When a Turn-off is a Turn-On

 Oh wow! Hey!

It's Bob Layton Parkway!

I've got to take this turn off!

 

Oh wow, an entire city named after one of my creators!

Is Utah a cool state or what?

X-O Manowar #3 Review: When Priorities Collide

Cover A by Christian Ward

 

In Valiant Comics' new X-O Manowar #3, writer Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum takes us to Hawaii, where Aric works inside a volcano to divert the lava flow. 

Lava flows creep slowly but relentlessly upon homes and villages. Nothing natural or man-made can stop them. People all over the world sit before their televisions for weeks and months, watching news coverage of the devastation--until these Acts-Of-God cease. 

Thankfully, Aric possesses extraterrestrial armor, driven by an alien consciousness called Shanhara. Guided by Shanhara, as well as billionaire industrialist Troy Whitaker, our 5th Century Visigoth has two counselors to help him accomplish what would ordinarily be impossible.

That doesn't necessarily mean the two will agree on what Aric should say or do or think.

 

While Aric aids local Hawaiians, his thoughts return to the Ukraine. Warlord Vlad Yakiov overturned Aric attempts to orchestrate an end to civil war, killing thousands in the process. Troy has counseled patience, which isn't a virtue that comes readily to Aric. In time, Troy argues, he will help Aric overthrow Yakiov's coup, and bring peace to the troubled country.

 

While Aric yearns to accomplish something substantive, Troy reminds him that, in order to get people to accept him, he must first engage in "Humanitarian Aid" that wins over their hearts and minds. Build up his street cred first, so to speak.

 

While Aric is correct about the preeminence of saving lives, Troy is correct that saving people's homes matters too. Sometimes, preserving one's way of life, and the things that matter to them, is even more important than one's continued existence. Or at least, it often seems that way.

Why else would the residents of Kalapana have worked so hard to save their beloved Star of the Sea church, when the advancing lava flow destroyed most of the Hawaiian community in 1990?

 

While Aric may doubt the necessity of saving homes, and Shanhara and Whitaker debate the wording of Aric's heroic utterances, X-O Manowar succeeds in diverting the lava flow. This family and their neighbors will sleep easily tonight in their own beds, and not be forced to find new homes in the future.

 

Once the frenzy of fighting a raging volcano ends, Emilio Laiso's panels take on a more normal--and sedate--organization. Aided by Ruth Redmond's warm coloring, Aric looks like your all-American hometown hero. You know, the high school football player who gets a chance to go professional, and represent his town on national television.

 

With Troy to feed him the right lines, Aric even sounds like your average guy-next-door. Or at least, your average guy-next-door-wearing-an extraterrestrial-armor-suit-housing-an-alien consciousness, that is.

 

X-O Manowar #3 takes an unexpected turn when the focus moves to the Ukraine. Vlad Yakiov, not content with having solidified his power, mobilizes his forces to bring the fight to Aric. This seems an irrational decision for someone who ought to be strengthening his powerbase as the would-be dictator of the Ukraine.

For more on that evolving story, you'll want to pick up a copy of #3, and see what happens in coming issues.

 

Cover B by David Nakayama

Aside from Whitaker's public relations mission, and Yakiov's seeming fixation on X-O, there's a lot going on in #3. At home, Aric seems delightfully unattached to his adoptive family in New York City. Young Desmond and his mother are building a strong relationship with Shanhara. An incident occurs which could tie in with the rebuilding of Project Rising Spirit. And something occurs that harkens back to a certain change that occurred to the original 1990s X-O Manowar, after the tumultuous events of the Unity crossover event.

 

Cover C by David Lopez

In fact, there's a lot in this new series that reminds me of the original X-O Manowar series. Take, for example, the fixation on the power of corporations. While Aric may not helm Orb Industries, Troy Whitaker channels the resources of his vast multinational company to build combat robots, and shoot rockets into space. As in the '90s, Aric distains the commercialism of modern life. And then, there's the lighthearted and inviting artwork.

 

Pre-Order Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Ulises Arreola

With a whopping five covers for issue #3, Valiant's rolling out all the stops for this new X-O Manowar series. But the bonus is that, with so much going on in each issue, editor Heather Antos and writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum have presented a smorgasbord of interweaving plot lines for the reader to follow. 

