Tag Archives: valiant

Mini Reviews: Two Debuts. Faith Returns and Ain’t No Grave!

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Ain't No Grave #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Faith Returns #1 (Valiant/Alien Books) – I haven’t read Valiant in a minute, but this was a fun comic from Jody Houser and Aleta Vidal as fangirl/pop culture journalist (In this economy!)/force field wielding superhero Faith must clear her name after her worst enemies framed her as a villain in a previous series. Faith Returns #1 brings in Archer and Armstrong as guest stars, and there’s a jaunty, road movie feel to the comic as they try to track down the baddies and end up in Sin City. Vidal brings the bright colors and action, and there’s some humor in the comic too like a magic-themed villain performing at a crusty motel instead of the Vegas Strip or how no one uses Faith’s actual superhero name, Zephyr. Houser does a good job of showing how Faith’s superhero/science fiction fandom help her process the world around her even though the sci-fi cursing can be a little much at times. Just say “fuck”, girl. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

Ain’t No Grave #1 (Image) – Ain’t No Grave is a Western with a literally killer premise and even more beautiful art from Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, and Jean-Francois Beaulieu. The book follows a female gunslinger-turned-family woman named Ryder who is diagnosed with a terminal condition and must go on an arduous journey to cure it somehow. Like a fever dream, the book flashes between past and present with Beaulieu’s palette ranging from John Ford-esque vistas to ghostly pale. The extended length allows for a lot of establishing shots for Corona and also lays the emotional bedrock of the series which Ryder’s relationship with her partner Darius and daughter. I love the subtle changes in body language when Ryder is being a mom, and when she’s back in badass mode. Ain’t No Grave reminds me a lot of one of my favorite, Westerns, but with more of a supernatural bent and is an engaging slow burn of a read. Overall: 8.8 Verdict: Buy

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Energon Universe Special #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Ain’t No Grave #1 (Image Comics) – Skottie Young and Jorge Corona teaming for a Western/fantasy? Yeah, we’re down for this.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #6 (IDW Publishing) – Great art and great concept of taking cute art and mixing it with the serial killer genre have resulted in a hell of a series.

Blood Hunters #1/Dracula: Blood Hunt #1 (Marvel) – Blood Hunt’s debut issue was fantastic and hooked us on Marvel’s summer event involving vampires finally making their move to take over the Earth.

The Boy Wonder #1 (DC Comics/DC Black Label) – Juni Ba makes his mark on Damian Wayne!

Crocodile Black #1 (BOOM! Studios) – A murder during the pandemic, the first issue is an intriguing one setting up a mystery as to what exactly is going on.

Deadweights #2 (Ahoy Comics) – The story about henchmen trying to find their way got us intrigued with the first issue and we want to see where this comedic take goes.

The Deviant #5 (Image Comics) – The series has been fantastic with a Silence of the Lambs vibe that we have no idea where it’s going.

The Devil That Wears My Face #6 (Mad Cave Studios) – Face/Off meets The Exorcist and it has been awesome with every issue. We have no idea how it’s going to conclude and we’re excited to find out.

Energon Universe Special #1 (Skybound) – Released on Free Comic Book Day, the comic gets new covers and if you didn’t grab a copy and reading the Energon Universe comics, this is one you can’t miss!

Faith Returns #1 (Alien Books/Valiant) – We’re excited to see what Faith’s return is all about! Such a great character and we’re hoping for some classic fun.

Mugshots #1 (Mad Cave Studios) – The kidnapping of a young woman sets in motion a chain of events that will set con artists, gangsters, killers and corrupt police on a collision course. Sounds like the type of film we’d sit down to watch and enjoy.

The One Hand #4 (Image Comics) – A great mystery involving a serial killer. If you like that genre, this is one you can’t miss!

Transformers #8 (Skybound) – The second arc has been solid so far and this issue is packed with drama, action, and surprises. It takes some classic concepts and brings them into this new take on the classic Transformers!

The Valiants #1 (Alien Books/Valiant) – There’s a big event coming in the Valiant Universe and we’re diving in to check it all out!

