Welcome to Unifying VALIANT, our celebration of the 25-year anniversary of VALIANT’s companywide crossover ‘Unity.’ A precursor to the now omnipresent annual comic event, ‘Unity’ and VALIANT changed the face of the comic industry in the early ‘90’s. In each entry we’ll be focusing on one of the company’s storylines until culminating at ‘Unity.’ Follow along as we dig deep and rediscover what made VALIANT the innovative and revolutionary company it was.
After a couple of weeks off due to some hurricane related delays, we’re back chronicling VALIANT’s journey from upstart independent to a company that showed you could make a dent into Marvel’s and DC’s industry dominance. This week we catch up with the robot fighter himself, Magnus. Relegated to a life amongst the Goph’s, can Magnus find peace between the warring human and Freewill robot governments?
It’s Place within VALIANT:
After the dramatic events from the Magnus and Rai crossover, which left dramatic changes across the 4001 A.D. VALIANT landscape, this subsequent arc brings the focus of the series back on Magnus and the revolutionary atmosphere in North Am. The ‘The Xyrkol Trilogy’ is the type of throwback storyline that can only be incorporated into a universe such as VALIANT’s. From beginning to end the entire arc has a nostalgic vibe that is carried through from the plot to the characters. If one were to describe a modern take that both draws from its original source while being reverential to the storytelling of the past, it would be encapsulated within ‘The Xyrkol Trilogy.’
Of the three Western Publishing licensed properties, “Magnus” remains the most sincere to its original creation. This should come as no surprise as Jim Shooter has mentioned time and again his appreciation for the masterful work of Russ Manning. There is also the additional Easter egg of including Ernie Colon as the artist for issue #9. Ernie, who was a prolific creator since the 1960’s, had strong ties to the Western Publishing properties licensed to VALIANT.
“Magnus” titles through this period have remained fairly stable in terms of distribution, with issues #9-11 averaging between 60,000 and 70,000 issues. However, while there is no increase, the fact that they maintained their print run is a pleasant sign. Considering that these feature the first “Magnus” issues with no marketing gimmick attached to them, their ability to maintain the market presence already established should be celebrated.
Storyline Summary:
“Magnus” #9-11 – ‘The Xyrkol Trilogy’
Publication dates: February 1992 – April 1992
Written by Jim Shooter, Laura Hitchcock & Fred Pierce
Penciled by Ernie Colon & Mark Moretti
Inked by Kathryn Bolinger, Ted Halsted, Tom Ryder & Charles Barnett III
Colored by Knob Row & Maurice Fontenot
Lettered by Jade Moede & Brad Joyce
Returning to North Am after helping Grandmother and Rai defeat the Spider-Alien invasion, Magnus is greeted with a social robotic war ravaging the country. Having established their own nation, the Freewill’s have moved and created the desert City of Synchron. Joining them is Leeja, who has parlayed her relationship with the Freewill leader, Tekla, into an opportunity to better herself and cast off the shackles of her previous pampered life. Informed by Leeja of her decision to stay with the robots, Magnus returns to North Am after visiting Synchron to inform her father, President Clane. Magnus though is not welcome and is ambushed and captured while Clane formally declares war on Synchron and fires upon them.
Captured and on the verge of being psycho-probed, Magnus is spared the fate as Synchron fires back on North Am, knocking out their power grid. Seeing his chance, Magnus escapes, retreating to the Goph levels. Meanwhile, reformed criminal mastermind Xyrkol garners President Clane’s graces by restoring power to North Am. In a move he would come to regret, Clane reverts Xyrkol’s probing so he can help the cause. Quickly though, it is evident that Xyrkol is intent only on domination. He not only turns against Clane and North Am, but captures Magnus in the process.
Captured, Magnus’ lone hope lies with Leeja. Infiltrating Xyrkol’s base, she frees Magnus while crippling the ship. With Xyrkol presumed dead after being blown out of an airlock, Leeja and Magnus transport the ship to the Goph levels. Xyrkol though, appears again, having survived the breach. His return however, is short-lived, as the Goph denizens fall upon him, murdering him with their bare hands. With the greater evil now neutralized, Synchron and North Am agree to a truce. Paving the way for Magnus and Leeja’s perceived crimes to be expunged and allowing them to be praised as the heroes they are.
Review:
Reading these “Magnus” issues was a bit of a stylistic challenge after having read the majority of the VALIANT lineup to this point. My initial impression at the storyline was not as admirable as it eventually turned out to be. I blame this on one’s incessant need to make things more real. In effect, this storyline does the complete opposite. In a move that can only be described as genius, Shooter takes his cherished Magnus and returns him to the climate from which he was spawned. Pitting him against a villain taken from the original run, and breathed new life by Shooter’s masterful hand.
The neo-retro vibe of the ‘The Xyrkol Trilogy’ pairs perfectly with what “Magnus” is at its core. True, the character is hyper-violent, and the sexuality that oozes from Leeja would be palpable to even the youngest of readers. Yet the essence of the comic is one of sci-fi wonder and the innocence of such futuristic worlds. Jaded, modern readers such as yours truly can many times overlook the skill and delicate storytelling required to tell a tale with that degree of innocence behind it. Nevertheless, the act of crafting the story and making it enjoyable to a multitude of readers is a delicate act that Shooter and his collaborators handle wonderfully.
The artwork is likewise as expected with comics of this quality. While there might be an occasional panel with less than excellent proportions, the team of Colon and Moretti create a beautiful 3-issue arc that continues to capture the aesthetic of Magnus’ world, while maintaining the house style that has flourished within VALIANT. Xyrkol’s over the top appearance is a wonderful moment in each of the issues. A true throwback to his original appearance in 1963.
Ultimately, if there’s a critique to be made it would be of myself, for not giving these issues the space they need to breathe. This is, without a doubt, a wonderful arc that should be cherished for its successful attempt in rejuvenating a long-forgotten villain with a rich and deserving backstory.
Coming up Next:
We’re not quite done with “Magnus,” as there are three more issues before we finally hit ‘Unity.’ Join us as the VALIANT universe really starts to heat up and read “Magnus, Robot Fighter” #12-14.
