Tag Archives: valiant and quarantine

Our Favorite Modern X-O Manowar Covers

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X-O Manowar gets the spotlight this week as the second winner of Valiant‘s “Hero of the Week. Fans chose him over Livewire, Rai and Archer & Armstrong, we (well, me) thought it would be a great chance to highlight some of our favorite covers featuring the character. All of these covers will be post the 2012 relaunch of Valiant and are shown in no particular order.

The below covers are some of the most striking, iconic or just plain cool images across the various series published since Valiant relaunched.

I’ll be totally honest with you; I had to stop adding covers to this gallery after a certain point because there are far too many great X-O Manowar comic book covers spread across more than 75 different single issues (each with at least two or three variant covers).

Sound off on your favorite covers below!

Valiant Hero Of The Week: X-O Manowar vs. Livewire vs. Rai vs. Archer and Armstrong

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Every Monday for the next few weeks, Valiant Entertainment is running a poll on their Twitter feed to provide fans with some escapism while new comics are in short supply. The poll allows Valiant fans the opportunity to select the Hero Of The Week from four choices – this week, the poll features X-O Manowar, Livewire, Rai and Archer & Armstrong. That week’s hero will then be the focus of free pdfs featuring the character, videos from Valiant staff, giveaways and more.

At Graphic Policy, we’re going to be running a spotlight on the winning character all week through various features depending on the character, but at the very least you’ll see our favorite covers and stories.

But Valiant has a lot of great characters, and it’d be a shame to not let you know which stories to read to get to know some of them a little more in case they don’t end up winning the fan vote. This week’s characters are a prime example of this, and the exact reason that we wanted to shine a little light on all four ahead of the week.

Below you’ll find a brief snapshot of the character and a trade paperback or two to check out. For fun, I’ll also note who I think is most likely to win (bear in mind this is being written on Sunday).

X-O Manowar

Who is he? A warrior from around 500AD who was abducted by aliens and somehow acquired the most powerful weapon in the galaxy. The sentient sacred armour of Shanhara.

What should you read? There are a lot of great X-O Manowar stories to choose from, some set in the past before he was taken by aliens, some set at various points in time thereafter. If I had to choose just one story… I’d probably start you at the very beginning of the second volume from 2017, X-O Manowar: Soldier. X-O has left Earth and everyone he knows behind, and finds himself on a new planet where nobody knows who he his. Why has he forsaken the armour he has bonded with? Well dear reader, all may be revealed eventually over the course of Matt Kindt’s twenty five odd issue run with the character.

Purchase: Amazon – Kindle – comiXology

Livewire

Who is she? A psiot who can talk to technology, Livewire has always been a complicated person. Right now her position in the Valiant Universe is tenuous at best after the events of Harbinger Wars II, but the character has been involved in some pretty interesting stories over the years – some far better than others.

What should you read? Secret Weapons. This isn’t strictly a Livewire story, but it does focus on a group of outcasts with utterly useless powers that Livewire gathers together for their protection because they’re being hunted by a psiot killer. This one of the best stories to come from Valiant, and is worth checking out whenever you get a chance.

Purchase: Amazon – Kindle – comiXology

Rai

Who is he? The guardian of New Japan, a floating city orbiting the earth in the year 4001 A.D., Rai protects the city and serves the will of Father, the AI who runs New Japan.

What should you read? I want to tell you read the 2019 Rai series, but it hasn’t been collected yet, so instead, start with the first volume of the first series, Rai: Welcome To New Japan. Because Rai’s story is set apart from the rest of the Valiant universe in many ways, it’s really easy to follow across the first volume of Rai, 4001 A.D. and Fallen World. So start at the beginning.

Purchase: Amazon – Kindle – comiXology – TFAW

Archer & Armstrong

Who are they? Yes, they. Archer is a young man trained from birth by a secret religious sect in every possible form of combat to take down the devil incarnate. Armstrong is, according to the religious sect who trained Archer, the devil incarnate because of his hedonistic lifestyle that has carried on for millennia. Yes, Armstrong is immortal. Yes, he’s partied his way through history. But is he really the devil incarnate? Depends who you ask, I guess.

What should you read? It has been a long time since I read the 2012 volume of this series, but even still it still sticks with me. For that reason, Archer And Armstrong: The Michelangelo Code is the story that you should be reading. Not only is it a great story, it’s also only $10 or so (recommended retail price).

Purchase: Amazon – Kindle – comiXology – TFAW

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Valiant Hero Of The Week: Bloodshot

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Every Monday for the next few weeks, Valiant Entertainment is running a poll on Twitter to provide fans with some escapism while new comics are in short supply. The poll allows Valiant fans the opportunity to select the “Hero Of The Week” from four choices – this week, the poll featured Bloodshot, Ninjak, Punk Mambo, and Quantum & Woody. That week’s hero will then be the focus of free pdfs featuring the character, videos from Valiant staff, giveaways and more.

