Valiant 101: BOOK OF DEATH

When we last left the Valiant universe, (spoilers for The Valiant:) the Eternal Warrior had took a time-displaced geomancer under his wings. Safeguarding the world’s geomancer is sort of what he does. This time around, however, he has gone AWOL leaving behind Unity and the MI-6. They soon catch up to him, though, for reasons that are revealed in a haunting double page spread brought to life by Robert Gill and David Baron.

Robert Venditti writes this ominously titled story. At regular interval, with the assistance of Doug Braithwaite and Brian Reber, he presents flashes of Valiant universe’s future. Much to Braithwaite and Reber’s credit, they do not stick with a particular character for long, making these flashes of the future exactly that. It’s interesting to see is what has become or rather, what will become of characters like Archer and Faith in these sequences. At the same time, it is interesting to see characters we are not acquainted with yet and guess how they might impact the Valiant universe.

The rest of Venditti’s script is pretty simple, though, and at times lack dimensions. Eternal Warrior’s dedication towards Tama’s protection seems rather obsessive. He seems all too dismissive to the massacres that seem to be the effects of her presence in this timeline. When Unity, more specifically, when X-O Manowar confronts him, Gilad’s words come across hollow. This obviously leads to dissension between Unity and a huge fight erupts.

After making quick work of Unity, Gilad and Tama continue their journey, reading and deciphering from Tama’s book. This eventually leads them to David, a young boy who was supposed to be the geomancer of this timeline, and prima facie Tama’s presence here and now seems to be the cause. The actual cause is soon revealed as a popular villain from the pre-Valiant, VALIANT, days makes his debut in the new universe.

When Valiant first announced Book of Death, they promised that the tie-ins will showcase how all of their major characters die. It may sound like a cheap publicity stunt to sell their books, but it’s not. The tie-ins offer exactly what Valiant promised. Every book is titled Book of Death: The Fall of (insert character’s name here), and they showcase how years from now, the eponymous character, well, falls.

The Harbinger book in particular is amazing. The psychedelic artwork of Kano elevates Joshua Dysart’s tale of one final epic battle between two of the most powerful psiots in the Valiant universe, Toyo Harada and Peter Stanchek. Kano not only captures the bright details of futuristic cities but also renders what is -- and I’m not out of words here, it is what it is – indescribable with such exquisite detail, it’s unbelievable. Every page on that comic is joy to behold.

Except Fall of Bloodshot, all tie-ins are fun. I found Bloodshot too clichéd: typical lone wolf tough guy story. Doug Braithwaite’s art is great, though.

Unlike its pessimist title, Book of Death wraps up with a hopeful denouement. The moments after the battle, especially the one immediately after, between Gilad and Tama, is wonderful and makes up for any shortcomings the book may have had.

With that, ladies and gentlemen, we wrap up this little experiment/project of mine. Thank you for joining me. This has been Valiant 101.

Valiant 101: DIVINITY

I'll be completely frank with you here. The only reason I read Divinity was because it sorta rhymed with Unity, and I thought this had something to do with that book.

Well! Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I must also mention that I am so glad I chose to read this because it is so good.

The book is written by Matt Kindt who, by now, I feel like is Valiant Comics' Jim Shooter 2.0 in the sense he has shaped much of their universe with important arcs and stories for quite some time now. He has built a legacy, is what I am trying to say, I guess. The story follows Abram Adams, an orphan, who is moulded by Mother Russia during the Cold War to be one of its finest... to be sent on a suicide mission to the very edge of the galaxy. Because, you know, Russia.

Although one of the reasons Abram is chosen for the mission is because he has no one to come back to -- what a sad thing to say, and in what cruel way have I written that! -- it turns out he does have someone. It is this desire of his to go back home that saves him when he is blessed by the Unknown.

Arriving back to Earth, where years have passed since his absence, Abrams uses his new powers to give people what they need, rather than what they want and starts his own cult religion. Not his intention, though. Humans are drawn to fellow charismatic humans. The MI-6 soon learns of Abram's presence and decides, in its infinite wisdom, that it would be best to confront Abram head on, who is pretty much Space Jesus.