 

"Sword of Shanhara" Retailer Incentive Cover by Dustin Weaver*

The lighthearted tone of the series also harkens back to the 1990s series. Robert Venditti and Matt Kindt helmed impressive runs that introduced X-O Manowar to modern readers. But in Dennis Hopeless Hallum, Emilio Laiso, Ruth Redmond, and Hassan Otsmane Elhaou, I see less angst--and more of the sheer fun and excitement--that captures the heart of the original series.

I'm curious to see if you agree with me, when you read through Issue #3.

Dragon Dave

* Dustin Weaver produced an interesting and beautiful anthology series titled Paklis a few years ago. I urge you to hunt down all five issues from Image Comics, and hope to see him renew the series in the near future.

Jammie Valiants

 

X-O Manowar: I must say: these homemade Jammie Dodgers are X-O-lent.

Bloodshot: They are bloody brilliant, aren't they?

X-O Manowar: Hey, watch it! This is a non-swearing blog!

Bloodshot: I apologize. The nanites made me do it.

Rai #10 Review: The Final Chapter?

 Cover A by Nethro Diaz and Candice Han

With Rai #10, writer Dan Abnett, artist Juan Jose Ryp, colorist Andrew Dalhouse, and letterer Dave Sharpe bring the current series to a close. But their story begins not with Rai, but his little brother Raijin.

 

Rai #9 left us on a cliffhanger, with the organic storm called the Dark attacking New Ur's defenses. It also ended in a battle between the Roman positronic Tekus and Rai and Raijin's Human companion Alice Klane. When Alice's defense fails, Raijin leaps to intervene.

Unfortunately, he is too late.

I love how Raijin's words and stance demonstrate his thoughts and feelings. Unlike Rai, his little brother wears his heart on his sleeve.

Even though he knows Tekus delivered a mortal blow, Raijin sends a signal to Rai. His elder brother may be elsewhere with the city's ruler Fusion. Still, if anything can be done to save Alice, Raijin will leave no stone unturned.

Sadly, Rai is battling Fusion, and cannot spare the effort to communicate with Raijin. Fusion is enraged, believing that in allowing a Human into his city, he has given the Dark a way through his defenses. Everything Fusion has built in New Ur, a city a hundred times larger and more complex than Romulus, is at risk, as the Dark seemingly devours his positronics-only community.

 

Rai was once the premier guardian of the vast orbital city of New Japan. Fusion has enhanced his positronic body with two remnants of Bloodfather's consciousness. In Juan Jose Ryp's hands, the two hack and slash through panels. Like the Dark, their duel consumes and obliterates pages.

 

 

The issue ends amid a combined assault by the Dark and the Kor'Tunga. The latter are the same Human-Animal hybrids who constantly attacked the Human and Positronic inhabitants of Romulus. New Ur seems certain to fall. 

Meanwhile, in Rai and Raijin's home community of Hinansho Town, Bloodfather has detected Lula's efforts to extract the fading shell of Ray Garrison (aka Bloodshot) from the Datastream. The almighty A.I. (artificial intelligence) Bloodfather orders his troops to attack the town peopled with Humans, Positronics, and Kor'Tunga.

 

Cover B by Roberto de la Torre

 

While the series leaves most threads hanging, one storyline comes to a satisfactory--if temporary--resolution. Still, revelations in the final pages open up intriguing possibilities. Let's hope that once the pandemic is over, a sequel series can begin. 

 

Pre-Order cover by Jose Ladronn

While Dan Abnett abandoned single- and two-issue story arcs in the latter half of the series, these final five issues have been full of character growth, drama, and excitement. Juan Jose Ryp's penciling and Andrew Dalhouse's coloring--in all ten issues--gave the saga a consistent and unified appearance. Lastly, I must say that I've never been so impressed with a letterer's efforts than by Dave Sharpe's contributions in this series. 

Despite the break imposed by the pandemic, and the slow return of comics to local stores, this series has remained in my mind. No comic series have I read and reread, or marveled at and wondered about, like I have Rai. Well done Abnett, Ryp, Dalhouse, and Sharpe, as well as editors David Menchel and Lysa Hawkins, and everyone else at Valiant. If I sat on an awards committee, I would readily nominate Rai for Best Comic Series of 2020.

Dragon Dave

A Glorious Addition

 

Bloodshot: Hooray! We got a package from Valiant!

Ninjak: I wonder what it could be?

Rai: As long as it's not another present for Raijin. He gets all the love these days.

