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.
This is it, we’ve finally reached the crossover we’ve been building up to. Right off the bat we get introduced to the main antagonist and the tapestry of the storyline gets laid bare for all to follow. Will the VALIANT heroes all make it out alive as the varying forces draw them together?
It’s Place within VALIANT:
The ‘Unity’ storyline comes right out of the gate as an all-encompassing endeavor. Beginning with the first page of “Unity” #1, we are treated to a letter from Jim Shooter. In it, Shooter stresses how the varying storylines that have thus far made up the VALIANT universe have all been leading up to this moment. Recalling the characters that will play a role in this crossover, Shooter points out the main player, Solar, and how each comic within the universe will tell a particular part of the story. As has been typical of Shooter, the intro provides a unique perspective to readers from the company’s main creative force.
No major moment within VALIANT can be had without some unique marketing effort behind it. Drawing upon the original #0 issue coupon giveaways, “Unity” #0 takes the effort a step beyond, forgoing any and all coupons. The issue is released absolutely free. All you had to do is walk into your participating comic shop. The drawing factor of the promotion is just that. While VALIANT had slowly begun to be referenced as an industry darling, by June 1992 their market presence was still below 2%. The gimmick, rightfully so, was designed to increase the general comic buyer’s awareness in aggregate. And there is no better way of doing that than giving away your product for free. The net effect was a distribution of over 250,000 issues for “Unity” #0. Far beyond any of the company’s prior publications. In addition to these there were a number of variant versions of the individual chapters that were distributed to retailers depending on the number of total issues purchased. These issues makeup some of the rarer variants produced by the company and are thus, highly sought after. This includes a Red Variant for ‘Chapter 1,’ “Unity” #0, which had a print run of between 2,500 and 5,000 units.
Being a crossover spanning the entire VALIANT line, there are clearly a multitude of creators taking part in the series. However, VALIANT made sure to include their primary talents in prime positions. As expected Jim Shooter remains the main force behind the storyline, with writing duties for all eighteen chapters, while Roger Stern and Bob Layton contributed writing duties for “Magnus: Robot Fighter” #15 and “X-O Manowar” #7, respectively. Additionally, we see a lot of contributions by Barry Windsor-Smith, as he pencils “Unity” #0 and “Archer & Armstrong” #1. Bob Layton also provides inking duties for the issues penciled by Windsor-Smith. We see a return to coloring by Janet Jackson, as her more recent work had been primarily editorial based. Finally, rounding out the contributions and adding a touch of familiarity across all the chapters is Frank Miller. Each cover for the individual chapters is created by Miller, with the exception of the covers for “Unity” #0 and #1, which were created by Windsor-Smith. This not only brings a sense of continuity to the crossover, it also attaches the name of one of the medium’s true superstars from the early 90’s.
The individual chapters would see increased print runs as well as specific variants. “Eternal Warrior” #1 would have a print run of 150,000 units, as well as a Gold and Gold Embossed variant edition (5,000 units each.) “Archer & Armstrong” #1 would see a print run of 155,000, “Magnus, Robot Fighter” #15 would see 130,000 and “X-O Manowar” #7 would have 125,000 units produced. In each case, the already established series’ distribution more than doubled as compared to their pre-Unity volume. It was clear, right from the beginning that the crossover would be a major success, and the distribution numbers backed that up.
Continued belowWhile the crossover’s success can be attributed to the slow and gradual accumulation of readership based on the quality work produced by VALIANT over the first year, market influence was also significant. It’s no secret that VALIANT had become a darling of the highly popular “Wizard” magazine. Thus, it’s no surprise that “Unity” #0 received a prominent review in issue #10’s monthly picks. In fact, placed right after their review for “Spawn” #1 came the review for “Unity” #0. Remarking that “The Unity storyline marks the debut of two new hot titles from VALIANT – Archer & Armstrong #1 and The Eternal Warrior #1 – both of which should follow in the footsteps of VALIANT’s other hot books.”
Storyline Summary:
‘Unity’ Chapter #1-5
Publication dates: August 1992
Written by Jim Shooter, Roger Stern (Magnus: Robot Fighter #15) & Bob Layton (X-O #7)
Penciled by Barry Windsor-Smith (Unity #0, Archer & Armstrong #1), John Dixon (Eternal Warrior #1), Ernie Colon (Magnus: Robot Fighter #15) & Michael Leeke (X-O #7)
Inked by Bob Layton (Unity #0, Archer & Armstrong #1), John Dixon (Eternal Warrior #1) & Tom Ryder (X-O #7)
Colored by Janet Jackson (Unity #0), Paul Autio (Eternal Warrior #1), Maurice Fontenot (Archer & Armstrong #1) & Jorge Gonzalez (X-O #7)
Lettered by Jade Moede (Unity #0, Eternal Warrior #1) & Ken Lopez (X-O #7)
When Phil Seleski caused and survived a black hole that devoured the universe he wasn’t alone. Dr Erica Pierce, who had been with him inside the nuclear core that fateful day, had also survived and been brought back to the present day. Yet, while Phil faced his former and current selves, ultimately melding into the being known as Solar, Erica’s path took a decidedly different turn. Killing her past iteration and taking her son, Erica took on a new cause. That of eliminating Solar and the various realities his negligence had caused and creating a new, utopian existence. It would be her life’s goal, even if that goal would take thousands of years to come to fruition. Thus, in the year 4001, with Solar weakened by his recent battle with the Spider-Alien armada, and Earth as a whole bereft of heroes, Erica puts her plan into action.