Obviously, that does not go well for Unity, or Divinity.

Kindt not only crafts an excellent comic, but he explores a lot of themes that although rooted in the world of men and women in tights go beyond just that. At its core, Divinity is an emotional story about love, isolation and longing. At the same time, it is also a case study, an experiment or much more precisely, an investigation, if you will, of what's the weakness of an overpowered character. That is more of a writer challenge. What would bend a, what is essentially, a superman. And needless to say, I'm pretty confident Matt Kindt would write a great Superman story. Not because he could find some weakness for him (there are plenty), but because he would involve Superman in stories of emotions like Divinity.

The art on the book is by Trevor Hairsine, whose work I remembered from the action-filled Armor Hunters: Bloodshot. He is accompanied by Ryan Winn on inks and David Baron on colours. Like every Valiant book, Divinity is gorgeous. Hairsine's art is perfect for action-filled story, so seeing him take on sombre character moments was interesting. He offers incredible range here. There is a scene in the book -- and I apologise for spoiling this a bit -- where Abram slows down time for Unity members as they begin their attack on him and makes them prisoner of their own mind. That was incredibly well done. Kudos to everyone involved.

I had the digital copies of Divinity and they offer a lot of behind-the-scenes shots of the book. If you are a process monkey like me or are just mildly curious, I would recommend getting them. (I'm not sure if the hard copies also offer the same, or if the tpbs do. Be nice if they do, though.)

As I finished Divinity I learnt that the team is coming up with a follow-up, simply titled Divinity II, which needless to say, I'll be looking forward to.

Valiant 101: THE VALIANT

Fun fact before we begin: I had actually read this book when it first came out, as Valiant Comics had pushed this as the definite introduction to their characters. So, this is my second time reading it, and just like the first, OH MY GOD LOOK AT PAOLO RIVERA'S ART!

Like I mentioned, Valiant Comics had promoted this book as an excellent starting point for new readers. They got Jeff Lemire, who at that time was (and still is) the go-to-guy for both Marvel and DC, to co-write the book with their in-house veteran Matt Kindt. They got Paolo Rivera and Joe Rivera, the tag-team artist colourist duo of the first half of Mark Waid's excellent Daredevil run, to make sure this looks the prettiest book on the stands. All the four issues for this story were published in "prestige format". They named it The Valiant for instant associative identification with Valiant Comics. In short, they went all out. The result was phenomenal. Not only did the critics loved the book, it brought in the numbers. It sold well, it got them new readers, it was huge success.

Even though The Valiant goes out and achieves what it set out to do, I cannot help but feel it does just that and nothing more. It introduces a threat big enough to bring together all the heroes; introduces a central character who does not survive till the conclusion; does all the big action sequences that make an event, with some somber character moments thrown in; and sets the stage for the next year or so of stories. I realise that is pretty much the complete package. I mean, what more could I ask for? I honestly do not know. I was left a little conflicted in the end. The Valiant does a lot; but in the end it does nothing at all.

I read the issues digitally so every chapter included a lot of backups, which was great. They detailed how Lemire and Kindt split work, but even without knowing that, by now, I can tell Kindt wrote the following page.

The man loves Ninjak.

Lemire was supposed to write the Bloodshot: Reborn series after this book so he concentrates on Bloodshot. There is an excellent sequence where when Bloodshot and Kay are stuck in a departmental store in a mall à la Dawn of the Dead. They move around the store in pages of nine-panels grid, bringing out this domestic life that could have been for them had things been different. That was a subtle touch.

However as great as the script for those pages may have been, they simply wouldn't have worked if the art was not able to bring out the emotions of the characters. That's were Paolo Rivera and Joe Rivera come in. Paolo's characters... act. They are not drawings on a paper. I mean, they are, obviously. But the characters look and move and talk in a way that they feel much more than just two-dimensional figures. There is a page in the first issue where when we are introduced to Kay, she opens up and tells everything about herself to us in (again,) a nine-panels grid. Every panel is just a shot of Kay, but the way Paolo makes her act is incredible. You feel her conveying real emotions. You start to care about. Which is paramount to a story like this where we are, out of the blue, introduced to a character who is central to the entire saga. Why should the readers care about her? Lemire and Kindt give a back story to give her character some spine but it Paolo's graceful art that does all the wonders.

