In Livewire #8, wanted fugitive Livewire reveals that the Psiot Security & Education Program is the evil organization OMEN to the world!

Will Phoebe Daniels choose to defend OMEN or go with Livewire and fight?

Valiant‘s Livewire #8, written by Vita Ayala and featuring Kano‘s artistic talents, brings the second arc of the series to a close. Oh boy, what a close.

Perhaps one of my favorite things about this series is how Vita Ayala has yet to explicitly cast Livewire as a hero in her own book. Ayala has been able to explore the moral and ethical grey areas in what it means to be a hero; Livewire is determined to save a group of kids from a government sponsored program whether they want to be saved or not. With a comic so steeped in the question of choice and consequences, it’s refreshing to see Ayala step back from the traditional black and white, good and evil type of positioning in the comic and instead give us a story about fallible people trying to do what they think is right.

It allows the reader to form a much more intricate opinion free from the writer giving us a heavy handed hint about how we should feel, and the entire series has been stronger for the willingness to show both sides of the coin; that this is a tale about the redemption of Livewire (in her own eyes if not in the eyes of the world at large), but there’s also another layer to the redemptive aspect of the series. Just as this arc has also introduced Phoebe Daniels, showing her journey as she came of age as a young psiot in a world that wants to use kids like her as a weapon.

Livewire #8 is a great closing point for the current arc, while also serving as a starting point for the next four issues of the comic. Amanda McKee is a complicated character, and the way Ayala is writing this series brings that into stark focus as McKee has to deal with the conflict between her reputation and her ideologies. Which makes for a great between the lines tale as we read the action on the page.

Ayala’s talent shines through in how they handle this book, and the writer proves once again why this series should be considered one of Valiant’s best, and why you need to pay attention to the comics they write in the future.

And speaking of talent, Kano is yet again on top form here. There’s another fight scene between the same combatants as last issue, though somehow the artist extraordinaire has recaptured the brutally intense fight scene from last issue and turned it up again in the arc’s finale. It’s a highlight of the comic, as are the layouts; even on a review pdf they were incredible, so I can’t wait to see how they look in print when I get my copy tomorrow morning.

Livewire is one of Valiant’s stronger series, and it’s one that has been gaining momentum in the quality department as Ayala crafts a fantastic tale about a very grounded and human superhero which makes for some great comics.

Story: Vita Ayala Art: Kano
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Story: 9.1 Art: 9.2 Overall: 9.1 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

The masterminds behind the Psiot Security and Education Program are uncovered in Livewire #7! Can Livewire save Phoebe and avoid being captured? Plus: Phoebe’s backstory is revealed!

You know that feeling you get in your gut when something isn’t quite right? It’s like when you know you’ve forgotten something. You leave the house to take the dog for a walk, but can’t quite place it. You pull up to the dog park and the pooch is being unusually quiet? It’s only then you realize that something isn’t quite right (I don’t have a dog, by the way).

That’s the feeling I got when reading Valiant’s Livewire #7 written by Vita Ayala and featuring Kano‘s artistic talents.

And speaking of talent, Kano is a tour-de-force in this issue. There’s a brutally intense fight scene early in the comic. As the scene progresses the colors become more and more red as the anger and rage between the combatants increases. And then it stops suddenly, the fight over. There’s a flash of the anger red hue a moment later. How Kano has framed the action and facial expressions the intensity never leaves the comic. Then there are the softer yellows and colder blues of the later comic. Kano matches the color scheme to the emotional content of the story. You’re never explicitly told how to feel. You know how the characters are feeling because of the backgrounds and the panel layout before you ever have to look at the art itself.

Ayala’s pacing with Livewire #7 leaves this as one of the better issues in the series so far; we see beneath Livewire’s reputation and get to glimpse the woman who just wants to help people – despite her actions in the past, we’re being reminded that at her core, Amanda McKee is still a hero. But the characters within the Valiant Universe may not realize that just now. This series may not have had the immediate connection with me that some of Valiant’s other series have, but the deeper that Ayala dives into Livewire’s psyche, the more I am enjoying the series.

Livewire is one of the rare series Valiant has right now that has more than five issues, and Ayala is proving why a longer run with a character can pay dividends in the long run. This is an incredibly enjoyable comic on every level, and it comes highly recommended from yours truly.

Story: Vita Ayala Art: Kano
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.2 Overall: 9.1 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review