When I was an adolescent, I used to have to get the majority of my comics from the local convenience or grocery. Suffice to say, selections were often limited. I had to experience a lot of great comics not published by the Big Two secondhand through articles and comments in Wizard Magazine.
Suffice to say, I come to Valiant as a tabula rasa. I picked up Archer and Armstrong not knowing what to expect, aside from all the snarking and panning I remember from those aforementioned copies of Wizard back in the 90's. So that right there was a point in its favor from the get go. A millennia old drunk doomed to walk the earth paired with a teenaged akashic assassin trained by a satanic cult engaged in a world-wide ancient conspiracy? I'm loving this. The duo go globe trotting in an effort to save the world's population from being slain by a prehistoric artifact and the action ranges from barroom fisticuffs to martial artist ninja nuns to Tibetan monk trained Nazis. And that is just the first arc.
The next book I picked up was Harbingers. Here we have a pair of men on the run from a psychiatric ward, one of whom displays obvious psychic powers. It starts off slow, but it's build up for something much grander as our protagonist, Peter Stanchek, ends up on the run from two organizations wanting to use him for their own ends. While on the surface, this does seem like standard fare, but it deals less with powers and fighting and more about the ethics and morals around the use of power to get your way. Does might make right? Do the ends justify the means? Ironically, the heavier themes are balanced in more recent issues with the introduction of Faith, an overweight psion with the ability to levitate and fly. I'm looking forward to a grand story with this title.
Finally, we have X-O Manowar. I was expecting typical Iron Man-esque sci/fi and tech fare, but I swiftly learned not to judge a book by its cover. Aric of Dacia is a 5th century Visigoth warlord who, along with many others, are abducted and enslaved by an alien race called the Vine that travels the stars, seeding its species among sundry worlds in their travels. After years of abuse, he engineers a slave revolt and gains control of a powerful exoskeleton that grants him the strength to fight back. Fleeing the damaged ship, he returns to Earth to find that over 1600 years have passed and he is now a stranger in a strange land facing the threat of complete annihilation at his pursuers.
Suffice to say, these three books have wowed me and have easily earned a place in my monthly must-haves. I'll be checking out other Valiant titles in the near future and going through their backlog to read the originals when I'm able. My only gripe is that I've waited so long to experience such great storytelling and world-building.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Death Mettle
The book I've seen the most talk about this week has to be Avengers Arena #1, and very little of it is good. And honestly? I can see why. I'm one of the guys that was pretty upset by this seminal issue.
First, let's go over the good points. I dig the art. I really enjoy Kev Walker's style which is realistic enough to create immersion without the ultra-detailing faults that other artists have. It's well suited for a book that's obviously going to be a trek into darkness, while still maintaining enough warmth in the right spots to get you in deeper. My only quibble is the fact that at almost a month into this dog eat dog spectacle, Hazmat seems to find time to apply eyeliner.
Secondly, the dialogue is well written. While the overall premise does seem rather forced, the main foci of the first issue, Hazmat and Mettle, are definitely in character. I've noted several complaints about Mettle's actions, however, he has been through a lot, especially the Fear Itself arc. There is no denying that he has become rather callous and uncaring towards the needs of others, aside from his few close companions. I must give credit where credit is due.
Third, it's got characters that I like. I loved Avengers Academy and was sad to see it go. Runaways? Great stuff. I even like Darkhawk, which was one of my favorite books when I was younger. Unfortunately, this is also going to be one of the drawbacks, which I will get into now.
At once, I don't like the premise. On the surface, this is shaping up to be a long, protracted snuff film, where we get to watch many loved, albeit not A-list, characters have to bite the big one. Watching the relationship bloom between Hazmat and Mettle over the course of Avengers Academy always made me smile. What can I say? Underneath my abrasive, brash and often offensive exterior beats the heart of a man who enjoys a good romance. Suffice to say, ending the first issue with a gory metallic explosion did not earn Dennis Hopeless any brownie points with me.
Next point, Arcade. I like Arcade, I really do. But I do not understand why he now looks like the antagonist of a harem anime or a Final Fantasy game. It just seems odd and a little out of character on a physical level, not to mention his sudden upgrade to crazy ass powers he has never displayed before. But I have a theory on that, later.
Finally, we return to the premise again. The book itself admits it was inspired by Hunger Games, which itself was inspired by Battle Royale. It's also rather forced. Whoosh, welcome to Murder World, where character development ends terminally!
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not just engaging in senseless hate or dislike because fictional characters I like are going to be getting bumped off left and right (though that is a valid complaint). One thing we have to keep in mind with the Big Two is that quite often, at the end of the day, Status Quo is king. And coupled with the nature of this game and Arcade's puzzling new abilities, I have to wonder if this isn't some kind of VR experiment he's running. It makes sense, or else the Beyonder has gotten into cosplay and we're just reading Secret Wars: Junior League. And it does explain the mystery eyeliner.
All in all, I'm going to keep reading. I want to be wrong about not liking this book. I want to believe there's a way out and this isn't just some grand Guignol spectacle where only the sniktbub clone walks away alive. I have doubts, but I think I'm also going to have faith on this.
First, let's go over the good points. I dig the art. I really enjoy Kev Walker's style which is realistic enough to create immersion without the ultra-detailing faults that other artists have. It's well suited for a book that's obviously going to be a trek into darkness, while still maintaining enough warmth in the right spots to get you in deeper. My only quibble is the fact that at almost a month into this dog eat dog spectacle, Hazmat seems to find time to apply eyeliner.
Secondly, the dialogue is well written. While the overall premise does seem rather forced, the main foci of the first issue, Hazmat and Mettle, are definitely in character. I've noted several complaints about Mettle's actions, however, he has been through a lot, especially the Fear Itself arc. There is no denying that he has become rather callous and uncaring towards the needs of others, aside from his few close companions. I must give credit where credit is due.
Third, it's got characters that I like. I loved Avengers Academy and was sad to see it go. Runaways? Great stuff. I even like Darkhawk, which was one of my favorite books when I was younger. Unfortunately, this is also going to be one of the drawbacks, which I will get into now.
At once, I don't like the premise. On the surface, this is shaping up to be a long, protracted snuff film, where we get to watch many loved, albeit not A-list, characters have to bite the big one. Watching the relationship bloom between Hazmat and Mettle over the course of Avengers Academy always made me smile. What can I say? Underneath my abrasive, brash and often offensive exterior beats the heart of a man who enjoys a good romance. Suffice to say, ending the first issue with a gory metallic explosion did not earn Dennis Hopeless any brownie points with me.
Next point, Arcade. I like Arcade, I really do. But I do not understand why he now looks like the antagonist of a harem anime or a Final Fantasy game. It just seems odd and a little out of character on a physical level, not to mention his sudden upgrade to crazy ass powers he has never displayed before. But I have a theory on that, later.
Finally, we return to the premise again. The book itself admits it was inspired by Hunger Games, which itself was inspired by Battle Royale. It's also rather forced. Whoosh, welcome to Murder World, where character development ends terminally!
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not just engaging in senseless hate or dislike because fictional characters I like are going to be getting bumped off left and right (though that is a valid complaint). One thing we have to keep in mind with the Big Two is that quite often, at the end of the day, Status Quo is king. And coupled with the nature of this game and Arcade's puzzling new abilities, I have to wonder if this isn't some kind of VR experiment he's running. It makes sense, or else the Beyonder has gotten into cosplay and we're just reading Secret Wars: Junior League. And it does explain the mystery eyeliner.
All in all, I'm going to keep reading. I want to be wrong about not liking this book. I want to believe there's a way out and this isn't just some grand Guignol spectacle where only the sniktbub clone walks away alive. I have doubts, but I think I'm also going to have faith on this.
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