As Erica initiates her plan creating a base in the Lost Land, an area outside our known time stream, only the Geomancers can trace her. The Geomancers, a group of mystical individuals whose ability and knowledge is passed down from generation to generation, have been predicting that this battle would come for thousands of years. Their ability to talk to the world around them, whether it be inanimate or living, allows them to trace Erica and her doings. Given Erica’s position outside the time stream, Geomancer’s from throughout Earth’s history brings together the heroes of their eras in a united front. The present-day Geomancer seeks out the Eternal Warrior, Gilad. A superhuman barbarian who has lived for 10,000 years, whose knowledge and savage ability on the battlefield cannot be matched. That is, of course, if you don’t count his brother. Armstrong, only two years younger than his brother Gilad, shares his brother’s prowess in battle. Yet, his kinder and gentler soul has led him down a different path. Partnered with Archer, the two are swept up into this confrontation at the behest of Gilad. These three, joined by the present day Solar, the Harbinger kids and Aric, the X-O warrior, travel forward through the time stream, thanks to Solar’s incredible abilities.
Upon reaching the Lost Land, these ancient and present day heroes are met by their future counterparts. In the year 4001, the Geomancer of that time has searched the world bringing together the heroes of his era. He is able to recruit The Eternal Warrior from 4001 and Rai. Thus, the stage is set, as this coalition of heroes has emerged in the Lost Land to stop Erica’s attempt at unifying the time streams. While heroes such as Magnus are left behind to deal with the power vacuums caused by Erica’s departure from normal existence.
Continued below
Review:
After such a monumental buildup to the storyline, it is highly satisfying to see that the crossover is as enjoyable as billed. Right from the beginning on the first page of “Unity” #0 we see who our principal antagonist will be and it is very satisfying to see that it’s Dr Erica Pierce. Not only is she one of the rare characters whose power base can challenge any of the universe’s heroes, her prior appearance within the pages of “Solar” is one of the best arcs from the entire pre-Unity run. While the more interesting aspects of her backstory and persona have yet to come into play, it is not difficult to see that the trauma she suffered based on her husband and her interactions with Solar is the root cause for her motivations.
Reading these first five chapters individually, they each have their strong points. I was surprised to see how much I would enjoy the characters of Gilad and his brother Armstrong. Gilad’s initial appearance in the pages of “Solar” had left much to be desired. With the character coming across more as a 90’s extreme action trope than anything interesting. His backstory though brings out an entirely richer tapestry to the character. Additionally, the inclusion of his brother, Armstrong, only adds to that backstory while making his story that more intriguing as well.
The chapters revolving our previously established series, “Magnus” and “X-O”, were quite solid. The “X-O” issue was particularly enjoyable as we continue to see Aric’s integration into modern society. Plus, Ken’s reluctance at the X-O traceable prosthetic arm is an interesting plot point that will surely come up again in the future. Ultimately, the “Magnus” issue is probably the most important of the group, as it shows Erica’s influence on the universe and how her plan to unify the multiple timelines has spanned thousands of years. This is an essential part of her character’s development as we’ve already seen that Solar is, for all intents and purposes, a God. As such, Erica’s power base must be just as strong if there are to be any real consequences for this storyline. Her son’s role in this is also hinted at strongly within this issue, as clearly there is more than meets the eye regarding him, as he has barely aged as well.
From a creative standpoint, there is little to gripe about within these first five chapters. The writing, as is expected, is solid throughout. The only real setback here is the same that can be seen in the issues leading up to ‘Unity.’ That of the particularly strange dialogue from certain groups. Luckily, any group from pre-history can be read perfectly fine. The issue always arises in dealing with future societies. I understand that Shooter is trying to add his own particular flair to these future Groups, but I really wish, for the flow of the story, that they’d just speak regular English.
The artwork is solid as well. Most enjoyable is Windsor-Smith, as his art in any VALIANT book has been superb, (although his characters do have a particular BWS vibe in which they all look somewhat the same.) Additionally, John Dixon did a surprisingly wonderful job in “The Eternal Warrior”. His line work is crisp and detailed and really added to the ancient element of the story. Plus, the detail in his gore and blood are essential given how brutal the story is.
Probably the only real shortcoming here throughout the first five chapters are the Frank Miller covers. While there’s nothing particularly wrong with them, they have that early 90’s Miller vibe. That is, in essence, their handicap. Miller’s style is very particular, and that style does not necessarily flow with the interior artwork. While probably impossible considering time allotments, I would have far preferred to have seen Barry Windsor-Smith do all the covers. Regardless, VALIANT’s ability to attract such an A-level talent to do the covers as Miller shows the confidence that they have in the storyline. And, while not ideal, some of the Miller covers are still beautiful pieces that bring a fresh visual alternative to the characters we’ve grown to love.
Continued belowComing up Next:
As we continue to flow through ‘Unity’ we’ll pick up chapters #6-10. These will include “Shadowman” #4, “Rai” #6, “Harbinger” #8, “Solar” #12 and “Eternal Warrior #2. Keep up as the story of Erica Pierce’s ultimate revenge continues to unravel.
