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S.W.O.R.D. #1-5
X-Men: S.W.O.R.D. - No Time To Breathe
Forced to share her leadership post with former Avengers-liaison Henry Gyrich, Agent Brand is less than pleased, especially when she learns that Gyrich's plan for fixing S.W.O.R.D. is to rid the Earth of all aliens. Original.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Kieron Gillen
1,489 books1,925 followersKieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
January 26, 2023
HAMMER Director Norman Osborn has named Henry Gyrich as co-commander of SWORD. Abigail Brand isn't happy about this, but there currently nothing she can do. Gyrich is up to something.
His plan is to deport all alien life from Earth.
No Time To Breathe was an apt name for this volume. The pace is dizzying likely to indicate how hectic life is as the commander of SWORD. Brand's day went from one disaster to another, she was so busy in fact she didn't know Gyrich was taking over. It seems the Skrull invasion left Gyrich so spooked he determined the only course of action was to rid the Earth of all aliens regardless of if they were good or bad.
The story was fine overall. Not great, but solid. Brand is the embodiment of the serious commander role. It made it funny as she was interacting with her boyfriend Beast. I don't know if Beast was acting extra loving to break through Brand's serious nature, but he seemed like an in love teenager constantly complimenting his love.
All in all No Time to Breathe was a simple summation of the Dark Reign storyline. Much of the government is either inept or corrupt and that alone endangers the Earth.
His plan is to deport all alien life from Earth.
No Time To Breathe was an apt name for this volume. The pace is dizzying likely to indicate how hectic life is as the commander of SWORD. Brand's day went from one disaster to another, she was so busy in fact she didn't know Gyrich was taking over. It seems the Skrull invasion left Gyrich so spooked he determined the only course of action was to rid the Earth of all aliens regardless of if they were good or bad.
The story was fine overall. Not great, but solid. Brand is the embodiment of the serious commander role. It made it funny as she was interacting with her boyfriend Beast. I don't know if Beast was acting extra loving to break through Brand's serious nature, but he seemed like an in love teenager constantly complimenting his love.
All in all No Time to Breathe was a simple summation of the Dark Reign storyline. Much of the government is either inept or corrupt and that alone endangers the Earth.
April 28, 2020
Story - 2.5
Graphics - 3.0
Graphics - 3.0
November 26, 2021
A fun, fast-paced story full of sarcastic quips and put-downs. Beast, in particular, has never been so sassy.
It’s a goofy comedy, basically, and it stands alone as a story. I enjoyed it, with the exception of Beast’s new design, which gives him a long snout like a dog. It’s a weird, inconsistent, and unnecessary change. Otherwise, this was fun as a piece of enjoyable fluff whose details will likely soon leave me forever.
It’s a goofy comedy, basically, and it stands alone as a story. I enjoyed it, with the exception of Beast’s new design, which gives him a long snout like a dog. It’s a weird, inconsistent, and unnecessary change. Otherwise, this was fun as a piece of enjoyable fluff whose details will likely soon leave me forever.
August 9, 2020
Cómic divertido y olvidable. Iba a ser el primer arco de una serie regular pero las malas ventas lo dejaron en 5 revistas. Había potencial para más.
July 28, 2011
Wow, this sucked. And it shouldn't have. Joss Whedon made Abby Brand one of the most exciting new characters in the X-men universe, Beast is always a solid, and I like Lockheed. But this is a hot mess on toast.
First of all, I don't know if this artist has ever seen Beast. His face is just so wrong its actually distracting. Especially when you consider that the cover art has him looking good and consistent with his run on Astonishing X-Men.
Also did Beast and Abby get personality transplants? Beast is super flowery and full of lovey dovey crap for Abby, who either ignores it or seems to dig it. Which is not at all the character Joss wrote. Beast was a man conflicted, she was a 'the mission is what matters' bitch, and they had crackling sexual chemistry. They were not snuggle buddies. I wouldn't recomend that anyone read this. Its not good.