This week’s winner, perhaps unsurprisingly, was…

Bloodshot

Who is he? A dead man brought back to life with billions of tiny machines in his blood that grant him enhanced strength, stamina and an incredible ability to heal from anything. This dude makes Deadpool look frail. Bloodshot is also the only Valiant character to be featured in a major motion picture with Sony’s Bloodshot released just before North America began to shut down due to the pandemic. You can find it digitally now if you didn’t see it in theaters, and because of that, I won’t go too much into his background because the movie does a pretty solid job of capturing the essence of the character.

What should you read?

Bloodshot Reborn: Colorado. Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Mico Suayan, this is the beginning of one of my favorite runs in comics that stretches through Reborn, USA and Salvation. Picking up just after Bloodshot has regained his humanity after being freed of his nanites, the former super-soldier finds himself a shadow of what he was. So why does he feel so guilty about a string of murders he has no connection to? You’ve really got to read this to appreciate how well Lemire toys with your emotional connection to the character – and Suayan’s art has to be seen to be believed. This is a great starting point for a different kind of superhero story that’s more horror noir than capes and cowls, and it doesn’t require you to learn an extensive history about the character if you don’t want to. But if you do, then this won’t ruin any of the previous stories the character has featured in other than part of The Valiant‘s climax.

Buy Now: Amazon – Kindle – comiXology – TFAW

Bloodshot: Definitive Edition. This book contains the first baker’s dozen plus a zero issue of the 2012 Bloodshot series. With all but the zero issue being written by Duane Swierczynski (Matt Kindt handles the zero issue), this is the place to go if you want to learn more about the Bloodshot you’ve seen in the movies. The Definitive Edition takes Bloodshot from the character’s first appearance in the relaunched Valiant universe and fleshes out a lot more of the character, with much of the movie being inspired by what you’ll read here. There are other stories in the list I’ve enjoyed more, but none give you as clear a starting point to the character as this one.

Buy Now: Amazon – Kindle – comiXology

The Valiant written by Matt Kindt and Jeff Lemire isn’t strictly a Bloodshot story, but the character does feature prominently in the book. You’ll probably see this book featured in a couple different character’s reading lists over the coming weeks because the book does feature a lot of the major Valiant heroes.As an introduction to the Valiant universe as a whole, this is brilliant, but it’s also the bridge between Bloodshot and Bloodshot Reborn and is a pretty key moment in Bloodshot’s story as it transitions between series. The premise is centered around a loose group of allies headed by the Eternal Warrior trying to stop the Immortal Enemy from murdering the Geomancer, the person who speaks for the planet. For over ten thousand years, the Eternal Warrior has protected the Earth and her chosen voice from countless threats. He has failed only three times at the hands of the Immortal Enemy, with each failure ushering in a dark period in humanity. With the Immortal Enemy returning once again, the Eternal Warrior has gathered the heroes of the Valiant Universe to protect the Geomancer.

Buy Now: Amazon Hardcover/Paperback – Kindle – comiXology – TFAW

Bloodshot: Book One Contrary to what you might be expecting, this is actually one of the newest books that Valiant have released as it collects the first three issues of the 2019 Bloodshot as well as the Bloodshot Free Comic Book Day Special from the same year. This book is a frantic, fast paced story that will give you barely half a second to breath throughout the duration. We find a fresh take on the character here courtesy of Tim Seeley that doesn’t wipe away the previous work other writers have done on the character, but it also doesn’t rely on said work. If you’re new to the character then this one of the best places to start that isn’t the beginning (which you can find in The Definitive Edition), and it’s especially ideal if you want an action comic that’s pure fun. There’s less substance here than in some of the above books, but this is the one to read if you want to turn your brain off and just enjoy the comics.

Buy Now: Amazon – Kindle – comiXology – Zeus Comics

It’s worth noting that you can get Deluxe Editions of many of these stories that collect what amounts to three trades in a hardcover. They are comparatively better value, but present a higher initial cost (based on standard retail pricing not including sales and discounts).

The above options are all good starting points for you if you’re wanting to learn more about Valiant’s unstoppable killing machine.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site.

Our Favorite Modern Bloodshot Covers

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With Valiant focusing on Bloodshot this week in their inaugural “Hero of the Week” spotlight after fans chose him over Ninjak, Punk Mambo and Quantum & Woody, we (well, me) thought it would be a great chance to highlight some of our favorite covers featuring the character. All of these covers will be post the 2012 relaunch of Valiant and are shown in no particular order.

The below covers are some of the most striking, iconic or just plain cool images across the various series published since Valiant relaunched.

As I look at the above images, I realize that a lot of my favorite covers are the first issue of some form or another…

Sound off on your favorite covers below!

Valiant Hero Of The Week: Bloodshot vs. Ninjak vs. Punk Mambo vs. Quantum & Woody

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Every Monday for the next few weeks, Valiant Entertainment is running a poll on their Twitter feed to provide fans with some escapism while new comics are in short supply. The poll allows Valiant fans the opportunity to select the Hero Of The Week from four choices – this week, the poll features Bloodshot, Ninjak, Punk Mambo, and Quantum & Woody. That week’s hero will then be the focus of free pdfs featuring the character, videos from Valiant staff, giveaways and more.

