Agents of SHIELD: 5 Comics To Hold Fans Over During Winter Break

Agents Of SHIELD

Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. Ever wondered what Marvel's Agents of SHIELD would be like if the guy who created Arrow on the CW worked on it? Marvel Comics' most recent Agents of SHIELD comic book is probably the closest anyone will ever get to finding out.

While the Agents of SHIELD team was first brought together in comic book form in Mark Waid's SHIELD series, that comic had a kind of "Marvel Team-Up" vibe to it and seemed mostly interesting in having fun by teaming the SHIELD agents with Marvel superheroes they'll probably never share a screen with.

Marc Guggenheim's Agents of SHIELD series is much more interested in bringing the feel of the actual TV show. The first storyline is also where the traitorous Grant Ward makes his comic book debut. Even Deathlok is included alongside the core Agents of SHIELD cast members.

Agents of SHIELD ran for 10 issues, concluding during the Civil War II, and is collected into two trade paperback volumes: The Coulson Protocols and the still to be released Under New Management.

Secret Warriors

Fans may see Secret Warriors on this list and think, "Wasn't that last season?" Those fans would be right, but the original comic book series is just as relevant to Agents of SHIELD now as it was then, perhaps even more so.

First off, Secret Warriors isn't technically Daisy Johnson's first appearance, but it is the series that first truly defined her as a character. It is the first place where Hellfire and Slingshot appeared. All three of those characters are still playing big roles on Agents of SHIELD.

Secondly, Secret Warriors reveals the secret history of LMDs, which is the major theme and threat of the second half of Agents of SHIELD's fourth season.

Thirdly, a new Secret Warriors series is on the way. While the only returning team member is Quake, the new series will be much more in line with the Agents of SHIELD version of the team, being that all of the members are Inhumans.

Secret Warriors is also just a great comic, worthy of any reader's time.

Carnage

Marvel Comics currently ongoing Carnage series may seem out of place on this list, but there's an important item that ties Carnage and Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. Carnage is the latest Marvel series to feature the dark, mystical tome called The Darkhold.

That's the same Darkhold that, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is responsible for providing Eli Morrow with the plans for the machine that gave him godlike powers. It is also the book that AIDA read and that seemingly left her with a sense of free will and an ugly disposition.

Carnage begins with a special task force, including Eddie Brock, the former Venom who is now bonded to the Toxin symbiote, trying to track down Carnage and bring him in or kill him. It turns out that Carnage was being led to a cult that worships the Darkhold and believes a prophecy that says sacrificing Carnage with wake the sleeping elder god that wrote the contents of the book. Things don't go well from there.

All-New Ghost Rider

The fate of Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes is unknown as of the midseason finale of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, but there's plenty of reason to believe viewers haven't seen the last of him.

Its unclear if and when we'll next see Robbie on television, but that's just more reason for fans to go pick up his debut Marvel Comics series, All-New Ghost Rider, buy Felipe Smith and Tradd Moore.

The series reveals a very different relationshp between Robbie, Gabe, and Elie Morrow, with Eli evntually revealed to be the dead spirit possessing Robbie and giving him his powers as Ghost Rider.

Robbie also just made his return in a brand new Ghost Rider series. The first issue is on sale now.

Howling Commandoes of SHIELD

These aren't Nick Fury's Howling Commandos. This is STAKE, a subdivision of SHIELD that is tasked with dealing with supernatural threats of all shapes and sizes.

The team includes such oddball character as Hit-Monkey, Teen Abomination, Vampire By Night, Man-Thing, Orgo, Manphibian, and Warwolf.

In command is Dum Dum Duggan, which offers a tie to Agents of SHIELD as he is an enhanced LMD with the uploaded consciousness of the original Howling Commando.

There isn't much else in the way of direct ties to Marvel's Agents of SHIELD to be found in Howling Commandos of SHIELD, but that combination of humor, hi-tech, and the supernatural is a brew that should be recognizable to anyone watching Agents of SHIELD Season 4.