S.W.O.R.D. 2

"Sentient World Observation and Response Department"—was introduced in Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men, as a counterpart to Marvel's long-standing super-spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. Basically, if S.H.I.E.L.D. is Earth's MI5 in the Marvel Universe, then S.W.O.R.D. is its MI6. Its principal characters are Agent Abigail Brand, Marvel Universe's favorite green-haired Skrull-killer and her boyfriend Henry McCoy, aka The Beast. Much of the action occurs on board a space station that also serves as a sort of halfway station for aliens bound for earth, an idea most of us will be certainly familiar with, from other comics titles of course. Yet the breathless action coupled with the banter and interplay between the Agent Brand and Hank McCoy brings a freshness to it all. A tuned creative team in fine form coming out with a promising new series. Hi-Q Minutemen scan.

Extraterrestrials are no longer welcome on Earth. So say goodbye to Marvel Boy, Beta Ray Bill, Karolina from the Runaways and a ton of others...including Agent Brand and Lockheed! Henry Gyrich has turned the tables on our heroine and her time as head of S.W.O.R.D. is coming to a close. -- issue #2 solicitation, marvel.com