Underrated: Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior

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This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior.

wotewJust under a year and a half aog, Valiant Entertainment released a deluxe hardcover edition collecting the entire 14 issue run of Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior along with Eternal Warrior: Awakening #1. Fifteen comics presented in an over-sized hardcover along with 20 odd pages of bonus extras that add a lot for  those interested in the process of the creation of the series, all for $49.99. And yes, I did buy this myself (and happily so) despite having access to the review copies and single issues I had picked up when released.

This series remains one of my all time favourites, so getting a chance to read it all in one spot was something I couldn’t pass up.

But despite this being one of my all time greats, it wasn’t until about the midway point that I fell for the series. Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior didn’t start out as a series that wowed me. The first four issues seemed to struggle with pacing and the art style, especially given the series billing as a follow-up to the explosively exciting Book Of Death miniseries that (spoiler) ended in the Eternal Warrior’s death. It’s that death, and those that follow, that form the crux of the series, but without the first four issues you don’t realize the toll taken on the Eternal Warrior with each death and resurrection cycle. The comics that I felt struggled with pacing quickly became some of the most important ground-setting in modern comics – a lesson that I took to heart, and quickly so.

Comics, like all stories, need time to breath.

It would also be fair to say that the art team of Raul Allen and Patricia Martin were not immediately to my taste. In furtherance to that, it would also be fair to say that my taste quickly changed as the series progressed and the elegance and artistic genius of the husband and wife team gave me a new appreciation of the majesty of sequential art.  There are other artists who contribute to the series, all with a fantastic level of talent; it’s these contributions that give the series the honour of being one of the most visually stunning and diverse pieces of sequential art published by Valiant.

Robert Venditti has written some incredible comics in his time, but one of the finest examples of his work comes in the fourteen issue run of Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior. Taking you on a journey through history,  across continents and beyond death, Venditti weaves an incredibly deep tale that reveals a different layer upon each subsequent reading.

It’s also violent as all hell in places, which should satisfy the need we have for a bit of blood and conflict in our comics, but there’s also a deep emotional story here that cannot – and should not – go ignored. The Eternal Warrior is an ancient being, and his life has not always been sunshine and roses – but he still picks himself up and dusts himself off.

Isn’t there a saying that’s roughly it isn’t how many times we fall, but how many times we pick ourselves up?

Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior is a fantastic series, and I envy those of you who get to read the entire thing in one sitting; the deluxe hardcover is worth picking up for that series alone, which is why I haven’t mentioned Eternal Warrior: Awakening at any point in this week’s column because that’s the cherry on top of the fantastic main course. Mixed metaphors aside, Awakening is another really good comic, and serves as another nice bonus for those who buy the collection.

I’ll  make no secret of my abject love for this series, indeed the fact I own both the individual issues and the deluxe hardcover when I also have access to the review copies should hopefully speak volumes to that love. It’s a love that I genuinely believe you’ll share when you give the series a chance – it’s an underrated gem.

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.

Underrated: Eternal Warrior: Sword of the Wild

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This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Eternal Warrior: Sword of the Wild

It should be no secret to you that I am a huge fan of Valiant comics. I’ve also made no secret of my love for the Eternal Warrior. But a lot of that love stems from Book Of Death and Wrath of the Eternal Warrior, and not his first solo series offered since Valiant’s 2012 relaunch, the eponymously titled Eternal Warrior. I first read that series shortly after Book Of Death and didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to, and although I’ve heard mixed opinions on it since, I wanted to give the first four issues in the series another chance (you can find them collected as Sword Of The Wild, hence the full title of this week’s column, and what I’ll be referring to them as going forward).

