This week saw the release of Archer & Armstrong #1, the fourth new title in the Summer of Valiant relaunch. And here with another edition of Valiant (Re)visions are Harper & Bowers
Written by Fred Van Lente
Illustrated by Clayton HenryIt’s a globetrotting quest for the Valiant Universe’s greatest secrets, from the New York Times bestselling team of Fred Van Lente (Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies) and Clayton Henry (Uncanny X-Men)!
Obadiah Archer was born and raised to cherish three things above all else: the faith of his parents, the love of his 22 brothers and sisters, and his lifelong mission to defeat the ultimate evildoer. Now, after years of training, Archer has been dispatched to the heart of America’s festering modern day Babylon, aka New York City, to root out and kill this infamous Great Satan. Unfortunately, dying has never been easy for Archer’s target the hard-drinking year-old immortal known as Armstrong. Together, this unlikely pair of heroes is about to stumble headfirst into a centuries-old conspiracy that will bring the whole of ancient history crashing down on the modern day Valiant Universe. And that’s going to mean one Hell of a hangover.
David: Alright my friend, I hope you’re ready for another Valiant #1, because this one is a doozy: Archer & Armstrong #1 from Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry. I am very, very curious as to your thoughts on this book. So…what did you think of this very first issue?
Chad: Of all the new Valiant books, this was probably the one I was looking forward to the most, and it did not let me down.
I think I’ve mentioned to you privately how I was scandalized and utterly terrified of the original Archer & Armstrong’s zero issue. I was pretty young when it came out, and man, all the stuff with Archer’s parents messed me up. With that in mind, I wasn’t really sure where Van Lente was going to take things, but as fan of his work, I felt like he’d probably shy away from the mature themes of the original origin story, and lean into the more humorous aspects of the concept, and that’s pretty much exactly what he’s done.
But even so, this new Archer & Armstrong isn’t all fun and games. Don’t be fooled, this book’s as much Preacher as it is Power Man & Iron Fist, it’s just that Van Lente’s really good at distracting you with the laughs. It’s only after a full read-through that you realize just how riotous this new take is.
So how about you, Harper? Any “Archer & Armstrong Vol. 1 Scarred my Childhood” stories to share?
David: You know, this was another one that I didn’t read when I was younger, but man, this issue kind of kicked ass. I really enjoyed it. In fact, this might have been my favorite of the first issues yet. I wish I had that “A&A scarred my childhood!” angle to come from, but I got nothin’. All I have is the fact that a) I love the concept, b) I love the execution, c) I actually laughed at what I was supposed to, and d) I love Clayton Henry’s art.
Honestly, and I know this is going to be unsurprising, but this book reminded me a lot of Incredible Hercules. I mean, it’s a wunderkind kid and a big immortal guy with a beard hanging out. I’m not crazy, am I? This is Incredible Hercules for the Occupy era (era may be generous).
Chad: You’re not crazy.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that 2/3rds of the creative team that popularized Incredible Hercules are now working on Archer & Armstrong. And David, between you and me and the internet, that’s exactly why I was enthused to read it. Not because I wanted to read Hercules-lite, though, because the similarities between the two books are pretty much service level — big guy, young guy — but just, you know, having Van Lente and Henry doing something that feels “right” is a nice way to start a new book. I’ve wanted more from both of these guys for a while now, and having them do a new take on a book I already had some love for is an added bonus.
Continued belowNot really knowing what to expect, were you at all surprised at just how different A&A was from the other new Valiant titles?
David: Well, that’s the thing about these books so far: sure, I haven’t loved all of them, but they certainly all feel different. Comic books have become homogenized to a certain degree, especially at DC in my opinion, but Valiant so far has relaunched these books to stand on their own two legs and have their own unique identities. I think more than anything that is there biggest success so far, and why Valiant should continue to succeed.
Well, that and the fact that fans are super into the unified universe ideas. That’s an advantage Valiant had over, say, Image back in the day, and that is something they still have going for them.
Chad: Spot on, David. With the Big Two, I’m really suffering from full-on event fatigue right now, so it’s nice to have a connected superhero universe that feels like it’s dedicated to characters first. I mean, who knows? Valiant might have some kind of big event lined up somewhere down the road — they’d almost be crazy not to these days — but it’s nice not knowing about it a year in advance if they in fact do.
So we like A&A #1 a lot, but for the record, what do you give this one?
David: You know, I’m going to give it an 8.5. That’s a great grade, but as much as I liked it, it’s not something that blew me away. But to say A&A is like a newfangled Incredible Herc is one hell of a compliment. What about you?
Chad: I hate to be so predictable here, but I’m going with another 9.0 for A&A #1. I really dug this comic book, and was just really super impressed with how much it sort of surpassed my expectations.
Of all the reboots, this probably had the most unique voice so far, and because it feels so different, it opens up the new Valiant in a way we haven’t seen yet from the other books. And having said that, I like that it also does a really good job of laying the groundwork for other stuff, like Aram’s brothers Ivar and Gilad. How cool is it, David, that the first time we hear about Gilad, the Eternal Warrior, it’s because he’s dead? That’s what I mean by playing with our ideas about what this series is going to be, y’know? It’s familiar, sure, but also an “all bets are off” comic.
Seriously cool on every level. Yeah, I liked this one a lot, and really am thrilled to have Archer & Armstrong back!
