Author name: Chris Bushley

A brand new story arc awaits you in this months pages of Archer & Armstrong #10! Slightly building off of what we learned from last months amazing zero issue, Fred Van Lente amps up the action and intrigue in a tale that mixes hilarity and truly compelling plot devices into one of the best series on the market today!

Mary-Maria comes a callin’ when Archer and Armstrong seek out information regarding Archer’s latent powers in America’s most highly secured places — Area 51! Unbeknownst to the duo, Archer’s “dead parents” souls have been trapped in Mary-Maria’s body and they want nothing more than the obliteration of their “son!” Van Lente blends perfect comedic retorts and some intrigue that will change the relationship of Archer and Armstrong and the rest of the Valiant Universe in vast ways!

The subtle hints that Van Lente reveals to the reader as his characters progress through a bevy of chaos, is what drives this series past just being an action romp. It is that underlining intrigue and genuine camaraderie that keeps the reader vested in these characters that otherwise could become another cheesy “buddy book” under a lesser skilled writer. Paired with Pere Perez’s stunningly vibrant, eye candy renditions of the characters and you have a book that will please even the most fickle of readers!

Get to your local shop now and demand Archer & Armstrong be placed on your pull list immediately! Then kindly ask them if they still have any of the 8-bit variant covers left. Donkey Kong, anyone? Too cool!

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In this harrowing issue that will change the world of Shadowman forever, Jack Boniface discovers that to defend the earth from ultimate evil, he must choose to separate himself from from everything he holds dear and trust an ancient power more demonic than anything he has ever seen!

Justin Jordan pulls the gloves off for a highly intense issue that is teeming with action, moral dilemma and a final panel that will completely change the future of Jack Boniface and the Shadowman loa forever. Coming off of the single best issue to date, Shadowman #0, this issue has a hard time living up to the characterization bestowed upon us from last month but more than makes up for it in the sheer volume of action throughout. There is no time to catch your breath as all out destruction is displayed before your eyes as even the Deadside has more than it’s share of terrifying action sequences that culminates in the final pages! I don’t want to give any spoilers but a tower of impaled souls will need a few sacrifices in order to continue to grow in power!

Jordan continues to push the envelope with this series and does a perfect job of whetting the readers appetite for next months chilling issue. Besides a storyline that pushes Jack to the brink, artist Neil Edwards makes his full issue debut at Valiant comics with this issue and fans will be pleasantly pleased by the Marvel alums rendition of the Shadowman! 

The Top of the Pile

By: Chris “DOC” Bushley

This is the weekly “quick pick” of the best 5 comics to hit the shelves! Whether they are riddled with action, have the best dramatic sequences, blast you with a bevy of shock and awe or make you feel like a child again, these are the books EVERYONE should be reading! This “DOC’s” prescription for having the best week possible — begins with these Top 5 books! (In no particular order!)

Before you read this review you need to ask yourself,” Why do I read comics?” “Is it for the heroes in intense situations?” “Is it for the exceptional writing that makes these situations come to life before your eyes?” “Is it for the depth of character the writer builds upon so that these heroes resonate with us?” “Is it the amazing art that visually draws us into the world the writer has created?”

If you answered,”Yes,” to any of these questions, I have one more for you. “Have you been reading Harbinger?” If you said, “Yes,” then you know how great a book this has been. If you said, “No,” let me change your mind!

Harbinger #12 continues the Harbinger Wars crossover that has been waging through Harbinger, Harbinger Wars and Bloodshot for the last few months. We see Peter Stancheck’s Renegades finally come face to face with the psiots that have escaped from Project Rising Spirit, as well as how these young powerhouses have been dealing with their new found freedom. A clash between these groups is inevitable, children with power to shake the earth are not always welcoming to strangers, but it is the soul, the emotion of this book, not the action, that will truly grip you.

Joshua Dysart writes some of the most compelling characters on the market today. Teamed with the exceptional artistry of Khari Evans, Dysart has not only built visually intriguing characters, but ones that fans can empathize with. These characters have a humanity deeply rooted within their bones, something most super heroes tend to lack. They have fears, hopes and dreams as well as wield godlike powers! They are the everyman living in a scary world with the ability to change it for better or worse.

