Mark Waid Talks Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Steranko and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helper Monkey

At Comic Con International: San Diego this year, legendary comics writer, editor and publisher [...]

At Comic Con International: San Diego this year, legendary comics writer, editor and publisher Mark Waid was announced as the new head of S.H.I.E.L.D.

No, he won't be unseating Nick Fury, Jr. He'll be tackling a new, monthly S.H.I.E.L.D. series based on the property for Marvel Comics -- and one that bears quite a similarity to Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (out on Blu-ray and DVD today) in some ways.

That's not the overall plan, though; Waid and a rotating team of artists will bring a S.H.I.E.L.D. series with the same energy and madness that Jim Steranko set the standard for years ago. There's big imagination, high tech, Coulson, Nick Fury...and, yes, there's even a helper monkey, like Fitz on the TV show wants.

Waid joined ComicBook.com for a conversation about the series, which will launch in December, back around the time of the announcement at Comic Con.

What little we know so far doesn't say it outright, but it sure sounds influenced by the TV show. What role did Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. play in the development of this series?

I can't imagine it would exist without it, but it's not like it's some sort of weird adaptation of the show--it's a straight-up Marvel Universe S.H.I.E.L.D. series. The great news is, not only do I have all of the Marvel Comics SHIELD elements to play with, we have the added bonus of being able to introduce the MU versions of Mae, Fitz and Simmons, and the others.

What's the ratio of recognizable characters to just S.H.I.E.L.D. grunts in the book?

Half and half, maybe? Depends on the story. Coulson and, to a lesser extent, Fury will be the threads that tie everything together, but each case allows them to call in specialists from throughout the Marvel Universe. Some are familiar faces. Others may be the pizza guy down the street or the saxophonist next door--if you've got the skill set S.H.I.E.L.D. needs for this particular mission, you could find yourself on the front lines, like it or not!

There were a few big Comic Con announcements this year that were embracing a one-and-done format. What's the allure of that in this particular title?

That it allows for fun guest-stars picked from through the Marvel Universe, from Spider-Man to Ms. Marvel to the New Warriors to Rocket Raccoon. One mission, one story, they're in and out. But the appeal there is mixing and matching combinations of characters that are surprising. Vision and Baron Mordo? Magneto and Invisible Woman? Two-Gun Kid and Dr. Strange? I've got ideas for all these and more.

On the one hand, December is a long way to wait...but on the other, you'll be giving people their S.H.I.E.L.D. fix while the show is on hiatus. Is that like being the only game in town but having a really killer lead-in?

Man, I hope so. That's the plan--to tell great stories while simultaneously scratching an itch among fandom, if you will. (PHRASING!)

Your characters have, historically, not been totally without a sense of humor. Are you looking forward to getting your hands on Coulson?

Oh, dear God, yes. His voice rings as clear as bell in my head. I actually met Clark Gregg once, not that he'd remember; when I lived in Los Angeles, we shopped at the same market. But that's a whole other story that also involves Julie Newmar and Angela Lansbury.

Can you say yet who any of the artists you'll be working with are?

I know we've got Carlos Pacheco on board, and we've not worked together since Flash, so that's cool. We've also landed Alan Davis and Chris Sprouse, and more names will follow!

The announcement says "unlimited imagination." Are you hoping to infuse the book with some of that old Steranko insanity that you can't easily reproduce on TV and in the movies?

You can't do a S.H.I.E.L.D. series without showing some Steranko influence, full-stop.

Will this be integrated in a big way with the Marvel Universe, or will the one-and-done format and the clandestine nature of S.H.I.E.L.D. keep the stories fairly insulated from what's going on outside?

Oh, no, no, no, this book "counts." Absolutely.

If we do our job effectively and all goes as planned, there's some stage magic going on here: what looks to be one-and-done stories can actually feed into a larger plot thread that plays nicely off some of Marvel's other upcoming plans.

How is it even fair that you guys get a helper monkey before Fitz and Simmons do?

That is NO WAY to talk about Ellie Pyle, dude.

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