just like his work in Five Fists Of Science (review) it comes across as overly simplistic in places and a bit rushed in others. He’s very good with the sci-fi stuff, but his character art lets him down more often than not. Thankfully there’s enough good in the art to make the comic readable, and with a fun, fast-paced script like this, that’s enough to make it work.

S.W.O.R.D. begins very well indeed – fast, witty, silly, big sci-fi stuff with the characteristic scattershot dialogue of the Ellis, Whedon school of superhero sci-fi writing. If that’s your sort of thing, you’ll be along for the ride. I certainly shall.

S.W.O.R.D. issue 1 is out right now, issue 2 is due mid December.

Richard Bruton.