Agents of SHIELD is one of those TV shows that either you love or you hate. The intrigue that was shown in Captain America: Winter Soldier, provided the fertile ground for the series to be a serious spy thriller. Instead, it is a show with more downs than ups, and seriously hampered its potential. It is currently going through a major storyline, dealing with timelines and alternate universes.

The comics have had a few storylines dealing with SHIELD, where it appears it could be a major player in the Marvel Universe. There have been some great ones, like the current Nick Fury solo series, which has all the whiz bangs of the bygone era of James Bond. I always felt that the organization as a character was seriously underserved, and acted more as window dressing than an organization making the world a better place, taking on missions of great importance. So, when I heard about VRICA, from Indian upstart, Chariot Comics, I was intrigued, as though I got my wish fulfillment for SHIELD by reading this book.

In the debut volume, we are introduced to a team that I would describe as the “team from Mission Impossible” but with superpowers. We are introduced to Dark Wolf (the Indian Winter Soldier) Longbeard (an Indian Hawkeye) Binary, Falcon, and White Fang (a male Indian Black Widow), a super team who has just saved New Delhi from a massive terrorist threat. As an old villain from Dark Wolf’s past comes back into the light, known as the Reaper the team springs into action before he can unleash havoc on the country. Before the end of the volume, a battle royale between Dark Wolf and The Reaper ensues, leaving no doubt who is the victor, and as a bonus the reader gets a to know each of the other members of the team as they go on their own solo missions.

Overall, a great introduction to a team of heroes, some super, some not, but together, can take on any adversary. The story by Aniruddho Chakraborty, is suspenseful and provides loads of intrigue that can satisfy the biggest spy fiction fan. The art by Tamal Saha and Tarun Kumar Sahu, is simply gorgeous. Altogether, a full tilt boogie hat this reviewer will be taking again soon.

Story: Aniruddho Chakraborty Art: Tamal Saha and Tarun Kumar Sahu
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy