Interesting fact about Lt. Joe Higgins, a.k.a. the Shield: he does not consider himself a hero, let alone a super one. For Lt. Higgins, the experimental warsuit he wears saved his life and enables him to continue doing his duty. It’s his honor to serve his country and uphold its ideals, and even if the style of his uniform has changed, his commitment to it has never wavered. Higgins doesn’t think of himself as a hero, he thinks of himself as a solider of the United States Armed Forces, now and until the day he lays down his arms.

Today, Lt. Joe Higgins will complete his first mission, aided by former Marine Lance Corporal David Reid now known as Magog. For both of them, their commitment to upholding the virtues of their country is paramount, and their sense of duty remains strong, just like their real-life brothers and sisters in arms. So before heading off to your comics store, join all of us
here at DC in thanking the true heroes today for their service and sacrifice. To all members of the U.S. Military, past and present, we salute you.

Spinning out directly from last month’s “Red Circle” event from superstar writer J. Michael Straczynski, we’ve got a first look at THE SHIELD #1, the debut issue of the new ongoing series chronicling the patriotic hero’s exploits. Along for the ride is an INFERNO co-feature. The main story, written by Eric Trautmann with art by Marco Rudy takes Lt. Joe Higgins — a.k.a. the Shield — into the hot spots across the globe where civilians fear to tread. His first mission finds him in Bialya, the nation destroyed by Black Adam in the pages of 52. There’s something lurking in the mountains beyond militia activity, and it’s up to the Shield to investigate.

Meanwhile, in the INFERNO co-feature by writer Brandon Jerwa and artist Greg Scott, we meet Inferno — but who is he? And why are the Dark Men after him?

THE SHIELD #1 hits 9/9.

Well, it’s Friday, and I’ve managed to finagle the day off. But fear not — we’ve got our regularly scheduled “From the Editors” post right here. This time, it’s Editor Rachel Gluckstern giving us more info on the upcoming THE SHIELD ongoing series. Take it away, Rachel:

With the Red Circle event now underway, I just have to share some art from the amazing team on the monthly Shield book. From Francis Manapul’s amazing cover to the dream art team of Marco Rudy and Mick Gray, everyone’s pulled out all the stops to live up to Eric Trautmann’s impressive first script.

The Shield #1 goes on sale 9/9, leading the way for the Red Circle monthlies and featuring Inferno by Brandon Jerwa and Greg Scott. But how can you resist such a perfect team of talent and characters? Look for the Shield #1 in September!

On 9/2, writer Eric Trautmann and artist Marco Rudy team up for THE SHIELD, a new ongoing series spinning out of The Red Circle one-shot and featuring an INFERNO co-feature.

We’re still closely guarding a first look at a full-on preview, but The Source is all about teasing stuff, no? So here’s a first look at a lovely spread from the main story, by Mr. Rudy. Pretty neat, huh?

Talk about a terrible way to wake up. Imagine opening your eyes and realizing you’re a prisoner of the Global Peace Agency, inside the walls of Electric City. That’s Nemesis’ new status quo, and it isn’t exactly a vacation. Trapped with members of the superhuman intelligence community and subjected to systematic torture, can Nemesis escape? Can he even find anyone he can trust? Probably not, but it’ll make for good reading. Here’s a preview of FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: ESCAPE #1, which hits 5/13.