The Shield

Gr 8 Up—After an ambush in Afghanistan that kills everyone in his squadron but him, Joe Higgins is kept alive via a computerized battle suit that enables him to be a one-man recon and offensive unit, comparable to a combination of Iron Man and Captain America. Originally created for Archie Comics in 1940—before the publication of either of those heroes—The Shield has a storied history of on-again, off-again publication, and this is a reboot to modernize the character for integration into the mainstream DC Comics universe. This means that significant guest stars from DC's C-list show up in supporting roles and as villains—characters sufficiently unknown to most readers, but the lack of prior familiarity doesn't hinder the narrative. The prologue and introduction, masterminded by Straczynski, are hampered by seemingly hurried art and generic plotting, but the main book is both written and drawn with a much surer hand. Trautmann's introduction of thematic elements about the role of a soldier in contrast to that of a superhero give the book a relatively unique and certainly clever perspective, and the pages are artfully designed with a kinetic energy and frequent uses of technologically influenced framing to reinforce awareness of the hero's power-source. This is a dynamic volume that's easy to enjoy, and therefore it's a pity that the series has been canceled and no second volume is likely to be forthcoming.—Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH