Thursday’s Valiant Effort: June 12, 2014

Welcome to another installment of Thursday’s Valiant Effort. This is the part of the week where we review every single comic book that was released by Valiant Entertainment this past Wednesday. I also try to throw some fun into things, like the giveaway last week for one of our folks with the correct answer to our trivia question. Stay tuned, we will repeat that sort of thing at least once a month moving forward, so tell all your friends and please share and like this article.

Reviews

Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps #23 – Last issue, Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps had a knock down drag out fight and, suffice it to say, Bloodshot did not win. Now we see that fall out from that  in a staggered story, one of Director Kozol having to answer to an inquest 36 hours in the future, and the here and now where Bloodshot is being held in stasis and repaired while the rest of the team is being bandaged up and told to rest. Flatline, the one that finally brought down Bloodshot, is very disturbed by the things that Bloodshot told her, like the fact that Kozol was actually the one who killed Genius just to frame him. Once Palmer figures out that it is the truth, he tries to figure out how to help the team and still keep everyone safe. Flatline decides to take matters into her own hands and releases Bloodshot from “The Tomb”, a special tank that Kozol created to hold him between mission. In the end, she tells Bloodshot to disappear and she will cover him. As Kozol finishes his statements to the inquest, he outlines the plan of collecting more willing and desperate recruits in the future. The goal is to have a hardened team, willing to do whatever it takes. This is the last issue for now, as Bloodshot enters the fight against the Armor hunters in Armor Hunters: Bloodshot #1.

Archer & Armstrong #21 – After being exposed to the Lizard King’s psychedelic “clarifying” procedure in the search for Archer’s family, Archer and Armstrong are now submerged in a weird world of movie stars. At the start of this issue is a very interesting black and white flashback that seems to tell the story of Archer’s mom? Not really sure because this is supposed to have happened in the 1920’s. She is one of the Sisters of Lilith, and they are hunting down the Wheel of Aten before anyone misuses it. They arrive too late. In the now, Archer and Armstrong break up a party of dead famous people who are just waiting around until they are no longer remembered. Everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Micheal Jackson to Bruce Lee. They are none too happy that the duo is there from “The Fanrealms”. So, the chase is on. A mention of the Wheel is enough to have both of them frantically searching. Armstrong wants to destroy it, but Archer feels that the power would better be served in the right hands. Is Armstrong right in his supposition that the power of the Wheel is so great that “it can make any hands the wrong ones”? Will Archer find his mother? Find out all of that by reading this issue and hanging on till next month.

Armor Hunters #1 – The event we have been anxiously awaiting has finally arrived. A group of beings has arrived in Earth’s orbit to hunt down the X-O Manowar armor. They believe, based on previous experience, that it is a destructive parasite and must be eradicated. Primary, Helix, Quartz, Lilt, and their ship, GIN-GR, have traveled the universe battling and destroying the armors wherever they can find them. Aric overlooks his people, safe now in Nebraska because he agreed to work with M.E.R.O., the Military Extraterrestrial Reconnaissance Outpost, lending a hand with his special armor when there was a government need. Now, there is a threat that they do not know how to handle. As the Armor Hunters continue their search, Aric decides that Malgam, the creature he fought in space that is fused with an armor like his own, should be questioned about this new enemy. By the end of this issue, it is pretty clear that these powerful beings are not here to talk or discuss terms. This has been a long hunt and they are tired of dealing with the same issues on every planet. Regardless of their protocols, this band of hunters is read to cut straight to the destruction and waste no time.

That’s it for this week. Some really crazy stuff coming from Valiant Entertainment in these issues. Amazing art only accentuates the really great stories that continue to be engaging and worth spending that time to read each month. I have not been disappointed yet. Keep up the good work. For all you fans out there, Read Valiant First this Summer.

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