First of all, I don't know if this artist has ever seen Beast. His face is just so wrong its actually distracting. Especially when you consider that the cover art has him looking good and consistent with his run on Astonishing X-Men.
Also did Beast and Abby get personality transplants? Beast is super flowery and full of lovey dovey crap for Abby, who either ignores it or seems to dig it. Which is not at all the character Joss wrote. Beast was a man conflicted, she was a 'the mission is what matters' bitch, and they had crackling sexual chemistry. They were not snuggle buddies. I wouldn't recomend that anyone read this. Its not good.
June 21, 2011
Ech. I tried to read this and it annoyed me, and the more I read the more annoying it became, eventually I stopped.
August 9, 2011
Estuvo increíblemente cerca de las cuatro estrellitas. Promedio para abajo nomás porque en ciertas partes de la historia resulta fácil perderse y porque el dibujo, aunque me gustó bastante, huele a principiante por todos lados, con todas las incorrecciones anatómicas y confusiones narrativas que eso conlleva. Pero el espíritu de los Astonishing de Whedon y Cassaday está ahí (más en el guion que en el dibujo), y me pareció verdaderamente una lástima que no prosperara esta original serie. A ver qué engancho del guionista más adelante, me suena a que algo más en to-read he de tener...
March 16, 2011
Well, the plot was a bit.. you know, this was like a really fun action flick, the kind you don't watch for the plot but for the silly jokes and the explosions, I guess. I really enjoyed the interaction between Agent Brand and Hank; I love that she clearly is the one wearing the pants in their relationship, and the banter between them was just a lot of fun.
Actually, that's true of the whole book - it's really sad that it was canceled, but then, books that are fun tend to do worse than the GrimmDarkAndAngsty ones, god knows why.
Actually, that's true of the whole book - it's really sad that it was canceled, but then, books that are fun tend to do worse than the GrimmDarkAndAngsty ones, god knows why.
August 12, 2013
Cartoonish looking art, and beyond campy. Horse face Beast totally ruined it. How did they let that slide to finished Book.
September 4, 2025
A story crammed with several interesting subplots. This is a somewhat pleasing story involving a ton of aliens and alien races that I hadn't read about before. Mostly, it's expanding on Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 1: Gifted run. As such, it's very quippy and sarcastic.
My main issue is the look of Beast in this volume. I hate it. He doesn't look anything like he does in any other X-book. Apart from the blue fur, he appears to be an entirely different character. Sanders is a fantastic artist, he just made some decisions in character designs that didn't make any sense to me and I found them distracting. His Death Head and Metrolith designs, on the other hand, were inspired and fun. I'd definitely love to see his work on a creator-owned book. I just don't think he was successful in working with already established characters.
There's a point near the end of this story where Beast identifies himself as an alien. Is this a ruse? Sarcasm? It's never explored or explained. It just adds to the feeling that this book is disconnected to the rest of the Marvel Universe.
The series was cancelled so quickly that the entire run is in this collection and I've not seen it referenced anywhere else in the Marvel Universe.
If you're looking for a silly one-off book that uses continuity but doesn't ask you to know that continuity, this should work for you. Also, if you really wish Whedon had continued his Astonishing run, but with a focus on Brand, Beast, and Lockheed, then this is exactly what you're looking for. It just didn't work for me.
My main issue is the look of Beast in this volume. I hate it. He doesn't look anything like he does in any other X-book. Apart from the blue fur, he appears to be an entirely different character. Sanders is a fantastic artist, he just made some decisions in character designs that didn't make any sense to me and I found them distracting. His Death Head and Metrolith designs, on the other hand, were inspired and fun. I'd definitely love to see his work on a creator-owned book. I just don't think he was successful in working with already established characters.
There's a point near the end of this story where Beast identifies himself as an alien. Is this a ruse? Sarcasm? It's never explored or explained. It just adds to the feeling that this book is disconnected to the rest of the Marvel Universe.