Bloodshot: Well, he is cute.

Rai: Quiet, Alice.

Ninjak: Ah, his name's not Alice.

Rai: You haven't been paying attention to my series, I guess.

Ninjak: I haven't? Um. Oh, I see where you're coming from now. Very funny!

Bloodshot: Yeah, Rai's a barrel of laughs these days.

 

Classic X-O: What are those guys nattering about?

Modern X-O: I guess they don't realize we've already opened the package.

Classic X-O: Ah well, as long as they're having fun.

Modern X-O: Truth! That's what Valiant, and the XO2 Gold edition contest, are all about.

X-O Manowar Retribution Digital Collection

As you may know, while Matt Kindt's Ninjak series initially drew me to Valiant, it was the original 1990s X-O Manowar series that really made me a Valiant fan. Recently Valiant Entertainment collected the earliest issues of that first X-O Manowar series into a digital collection. So if my posts, or Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum's new series, have intrigued you about that first series, you can don't have to hunt through bargain bins in comic stores to collect them. Nor will they take up valuable space in your house. If you enjoy reading on your computer, tablet, ebook reader, or (I presume) your phone, you can catch up on the greatness of Aric of Dacia's original adventures, with just one click of the button!

 

ON SALE NOW: VALIANT CLASSIC COLLECTIONS X-O MANOWAR: RETRIBUTION

December 11th, 2020 – Experience the epic adventure that started it all for Valiant Entertainment's flagship character in VALIANT CLASSIC COLLECTIONS X-O MANOWAR: RETRIBUTION.

Witness the epic origin story of Aric of Dacia, aka X-O MANOWAR, from the '90s in this digital mega-sized collection featuring 284 action-packed pages from the earliest days of the Valiant Universe. X-O MANOWAR: RETRIBUTION is out now and available to purchase on ComiXology, Amazon Kindle, and Google Play. See below for more information.

 

 

X-O MANOWAR: RETRIBUTION

THE MOST PRIMITIVE MAN, THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON

Abducted from his own time by the predatory Spider Aliens and displaced to the present day, Aric of Dacia will make war on his one-time captors and any who stand with them. Armed with a sentient suit of battle armor and savagery born in an age of war, he will become the hero this new age demands. Tyrants from beyond time and space, superpowered corporate raiders, and corrupt government power brokers… all will quake in fear where X-O Manowar dares to tread.

Featuring groundbreaking work from comic-book legends Jim Shooter (Secret Wars), Bob Layton (Iron Man), Barry Windsor-Smith (Weapon X), Joe Quesada (Daredevil), Steve Englehart (Detective Comics) and many more, the complete adventures of Valiant’s original armored hero begin here in the first Valiant Classic Collection of the series Graphic Policy calls "a must read"!

Collecting X-O MANOWAR (1992) #0–9, and X-O DATABASE #1.

Also available from the VALIANT CLASSIC COLLECTIONS line is ARCHER & ARMSTRONG: REVIVAL, on sale now at Comixology, DriveThru Comics, Amazon Kindle, and Google Play.


We hope you enjoy revisiting this iconic sci-fi story!

 

 

Many thanks to Valiant Entertainment for putting this great package together. I'm sure we will!

Dragon Dave

Faith's New Video Adventure

This year the government mandates, and the medical updates, have come thick and fast. Sometimes it's hard to know exactly what's safe and what isn't. One thing's for sure: the pandemic has made it more difficult for everyone. Still, even if the comics we love are in less abundant than in previous years, we can still celebrate the characters we love, and uphold the ideals they stand for.

 

Here's yet another example of how the wonderful folks at Valiant Entertainment are working hard--under extremely difficult conditions--to keep our spirits up.

 

VALIANT LAUNCHES MOTION COMICS WITH FAITH EPISODE #0 PART 1

 

December 9th, 2020 – Valiant Entertainment is proud to reveal brand-new Motion Comics, and the debut episode is an adventure with the publisher's most heroic and inspirational character: Faith! 

Discover the origin of Faith Herbert, aka Zephyr, and a tale with her first love and fellow Harbinger Renegade John Torkelson, aka Torque. The first episode is now live on Valiant Entertainment's YouTube channel and you can watch the nearly eight-minute-long story unfold, below.

