The cosmic and supernatural sides of the Valiant Universe collide on Earth! Oh my!

Having crossed over into the Deadside, the Eternal Warrior comes face to face with Syntilla, the young girl who poisoned Tama on behalf of her master. Will the Eternal Warrior save his young charge or will the world suffer another catastrophic loss? Meanwhile, Doctor Mirage and Hwen do their best to keep Tama alive. Will the doctors find the right medicine or will the young Geomancer perish before help arrives? There is only one world left to conquer…

In the interest of full disclosure, I actually went into this comic expecting it to be a touch lower in quality than the first two because the first half of this series was remarkable. I was wrong – so far three out of four issues of Incursion are rating at a Must Buy for me.

The broader story centers around Imperatrix Virago, a necromancer who devours the life energy of planets and uses reanimated corpses as her armies; and the Eternal Warrior’s quest to save the Geomancer – a young girl who has been poisoned by the Imperatrix from succumbing to the sickness that rages through her.

To do this, Gilad Anni-Padda cut through the Deadside and Virago’s legions to find the one person that could save the Geomancer. Incursion #3 diverges a little from the action packed second issue to bring us a little more exposition and fewer scenes where Gilad is hacking apart soldiers. The balance between the plot progression and the action is struck perfectly, with each serving to crank the tension of the series as a whole up higher and higher.

Andy Diggle and Alex Paknadel  have crafted a story that is on pace to be one of the very best Valiant have to offer. Which brings me to an aspect of the comic that is unlikely to be missed; the dialogue between Gilad and Doctor Mirage. It’s incredibly well written, with each character clearly owning their own voice, culminating in an almost terrifying question for the Valiant universe (though the answer, one can argue, can be gleaned from The Valiant).

The art once again is phenomenal. Doug Braithwaite and Diego Rodriguez are a wonderfully complimentary pair, with each bringing their A game to a comic that has an ethereal beauty. There are fine details from Braithwaite that Rodriguez highlights that seem almost too subtle to be intentional. The look in Gilad’s eyes after his final confrontation (this issue) is oddly haunting. Once again, this comic is packed with subtle visual details that enhance the story.

With Incursion #3, Diggle and Paknadel et al have delivered upon the promise of the first half of the miniseries, and use the penultimate issue to set up an explosively powerful conclusion that could very well leave readers with something to think about long after the final page has been turned (speculation, obviously, but this series feel much more personal than it should given the stakes involved).

Incursion #3 is, once again a great comic. With one issue to go, there’s a better than average chance that this will be hailed as one of Valiant’s top offerings from the last couple of years.

Story: Andy Diggle and Alex Paknadel Art: Doug Braithwaite
Colours: Diego Rodriguez Letters: Marshal Dillon 
Story: 9.3 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.4 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

There is only one world left to conquer…

Entire planets have suffered and died at the cold, close-fisted hands of the alien Imperatrix Virago – and now her gruesome sights are set on our world. As Earth’s chosen protector, the Geomancer named Tama fights for her life, while the Eternal Warrior goes on the ultimate mission through the perilous realm of the Deadside to find the secret to saving her…and the entire planet in the process.

This is an exciting time for Valiant. The long anticipated The Life and Death of Toyo Harada is due to hit shelves any day now, Livewire is beginning to pick up steam, and The Forgotten Queen is looking to be a sleeper hit. But it’s Incursion that has this reviewer most excited; chiefly because it features Gilad Anni-Padda, the Eternal Warrior (though I can’t deny LADOTH isn’t high on my list, either).

Conveniently enough, Incursion is what we’re talking about today, and, spoiler alert, it’s pretty freaking great.

Andy Diggle and Alex Paknadel  wasted no time in establishing the threat and setting the tone for the story in the first issue, and they keep the plot rolling here at a steady pace. Picking up almost immediately after the conclusion of the first issue, we follow Gilad as he seeks aid for Tama’s condition. The ensuing scenes show a subtly touchy (and touching) Gilad as he fusses over the young Geomancer, with his advanced years and experience showing through in an interesting, yet almost throwaway line about the sound of dry leaves over flagstones. Which brings me to an aspect of the comic that could easily be over looked; the dialogue between Gilad and Doctor Mirage. It’s incredibly well written, with each character clearly owning their own voice, culminating in an almost terrifying question for the Valiant universe (though the answer, one can argue, can be gleaned from The Valiant).

The reason the dialogue can be over looked so easily is because Doug Braithwaite and Diego Rodriguez are working with an almost symbiotic relationship – there are fine details from Braithwaite that Rodriguez highlights that seem almost too subtle to be intentional. The furrow in Gilad’s brow when he’s leaning over Tama, the concern in Doctor Mirage’s eyes… and the gradual scrapes and tears to Gilad’s clothing. Subtle details that add more to the story than you’d expect.

Up until this point, I’ve only been talking about the first nine pages of the comic; there’s a lot of comic here to dissect, a lot of comic to absorb – you certainly get a good bang for your buck here. The rest of the comic remains at a consistently high quality level, although there are moments of pure brilliance sprinkled throughout – whether it is from the art, the dialogue or the plot as a whole, this comic offers something very special.

If you wondered, you don’t need to be a Valiant fan to enjoy this story (of course, it helps). You can read this easily as a standalone story because the creative team are able to easily impart the depth of Gilad and Tama’s relationship and the weight it bears. The stakes in the comic are world-endingly high, but because the central pillar of the story is the relationship between Geomancer and the Eternal Warrior, the one against many nature of the story doesn’t seem out of place or conceited. It feels just right.

Incursion #2 is, once again a great comic. The series is on pace to end up as one of my very favorite Valiant stories – and certainly one of Valiant’s very best.

Story: Andy Diggle and Alex Paknadel
 Pencils: Doug Braithwaite 
Colours: Diego Rodriguez
Letters: Marshal Dillon 
Story: 9.3 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.4 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review