VALIANT COMICS FOR SEPT. 28, 2016
The Comics Guide just got too big, so I moved these monsters to their own page.
BLOODSHOT REBORN #17
Publisher: VALIANT COMICS
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by MICO SUAYAN
Cover A by TOMAS GIORELLO
Cover B by BUTCH GUICE
Cover C by TIMOTHY GREEN II
Interlocking Variant Cover by RYAN BODENHEIM
Variant Cover by DARICK ROBERTSON
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+
Terror by twilight on BLOODSHOT ISLAND!
Trapped in a remote jungle paradise with no hope of escape, Bloodshot has discovered the secret behind the merciless technological monstrosity called Deathmate – and the truth has thrown his entire world into a tailspin of tragedy! But what revelations behind Project Rising Spirit’s horrific creation could bring even Bloodshot to his knees…and forever shatter the spirit of the man known as Ray Garrison?
New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (Moon Knight, Old Man Logan) and blockbuster artist Mico Suayan (BLOODSHOT REBORN) push their bloodstained rumble in the jungle past the point of no return with a shocking chapter that will leave the Valiant Universe reeling for years to come!
Remember the name Mico Suayan. This kid is GOOD. Everything -- boots, trees, faces, guns -- have their own distinctive (and realistic) texture. I don't know how he can do this sort of detail on a monthly book, and I expect he won't for long, so I'm enjoying it while I can.
As to the story, Bloodshot is deliberately different with each storyline, delving into one genre after another. I'm not sure what this one is, but it involves Bloodshot and his predecessors (which is impossible, since he's the first), trapped on a remote island, used as bait/prey for Deathmate, a name derived from an unfinished (?) crossover in the original Valiant, but is used here for a powerful human weapon that was formerly the Geomancer Bloodshot fell in love with (which is also impossible, as she is dead). I guess the closest analogy I've got is that Avengers Arena book of some years back, or maybe The Most Dangerous Game crossed with The Island of Dr. Moreau.
There are mysteries on mysteries topped with a lot of action, and I'm hooked. The cliffhanger at the end leads into the final issue of Bloodshot Reborn, where (hopefully) we'll get some answers, which in turn leads into next storyline, a four-issue miniseries titled Bloodshot U.S.A.
GENERATION ZERO #2
Publisher: VALIANT COMICS
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art by FRANCIS PORTELLA
Cover A by STEPHEN MOONEY
Cover B by TOM MULLER
Character Design Variant by ANDRES GUINALDO
Variant Cover by CLAYTON HENRY
$3.99 • 32 pgs. • T+
“THE FUTURE OF VALIANT”
Valiant is proud to present your first look inside GENERATION ZERO #2 – the second hard-charging issue of the next must-read series from “THE FUTURE OF VALIANT” initiative! From the mind of New York Times best-selling writer Fred Van Lente (ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, Amazing Spider-Man) and acclaimed artist Francis Portela (FAITH, Green Lantern), jump on board Valiant’s latest smash-hit series right here as four of Project Rising Spirit’s most volatile test subjects – Animalia, Cloud, Cronus, and The Telic – get ready for their first field op as free men! They’ve challenged dictators, destabilized nations, and survived the height of the HARBINGER WARS… Now, this reformed squad of soldiers are stepping off of the minefield and into the malt shop to investigate a conspiracy too strange for any old adult!
In the secretive tech oasis of Rook, Michigan, who can a teenager trust? Not the police. … Not the teachers. … And definitely not the parents. So when high schooler Keisha Sherman’s boyfriend turns up dead in an accident gone awry, she makes a desperate plea … and Generation Zero have heeded her call! But, with precision-honed military training and a taste for subverting authority, can this squad of high-powered, teenage superhumans infiltrate Rook undetected? Or is their very presence about to draw another of the town’s billion-dollar secrets into the light of day?