This animated episode is taken straight from the pages of HARBINGER: FAITH #0, featuring a script by Joshua Dysart, artwork by Robert Gill and José Villarrubia, and letters by Dave Sharpe. Keep an eye on Valiant's YouTube channel for Part 2 of the story and more Motion Comics featuring other characters from the Valiant Universe.

Find more stories with Faith and her fellow Harbinger Renegades at a comic shop near you. Valiant's first young adult novel, Faith: Taking Flight, is now available wherever books are sold.

 

As always, many thanks to Valiant for sharing the good news to us.

Now relax, stay safe, and Stay Valiant by watching Faith's new video adventure. 

Dragon Dave

 

A Closer Look at Savage

 

Savage 1 Cover A by Marcus To

It may only be a few years since Savage burst upon our lives, yet it feels like an eternity. Each issue of that first series exploded in our systems like a burst of adrenaline, and left us hungry for more. While Valiant has produced some great books during this difficult year, one real disappointment was that the new Savage miniseries got pushed back. Nothing is certain at the moment, given all that's going on in the world, but it looks like Savage will finally return on February 17, 2021.

Speaking for my wife and I, we couldn't be happier.

 

If you remember the previous series, you know that Kevin Sauvage, aka Savage, grew up on a remote island, with only dinosaurs and the occasional Human hunting party for company. He became a fierce hunter of carnivores. Yet he cared for infant dinosaurs that had lost their parents. 

Eventually he made his way to civilization, which was where the previous series left us. 

 

I've often wondered what happened to him after that. Would Ninjak take him on as an apprentice? Might X-O Manowar, drawing on his own man-out-of-time experience, help him acclimate to civilization? I even thought of submitting a story idea to Valiant.

As I'm not yet a published writer, with no credits to my name, that thought remained a whim.

 

Nevertheless, the folks at Valiant have found a way forward for Savage. Young Kevin seems to have made a home in England, and even acquired celebrity status. Why else would people be interviewing him in this posh, if messy, apartment?

 

I'm guessing he's also acquired an agent, or some kind of minder, to guide him through the complexities of modern life. If you noticed him in the background of the previous panel, you can tell he's a man of more refined sensibilities than young Kevin.

Well, who isn't?

I certainly feel for this guy. He's got quite a job ahead of him. And yet, I'm guessing Kevin has made his mark in modern society by looking and acting different from the norm. Outrageous, even.

 

So many stories from Britain have found a place in our hearts. Those stories brought my wife and I to England nine years ago for our first international vacation. Those stories kept bringing us back on return journeys: five in all at this point. It was so much fun to explore where our favorite authors had lived, and--all too briefly--inhabit the places in which their stories took place.

 

Savage may not have read those books, or seen those TV shows, but he's discovering England in his own way. When this series begins next February, we'll be journeying alongside him. It'll be interesting to see how he relates to a country that has become more special to my wife and I with each visit.

 

I'm also interested to see how the relationship between Kevin and his minder evolves. Does the man have his best interests at heart? Or does he have a hidden agenda that will be revealed throughout the series?

How will Kevin influence British society? How will modern Brits relate to him? How does a young man who grew up having to fight dinosaurs, and care for their young, make Human friends, and navigate a society ordered by written and unwritten rules? I can't wait to see how that goes.

 

Savage will be written by rock star Max Bemis, who has produced numerous albums through his group Say Anything, as well as other projects. He's also written comics for Avatar, Boom!, Dynamite, and Marvel. Irish artist Nathan Stockman started working in animation before transitioning into comics. He's racked up an impressive resume working for companies such as IDW, Image, and Marvel. The preview art certainly demonstrates Nathan's skills in depicting modern society, capturing the nuances of behavior, and of course, knife fights with dinosaurs. 

Savage 1 Cover B by Christian Ward

The new series is being overseen by Senior Editor Heather Antos. As you may have noticed from Valiant's new X-O Manowar series, social issues influence her stories and drive her characters. Our modern world is not merely a setting in which superheroes fight. Instead, we see the poor and needy, as well as the rich and powerful who influence us all. She's concerned with the consequences of our heroes' choices, some of which may not readily be apparent to them.

 

Savage 1 Retailer Incentive Cover by Stacey Lee

Given that Kevin seems to have become a spokesman for products, I'm wondering how good those products will actually be. Will those products prove unique and beneficial? Or with time, might they be judged ineffective, like the supposedly beneficial products sold in H. G. Wells' novel Tono-Bungay? Might the products Savage represents even be found to be harmful to users?
 

