The Mighty Crusaders: The Shield One-Shot

The Mighty Crusaders: The Shield One-Shot

Archie Comics 2021

Story & Art by Rob Liefeld

Written by David Gallaher

Lettered by Jack Morelli

THE SHIELD IS BACK! America's first patriotic superhero, The Shield, has persevered through countless challenges and always manages to come out on top! But what happens when forces beyond anyone’s control threaten The Shield’s legacy of fighting for truth and justice? Follow Joe Higgins as The Shield (and get ready for some surprises!) in this new one-shot comic!

This was a great story and I hope David finds a reliable art team to come back and tell the rest of it. The idea that a character is not just time hopping but multiverse hopping at the same time is fantastic. Though a little explanation as to what this actually means to the times and places he’s ending up would’ve been good. Normally when something like this happens it’s out of the characters control so I’d be interested in learning of this is something Joe has control over or if it happens involuntarily and without advance warning. Why is this so dangerous and just who sent him traversing in this manner, some new villain out to conquer time and space? For now we don’t know but gosh darn it I really wanna know.

The way that this is being told is interesting. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented extremely well. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances is delightfully rendered. I wish we got a little more information but it is what it is. The pacing is great and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story and the twist ending makes me want to see what’s going to happen next.

How we see this being structured and how the layers within the story emerge and grow is well rendered. The layers contain some great characterisation as well as the reveal at the end, whether these things work directly with the main arc or simply swirl around it add extra depth and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is amazing to see.

While Rob’s work has gotten better over the years and there’s no mistaking his unique style there are still moments that make me question his eye for visual storytelling. An indestructible suit with ripped pieces, the Fly’s out of proportion body from breasts to hips, and everyone’s faces seem to be the same. Though I will say it’s nice seeing feet look so good and the men in particular have these looks to them. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a very talented eye for storytelling. I wish we’d see backgrounds, more so in that apartment to showcase how cramped the room is to fight in. The colour work is really well rendered. How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights an shadow work is rather magnificent to see.

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There is a lot of good things here, some bad things but overall this really is an enjoyable story. I want to know more and that’s how you know it’s a good story when the reader sees enough to wet the appetite for more. I’m curious why a team made up of characters from different Earths was needed when Victoria already has a team of her own that basically has all these character already. So yeah i’m in the position that I want to see more. I’m a huge fan of The Mighty Crusaders and the potential they represent and I want to see more of these characters.