Now is the time to log onto network #ZERO and find out for yourself why fans and critics are calling Van Lente & Portela’s GENERATION ZERO Valiant’s next breakout blockbuster:
“An excellent introduction…” -- The A.V. Club
“✮✮✮✮✮... Another giant hit for Valiant." -- Spartantown
“✮✮✮✮✮... Fred Van Lente delivers a mysterious, heart pounding comic series.” -- Comic Bastards
“Fred Van Lente and Francis Portela take on the unenviable task of reinventing the teen superhero team book, and pull it off with aplomb.” -- Uproxx
“✮✮✮✮... [GENERATION ZERO] is looking incredibly promising.” -- Graphic Policy
"✮✮✮✮... Extremely intriguing.” -- Weird Science
“A great start... [GENERATION ZERO] has crafted a near perfect introduction to a team book.” -- Bam Smack Pow
Class is in session as Fred Van Lente and Francis Portela take Valiant’s team of human hydrogen bombs off the streets and into their first, mind-blowing monthly series in GENERATION ZERO #2 – featuring covers by Stephen Mooney (DC Comics Bombshells), Tom Muller (Wolf), Andres Guinaldo (Justice League Dark), and Clayton Henry (SAVAGE)!
I've just about had my fill of rebellious teenager stories, as I'm old enough now to know that every rebellious teenager eventually becomes an ordinary adult working an ordinary job. That's right, kids, all that energy and effort leads to no change whatsoever!
Anyway, as it turns out this teenage rebellion story isn't too bad. It actually sort of follows the original premise of the Teen Titans, back in their earliest days, when they would answer letters from teenagers who had serious teenage problems. That was pretty dopey, but this version is pretty dope. Our "superhero team" -- for lack of a better word -- answers pleas from youngsters posted on an untraceable website, and the one they answer in the first issue is pretty serious (a girl's bf has been murdered, although it's been written off as an accident). Sure, there are Mean Girls and Bullies and high school problems of that nature, but they are folded into the narrative, not the main focus. Instead, the villains are serious bad guys called "Cornermen."
And wonder of wonders, our heroes are also pretty serious. No adolescent angst, no whining, no self-important navel-gazing. These kids are Psiots (people with super-powers in the Valiant universe, all of which the result of inborn psychic abilities) who have never lived in the real world. They escaped when Bloodshot attacked Project Rising Spirit, and now they've banded together to help others. They're here to do a job, and if they didn't look so young, you wouldn't know they were teens.
And some aren't even that. I can't wait for you guys to meet Gamete the Super-Fetus. Or the bizarre, pre-adolescent Zygos twins (although I'm not sure what they really are). One girl has Beast Boy powers, only she's never seen any real animals, so she transforms into the cartoon versions she's seen on TV. There's just twist after twist on all the usual tropes, coming together to form a pretty interesting story.
And, of course, this being Valiant the art is really good.
I'm still a little on the fence -- teens, bah! -- but Generation Zero is winning me over.