The back of the trade dressing (apparently) reads;

Soldier. Guardian. Warrior. Legend. Across ten millennia and a thousand battlefields, Gilad Anni-Padda has traversed the darkest, most mysterious corners of history. But the horror and bloodshed of constant warfare has finally taken its toll on the man myth calls the Eternal Warrior…and he has abdicated his duties as the Fist and the Steel of Earth for a quiet life of seclusion. But when a blood vendetta from the distant past suddenly reappears in the modern day, he must decide if he will return to the ways of war…for the child who betrayed him thousands of years ago…

Before rereading Sword of the Wild I realised that I had to look at the book as its own entity, removed from the larger continuity of the Valiant universe as a whole. This realisation came because for me Sword of the Wild doesn’t tie in to the portrayal of the Eternal Warrior we were given in Unity, and subsequently Book Of Death and Wrath of the Eternal Warrior (although the latter two came after Sword of the Wild) nor the general continuity Valiant had built at the time. Once I had taken that mentality with the book,  I sat down, opened the front cover and got started… and was immediately transported to what felt like a reimagination of the 90’s era Eternal Warrior.

I say this because although the book doesn’t lot in as well with the Valiant continuity as other books and series have done, it’s still a really enjoyable read. More so than I initially expected. When you look at this book as a standlone story about an immortal warrior finally having enough of the world’s shit and just wants to live the rest of his long days in peace (or at least a portion of them), and remove any preconcieved notions of how it could or should fit into the other stories featuring Gilad Anni-Padda, then you’ll find that there’s a really compelling four issue arc here.

Just on that maybe lines up better with the pre-relaunch Valiant comics than the Valiant Entertainment era.

I really enjoyed this book – far more than I expected to. So why is it today’s subject? Because I hear very few people talk about this volume with the enthusiasm the character deserves because it doesn’t fit the larger Valiant continuity as well as it could. But as a standalone story? It’s pretty good – that’s why the book is Underrated.

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.

Underrated: Crecy

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This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Crecy.

I’ve always been interested by the middle ages, and the English use of the longbow. In part because it’s the origin of one of my favourite hand gestures to use (especially in North America when so few actually know what I’m doing in pictures). Needless to say, when I saw that gesture over a bloody St. George’s cross, I grabbed the book off the shelf. And then noticed that it was a Warren Ellis book.

I am by no means an authority on the Battle of Crecy. I only really know of a few accounts through Wikipedia articles and their sources and the Bernard Cornwall novels surrounding an English Archer named Thomas of Hookton, with the book Harlequin telling the tale of the battle from his perspective. So I won’t claim to know that this book is 100% historically accurate, but it is as faithful a telling as you’re likely to find from the eyes of an archer – whether in a textbook or not.

Ellis utilizes a lead character who frequently addresses the audience when telling the battle’s story and events, showing knowledge of modern times without ever indicating that he knows he’s in a fictional story. It’s an effective story device, and one that I really enjoy for this type of story (but I hope we don’t see it over used, either). The black and white are hides some of the violence, but serves to highlight the mayhem and carnage of the day.

Crecy is a great book – worth every penny of the cover price, and far more Underrated than it should be.

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.

Underrated: A Random Selection Of TPBs

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This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: a somewhat random selection of trade paperbacks..

This week I wanted to highlight books that have either already appeared in this column, or haven’t appeared yet (but that I plan to cover in more detail in the future). There’ll be no real order here, but each book will be a jumping on point of some kind into a series that are each absolutely worth reading.

Voracious: Diners Dinosaurs and Dives (Action Lab) The elevator pitch for this series is pretty simple and immediately interesting; time travelling chef hunts dinosaurs. But as catchy as that is, it does a disservice to Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr’s series. Across two miniseries (or two trades), the pair have created a story with more flavours than a tyrannosaur steak; there’s a cop drama, genuinely funny and heart warming moments, a deeper exploration of the mechanics of time travel than you’d necessarily expect and some straight up action sequences. This is easily one of the most exciting comic series I’ve read in the last five year (the final part of the trilogy launches in the next couple of months).

God Country (Image) The concept for this story is pretty unique and straight forward; a man with Alzheimer’s regains his memory when holding a mysterious sentient sword. The only problem is, the sword apparently belongs to some space gods… God Country is one of Donny Cates finest stories, and one that has the potential to hit a lot of us who have experienced a loved one suffering with this horrible disease. There’s also an undertone about discovering who you once were, who you are, and the question of whether a sentient sword is a possession or a free being. Plus, with this being made into a movie in the future, you’ll want to read this sooner than later.

Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior: Risen (Valiant) Hardly surprising I’d include a Valiant book, and Risen is the introductory story to one of Valiant’s finest fourteen issue runs in recent memory. This chapter tells the story of how the Eternal Warrior comes back to life each and every time he dies – another simple concept, but one that weighs heavier and heavier each time you see him fall later in the series.

Sex Criminals (Image) Sometimes you just really need a good crime story. And despite the title, this isn’t about sex criminals, but criminals who have sex and then commit a crime. Because every time they orgasm time freezes so they choose to rob a bank (or take a shit in their bosses office). As you do.

Letter 44: Vol I (Oni Press) I had very little idea what this was about when I picked up the first trade, but quickly discovered that it tells the story of humanity’s first contact with extraterrestrial beings, and the president who chose to keep their existence a secret (all the while perpetuating wars to give his soldiers combat experience and developing incredible technology to combat the potential threat). Equal parts political intrigue and science fiction story, I’m still not sure whether the tension is higher in space than it is on Earth, but the story is freaking amazing.

Ether (Dark Horse) A tale about a scientist who can travel inter-dimensionally, Ether explores what would happen if said scientist arrived in a world where magic, not science is the rule of law – but what is magic but as-yet unexplained science?

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.

See what’s coming from Alien Books and Valiant in March 2024

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BRITANNIA: THE GREAT FIRE OF ROME (one shot)

Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Alvaro Papagiani
Cover by Agustin Alessio
Variant Cover by Nico Di Mattia
64 pages
In Shops: Mar 6, 2024
SRP: $12.99

Return to Ancient Rome with the great detector Antonius Axia. While Rome is aflame, Nero fiddles, and Axia is set to find out who started the great fire, what’s up with all the strangers in town, and what they have to do with any of it.

BRITANNIA: THE GREAT FIRE OF ROME (one shot)
BRITANNIA: THE GREAT FIRE OF ROME (one shot)
BRITANNIA: THE GREAT FIRE OF ROME (one shot)

BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED: RELOADED (Book one of two)

Written by Deniz Camp & Mauro Mantella
Art by Al Barrionuevo
Cover by Agustin Alessio
Variant Cover by Al Barrionuevo
48 pages
In Shops: Mar 13, 2024
SRP: $9.99

Bloodshot is back and bloodier than ever. Hit the street with Bloodshot as he tries to hang onto his sanity and humanity while monsters from his past hunt him down.

Get ready for chaos and the return of Bloodsquirt!

BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED: RELOADED (Book one of two)
BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED: RELOADED (Book one of two)

LIVEWIRE & THE SECRET WEAPONS (One shot)

Written by Steven Grant
Art by Various Artists
Cover by Agustin Alessio
Variant Cover by Miguel Sepulveda
56 pages
In Shops: Mar 13, 2024
SRP: $12.99

Livewire and her friends live under the grid in Costa Rica. While the Secret Weapons hone their skills, Amanda tries to come to terms with life off the World Wide Web. But when an attack comes from within, can she fight off technology when it attacks by surprise? When she can’t even see the enemy?

LIVEWIRE & THE SECRET WEAPONS (One shot)
LIVEWIRE & THE SECRET WEAPONS (One shot)

NINJAK: SUPERKILLERS (Hardcover)

Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Javier Pulido & Mike Norton
Cover by Dave Johnson
200 pages
In Shops: Mar 27, 2024
SRP: $29.99

Colin King is NINJAK, an ex-MI6 superspy who is second to none. There is no target that Colin cannot strike, no mission that he cannot complete. But what happens to the world’s greatest secret agent when all of his secrets are exposed? The entire criminal underworld has Ninjak in their sights…

How will the undercover operative survive when there’s nowhere left to hide?

