Valiant Comics for November 2013

VALIANT Solicitations for NOVEMBER 2013

UNITY #1
Written by MATT KINDT
Art & Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Pullbox Exclusive Variants by BRYAN HITCH, J.G. JONES, TRAVEL FOREMAN, PAOLO RIVERA and CLAYTON CRAIN
8-Bit Evolution Variant by DONOVAN SANTIAGO
Valiant Signature Series Variant by BART SEARS
Variant Cover by NEAL ADAMS
B&W Sketch Variant by NEAL ADAMS
Blank Variant also available
Team USA Luge Variant also available

To kill a king, he has created an army.

The world's most dangerous man, Toyo Harada, has been struck by the one thing he never thought possible – fear. Halfway across the globe, a new power threatens to topple modern civilization and, to preempt the cataclysm that is to come, Harada will unite the most lethal, most volatile, most unforgiving team the world has ever known – UNITY. Their mission: defeat the warrior king armed with the universe's most powerful weapon. Kill X-O Manowar!

Be here when New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Justice League of America, Mind MGMT) and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice, Journey into Mystery) launch Valiant's first-ever superteam into the landmark comic book event of the year with an all-new ongoing series in UNITY #1, featuring covers by a murderer's row of comics juggernauts – Doug Braithwaite, JG Jones, Bryan Hitch, Paolo Rivera, Clayton Crain, Travel Foreman, and Neal Adams!

You've heard the buzz, you've seen the reviews. If you still haven't jumped onto Valiant Comics, the time is now! This November, UNITY is the perfect entry point for new readers.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 13th!
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X-O MANOWAR #19 (UNITY TIE-IN)
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by CARY NORD
Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
Variant Cover by BART SEARS

All-new arc, all-new jumping-on point! X-O Manowar goes head-to-head against the forces of UNITY!

Aric of Dacia has fought to reclaim the ancestral lands of the Visigoths – and he has bled for it.  But nothing he has faced before can prepare him for the combined might of UNITY – and the deadly combination of Harada, Ninjak, Eternal Warrior and Livewire! New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (Green Lantern) and Eisner Award winner Cary Nord (X-O Manowar: Planet Death) reunite for a landmark, standalone story arc at the heart of UNITY.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 20th! 
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QUANTUM AND WOODY #5
Written by JAMES ASMUS
Art by LEE GARBETT
Cover by ANDREW ROBINSON
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by LEE GARBETT
Variant Cover by DAVID LOPEZ
Variant Cover by MIKE McKONE

All-new arc, all-new jumping-on point! All-new…problems?

Eric and Woody have had their lives turned upside down. What do you do when the most annoying person in your life is also the only thing keeping you alive? You move in with him! And his goat. And his barely legal clone girlfriend. Besides, every team of heroes needs a secret headquarters…and this one has a slightly used hot tub. Plus: Quantum meets his first true super-villain!

Attention fans and retailers: Look for the Quantum and Woody Vol. 1 TPB in stores the same day! Intro priced at only $9.99!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 6th! 
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ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #15
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art by KHARI EVANS
Cover by CLAYTON HENRY
Variant Cover by MICHAEL WALSH

WARNING: This is no longer a (FINGER QUOTES) "fun" comic.

Now that the Sect Civil War has begun, it is now a (FINGER QUOTES) "grim" and (FINGER QUOTES) "gritty" work of (REAL QUOTES) "sequential literature" with blood and headshots and naughty words (like "H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS") and if you squint real hard at the backgrounds, maybe boobies.

In this particular issue that will change the Valiant Universe forever*, the man now calling himself Dark Archer (NOTE TONAL SHIFT) must find his former partner Armstrong so they can reunite to stop the aforementioned Sect Civil War.

And there are almost no fart jokes.

Okay, one.

(* FOREVER = APPROX. 20 MINUTES)

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 13th! 
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SHADOWMAN #12
Written by ALES KOT, CHRISTOPHER SEBELA, and NEIL DVORAK
Art by CLAYTON CRAIN, MICO SUAYAN, and NEIL DVORAK
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
Variant Cover by KEKAI KOTAKI

An all-star anthology of Shadowman tales from the Deadside and beyond!

Superstar artist Clayton Crain and a stellar roster of all-star creators bring you not one, not two, but three chilling Shadowman stories. Ales Kot (Suicide Squad, Zero), Christopher Sebela (Captain Marvel, Screamland), and Neil Dvorak (Easy Pieces) push the outer bounds of the world of Shadowman further than ever before! 

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 6th!
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ETERNAL WARRIOR #3
Written by GREG PAK
Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Cover by J.G. JONES
Variant Cover by RILEY ROSSMO

Save the Wizard!

