Praise the Lord and Pass the Bottle

By -
ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG Volume 1
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Clayton Henry
Valiant | graphic novel | $9.99
Archer and Armstrong are an unlikely duo. Archer was raised for the first eighteen years of his life on a defunct Creationist theme park along with his 22 brothers and sisters by their adoptive father who was also a fundamentalist preacher.  Armstrong is an ancient Egyptian named Aram Anni-Padda who stumbled onto immortality and now spends his time drinking around the world and wasting the years away in frivolity. When Archer is ordered to kill Armstrong, they are both captured by a sect called the 1% and as negotiations start for his safe return, Archer realizes his adoptive parents have been lying to and using him his whole life.
Fred Van Lente is best known for his work on The Incredible Hercules with Greg Pak. You can hear my interview with Van Lente in the NYCC interview bonus cast located here.  Clayton Henry has done interior work mostly for the X-family books.
After Armstrong convinces Archer that he is not the devil, the two go off to stop Archer’s adoptive parents from collecting The Boon which activates the Ultimate Machine, a mystical artifact hidden away in Tibet. Along the way, their antics play off the fact that they are so very different in outlook and demeanor. While this sounds like it may quickly fall into familiar tropes, Van Lente actually keeps every interaction fresh and funny.
In the tradition of Valiant moving the story along, by the end of the first trade they find all six parts of the Boon and activate the Machine leading to more problems and further adventures for our mismatched duo. The next couple of trades introduce new characters, new sects and new allies to help them along the way.
The art is clean and detailed with credit to Matt Milla whose use of colors shine here.
Anyone who’s ever read (or written, apparently) a Deadpool comic knows how difficult it is to balance humor with story and action. Van Lente pulls this off with grace, having interwoven each facet into an engaging story.
Final rating (out of 5): 5_Star

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Robert Kirkman: Invincible, Walking Dead, Wolf-Man

By -
Image
I wasn't actually a huge fan of Robert Kirkman when I first started reading his books.  He was competent, sure, but I didn't see the appeal-- The Irredeemable Ant-Man was a boring side story in the middle of  Civil War and  The Initiative (although I've since changed my mind about this), and his  Ultimate X-Men run was, in many places, a mixed bag (although I did very much enjoy his "Phoenix?" storyline).  And  Marvel Zombies  just seemed like a ridiculous idea--not that I bothered to try it at the time. Now, though?  I've completely reevaluated my opinion on his work, and when his name is attached to a project, I'm far more likely to give it a look.  I don't know if I'd classify him as a master storyteller or a comics icon--but he's very skilled, he has an incredible knack for dialog, and he writes stories that, no matter how ridiculous, seem real .  In a medium where characters frequently violate the rules of physics, that's not alway
Read more

more random readings from May 2009

By pghhead -
Image
What else did I finish reading last month?  Here’s a cross-section of various titles . . . . . . . . . WITCHBLADE #126 “War Of The Witchblade Part 2” by Ron Marz and Stejepan Sejic  (Top Cow/Image) Preface:  Now here’s an interesting concept! = In order to attract new readers to its’ titles Top Cow is giving out free books each month as part of it’s Let Us Win You Over project.  ( www.topcow.com/freecomics )  Every month it’s a different title. And they work through different comics shops each month as well.  In April the title was Witchblade #126 and one of the participating dealers was Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, DE (my preferred supplier) so voila! - - - I find a copy in my hands. Since the last time I explored the Witchblade series the mythology has expanded to a battle between the forces of light and dark with each side choosing its agents on Earth, hence the Darkness vs. the Witchblade.  I’m still not overly interested in this type of fare on a regular basis, but
Read more

Best descriptive 2013 title: Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht

By pghhead -
Image
VAMPIRE VIXENS OF THE WEHRMACHT “If You Want Blood” one-shot (Bump and Grind Comics, August 2013, second printing with foreword by film maker Paul Campion) Writers: The Emperor + Alex Ronald.  Artist: Alex Ronald.  Letterer: Jim Campbell. Original Concept: Alex Ronald.  (Parental Advisory, Adult Content)  Limited print run, but digital copies are available from http://www.vampirevixens.co.uk/           If you can’t figure out what this comic is about from that title, then I’m guessing you’ve been living for decades in a cave without a DVD player and no access to cable television.   VAMPIRE VIXENS OF THE WEHRMACHT is a fast-paced horror comic driven by action, rooted in World War II history, and dripping with blood, gore and tantalizing sexual imagery.  What makes it work is a light-hearted approach to the subject matter, all in fun but never silly or stupid.  You may find yourself laughing at several of the scenarios or chuckling at the devilish dialogue.           VAMPIRE VIXENS O
Read more