The adventures of an immortal every-man and a teen-aged fallen acolyte continue in A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong. I was a little bit afraid that I was going to be lost with this series considering that I hadn't read all of the rebooted Archer & Armstrong regular series. But for the most part, writer Rafer Roberts does a great job not hinging the plot too much on that series- as long as you have read the first issue.
This volume's first story arc explores more of Armstrong's past. When a former partner dies, Armstrong goes searching through his bottomless satchel. When some of the immortal's secrets start pouring out of the bag, Archer must trek into it's contents to find his new friend. Leaving his untrustworthy step-sister to guard the bag, Archer and especially Armstrong will learn that some secrets are best not forgotten.
I bought this book along with some other books at a con. Valiant was in attendance and they had a 5 for $20 sale. Well, 3 books in and so far not a dud among them. This book was very funny, had great action and art by David Lafuente and the story was really engrossing. I don't care what that dunderhead from HBO thinks about comic books! Sequential art can have intellectual merit especially when they build upon established tropes of myth and legend.
I was just at another convention that Valiant was at. I should have stopped there to see if there were any further volumes of Archer & Armstrong were in stock on sale. I know from now on; when Valiant is involved, always check for discounts!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
One is an ancient immortal warrior who has seen it all, done it all, and has the dad bod to prove it.
One is an enhanced teenage fighting machine, bred and trained for the sole purpose of completing the mission: Destroy Armstrong!
When the two meet, they uncover a global conspiracy as old as Armstrong himself. This Illuminati known as the 1% is seeking to find the super weapon that gave Armstrong his powers and immortality. Hoping to keep the parts of the device from being found, Archer joins Armstrong on a nationwide trek from the States to the Vatican all the way to the Himalayas for the final battle. This unlikely team is all that stands in the way of total world domination! God help us all...
I had first become interested in this series from my readings of the first volume of Faith. Archer is kinda her long-distance boyfriend and I really dug the character when he would occasionally pop up in the book. Honestly. his parts were my favorite ones of Faith.
Over time, I've been reading a few new Valiant books and been really impressed with what I read. Finding myself very happy with this publisher, I wanted to venture out and find some Archer & Armstrong, with a good starting point and the right price. Yet, my searches were in vain.
Then a couple of months ago, I was working at the NCComicon where Valiant happened to have a booth. They had a 5 volumes for $30 bucks sale and Archer & Armstrong Volume 1 happened to be one of those books. So, I knew that was a deal that I just could not pass up.
Fred Van Lente's (Alpha Flight) new take on the classic 'buddy cop' duo was extremely entertaining. So much that I have the remaining issues/ volumes on my wish list now! This was like a mash up of Lethal Weapon and National Treasure. A real thrill ride that I really would like to see as a movie.
I was okay with the art by Uncanny X-Men's Clayton Henry. It was good but I'm not really a big fan of thin inks. I'm an old soul and I love those thick golden and silver age ink lines.
Speaking of classic comics, I know that the original series of Archer & Armstrong wasn't from those classic comic eras. But I am really interested in getting my hands on those as well and comparing them to this series. Plus, I have the first volume of The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong and very soon I am going to give that book a gander as well.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
Zephyr is a superhero known as a psiot, a human with psychic abilities like being able to fly and use of very powerful force fields. By day, Zephyr is Faith Herbert but a recent event allowed the world to find out her secret identity. So Zephyr has moved to LA with a new secret identity and a job as a writer for a Buzzfeed type website.
The move for Zephyr has been wrought with challenges but she's making her way on her own. However, she's going to have to call in the help of some old friends as Zephyr finds herself the target of a shadowy agency that's trying to make human weapons out of the psiots that reside within the City of Angels.
This collection of Faith's first few issues as a solo act has been a critical success. So when I saw this at my local library, I had to give it a view.
The Valiant Comics universe is perhaps the one that I am the least familiar with. I have very little knowledge of Valiant's backstory so it took me a while to really understand what has been going on. The parts about Zephyr the superhero weren't as enjoyable as Faith Herbert the person.
Faith is a fangirl and I delighted in catching many of the pop culture and geek references peppered throughout this book. It also gave me an idea for a new comic series which I am pretty excited to tackle if I ever get the chance.
Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the inclusion of the character Archer. From the series Archer and Armstrong, this is about as much as I know about Valiant. Well, that and Turok, that dinosaur hunting Indian guide. Anyways, Archer's story seemed really interesting and if I ever get a chance, I wanna check it out. Seems like it might make another good read.
By the final chapter in this book, I was enjoying reading the Zephyr parts as much as the sections that cover her secret identities. There's at least a second volume of Faith comics out there and I am more than willing to give this series another go.
A feminist comic that doesn't get very preachy and doesn't seem to be anti-men. Faith doesn't always need help to save the day but when she does, she's not afraid to ask other guy superheroes to help. Refreshingly different in a day and age where the Steve Trevors of the comic book world are 198 lb wimps that only think about sex.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