I have been asking myself since I read this book would I recommended this to someone who does not know anything about Valiant Comics but is interested in their stuff. Or would I hand them some other book? Harbinger Wars, perhaps? On somedays, I think I would recommend The Valiant. It is, after all, a standalone story that is both an excellent introduction to the Valiant universe and a gateway to their ongoings. On others, I think it does not have that... I don't know... kick?  to make the reader head out and find more of the Valiant stuff. Or maybe it does? Like I said, I'm conflicted.

Valiant 101: THE DEATH-DEFYING DOCTOR MIRAGE

My immediate reaction as I opened The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage was surprise as I awed over the art. It is stunningly different than not only anything Valiant had put out yet, but it's unconventional for superhero comics in general. The story itself is unconventional for superhero comics. In fact, it's barely superhero-y.

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage follows Shan-Fong Mirage, paranormal investigator of some kind. Devastated and hallowed after the death of her husband, she takes up odd jobs to make ends meet and keep herself busy, shielding herself from the pain of the loss. In a cruel twist of irony, although Shan can conjure and speak to mostly any spirit, it is the spirit of her husband that eludes her. She cannot seem to find him. Until she comes across any even odder job.

Valiant Comics' "moneyball" formula has meant for me is that most of the books I've read in this experiment/project were by creators (writers, artists, colourists etc) whose work I hadn't read before. Jen Van Meter writes this tale of a journey to hell and back (literally). She crafts a dense story of loss and separation and longing and closure, and tells it in five issues. This, perhaps more than anything else, left me the most impressed. She has a very Brian Michael Bendis style of writing. By which I mean that she barely does any monologues, although she is not so dialogue-heavy as Bendis is. And still her characters feel chiselled out with precision. She does not require a panels of monologues to convey Shan's emptiness to the reader when she can do that with one.

My only quibble is that perhaps due to the story being so dense, a few details are missed out. Or rather, not explicitly told. I found myself twice at a point where, while reading over the recap before beginning an issue, I went "ah, so that's why--"

Roberto de la Torre and David Baron handle the art department for this offbeat story, with de la Torre doing the illustrations and Baron the colours, and the result is as offbeat as the story itself. de la Torre's scratchy lines are complemented by Baron's somber palette, together creating a very lugubrious atmosphere that is perfect for this story about death and demons and ghosts and monsters, but still, at its core, is a grief laden story about the pain of separation.

I could not but think of the old Vertigo books, specifically Hellblazer, as I read this. While it lacks the cynicism and the self loathing and the general lack of punk rock, The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage does have similar structure. And finally, no, I have no idea of how the Valiant version of these characters stand against the VALIANT version, and I didn't really need to know.

Valiant 101: THE DELINQUENTS

When I started doing this, my goal was to read through all of Valiant Comics' big stories, and get a general idea of their universe and characters. As I read more, the goal gradually grew, and I started considering alternatives. By alternatives, I mean books and stories that are not necessarily "earth-shattering", but either involve characters I had not come across yet or stories that have been critically lauded. I chose The Delinquents predominantly because of the former, but for all intent and purposes, it should be the latter as well.

The Delinquents bring together two of Valiant's top tag teams, Quantum & Woody and Archer & Armstrong. I knew a little bit about Acher and Armstrong from Unity (pre Valiant, VALIANT, era) but I knew nothing about Quantum and Woody, except the praises I had read for James Asmus' writing on Quantum & Woody. This book not only serves as an excellent introduction (which has become the staple of all Valiant Comics books) to both the dysfunctional teams but also justifies all those praises for Asmus. That guy writes laugh-out-loud comedies.

The story is credited to Fred Van Lente and James Asmus, but it is Asmus who does the scripting. Throughout the four-part saga, Asmus avoids making any obvious connection to both the duos ongoing adventures and rather dives right in by sending them off on the adventure of their lifetimes in search of a treasure. And oh, in case I forget to mention, the map to the treasure is drawn in "hobo code" on and skinned off a man's buttocks.