Savage 1 Preorder Cover by Guisseppe Cammuncoli

Regardless of how my musings turn out, I know I'll enjoy the new series. The art previews and the covers suggest that a lot has happened to young Kevin. I especially look forward to following his next adventure as it is set in Britain. 

Who knows what'll happen? Maybe Bemis and Stockman will might include a few more fights with dinosaurs too. Dare I hope for a battle with an Allosaurus outside London's Natural History Museum? A brawl with a T-Rex outside the Houses of Parliament? A high-flying Pterodactyl fight around Big Ben and the London Eye? 

Like I said, I can't wait!

Dragon Dave

P.S. If what you've seen interests you, ask your retailer to order the cover you want by December 18, 2020, the cutoff date in Diamond's system. If you'd like the Previews order codes, here they are:

DEC201738: Savage 1 Cover A by Marcus To.

DEC201739: Savage 1 Cover B by Christian Ward

DEC201740: Savage 1 Retailer Incentive Cover by Stacey Lee

DEC201741: Savage 1 Pre-Order Cover by Guisseppe Cammuncoli

Other Links:

Savage 1 Announcement on the Valiant Entertainment website

Bloodshot's Bisquick Beauty

Ah ha ha ha ha ha!

I have created perfection!

I name thee: Coffee Cake!

And you're all mine, Mine, MINE!

Oh, very well. Have a taste.

Valiant heroes are always willing to share.

Official Press Release: Valiant Goes Cricket

Over the years, I've seen Cricket matches depicted on Lovejoy, All Creatures Great and Small, To The Manor Born, Downton Abbey, and many other British TV series. The fifth Doctor even played Cricket in the Doctor Who story Black Orchid. But I never expected to see my Valiant heroes cheering on a game from the sidelines.

 

VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT PARTNERS WITH US OPEN CRICKET!

New York, NY (November XX, 2020) – Valiant Entertainment is partnering with the US Open Cricket Council for the upcoming US Open to pay tribute to first responders. 

Valiant Entertainment is joining forces to pay tribute to first responders with new digital billboards at the US Open event run by the US Open Cricket Council! Fans will have a chance to see heroes from the Valiant Universe supporting the heroes on the frontline of the COVID crisis.
 
Chairman and CEO of CCUSA, Mahammad Qureshi (MAQ) is pleased to have US Open Cricket partnering with Valiant Entertainment to salute our “Superhero First Responders” during this year’s open. “Bringing Valiant’s pop culture superheroes and the US Open Cricket’s sports heroes’ huge audiences together to salute first responders is a cause that will be heard around the world. This relationship will also bring lots of fun download activities for families to participate in while enjoying the fastest growing sport in the world, US Open Cricket!”
 
"Promotional Marketing that brings Sports and Entertainment together provides a promotional overlay of value to new and current partners of US Open Cricket Council and Valiant Entertainment,” said Douglas Haase Sponsorship Manager CCUSA and CEO Haaseline Entertainment 
 
Russ Brown, Valiant's President of Consumer Products, Promotions & Ad Sales, explains why he’s so excited for this partnership. “We are very excited to see how MAQ is taking this massively popular global sport and building it for the US market—for kids as well as adults, and we see a wonderful fit for our transmedia demographic. And he had us at hello when he expressed interest in Valiant's participation in supporting first responders.”
 
The US Open runs December 15^th – 20^th, 2020. For more information please go to www.cricketusopen.com. For more news about Valiant Entertainment, including new stories for Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, and news about upcoming offerings beyond comics, head over to www.valiantentertainment.com
 
As always, Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, and Stay Valiant!

 

Incidentally, Science Fiction author Douglas Adams tried to get the Doctor Who team to film a story about robots attacking players at Lord's Cricket Ground, the revered British Cricket venue, when he served as Script Editor during the fourth Doctor's reign. While the production team rejected his idea, the robot invasion of Lord's occurred regardless, and proved to have far-reaching interstellar consequences in Life, the Universe, and Everything, the third novel in his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Who knows where Valiant's partnership with the US Open Cricket Council might lead? Might Ninjak, the disavowed MI6 agent, invade the TARDIS in Doctor Who? Might he star in a series of movies that rivals the venerable James Bond franchise?

I guess we will have to wait and see.

Dragon Dave 

P.S. As always, many thanks to Valiant for sharing the good news with us