At Graphic Policy, we’re going to be running a spotlight on the winning character all week through various features depending on the character, but at the very least you’ll see our favorite covers and stories.

But Valiant has a lot of great characters, and it’d be a shame to not let you know which stories to read to get to know some of them a little more in case they don’t end up winning the fan vote. This week’s characters are a prime example of this, and the exact reason that we wanted to shine a little light on all four ahead of the week. Today’s poll is between Bloodshot, Ninjak, Punk Mambo, and Quantum & Woody.

Below you’ll find a brief snapshot of the character and a trade paperback or two to check out. For fun, I’ll also note who I think is most likely to win (bear in mind this is being written on Sunday).

Bloodshot

Who is he? A dead man brought back to life with billions of tiny machines in his blood that grant him enhanced strength, stamina and an incredible ability to heal from anything. This dude makes Deadpool look frail. Bloodshot is also the only Valiant character to be featured in a major motion picture with Sony’s Bloodshot released just before North America began to shut down due to the pandemic. You can find it digitally now if you didn’t see it in theaters, and because of that, I won’t go too much into his background because the movie does a pretty solid job of capturing the essence of the character. If I was putting money on anything, it’d be that Bloodshot wins this week’s poll.

What should you read? Valiant have published a lot of really good Bloodshot comics over the years, but if I had to tell you to read just one story arc it would be Bloodshot Reborn: Colorado. Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Mico Suayan, this is the beginning of one of my favorite runs in comics. Picking up just after Bloodshot has regained his humanity after being freed of his nanites, the former super-soldier finds himself a shadow of what he was. So why does he feel so guilty about a string of murders he has no connection to? You’ve really got to read this to appreciate how well Lemire toys with your emotional connection to the character – and Suayan’s art has to be seen to be believed.

Ninjak

Who is he? A blend of Batman and James Bond. Colin King is at the peak of human conditioning, both physical and mental, has access to near limitless financial resources, and also works on contract for MI6 as a high tech ninja operative. If you’re looking for something familiar from Valiant, then you’d think that Ninjak would scratch the Batman itch, but unlike Batman, Ninjak has no problem using his weapons to their full deadly potential. Although Ninjak has yet to feature in a movie, he was the star of Ninjak Vs. The Valiant Universe, a webseries produced by Bat In The Sun that you can probably find on Youtube now.

What should you read? Ninjak: Weaponeer. This collection covers the first five issues of Ninjak’s Valiant Entertainment relaunch, and is written by Matt Kindt and features Clay Mann, Butch Guice, and Juan Jose Ryp‘s artistic talents. This is where you’ll want to go for your introduction to the character, despite his first appearance coming in an issue of X-O Manowar a couple of years prior. We’re (re)introduced to Colin King and discover how he became Ninjak in flashbacks that twin with the present as King hunts down the Shadow Seven.

Punk Mambo

Who is she? A sarcastic biting magician in the vein of John Constantine, Punk Mambo has very few figs to give about anybody. Her complete disregard for authority is fitting given the character’s name, and as such she works incredibly well against characters with a more straightforward motivation seen in books like Rapture or her self titled miniseries.

What should you read? Of all the characters in today’s poll, Punk Mambo is the one who hasn’t had that many appearances I’ve actually read. She first appeared in Shadowman #13, which is a series I haven’t even come close to finishing yet (I’ve got the first eight issues, so haven’t seen her introduction). My introduction to the character came in the story I’m going to recommend to you; Ninjak: Operation Deadside. Watching Punk Mambo and Ninjak interact with each other is one of the absolute highlights of the story as she ends up being the foil to everything Ninjak says and does. It was this story that got me hooked on the character, so I’m hoping you’ll have the same result.

Quantum and Woody

Who are they? Yes, they. While one can wonder about the technicality of including two characters as one, Quantum and Woody are inseparable. Including one and not the other would make as much sense as playing football without a ball. It’s just not the same. Quantum and Woody are adoptive brothers who must touch the golden bracelets on their arms once every 24 hours or they’ll explode into nothingness – potentially taking the planet with them. That the brothers are polar opposites only makes the comics even better; Eric Henderson, aka Quantum, hides his identity to protect those around him because he wants to be a hero. Woody Henderson doesn’t. He’s all about the fame.

What should you read? Honestly, the Quantum and Woody story I’m the most taken with is the one being released currently. However, that’s not ideal for you if you’re looking to check them out now because the last two issues will be released…. eventually. Instead, then, I’ll point you to Quantum And Woody: The World’s Worst Superhero Team because it’ll introduce these guys to you in the most honest way possible. The title alone should give you an idea as to what you should expect; this book isn’t dark and moody but is injected with humor as it deals with the estranged brother’s relationship and their new place in the world.

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