Thursday’s Valiant Effort: March 18, 2015

Thanks for joining us again for Thursday’s Valiant Effort. I did a giveaway a couple of weeks ago and the winner was Julian Ferretti from Bronx, New York. Congrats to him for winning the X-O Manowar Deluxe Edition #1 hardcover. I still have a few more items to giveaway, so be on the lookout for that.

This week, I catch you up on both Ivar, the Timewalker and Divinity. Both of these series are new for Valiant, and something to dive into and see if we love them as much as the rest of the universe.

Ivar, The Timewalker #2 and #3

Kicking off with “Let’s Not Kill Hitler!”, this issue explores the concept of changing history in the Valiant Universe. This story follows Ivar Anni-Padda, the oldest of a group of legendary adventurers, who has spent his whole life chasing time arcs and traveling to different points throughout history. Now, he has a companion, Dr. Neela Sethi, a scientist who happened to be in Ivar’s path as he was traveling from one time arc to another.

And, yes, in this issue, they do explore the idea of killing Adolf Hitler. I mean, really, who wouldn’t want to save millions of lives by removing one? But, the truth comes out that somehow the timestream knows when something is going to be changed and random things happen to interfere with that change. So, no matter how they want to change history, or don’t want to, the significant changes will not be allowed. Very interesting theory that better aligns with the ideas of time being a fixed constant that we cold travel along but never corrupt. Or, is it all just a crock of crap that Ivar cooked up to control Neela and her decisions?

That does not mean that Neela and Ivar are exempt from problems along the way, like losing their way among the time arcs or being killed by some giant monster/time traveler trying to build up their cred. What is interesting is the interaction that Neela has with Gilad, the Eternal Warrior, in the World War II era beginning in Issue #3. He is a member of the same group of explorers as Ivar, and a time traveler in his own right, but he simply travels forward, living through time as a different warrior in each era. He warns Neela about the sins of his brother’s past.

I don’t want to spoil issue #3 for anyone, but suffice it to say that there are plans within plans going on and Ivar is definitely not the most trustworthy soul. What role does Neela have to play? This is a good series, since it could touch on all of the different comics from Valiant, whether in the past with Armstrong, Aric, or Gilad, or the future world of Rai. A good one all the way around, funny and still intriguing. My Rating:4.5/5

Divinity #1 and #2 (of 4)

First thing that I have to say about this series is that the covers, the quality of the paper, and the artwork are just amazing. A real step up for Valiant and I really enjoy that. To get to the story, Divinity #1 is a true rocket ride. As I read through the pages, I felt like I had the force of a rocket pushing me forward into a story that I may or may not be ready for, but I had volunteered. I wanted this. And I welcomed the tale of Abram Adams, a baby left on a doorstep in Communist Russia back in 1945 and his development. His love of science and his eventual entering into a secret space program designed to win the Cold War for the Soviet Union. He would be launched into space on a 30 year mission.

Such a cool premise. The twist comes in the now when Abram is back, but changed in some strange way. He exhibits strange, but peaceful, powers, but what is his intent? So, we enter into Issue #2 with a ton of questions. We do get a lot more detail about the trip… We are told from the mind of one of the original scientists on the project. The strange things that happened, the experiences, the doubts, and the mystery surrounding the journey that brought Abram Adams to create this strange lush ball of vegetation in the middle of the desert wasteland that was the Australian Outback do not even begin to scratch the surface of the true mystery of who the man is now.

The questions to be answered in this second issue are all about the whys and the hows. Who wants to control Abram? Is here really as benevolent as he seems? Is there a secret agenda and, if it is evil, can he even be stopped? Will Unity Squad have a chance?

I think that the story is so solid and interesting and so new to the Valiant Universe that this is one of those events that no one who is a fan of Valiant should miss. Trever Hairsine’s pencils draw this story together (pardon the pun) and Matt Kindt once again brings us a tale that is sure to be a major event in the Valiant Universe and is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. My Rating: 5/5!!!!!

That’s it for this past week. I hope you are loving these new series as much as I am. Truly, Valiant has set itself above the other publishers with a cohesive universe, a cool mix of characters, great writers, and some truly innovative storylines that continue to draw my attention. If you are not reading Valiant, you are really missing out. Stay tuned next week for another giveaway!