X-O MANOWAR #50
Publisher: VALIANT COMICS
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI with JODY HOUSER, MATT KINDT, and PHILIP TAN
Art by JOE BENNETT and ROBERTO DE LA TORRE with DIEGO BERNARD, DOUG BRAITHWAITE, ROBERT GILL, TOMAS GIORELLO, CARY NORD, JAVIER PULIDO, PHILIP TAN, and RAFA SANDOVAL
Cover A (All-Star Jam): NEAL ADAMS, RAUL ALLEN, AL BARRIONUEVO, DIEGO BERNARD, DOUG BRAITHWAITE, DAVE BULLOCK, CAFU, ERIC CANETE, CARMEN CARNERO, SEAN CHEN, COLLEN COOVER, CLAYTON CRAIN, JAY FABARES, TOM FOWLER, MANUEL GARCIA, ROBERT GILL, ADAM GORHAM, BUTCH GUICE, BOB HALL, REBEKAH ISAACS, PHIL JIMENEZ, J.G. JONES, KANO, MATT KINDT, BOB LAYTON, MIKE LEEKE, JEFF LEMIRE, STEVE LIEBER, EMANUELA LUPACCHINO, MIKE MCKONE, STEPHEN MOONEY, CARY NORD, PAT OLLIFFE, PERE PEREZ, BRANDON PETERSON, BRENT PEEPLES, STEPHEN PLATT, RAFER ROBERTS, PAOLO RIVERA, RILEY ROSSMO, JUAN JOSE RYP, RAFA SANDOVAL, DONOVAN SANTIAGO, MARGUERITE SAUVAGE, JOE ST. PIERRE, PHILIP TAN, MICHAEL WALSH, RYAN WINN, KEVIN VANHOOK, RAMON VILLALOBOS
Cover B by PAOLO RIVERA
Cover C by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Cover D by MARCOS MARTIN
Cover E by MICO SUAYAN
Cover F by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
Cover G by SHANE DAVIS
Valiant x CGC Replica Variant by PERE PEREZ
Variant Cover by CHIP ZDARSKY
Variant Cover by PHILIP TAN
Variant Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
Variant Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
B&W Sketch Jam Cover by X-O ALL-STARS
$4.99 • 64 pgs. • T+
It's here! The greatest Valiant milestone of all time!
After unleashing a massive cast of 50 leading talents for the largest ever jam cover in comics history, Valiant is proud to release X-O MANOWAR #50 – a colossal, 64-page anniversary spectacular crash-landing in stores everywhere this September!
"This cover represents more than a year's worth of hard work on the part of Valiant's editorial team and the extraordinary cast of artists you now see before you," said Valiant Associate Director of Digital Media & Development Josh Johns. "We wanted to celebrate X-O MANOWAR #50 in the biggest way we could, and this cover is only the first surprise we have in store."
Born into battle, Aric of Dacia – heir to the throne of the Visigoth Empire – never knew peace. Raised under the oppressive thumb of the Roman Empire in fifth-century Europe, Aric’s entire existence was spent fighting a never-ending insurgency against history’s most brutal empire…until a far more terrifying enemy revealed itself and changed his destiny forever.
Abducted by a brutal race of extraterrestrials known as the Vine, Aric was forced into slavery on an alien world. Torn from his family, his people and his nation, he spent years plotting his escape…until the day came that he was able to seize a weapon of incalculable destruction – a sentient suit of alien armor – and become X-O Manowar!
Returning to Earth only to find that 1,600 years have passed during his journey across the stars, the world’s most primitive man now wields the universe’s most powerful weapon. Working in concert with Earth’s governments and other super-powered heroes like himself, Aric has defended the planet, brokered peace amongst the powerful, and even rebuilt his kingdom from the ashes of history.
But now he faces a unthinkable new foe far more terrible than any that have come before. … They are The Torment – and their name means death. Thought to be a legend by the Vine, they have now become Earth’s violent reality. As old as the universe itself, they have traveled for eons to reach us…in search of Aric of Dacia and the unstoppable X-O Manowar armor. Can Aric challenge a seemingly omnipotent threat with motives beyond the comprehension of mortal men? Will the armor truly be our world’s salvation, just as the Vine’s myths foretold? And is this the beginning of the end for X-O Manowar – or the beginning of something even bigger?
A whole new era for X-O Manowar begins here … and you won’t believe what’s coming next!
First: the seismic final story arc, "LONG LIVE THE KING," goes out in a world-shaking blaze of glory with New York Times best-selling writer and longtime scribe Robert Venditti (Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps) and extraordinary artists Joe Bennett (52) and Roberto de la Torre (Daredevil) manning the front line, alongside an all-star battalion of artists from across X-O MANOWAR's landmark 56-issue run: Cary Nord (Conan), Doug Braithwaite (ARMOR HUNTERS), Diego Bernard (NINJAK), Rafa Sandoval (Green Lantern), and Robert Gill (BOOK OF DEATH)!