In this issue we see how manipulation, torture and a life of solitude can change a person. It is unnerving, to see Harada’s early attempts at activating psiots but, it is even worse when Peter meets Chronos and we know the same thing has been done on children! The duality of Chronos and Peter is what drives this tale. Even though Peter did not have an ideal childhood, being institutionalized and left by his mother, he eventually got to live in the outside world, while Chronos did not. Similar to a point, you can see what Peter could have become where it not for his chance for freedom and friendship. Chronos, on the other hand, had no escape until now and the world will pay for the sins committed against him. He is a fascinating character and a true image that Dysart can make every new character as rich and emotionally stirring as the rest!

So, if my little review hasn’t swayed you about Harbinger, I have another idea. For a single dollar you can get yourself the Valiant One Dollar Debut Edition of Harbinger #1. One dollar can open up your eyes to a whole new world of comic greatness. Don’t you think you can spare a dollar to broaden your horizons? I do! 

When companies tend to do zero issues, it can become a toss up of whether it will be used as an origin tale or something congruent with a current tale running though the book. In the case of Archer & Armstrong’s zero issue, it is a bit of neither, a bit of both but undoubtedly — so much more!

Fred Van Lente uses this very special issue to minimize the hilarity that usually accompanies each tale, in order to give the reader a solemn look at Aram and his brothers on a quest that will forever change them. Loosely melding The Epic of Gilgamesh with his own “epic” tale, Fed Van Lente has created a mesmerizing tale of brotherly kinship that will resonate with readers on an emotional level. It will make one ponder the everyday aspects of life that truly matter, the single moments that rise above the the rest. The dance, the song, the love are to be cherished, for they will be gone before we know it and they will only live on in memory.

This issue will also have readers seeing Aram(Armstrong) in a slightly different light. He begins in normal Aram style, awaiting five women for nightly festivities, but as he speaks with Archer, a poetic almost melancholy aura emerges from him. As the ancient tale of his adventure with his brothers progresses, we find he is more noble sage than drunken ruffian, a duality to the character that further pushes him to the forefront as one of my favorite characters!

If you didn’t believe Fred Van Lente was a masterful writer before — you will now! 

Justin Jordan and his motley crew of artists, has created an enthralling, sickly sweet and chilling tale that gives fans a definitive origin to the most powerful creature in the Valiant Universe — Master Darque!

Known as the biggest, baddest villain to ever cast a shadow across the Valiant Universe, Master Darque is one of the most dramatic characters created in the past twenty years. Now, with the twisted imagination of Justin Jordan, modern readers can be enthralled once again by a tale that showcases the brutal birth of this destructive character.

From birth to “death”, Jordan and his fantastic artistic team will fascinate you with Master Darque’s origin, a wickedly jarring tale of witchcraft and the hell that parents can render upon their children. It showcases the deconstruction of innocence, the betrayal of loved ones and the forging of true evil through desperate measures. It is the pinnacle of characterization, an enthralling tale that lulls you in with the false hope of a happy ending, that maybe just maybe, all could turn out differently. But, alas, this is an origin tale of true evil and true evil cannot begin without a fall from grace!

Utterly breathtaking, Justin Jordan has truly surpassed everything he has done so far for the Shadowman mythos. This is the new high water mark for the series and I, for one, cannot wait to see what comes next!

When Aric of Dacia was bonded with the Shanhara, the X-O armor, all he dreamed of was revenge against the Vine that destroyed his life. Seething from the atrocities against himself and his people, Aric vowed to wipe all remnants of the Vine’s touch from the Universe. But, what happens when his vengeance blinds him from everything else, especially since there is a secret that proves Aric may not be the last of his kind?

Continually proving that this book is more than the sum of it’s parts, Robert Venditti crafts a fantastic tale about a warrior that may lose himself in the red rage of vengeance, thus becoming the very thing he hates the most! X-O is a true warrior’s tale that focuses not only on all out action, but the journey of a man that has lost everything. With surprises, plot twists and the general evolution of the character, Venditti has transformed a sci-fi epic into an amazing opus for the ages!

The Planet Death storyline continues to astound readers as the scope of Aric’s rage changes in this issue. Could there actually be remnants of his fellow Visigoth alive even under the Vine’s oppressive thumb? Can Aric refrain from the ultimate slaughter of the Vine in order to learn from them, be worshipped by them and to eventually coexist with them? Or will he become something more horrific, more vicious than the Vine ever where all in the name of revenge?

For the answers to everything, get X-O Manowar #12 this week and prepare yourself for Revolution to unfold next month!

With the deadliest amongst their ranks possessed by the Last Enemy of the Null, will anyone be left to save the earth?

An amalgam of riveting action, historical situations and all out hilarity, Fred Van Lente continually churns out some of the most interesting and engaging story lines on a monthly basis. From a certain “grassy knoll” to an equally dangerous present, Archer & Armstrong #9 culminates with a satisfying conclusion that will leave their world literally changed!

Completely mesmerizing on so many levels, Fred Van Lente and artist Emanuela Luppacchino, have created a book that mixes complex ideas with an underlining score of humor. This pairing of different aspects can come with disastrous results making a book seem too hokey and lose the reader, but Van Lente knows when to reign in the hilarity and amp up the intrigue enough to appease even the most fickle reader. 

Full of all out action and harboring an ending that will shock readers, Archer & Armstrong #9 has everything that a comic fan could ever want in a single issue! 

The Harbinger Wars is upon us and fans have been raving! The smashing debut issue not only helped to knit more pieces of the Valiant Universe together, but it also posed an insurmountable amount of questions! Not to worry though, Joshua Dysart begins to let things unfold further in this weeks Harbinger #11 and things will never be the same again!

Mixing flashback sequences with current story lines, Dysart lets the reader peek at the history of Toyo Harada and Project Rising Securities, better known as Project Rising Spirit. We see their first real interaction together and it is a terse one to say the least! Within these sequences Dysart also let’s us see a more optimistic Toyo Harada as opposed with the opportunistic one we are more prone to. This insight creates a richer depth to the character, making the lines between hero and villain blur, leaving the reader with a moral conundrum on how to perceive his choices.

Not only does Dysart make us question our “villain”, he makes us question our heroes as well. While Peter Stancheck has been having visions of the Bleeding Monk, his Renegades have been contemplating their new found place in the world. Powerful, young and lawless, these “heroes” find themselves in a moral dilemma all their own. Do those that have been beaten down emotionally and physically now have a moral obligation to help others just because they now have the power to? Do they have the right to live above the law since they can simply choose to do so? Do they even have a choice in the matter or do their powers automatically oblige them to do what’s right? The questions posed by Dysart make these characters extremely “real” to the reader and that is what makes this book so brilliant month after month. These characters are all of us, just on a grander scale! They bicker and fight, they have fears and dream of amazing things, they are scared and powerful and they need each other even though they won’t admit it. They are as “real’ as super heroes will ever become, which in my eyes, is truly amazing!

Take the next step into the Harbinger Wars in Harbinger #11 and always remember to: Be smart, be diligent, be — Valiant!

Back in 1994, Dark Horse published the original X series, written by Steven Grant and drawn by fan-fave Doug Mahnke, and it instantly became one of my favorite books! Now, almost a decade later, it has returned with an even more powerful team behind it, becoming one of my favorites yet again!

Serialized from it’s three stories found originally in Dark Horse Presents #19-#21, this new take on the over the top vigilante is a blitzkrieg of action and mayhem that will excite any comic fan! Written by acclaimed crime novelist and comic book master Duane Swierczynski (Bloodshot, Punisher, Godzilla), X #0 is a dark and brutal book that looks at the underbelly of crime and the sheer horror that will befall anyone that crosses X!