Collecting:
NINJAK (2021) #1–4
NINJAK: SUPERKILLERS (2023) #1-2

NINJAK: SUPERKILLERS (Hardcover)

ENDROLL BACK (Book 1 of 3)

Written by Kantetsu
Art and cover by Haruna Nakazato
266 pages
In Shops: Mar 13, 2024
SRP: $13.99

After Yuuka’s suicide, her brother
Asaharu is desperate for answers… and his guardian angel wants to help. This divine intervention may be closer to a deal with the Devil, though… “You have to kill Yuuka’s killer,” she says. “If you do that, I’ll bring her back to life.” Is he willing to bet his own life for a chance to save his sister? He may not like the answer that awaits him at the end of this twisted game!

For fans of Boy’s Abyss, For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams and Takopi’s Original Sin.

ENDROLL BACK (Book 1 of 3)

FAKE REBELLION (Book 1 of 2)

Written by Yuchang Sasaki
Art and cover by Yuchang Sasaki
204 pages
In Shops: Mar 20, 2024
SRP: $12.99

In a nightmarish future, humans fell under the control of the Machine Empire and were ranked according to arbitrary ranks. The princess of the former Einheit empire, Hanamiya Kikuhoin, along with a devoted group of low-rank war orphans, dreams of revolution. Humanity’s last hope, the “Mortal Genesis Impulse”, will open up the path to the future!

For fans of Succubus and Hitman, 86–Eighty-Six and Undead Unlock!

FAKE REBELLION (Book 1 of 2)

NYCC 2023: Join Valiant and Alien Books for signings and exclusives!

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Valiant and Alien Books NYCC 2023

Alien Books and Valiant Entertainment will be at New York Comic Con from October 12th to 15th, 2023. Find them at booth #2765.

Get ready for the Alien Books signing experience at NYCC! 

  • Liam Sharp from X-O MANOWAR UNCONQUERED
  • Deniz Camp from Bloodshot: Unleashed
  • Leandro Fernandez from Far South
  • Jok and German Peralta from Zomvikings
  • Emiliano Urdinola from A Very Valiantine’s Day Special

Portfolio Review! 

Are you an up-and-coming artist? Do you want our editors to review your portfolio for a chance to work with Alien Books? Join them at Booth 2765 during the convention from 11 AM to 12 PM each day for portfolio reviews. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your talent!

Exclusive Collectibles Alert! 

Alien Books got some fantastic collectibles waiting for you at our booth:

  • Transparent Bookmarks
  • Official Valiant Lanyard
  • Official Valiant Beanie
  • X-O Manowar Poster
  • Tote Bag

But that’s not all! For the dedicated collectors, we have something special:

  • Iridescent Limited Editions: Only 200 copies available!
  • Rare Facsimile Editions: Very limited copies available!

Underrated: X-O Manowar: Birth

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This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: X-O Manowar: Birth

The Vine are replaced with the Spider-Aliens, although aside from the name there is little that distinguishes them from the first few comics in the 2012 run. Where as the Vine become one of the more interesting and complex plot points in the VEI stories, the Spider-Aliens show little of the same qualities at this point (yes, there are signs that there is more to the Vine within the first three issues of the VEI run), but then that really just makes it easier to enjoy the battle carnage as Aric tears his way through the soldiers and corporate representatives of the Spider-Aliens.

Although you can enjoy the book without any prior knowledge, for a Valiant fan of the old or new school (or both) this beautifully presented book is a must read. And most of us will seek the story out if we can, but for those not entrenched in Valiant lore, this standalone story here represents an Underrated gem from comics history.

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.

Those Two Geeks Episode 225: Matthew Klein Joins Us Again to Talk Crashing, Valiant, and Jackson Maine

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Alex, Joe and Matthew Klein talk about Matthew’s book Crashing, his multi-state signing tour and the nature of comic shops, making staff fans of comics and so much more. Check out the Crashing tour schedule below!

Matthew can be found on
Twitter @matthewklein316
Instagram @macktheknife1116
The Rhyme Scheme: https://tapas.io/episode/2830249

You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

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