The series was cancelled so quickly that the entire run is in this collection and I've not seen it referenced anywhere else in the Marvel Universe.
If you're looking for a silly one-off book that uses continuity but doesn't ask you to know that continuity, this should work for you. Also, if you really wish Whedon had continued his Astonishing run, but with a focus on Brand, Beast, and Lockheed, then this is exactly what you're looking for. It just didn't work for me.
December 18, 2024
Hi guys. Long time no review. Just finished SWORD by Kieron Gillen. Gillen proves himself to be a highly competent writer by juggling multiple plot threads over the course of Abigail Brand's Longest Day Ever. It's the kind of clever writing where a thing mentioned in issue one comes plummeting down to earth by issue four. Unfortunately, the book feels like it's missing some kind of vital connective tissue... I want to say it's the relationships between the characters? Beast is fun but Brand isn't. We already knew from her appearances in Astonishing X-Men that she's a put-upon hardass who takes no prisoners. She's more of the same here. I wish Gillen did more to color in the very loosely sketched lines that Whedon laid down during his AXM run. But I don't think that's entirely his fault. I heard somewhere that this book was originally solicited as an ongoing but canceled prematurely at issue 5. Maybe for the better-- Gillen went on to turn in a run on Uncanny X-Men that totally kicks ass.
Big pros: Death's Head makes an appearance because Gillen was a Marvel UK kid. And I really liked the art. I hope Steven Sanders gets more work!
Continuity-wise, if we're setting this against the broader Marvel universe, this spins out of Secret Invasion. But if we're placing this amongst the X-Books, it takes place after Necrosha, because Doug is alive again and palling around with Warlock.
2.5/5
Big pros: Death's Head makes an appearance because Gillen was a Marvel UK kid. And I really liked the art. I hope Steven Sanders gets more work!
Continuity-wise, if we're setting this against the broader Marvel universe, this spins out of Secret Invasion. But if we're placing this amongst the X-Books, it takes place after Necrosha, because Doug is alive again and palling around with Warlock.
2.5/5
August 23, 2025
Abigail Brand, co-director of S.W.O.R.D. is frustrated to have to deal with Gyrich, her new co-director placed there by Norman Osborne. She's so annoyed that she's a bit relieved when a whole bunch of problems come up at once, preventing her from going to a meeting with him. Little does she know that Gyrich planned this so he could seize control of S.W.O.R.D. and begin deporting every alien on Earth, using the Skrull Invasion as an excuse for his little pogrom. This of-course includes Abigail, who he describes as having divided loyalties because this book is many things, but subtle isn't one of them.
My favourite character was actually Unit, an amoral android leftover from an ancient colonial empire, dedicated to proving his former masters morally right. Unit sits in a cage, giving advice to those who ask it in a very Hannibal Lector type role. He continuously betrayed everyone in a cheerful manner. I'd happily read more with him.
I read this because I thought the Runaways were in it. They aren't, but Karolina is in three whole panels since she is one of the aliens Gyrich is rounding up. I probably didn't need to read this, but I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed it. I've always found Gillen was hard to connect with, but I didn't have that problem here at all. I found the story exciting, the twists fun, and the characters interesting. I should really read the rest of his X-men run.
My favourite character was actually Unit, an amoral android leftover from an ancient colonial empire, dedicated to proving his former masters morally right. Unit sits in a cage, giving advice to those who ask it in a very Hannibal Lector type role. He continuously betrayed everyone in a cheerful manner. I'd happily read more with him.
I read this because I thought the Runaways were in it. They aren't, but Karolina is in three whole panels since she is one of the aliens Gyrich is rounding up. I probably didn't need to read this, but I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed it. I've always found Gillen was hard to connect with, but I didn't have that problem here at all. I found the story exciting, the twists fun, and the characters interesting. I should really read the rest of his X-men run.
November 8, 2019
Addendum to the great x-read. (found some of the titles that I passed on at the local library so have been throwing them in from time to time.)