Asmus mixes dark humor with slapstick in this tale that is some parts buddy cop flick and some parts adventure quest to give one of the most jam-packed comic I've read in a long, long time. And I mean that both in terms of the amount of story in every issue and the number of panels per page. Consider the following page. There are like, six jokes on this one page of twenty-four panels, if you don't count the inserts. That is, as my friend would say, completely bananas.

Kano does all of the heavy lifting in the art department for this book. He draws, inks, and colors every page himself. As ridiculous Van Lente and Asmus' story is, and as funny as Asmus' writing is, it is Kano's art that makes it all work. His execution of those gags and jokes make this book actually a laugh-out-loud riot. As an example, consider the below page. It is a simple gag, but the facial expression that Kano drew for Armstrong in panel four is what does the wonders.

What Kano does really well and what made this book different than, not only all the other Valiant books I had read yet but also half the comic books on the shelves, is that rather than cramming each page with panels and information and in a certain sense, showing off, Kano's pages use a certain design aesthetic to convey the story. Sure, there are pages loaded with panels, but it never obstructs the story. In comic book storytelling, the reader's eye should float across the page between the panels and Kano manages to do that, and more.

Valiant Comics has offered me a lot of great comics ever seen I began this little project/experiment, but with The Delinquents they offered the most fun comic book I've read in quite some time. Hungry for more, I guess I am going to pick up Asmus' complete run on Quantum & Woody, and everything Kano does for now on.

Valiant 101: ARMOR HUNTERS

Two years after they relaunched their entire catalogue, Valiant Comics debuted their biggest story in the form of Armor Hunters. Spread over eighteen issues and tying in with pretty much all of their books, it kicks off after the Earth is invaded by, well, armor hunters, looking for the Shanhara, or the sentient armor of Aric of Darcia, the X-O Manowar. The armor hunters believe, with such unwavering faith, that the armor is evil and should be destroyed. The United States government, for whom X-O Manowar virtually works for following the events of Unity, believes however, that the armor is... 'Murican.

I haven't read Robert Vendetti's entire run on X-O Manowar but one of the things that have drawn me towards it and is pretty much calling me to read it full (man I hope I find the time) is how human the stories are. Unity, like I mentioned earlier as well, is a big superhero team action book, but at its heart, it is a story of the struggle of a leader trying to rebuild and re-establish his people, which is what Vendetti explores in his tie-ins books for Unity. In Armor Hunters as well, although the core book is everything it promised to be, in X-O Manowar, Vendetti does a brilliant job justifying the hunters' action by providing them with a rich backstory.

Matt Kindt, however, continues to have the time of his life writing Ninjak and giving him such cool pages:

Not that I'm complaining.

The art on the books is spectacular. Doug Braithwaite, in my opinion, has become as important to Valiant as Bryan Hitch was to Marvel. His big action pages are obviously fantastic, but it's the pages were the action slows down and we are left with intense character moments that he really shines. And speaking of big action pages, Trevor Hairsine on the Bloodshot tie-in knocks it out of the park.

Armor Hunters: Bloodshot is unapologetically an all-out action book, and arguably the most fun tie-in to a crossover event in recent years. I wish the Harbinger tie-in was also that fun.

I mentioned on the Harbinger Wars post that I came across quite a few lettering issues there, but look at this beauty from Armor Hunters:

One of the (many) things that makes Armor Hunters a successful event on my list is how the creators managed to properly use all the characters. In my opinion, if you are going to do an epic crossover event and advertise that every character you own will be a part of that event, at least give them all certain moments to shine. Armor Hunters manages to do that and more.

Also, I have come to think that the Valiant books are designed in a way that they can be excellent starting points for new readers. I had accidentally read Armor Hunters before Unity, and even though I could make out that I had missed something big, it was not as if I couldn't make sense of half the stuff here because of skipping something important to the canon. This has really elevated Valiant's value for me. These are smart people. They know that their characters are not as universal as Batman or Spider-Man (yet), so they treat every reader as a new reader.

And now for something completely different, I am going to end this with the following panel, only because I can.