Spanning X-O Manowar's five-year-long impact on the people of Earth, and setting the stage for star-spanning adventures yet to come in 2017 and beyond, no comic book fan can afford to miss the ultimate cosmic battle for the fate of Valiant's most powerful hero!
Then: From all corners, the Valiant Universe assembles to salute X-O Manowar’s unparalleled impact as one of the longest running superhero series in comics today with all-new, never-before-seen tales and tributes from Jody Houser (FAITH) & Javier Pulido (Amazing Spider-Man), Matt Kindt (DIVINITY II) & Tomas Giorello (4001 A.D.: WAR MOTHER), Philip Tan (Suicide Squad), and more along the way!
"Reaching 50 issues is no small feat in today's marketplace, and Robert Venditti, Cary Nord, Doug Braithwaite, Trevor Hairsine, Diego Bernard and Robert Gill – among a host of many others – have done an extraordinary job making X-O MANOWAR one of the most acclaimed, most vital and most deftly executed series on the stands," said Valiant Editor-in-Chief Warren Simons. "Issue #50 is a defining moment – one that will reassess not only the extraordinary journey the character has taken since 2012, but where he is headed next. This truly is the capstone for one of the most compelling and considered runs in modern comics, and the final salvo of a long-form epic that I believe will stand as one of Valiant's great achievements for years to come."
Plus: Valiant is marking 50 epic issues with a formidable line-up of covers from an all-star cast of comics greats! Leading the charge is the X-O MANOWAR #50 All-Star Jam Cover – the biggest-ever jam cover in comics history, featuring 50 major comics talents in celebration of 50 issues for Valiant’s flagship series! Debuting as X-O MANOWAR #50's standard shelf cover, this never-before-attempted comics breakthrough features a breathtaking collection of top talents as they each deliver an all-new take on Valiant’s leading hero in their own signature style.
Then, X-O MANOWAR #50's march into the history books continues with a stunning array of cover contributions from Paolo Rivera (THE VALIANT), Marko Djurdjevic (Avengers), Marcos Martin (The Private Eye), Mico Suayan (BLOODSHOT REBORN), Francesco Francavilla (Afterlife with Archie), Shane Davis (Superman: Earth One), Pere Perez (FAITH), Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals), Philip Tan (Batman & Robin), Kaare Andrews (Astonishing X-Men), and Phil Jimenez (DC Universe: Rebirth)!
"X-O MANOWAR #50 will be, without a doubt, the single biggest milestone ever produced by Valiant," said Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. "Beginning with the incredible jam cover, this issue will stand on its own as both a tribute to the character's vital place in the Valiant Universe and the entirety of the years-long epic that Robert Venditti – along with artists Cary Nord, Lee Garbett, Trevor Hairsine, Doug Braithwaite, Diego Bernard, Rafa Sandoval, Robert Gill, and Valiant's amazing editorial team – forged into one of the greatest narrative feats of the modern era. Big moments don't get much bigger than this."
I've been a little apprehensive about this book, because of what it portends in both the real world and the in-story world for Valiant.
In-story, it has looked like X-O Manowar -- or Aric of Dacia, if you prefer -- was doomed. The hype, the cancellation of the title, the over-the-top PR (just look at all those words and covers above!) -- it really looked like The End.
Which I don't like for in-story reasons -- X-O is the Superman analog of the Valiant Universe, a pretty central figure -- but also it makes me worry about sales. I don't actually know how well X-O was selling, or if it was Valiant's best or worst seller or what. But it has been the flagship of the publisher since its inception, and it kinda feels like DC killing off Superman or Marvel killing off Spider-Man or Disney killing off Mickey Mouse. Doing so would be indicate desperation.
Plus, there are all these new titles at the publisher, titles called "The Future of Valiant," which don't really include any of the old faces. Is Valiant in sales trouble? Worry, worry, fret, fret.
But whatever I expected ... this wasn't it. I won't spoil anything, except to say that this is a pretty big development for the Valiant Universe. Where things go from here I haven't a clue, so I'm glad I was here for the jumping-off point.
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