This one with a big wet meh for me. Brand has never been a favorite character of mine (though I did enjoy her when she first came about in Whedon’s Astonishing run…) but she feels particularly thin here, more of a trope than a character. And Beast fares little better.
Honestly, it’s a paper thin plot that is occasionally fun and has some funny moments but it ended up being a slog to get through. I didn’t understand everything that was going on (as I don’t read Marvel’s other books, I didn’t get all of the Osborne stuff and such…) but all of that was really external to this story and this story just didn’t have all that much going for it. It felt like a story that could have been finished up in an issue or two and was stretched out in order to get a trade out of it and to include a bunch of cameos of characters that don’t show up all that often.
The art is also really odd. Just not my cup of tea.
I don’t know. I’m probably selling it short a little. I have certainly read worse comics. In the end, though, this one felt like a big pass for me.
This one with a big wet meh for me. Brand has never been a favorite character of mine (though I did enjoy her when she first came about in Whedon’s Astonishing run…) but she feels particularly thin here, more of a trope than a character. And Beast fares little better.
Honestly, it’s a paper thin plot that is occasionally fun and has some funny moments but it ended up being a slog to get through. I didn’t understand everything that was going on (as I don’t read Marvel’s other books, I didn’t get all of the Osborne stuff and such…) but all of that was really external to this story and this story just didn’t have all that much going for it. It felt like a story that could have been finished up in an issue or two and was stretched out in order to get a trade out of it and to include a bunch of cameos of characters that don’t show up all that often.
The art is also really odd. Just not my cup of tea.
I don’t know. I’m probably selling it short a little. I have certainly read worse comics. In the end, though, this one felt like a big pass for me.
March 28, 2020
This...this right here? This is *exactly* what superhero comicbook stories should be written as: playful, carefully plotted and rich in character.
The story isn't overburdened with different characters, and instead focuses one select few, marking out why each one is let to the plot.
Better still, the side stories have a verve and jokey simplicity that brings to mind the manic energy of Sorkin during his run on 'The West Wing'.
The art is also fantastic, and the artist seems perfectly suited to the tongue-in-cheek energy that the story spins about within.
I want more. I couldn't find any, but Gillen has quickly risen amongst my faves.
The story isn't overburdened with different characters, and instead focuses one select few, marking out why each one is let to the plot.
Better still, the side stories have a verve and jokey simplicity that brings to mind the manic energy of Sorkin during his run on 'The West Wing'.
The art is also fantastic, and the artist seems perfectly suited to the tongue-in-cheek energy that the story spins about within.
I want more. I couldn't find any, but Gillen has quickly risen amongst my faves.
April 24, 2023
Surprised by how much I liked it, especially with how close I came to skipping when I saw the art. The interpretation of Beast in this book may be the single worst artistic decision I've seen in a comic. Similarly, Gillen's approach to Beast's dialogue was very "more is more," which made him at times a little annoying and very OOC from how he was being written at the current moment. BUT, all told, it's a very well executed little plot and I had a lot of fun with it. Maybe wraps up a little fast/easily, and one or two spinning plates are dropped (Abigail's half-brother just kinda leaves the story in issue 3), but that's about the only structure criticism I have.
October 8, 2020
Right off the bat it starts off going for goofy comedy, especially with the art. I could care less where the story was going, even more so with the introduction of Brand's goofball brother.
There WAS an interesting character, I don't even know if he was named, an ancient beyond ancient android, with a backstory and motives I NEED to hear more about. Death's head was big time welcome into this story. By the end the plot was interesting enough, and the writing was done well enough, but still I couldn't really recommend this for any reason.
There WAS an interesting character, I don't even know if he was named, an ancient beyond ancient android, with a backstory and motives I NEED to hear more about. Death's head was big time welcome into this story. By the end the plot was interesting enough, and the writing was done well enough, but still I couldn't really recommend this for any reason.
