Dark Circle Comics – an imprint of Archie Comics – expands their line-up this fall with THE SHIELD #1. Since the dawn of the American republic, whenever the country faces its darkest hour, a spirit of the revolution returns. But when The Shield reappears for the first time in a generation with no memories and finds an evil force awaiting her arrival, all the she can do is run.
HitFix Harpy sat down with THE SHIELD writers Adam Christopher and Chuck Wendig to get the details on who this patriotic hero is and what fans can expect.
HITFIX HARPY: What can you tell us about the Shield and the world she lives in?
CHUCK WENDIG: This story exists in parallel with the other Dark Circle comics – same universe. It”s not a crazy tangled super-universe, though; this looks like our world, and is a world not particularly acclimated to the superheroics you might expect from other comics.
What are her powers?
ADAM CHRISTOPHER: The Shield is a superhero, first and foremost, but when she arrives in the present day she doesn”t know who she is, or why she has come back. So she”ll be discovering her power set along with readers. But as the “Daughter of the Revolution”, a hero who has come back time and time again over the last two hundred years, when her country needs her most, she certainly has special abilities-augmented strength and resilience, for a start, not to mention she is an expert combatant. She”s a warrior.
CHUCK: Also, some of her powers remain… as yet, unseen.
Throughout The Shield”s long history, the character has traditionally been a man. Why change it up?
CHUCK: Obviously, representation is important in comics both on the page and behind the scenes – and though we can”t do much to change what goes on behind the scenes, we can endeavor to bring it to the page. Most comics are pretty male-driven, and we wanted a woman at the helm – a woman who was a superhero, but also a soldier.
ADAM: The comic readership has changed, and it”s important for comics themselves to recognize and reflect that change. So yes, we need diverse character for a diverse audience. But this isn”t just a gender-swapped re-imagining of the pre-existing character. Our Shield is a brand new character in her own right, with an origin and a history and a story arc that is all her own. Doing it this way, rather than a straight reboot, was clearly the best way forward, allowing us the creative freedom we wanted while crafting something new that still maintains the old universe as a touchstone.
Can you say if our new Shield is related to any of her predecessors? Or if they might make a cameo?
CHUCK: The old Shield is definitely kicking around, still…
ADAM: Yeah, the last 70 years or so of comic history still exist. But how previous incarnations of the Shield may react to the new one… well, that would be an interesting story!
How did you guys get involved with writing this comic? What was it about The Shield that appealed to you?
CHUCK: We beseeched the proper elder gods. Either that, or Alex Segura thinks we”re peachy.
ADAM: Yeah, it was one of those things where we knew Alex and Alex knew us and one day he gave one or both of us the call, we all started talking. Being offered an iconic character like The Shield is not an opportunity that comes up often, so I think Chuck and I both grabbed it with both hands!
Want more? Get a sneak peek at The Shield in action below! Scaling walls with her bare hands to take thugs to task.
The Shield #1 hits stands wherever comics are sold on October 21st.