Hungry for glory as the new Fist and Steel, the Eternal Warrior's daughter Xaran has started a war between the mysterious Houses that rule the world. Now, as Gilad struggles to contain his daughter's savage nature, two generations of Eternal Warrior race after the answers that lie between science and myth, rumor and legend, conquest and defeat.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 20th! 
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BLOODSHOT AND H.A.R.D. CORPS #16
Written by CHRISTOS GAGE & JOSHUA DYSART
Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Variant Cover by CHRISCROSS

Sometimes gunslingers go out the hard way.

H.A.R.D. Corps has just experienced its first fatality. Bloodshot is severely weakened. He and Charlie are at each other’s throats. And the new rookies are a mess. It would be suicide to take on Harada now…so that’s exactly what they’ll do.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 20th! 
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HARBINGER #18
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by BARRY KITSON
Cover by MICHAEL WALSH
Variant Cover by ANDREW ROBINSON

Nothing is what it seems when hyper-psychics go to war.

Scattered across their own mental landscapes, each one of the remaining Renegades must quest to unite with the others or be lost forever inside themselves. It will take courage, strength, imagination and an unwavering belief in one another if they're going to discover the dark truth behind their Perfect Day.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 13th! 
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QUANTUM AND WOODY VOL. 1: THE WORLD'S WORST SUPERHERO TEAM TPB
Written by JAMES ASMUS
Art by TOM FOWLER
Cover by RYAN SOOK

Those guys are the worst.

Once upon a time, Eric and Woody Henderson were inseparable. Adopted brothers. Best friends. Brilliant minds. Years later, they are estranged siblings, petty rivals, and washed-up failures. But when their father’s murder leads them into the throes of a life-altering scientific accident, Eric and Woody will find themselves with a whole new purpose – and a perfectly legitimate reason to wear costumes and fight crime. Go big or go home, folks! Quantum and Woody are coming! (And, yes, there is a goat too.)

Collecting QUANTUM AND WOODY #1-4 by creators James Asmus (Thief of Thieves) and Tom Fowler (Hulk: Season One), start reading here to jump into the action-packed, zeitgeist-shredding exploitation stunt comic that Comic Book Resources calls "yet another critically acclaimed hit for Valiant Comics."

$9.99/T+/112 pgs.
TRADE PAPERBACK
ISBN: 978-1-939346-18-6
ON SALE NOVEMBER 6th! 
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HARBINGER DELUXE EDITION VOL. 1 HC
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by KHARI EVANS, TREVOR HAIRSINE, MICO SUAYAN, BARRY KITSON, PHIL BRIONES, LEE GARBETT, PERE PEREZ, and MATTHEW CLARK
Cover by MICO SUAYAN

An oversized, deluxe hardcover collecting the landmark first year of Harbinger in the Valiant Universe!

Outside the law. Inside your head. You've never met a team of super-powered teenagers quite like the Renegades. Skipping across the country in a desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of the authorities, psionically-powered teenager Peter Stanchek only has one option left – run. But he won't have to go it alone. As the shadowy corporation known as the Harbinger Foundation draws close on all sides, Peter will have to find and recruit other unique individuals like himself… other troubled, immensely powerful youths with abilities beyond their control. Their mission? Bring the fight back to the Harbinger Foundation's founder Toyo Harada – and dismantle his global empire brick by brick…

Collecting the sold-out HARBINGER #0-14, the Harbinger Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 HC also comes jam-packed with more than 20 pages of never-before-seen art and extras, direct from the Valiant vaults.

$39.99/T+/384 pgs.
OVERSIZED HARDCOVER
ISBN: 978-1-939346-13-1
ON SALE NOVEMBER 13th!
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VALIANT MASTERS: RAI VOL. 1 – FROM HONOR TO STRENGTH HC
Written by DAVID MICHELINIE
Art by JOE ST. PIERRE, PETER GRAU, and SAL VELLUTO
Cover by JOE ST. PIERRE

The legendary future of the Valiant Universe – back in print after 20 years!

4001 A.D. - Tohru Nakadai is the 42nd Rai, the spirit guardian of Japan. Infused with the energy of his ancestors and dedicated to the way of the samurai, Rai is sworn to the service of Grandmother – the personified artificial intelligence that governs the island nation of Japan. For forty generations Grandmother's benevolent dominion has endured, but in the wake of her sudden disappearance, Rai will become all that stands between his nation and all-out chaos. As humanist factions war with mechanist loyalists for control of the future, the masterless Tohru is about to become the first Rai that must choose for himself how best to defend his people, his family, and his honor.

Collecting RAI (1992) #1-8 in a deluxe hardcover format for the first time anywhere, revisit the future of the original Valiant Universe with Rai’s critically acclaimed, highly sought-after adventures from legendary creators David Michelinie (Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man), Joe St. Pierre (Spider-Man 2099), Peter Grau (Titans) and Sal Velluto (Bloodshot)!

$24.99/T+/184 pgs.
HARDCOVER
ISBN: 978-1-939346-07-0
ON SALE NOVEMBER 27th!

Leroy Douresseaux on CONAN: Island of No Return #2

CONAN: ISLAND OF NO RETURN #2 (OF 2)
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Ron Marz
PENCILS: Bart Sears
INKS: Randy Elliot
COLORS: Mark Roberts
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Stjepan Sejic
32pp, Color, $3.50

What do I hate about Conan: Island of No Return? I hate that it’s over. I also love Stjepan Sejic’s cover, which reminds me of the covers for The Savage Sword of Conan, one of my all time favorite comic books,

Conan: Island of No Return is a two-issue miniseries that, according to Dark Horse Comics, will act as an interlude to the main series, Conan: Road of Kings. Island of No Return follows Conan and half-sisters/thieves, Brenna and Venya, to a remote island that is supposedly home to the fabled treasure hoard of late Prince Mikkinos.

As Conan: Island of No Return #2 begins, Conan and the sisters learn that they aren’t the only ones on the island looking for treasure. As the stakes rise, Conan begins to wonder how much not to trust the sisters. If he thinks they’re dangerous, wait until he meets the thing guarding the treasure.

[This comic book includes an episode of “The Adventures of Two-Gun Bob” by Jim and Ruth Keegan.]

THE LOWDOWN: Because the second issue was very enjoyable to read, I can stand by what I said about the first issue of Conan: Island of No Return. Ron Marz has written a fast moving tale that has some of the best things that make Conan great – sword-fighting, sorcery, monsters, lost treasure, and treacherous gorgeous women.

Bart Sears, whose art I enjoyed in the first issue, actually improves. His sinewy pencils capture the sharp edges in both plot and character motivation, but in this issue, the compositions are more robust. They capture Conan’s brawny physique and cat-like grace and give power to the fight scenes. The inking by Randy Elliot, which seemed too heavy over Sears’ pencils in the first issue, actually improves and embellishes the best aspects of the art. I was not really crazy about the colors, but now the colors make this book sparkle and bring to life the ruins, rubble, and caverns that are the setting for this tale.

A

Leroy Douresseaux on CONAN: ISLAND OF NO RETURN #1

CONAN: ISLAND OF NO RETURN #1 (OF 2)
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Ron Marz
PENCILS: Bart Sears
INKS: Randy Elliot
COLORS: Mark Roberts
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Michael Kutsche
32pp, Color, $3.50

I have not read a new Conan comic book since 1994 when I read Conan vs. Rune (Marvel Comics). Since then, I’ve read a few original Conan works by the character’s creator, Robert E. Howard, including Howard’s only full-length Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon (1935). Now, I’ve just read a comic book that makes me want to return to reading Conan the way I did as I teenager – monthly.

Conan: Island of No Return is a two-issue miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. According to the publisher, it is an interlude to the main series, Conan: Road of Kings.

As Conan: Island of No Return #1 begins, Conan the Cimmerian (Barbarian and Thief) has just been fired as a bodyguard for… dereliction of duty? On the run from a cadre of guards, the half-sisters, Brenna and Venya, who are also thieves aid Conan. They just so happen to be in need of a strong back to help them with an upcoming treasure hunt.

Their destination is a small, jagged island and an abandoned cliff-top castle, where the treasure hoard of the late Prince Mikkinos lies deep in the bowels of the ruins of his palace. In order to help the sisters, not only must Conan scale sheer cliffs, but he must also deal with a haunted island.

While it may be a brief interlude to the main Conan storylines (as well being a break from the main series for the publisher), Conan: Island of No Return is an action-packed short story. It offers what many Conan tales usually have – beautiful women, haunted treasure spots, and Conan on a heist with shifty allies, plus it is a rippin’ read.

The script, written by Ron Marz, is efficient and powerful, with each panel a sharp jab that keeps this fast moving tale… well, moving fast. Bart Sears’ sinewy pencils capture the sharp edges in both plot and character motivation, as well as encapsulating Conan’s brawny physique and cat-like grace. Randy Elliot’s heavy inks have mixed results over Sears’ art and the coloring is merely acceptable, while Michael Kutsche’s cover is quite good. I can’t wait for the conclusion.

A-