January 22, 2021
Rigolo.
Comédie mettant en scène la défense terrienne contre les invasions extra-terrestres, on aborde aussi les rafles et l'obligation faite aux immigrés de rentrer chez eux. Le grand écart est un peu compliqué et c'est bien évidemment la comédie qui prend le dessus.
Il faut dire qu'elle fonctionne plutôt très bien et qu'on s'amuse plutôt beaucoup de voir Brand et Beast courir dans tous les sens, Lockheed être violent* et les situations "diplomatiques" qui partent en sucette.
L'histoire est ancrée dans la période "Dark Avengers" et c'est par elle que sont introduites les rafles. C'est cohérent, rattache la série à l'univers et ajoute le sérieux nécessaire pour ne pas paraître trop vain. Bon, ça n'aura pas spécialement fonctionné puisqu'il n'y aura que ces 5 numéros de produit.
Le dessin est plus que correct même si je ne m'explique pas pourquoi on a la version Quitely de Beast alors qu'il était repassé en mode "normal" depuis Whedon comme le montre la couverture de Cassaday.
*un peu comme Rocket Racoon sans la logorrhée
Comédie mettant en scène la défense terrienne contre les invasions extra-terrestres, on aborde aussi les rafles et l'obligation faite aux immigrés de rentrer chez eux. Le grand écart est un peu compliqué et c'est bien évidemment la comédie qui prend le dessus.
Il faut dire qu'elle fonctionne plutôt très bien et qu'on s'amuse plutôt beaucoup de voir Brand et Beast courir dans tous les sens, Lockheed être violent* et les situations "diplomatiques" qui partent en sucette.
L'histoire est ancrée dans la période "Dark Avengers" et c'est par elle que sont introduites les rafles. C'est cohérent, rattache la série à l'univers et ajoute le sérieux nécessaire pour ne pas paraître trop vain. Bon, ça n'aura pas spécialement fonctionné puisqu'il n'y aura que ces 5 numéros de produit.
Le dessin est plus que correct même si je ne m'explique pas pourquoi on a la version Quitely de Beast alors qu'il était repassé en mode "normal" depuis Whedon comme le montre la couverture de Cassaday.
*un peu comme Rocket Racoon sans la logorrhée
February 25, 2026
Love the illustrations and coloring. Some good ideas here. Not sure why Beast looks like a totally different character on the covers as opposed to his character models on the interiors. Abigail Brand and Death's Head are drawn pretty well. Brand is yet another cliched, hard-nosed federal agent gone rogue, which Marvel seems to love and puts out in spades even though it's a tired stereotype.
February 4, 2021
Probably not Gillen's best work, but still pretty good. The character work and the way they interact are what makes this miniseries; the overall plot is just fine and the art is mediocre, but great dialogue and charactes do a lot for this miniseries.
June 25, 2018
What happened to this story?
January 13, 2021
I thought it was fun. Space diplomacy at it’s finest!!
April 25, 2021
2.5
Typical comic. But the art is frustrating with a off model Beast and aliens that all have the same face Shape. Only humans look different.
Typical comic. But the art is frustrating with a off model Beast and aliens that all have the same face Shape. Only humans look different.
July 27, 2021
Three-star story, minutes one star for the disruptive snout selection for art for Beast. Beta Ray Bill is supposed to be the horse-faced one...
August 14, 2021
2.5 Stars
February 26, 2022
Pretty bad. Full of forced hilarity and a Beast who looks more like a horse than a cat (despite comparing himself to one at one point in the proceedings). Not Gillen's best work...
April 6, 2022
te amo abigail brand pisoteame todo el cuello
July 24, 2022
Reread this after reading some of Gillen’s return to x-men. Didn’t work for me. The art is a little off, and I don’t care for most of the characters.
January 10, 2023
A lot of fun! And some great himbo boyf Beast content.
September 14, 2024
The story is more like 4-5 stars, but the art (Beast in particular!) really didn't do it for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews