Valiant Relaunch

DIrishB said:
Yeah the trades usually release within a month or two of the respective arcs end (that they collect), which is very cool. Helps keep trade waiters up to date.

Also, while Q&W isn't a great title, it is quite funny. While A&A does the humor and satire more intelligently (while combining a healthy dose of sci-fi and adventure), Q&W is definitely laugh out loud funny. Definitely worth a look.

Shadowman (which has been the weakest Valiant title so far), looks like it'll be improving greatly next month once Milligan's run starts. I'm looking forward to that.
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Yeah their trade release schedule is great for us trade waiters. :D

IDk, I may give Q&W a try at some point but honestly I wasn't a huge fan the first time around with that book so I have no real desire to read it. I just bought the 2nd Shadowman trade (my LCS forgot to pull it for me when it came out). Shadowman is actually one of my favorites. That and prob A&A and Eternal Warrior. (which I am psyched for) I am already starting to grow weary of Bloodshot (and XO to a degree). Harbinger is still pretty good. I'll probably continue everything through Unity and then re-evaluate.
 
mike3717 said:
Yeah their trade release schedule is great for us trade waiters. :D IDk, I may give Q&W a try at some point but honestly I wasn't a huge fan the first time around with that book so I have no real desire to read it. I just bought the 2nd Shadowman trade (my LCS forgot to pull it for me when it came out). Shadowman is actually one of my favorites. That and prob A&A and Eternal Warrior. (which I am psyched for) I am already starting to grow weary of Bloodshot (and XO to a degree). Harbinger is still pretty good. I'll probably continue everything through Unity and then re-evaluate.
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Unity #1 was enjoyable, and it's kind of fixed my waning interest in XO. Q&W is just funny, I can't say its a great book, but it's a reliable book in terms of laughs, even moreso than A&A, whose humor is a bit more cerebral. A bit. At least give the first Q&W arc a try. The first issue was "meh", but #2-4 were very funny.

This week's issues were good. Q&W #6 continued that trend of humor. But the gem was Shadowman #13. Really psyched for Milligan's run on this title. The first issue of his run was a very nice change of pace, and reminded me a bit of an early Vertigo title. The artwork matched it nicely. I like his bringing up the real motivations behind Jack's loa. Should make for an interesting and quality arc. If Milligan continues like this it will make Shadowman one of my top 3 Valiant books, after A&A and Harbinger.

Man I love Valiant.
 
DIrishB said:
Unity #1 was enjoyable, and it's kind of fixed my waning interest in XO. Q&W is just funny, I can't say its a great book, but it's a reliable book in terms of laughs, even moreso than A&A, whose humor is a bit more cerebral. A bit. At least give the first Q&W arc a try. The first issue was "meh", but #2-4 were very funny.

This week's issues were good. Q&W #6 continued that trend of humor. But the gem was Shadowman #13. Really psyched for Milligan's run on this title. The first issue of his run was a very nice change of pace, and reminded me a bit of an early Vertigo title. The artwork matched it nicely. I like his bringing up the real motivations behind Jack's loa. Should make for an interesting and quality arc. If Milligan continues like this it will make Shadowman one of my top 3 Valiant books, after A&A and Harbinger.

Man I love Valiant.
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hm. I like Milligan.
 
This week's issues were once again all good.

Harbinger #19 wrapped up The Perfect Day arc. Overall the arc was an interesting idea and the first issue or two were great, but I wasn't a fan of the Torquehalla stuff from the past couple issues. However this issue wrapped all that up and brought us back to reality, and very interestingly showed Harada's weakness and the danger it poses to those around him, and possibly the world at large. The preview pages for #20 were phenomenal, and have me very excited to see where those lead.

Archer and Armstrong #16 was awesome, as usual. More great humor, a nice twist at the end, and character development for Archer, showing how far he's come from the innocent, wet behind the ears noob he was in the first arc.

Unity #2 was another strong issue, continuing the confrontation between Aric and Harada, and Harada's team of Livewire, Ninjak, and Gilad. Was nice to see Harada's team turn the tables on Aric and his XO armor, and will be interesting to see how he regains the armor from Livewire. The crossover will continue in next issue of XO.

Also finally received my copy of Shadowman #13X, which was an exclusive pack in with Bleeding Cool Magazine #7, a la the old Wizard days which would include exclusive comics. It served as a prelude to the regular Shadowman #13, and helped summarize the events of the first twelve issues of the series as well as set up plot lines for Milligan's current arc. Good stuff. Hopefully it'll be collected in the Shadowman Vol. 4 TPB, but I'm not sure if it will.

If you're a completist like me and a fan of Shadowman (which after only one issue under Milligan's pen has become one of the best Valiant books out there), it's worth tracking down a copy of BCM #7 on EBay.
 
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DIrishB said:
Rai coming in May by Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain

Also a slew of other number 1's between May and September. No relaunches cuz Valiant ain't no punk, all new titles/mini-series.

Dr. Mirage, Armor Hunters, and Rai? I'm so down, especially with those painted interiors by Crain. Absolutely beautiful.
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I really like the new Dr Mirage from what little they have shown of her anyway. And I'm totally psyched for Rai. I thought I also saw something about Bloodshot and the HC being cancelled around the time of these new launches. Which is fine by me since I dropped Bloodshot and Harbinger from my trade pull list to make room for Eternal Warrior, which was GREAT, and Unity.

Valiant really is doing it right. I hope this successful relaunch, along with the bringing back of the gold key characters by Dynamite (which I am super curious to check out) will make my old 90's Valiant books worth something again.
 
mike3717 said:
I really like the new Dr Mirage from what little they have shown of her anyway. And I'm totally psyched for Rai. I thought I also saw something about Bloodshot and the HC being cancelled around the time of these new launches. Which is fine by me since I dropped Bloodshot and Harbinger from my trade pull list to make room for Eternal Warrior, which was GREAT, and Unity.

Valiant really is doing it right. I hope this successful relaunch, along with the bringing back of the gold key characters by Dynamite (which I am super curious to check out) will make my old 90's Valiant books worth something again.
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You prefer Eternal Warrior over Bloodshot? Warrior didn't work for me at all, what he's doing in his solo doesn't seem consistent with his portrayal in Unity and Archer and Armstrong at all, unless I missed something big somewhere. Bloodshot on the other hand has been one of the consistently most entertaining books of the line.
 
Friday said:
You prefer Eternal Warrior over Bloodshot? Warrior didn't work for me at all, what he's doing in his solo doesn't seem consistent with his portrayal in Unity and Archer and Armstrong at all, unless I missed something big somewhere. Bloodshot on the other hand has been one of the consistently most entertaining books of the line.
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It's important to take note that Eternal Warrior #1-4 occurs a couple years before his first appearance in Archer & Armstrong (#5-8 ), hence him having stopped protecting the Geomancer in the first EW arc but begun again in A&A.

Valiant's writers and editors work very hard to make continuity work, so it'll all make sense in the end. Also, EW's second arc, Eternal Emperor has been fantastic two issues in. EW #6 was a lot of fun, and I'm loving the interactions/relationship with his granddaughter. Plus 4001 AD! It's interesting to see how the US is all post apocalyptic while apparently Japan will be technologically advanced (which will be seen in Rai).
 
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Friday said:
You prefer Eternal Warrior over Bloodshot?
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Yep. Not even close imo.

Friday said:
Warrior didn't work for me at all, what he's doing in his solo doesn't seem consistent with his portrayal in Unity and Archer and Armstrong at all, unless I missed something big somewhere. Bloodshot on the other hand has been one of the consistently most entertaining books of the line.
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I don't think Bloodshot is a bad book. I just found it a little repetitive. I wasn't really drawn into the whole "what is his true history" bit. Plus I have limited funds to purchase books each month and since I knew I wanted EW and Unity I had to make cuts to some other stuff.
 
This week's issues were a delight, as usual.

Bloodshot and H.A.R.D.Corps wrapped up the Mission: Improbable storyline, which was a crossover between Archer & Armstrong and Bloodshot and HC. And it featured the usual humor of A&A with the black ops tone of Bloodshot, and blended quite well. While Archer is becoming essentially over-powered in most respects, that does also fit into the "prophecy" about him in some respects, and I can't complain because the ways he gets out of predicaments is always done in unexpected and very imaginative ways.

And Unity #6 was pretty great. Loved the idea of a virus being infected into humans through inhalation and activated by a visual code. Quite original and interesting, besides the moral examinations of a body being killed but the mind and experiences being preserved and uploaded into new bodies/clones. While that approach has been done before, its done quite originally and refreshingly here.

My God, people, why aren't you reading Valiant? Overall its fantastic.

E, Ice, Captain Canuck, Zombipanda, wyokid, Captain France, and all the regular posters, seriously, WTF? Check these books out.
 
After a late night on Saturday and passed out last night at like 7pm, and woke up at 4am this morning. And I thought I'd post about Valiant.

This week's issue, Archer & Armstrong #20, was fantastic, bombastic, intriguing, funny, and packed full of not so obvious pop culture references. This issue kicks off the American Wasteland arc, in which Archer tracks his birth parents to LA, and a Scientology-like cult of celebrities who were supposed to be dead, but aren't, all run by Jim Morrison. It seems like a perfect example of Zombipanda's wet dream. If you're not reading this series you're a disgrace to humanity.

Rai #1, which came out the week before, was amazing. Clayton Crain's painted artwork is spectacular, and really bring's the world of 4001 AD to life, as does Matt Kindt's extensive world-building both behind the scenes and in the issue itself, which comes off as natural and not forced at all. It builds a nice mystery and world that I'm really looking forward to seeing explored in future issues.
 
So I just read a great interview with the publishers/editors/etc at Valiant. They mentioned how so far, two years in (and over 140 issues released), they've never delayed or shipped a book late. That's pretty cool. Granted they have a much smaller output than the bigger companies (8-9 books monthly by the time September rolls around).

I'm also looking forward to the upcoming Armor Hunters crossover, and the Death of a Renegade arc in Harbinger. I'm glad that Valiant won't be falling into the worn cliche of resurrecting dead characters through thin plot devices, that dead means dead. It adds weight and a sense of severity to the universe that Marvel and DC distinctly lack.

And most important of all, the books are damn good. I can't believe more of you haven't given them a try. Some of the best writers and artists in the industry are putting out fantastic books several times a month.

I also love Valiant's approach to Trade collections. They release within 2-3 months of the end of the arcs" end in single issue form. And you can easily read ALL the previous issues in the trades, nothing is left out (except Shadowman #13X, a special issue which was billed as never being collected and which serves as a prelude to Milligan's run on the title--though it's easy to find online and I can always scan it for anyone interested).

I really respect Valiant as a company. They're made up of fans of the original Valiant universe from the 90's, some of which bought the rights to the original Valiant characters at auction and set out to reboot the universe and put out great stories. And they've done so wonderfully.

Read these books, people. At the very least do a little torrenting to see if you like them if you're worrying about wasting money (but I'd be very surprised if people didn't find at least some of their titles that appealed to them).
 
Archer & Armstrong #21 was one of the biggest mind-#### I've ever read in comic form. The arc so far has been insanely wonderful (as most of them are), but the reveal on the last page and the implications it brings are just insane. And it makes perfect sense in the larger picture. A&A is definitely one of my favorite comics, and certainly my favorite Valiant title.

Bloodshot and HARD Corps #23 was a nice epilogue to Bloodshot and Project Rising Spirit's complicated relationship.

And Armor Hunters #1 (the first issue in the mini-series that serves as the summer event for the Valiant titles) was another great read and set up what's sure to be a fun crossover.
 
Cary Nord is awesome:

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So the Bloodshot ongoing returns in October after a hiatus to allow for the Armor Hunters - Bloodshot mini series (which is a part of the larger Armor Hunters event this summer). After leaving off with Bloodshot and HARD Corps #23 last month, the Armor Hunters - Bloodshot 3 issue mini series through September, Bloodshot will return (as just Bloodshot for the title, no more Bloodshot and HARD Corps after his violent break with the team in the past few issues) with Bloodshot #24 in October. And then the anniversary 25th issue in November, which features some absolutely beautiful artwork:

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I'm also highly appreciative that Valiant isn't resorting to the reboot/re-numbering game Marvel and DC habitually pull to boost sales. Seems they're more interested in putting out quality products than relying on new #1 issues of the same series every year or two.
 
Buddy gave me the number ones for each series. Archer and Armstrong is not for me. It wasn't bad it just wasn't interesting and I didn't click with any of the characters. Never really been a fan of Fred Van Lente anyway. With ten series I gotta like one of them right?

EDIT: Eternal Warrior is a maybe. Was much better than Archer and Armstrong but it really didn't really click all the way for me. Too much violence and action with little to no explanation as to why or what was going on.

I really liked Quantum and Woody. Humor is what these (the ones I've read so far) needed.
 
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wyokid said:
Buddy gave me the number ones for each series. Archer and Armstrong is not for me. It wasn't bad it just wasn't interesting and I didn't click with any of the characters. Never really been a fan of Fred Van Lente anyway. With ten series I gotta like one of them right? EDIT: Eternal Warrior is a maybe. Was much better than Archer and Armstrong but it really didn't really click all the way for me. Too much violence and action with little to no explanation as to why or what was going on. I really liked Quantum and Woody. Humor is what these (the ones I've read so far) needed.
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Archer & Armstrong starts a bit slow, admittedly, but by the second and third arcs it's in it's full conspiracy-exploration, humorous, Indiana Jones vibe. I definitely recommend giving it a chance beyond the first issue. By issue 23 the series has become insanely brilliant. The interaction and relationship between Archer and Armstrong is also a big aspect of the book, and it's best to read more to give it a chance to develop.

Eternal Warrior is ok. I wasn't a huge fan of it either for the first arc, but I loved the second arc which occurs in 4001 AD. His interactions with his granddaughter has a really cool Lone Wolf and Cub type feel.

And Quantum and Woody is really stellar in terms of humor. The first arc is hilarious, as are the second and third arcs. There's a mini-series crossover between Quantum & Woody and Archer & Armstrong coming out called The Delinquents that looks like it'll be a lot of fun.
 
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Thus far Shadowman is my favorite. Also really dug the first few issues of Eternal Warrior. A&A has been consistently good. Funny how everyone seems to have different favorites. Just goes to show IMO, the quality across all titles and that there is something for everyone. Good stuff. I'm looking forward to Rai.
 
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