The tale is one of revenge, though the reader never truly knows the full extent as to why, and it’s quite simple. If you do bad things and receive a photo of yourself in the mail with an X marked across it — X will kill you. The premise is easy, the brutality and execution of the slayings is what’s hard. But, not for the artistic talents of Eric Ngyun! His unique visual perspectives makes each panel feel like a well rehearsed dance routine. He draws the eye to every miniscule detail of the page and then slowly pulls back to reveal the visceral carnage before you. It is dark, exquisite and overtly beautiful. Not to pull any punches, this book is intense and not for young readers!  

Swierczynski’s tale puts the reader “behind the scenes” and follows three ruthless thugs through the book, the pigs if you will, and we see first hand how nasty they can be. We also get to see their inner thoughts as to how they will deal with their “big bad wolf” when he comes a’ blowin‘. The book never reveals the thoughts of X nor his actions prior to his attacks, thus making the moment he appears that much more explosive. It is dynamic, vicious and expertly written — everything a “street level” book should be!

Pick up another great 90’s character brought back into the fold by Duane Swierczynski! If you want something intense and amazing, this is the book for you! Though, I have to warn you, you may become a vegetarian after reading it!  

With so much talk revolving around a certain movie that will have numerous suits of armor featured, I thought it imperative to focus on a different “iron” tale this week. One that features a single suit of armor, Hyperborean armor — the Iron Prometheus!

Mike Mignola and John Arcudi have created their own niche within the confines of tales regarding heroes donning suits of armor in order to save the day. Their tale may have similar overviews with Marvel’s blockbuster hero but that’s where the differences cease. Their tale, one rife with Nazis, gunplay and Mignola’s classic take on tales of the ethereal, transcends that of just a super hero tale. It is a story of true heroism and the internal anguish sometimes caused by it.

Rendered expertly by artist Jason Latour (Django Unchained, B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: The Pickens County Horror), this issue follows a group of GIs that have just evaded certain death at the hands of the Nazi regime and are now trying to protect their immobile metal savior. As the action sequences berate you, it is easy to get caught up in the moment and believe that you are just reading another WWII battle book. Then, you remember Mike Mignola is a master word smith and the tale becomes something so much more than the sum of it’s parts. It becomes a sad, insightful look at what it takes to be a hero. It is not the suit nor the range of powers that can be derived from it, it is not the man that wields it but, it IS the heart and soul of that man that makes him a hero. It is also the sacrifice that is made in order to overcome fantastic odds for the betterment of the greater good that defines him. These are the aspects that will resonate with you as you complete this fantastic book about sacrifice and brotherhood. 

Mignola and Arcudi have created one of the finest new heroes within the pages of this book. It is a character that I hope to find many years from now, still donning the cover of his own book, in my local shop. This book is simply sublime!

Justin Jordan and Patrick Zircher have worked tirelessly to create a fresh and exciting “new” Shadowman character that fans have been clamoring over. Now, with Shadowman #6, we get to actually see a true new character emerge from their collective conscience, one that has set his diabolical sights on our hero and won’t let up until death has been claimed for the victor!

The “dynamic duo” of the Valiant Universe, Jordan and Zircher, have been putting our hero through the emotional, if not physical, ringer as of late and this issue brings more of the same style of highly developed characterization to the table. Distraught and emotionally scarred by his actions, or inaction, to save a friend; Jack Boniface gets to do some soul searching throughout the issue. Although he is the title character and has some great developmental sequences, most of this particular tale revolves around the schemes of some rather nefarious characters and brings one of them to the forefront as a dire threat to Jack. We all know that a hero is only as good as his villains make him become, well, by the end of this tale Shadowman will be one the lips of comic fans everywhere! 

The only detraction I have with the issue is with the choice of so many artists. Each of their skill sets are phenomenal, rendering different aspects of the story to give each section its own individuality and scope but, at times it was a little distracting. You get accustomed to a certain flow while following the story the artist unfolds before you and with three different artists, it instead became jarring to transition between the story changes. 

Still, Shadowman is a rare gem of concentrated high level writing and artistry that never fails to excite and entrance each and every month! I am proud to say that I was a fan of the original series and now, with Jordan and Zircher breathing new life into the character — I’m an even bigger fan!