Archer & Armstrong Vol. 4: Sect Civil War

Finally a return to the Valiant Universe with another grand tale of Archer & Armstrong.  In this volume for half the book Archer & Armstrong are separated & going on separate paths until something from Armstrong's past is needed to right the wrongs of the present.  Again this volume shows how well Valiant Comics is at blending historical facts with their complex universe.  We get some history in this volume as to how the sects came about & how they are connected to Project Rising Spirit.  The Vine is also apparently apart of these sects as well imagine what they could do if they ever became truly unified.  Archer has his own motives in this book which is nice to finally see him step up for what he wants.  Mary-Maria's story has taken a dark turn in this story as she has taken over one of the sects.  Interestingly the Sect Civil War has nothing to do with Archer & Armstrong but is orchestrated by other outside forces.  Overall a nice read to jump back into the Valiant Universe.

Archer & Armstrong Vol. 3: Far Faraway

Valiant is simply doing an amazing job, this third volume of Archer & Armstrong doesn't disappoint it goes into the history of the Boon.  Armstrong tells the true story that surrounds the tale of Gilgamesh.  Mary Maria is on a mission for her parents which coincides with Archer's quest to find out who he truly is.  All of this leads to the three of them getting sucked through a portal to the Faraway.  The Faraway is essentially a garden nightmare the three of them band together to take on this crazy general.  Along the way they make several discoveries of people lost or trapped in the Faraway.  This book leaves the reader on such a cliff hanger that you can't help but wonder what is going to happen next.

Archer & Armstrong Vol. 2: Wrath of the Eternal Warrior

Archer & Armstrong just rides the wave it built up in the first book all the way to the beachhead.  There are little hints here and there that these characters exist in an even larger universe.  But the real surprise for me is that Gilad the Eternal Warrior is Armstrong's younger brother.  I want more of a back story for the Eternal Warrior.  Throughout this whole volume our heroic duo has been on the run from Gilad for accidentally killing the previous Geomancer a Hitler look-a-like.  However by the end of this volume the earth as chosen a new spokesperson in the form of Kay McHenry & the Null have been nullified.

Archer & Armstrong Vol. 1: The Michelangelo Code

Valiant Comics is like a clean slate that hasn't been bogged down in history & convoluted storylines.  Now I know this is a comic company that has risen from the ashes of the their demise in the late 90s, but for me as a reader this is fresh & new.  I have been hearing great things about Valiant for years & I am just now getting around to reading some of the titles.  Archer & Armstrong is a title that's part Lethal Weapon meets Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code, which they even make fun of.  I really like the fact that Valiant is doing short story-arcs in single volumes if it had been longer I am sure it would still have been enjoyable but at the same time it could slowed & become monotonous.  One things that suffers with this method though is characterization not of the main characters but of secondary or tertiary characters & even villains.  Overall this was a good opening arc but I can see how some people would be turned off by this especially those offended by The Da Vinci Code.