#IReadsYou Review: DARK BLOOD #1

DARK BLOOD #1 (OF 6)
BOOM! STUDIOS

STORY: LaToya Morgan
ART:  Walt Barna
COLORS: A.H.G.
LETTERS:  Andworld Design
EDITOR: Dafna Pleban
COVER: Valentine De Landro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Juni Ba; Dan Mora; Valentine De Landro; Marcus Williams; Javan Jordan; Mico Suayan; Felix Icarus Morales with Robert Nugent; David Sanchez with Omi Remalante; Karen S. Darboe; Ingrid Gala; Marco Rudy
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(July 2021)

Dark Blood created by LaToya Morgan

Dark Blood is a new six-issue comic book miniseries created and written by screenwriter LaToya Morgan (AMC’s "The Walking Dead," "Into The Badlands").  Published by BOOM! Studios, the series is drawn by Walt Barna; colored by A.H.G.; and lettered by Andworld Design.  The series focuses on an Black World War II veteran who discovers that he has strange new abilities.

Dark Blood #1 opens in Alabama, 1955.  It's night.  Avery Aldridge, also known as “Double A,” is leaving his job at the diner, “Hardy's Eats.”  In the alley, he has a fateful encounter with a racist.  Double A is a highly decorated World War II soldier, a former fighter pilot, a member of the soon-to-be-legendary “Red Tails.”  He is expected to act like a boy … when he is actually a very powerful, grown-ass man.  But this is “The Night of the Variance,” and everything is going to start to change – even the things some don't want changed.

THE LOWDOWN:  As I much as I love the original Star Wars movies and a number of classic Walt Disney animated features (Peter Pan), my all-time favorite movie moment occurs in 1967's In the Heat of the Night.  Involuntarily assigned to a homicide case in Sparta Mississippi, Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (played by Sidney Poitier) is interviewing a suspect, a local and powerful rich white man named Endicott (Larry Gates), when Endicott slaps him in the face.  Tibbs slaps him right back.  The first time I saw Tibbs slap Endicott, it took my breath away … and it still does.

Television writer-producer LaToya Morgan (AMC's "TURN: Washington's Spies") offers a sci-fi/horror spin on Tibbs' slap as the spine of the first issue of her new comic book, Dark Blood.  This time, the confrontation is longer, and Avery Aldridge's response is made a bit more complicated, partly because he seems unstuck in time.  Morgan does everything to tell her readers a lot by whetting their appetites for more, because they don't know the half of it, and she makes that “it” intriguing.

For all that I am intrigued by Dark Blood #1's story and concept, this first issue is also a showcase for the art team of illustrator Walt Barna and colorist A.H.G.  Barna's compositions are some of the most convincing period art that I have seen in a modern comic book in years.  Barna's Alabama, 1955 looks so “old-timey” that I could believe that it is something Barna drew at least half-a-century ago.  Barna's aerial sequences depicting Aldridge's time as a Red Tail reminds me of the comic book art one might find in EC Comics' legendary war comic book, Aces High (1955).

A.H.G.'s colors are gorgeous and also from a time machine.  If I didn't know better, I would say he hand-colored this comic book and manually separated those colors in a back office at a NYC-based comic book publisher – in days gone by.  Seriously, his colors shimmer, but are also earthy, and they make the storytelling's time periods look and feel authentic.

And I always enjoy Andworld Design's lettering, which is always stylish in a way that brings immediacy and power to the drama.  So LaToya Morgan, Walt Barna, A.H.G., and Andworld Design are off to a most excellent start, and Dark Blood #1 sparkles with promise.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of modern science fiction and dark fantasy comic books will want to drink Dark Blood.

A

★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


Dark Blood trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzzXIYr_FrA&feature=youtu.be
Dark Blood first loook: https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/archives/dark-blood-1-first-look/
https://twitter.com/MorganicInk
https://twitter.com/WaltBarna
https://twitter.com/AHGColor
https://twitter.com/andworlddesign

https://twitter.com/boomstudios
https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/
https://www.facebook.com/BOOMStudiosComics
https://www.instagram.com/boom_studios/


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Review: AVENGERS & X-MEN: Axis #1

AVENGERS & X-MEN: AXIS #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Rick Remender
ART: Adam Kubert
COLORS: Laura Martin and Matt Milla
LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos
COVER: Jim Cheung with Justin Ponsor
VARIANT COVERS:  Gabriele Dell'otto; Adam Kubert with Edgar Delgado; Mike Mayhew; Mico Suayan; Skottie Young; Chip Zdarsky; and The Young Guns with Mike Deodato with Frank Martin
44pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (December 2014)

Rated “T+”

The Red Supremacy: Chapter 1

About three years ago, I read the first two issues of Avengers vs. X-Men (#0 and #1), and I didn't find anything that made me want to keep reading the much-anticipated and much-talked about event “maxi-series.”  So I don't know why I'm reading the new Avengers/X-Men crossover event miniseries, Avengers & X-Men: Axis.  Maybe, I'm curious?

Avengers & X-Men: Axis #1 (The Red Supremacy: Chapter 1) opens with a brief recap/overview of what has happened since the shocking end of Avengers vs. X-Men, in which the X-Man, Cyclops, killed his mentor and founder of the X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier.  The result was the branding of Cyclops as a criminal and also the founding of the Uncanny Avengers, a unity squad of Avengers and X-Men.  Of course, a new team wouldn't make them better for long.

Fast forward:  Magneto kills Captain America's arch-nemesis, the Red Skull, which leads to his resurrection as “The Red Onslaught.”  Now, there is a wave of psychic energy and hate, initiated by Red Onslaught, because he possesses Prof. X's brain and psychic powers.  This psychic wave, or onslaught, if you will, has the world in turmoil, so the Avengers and X-Men have to come together to stop Red Onslaught.

Wow.  It has been an unknown number of years (but it is many) since I have read an issue of a comic book event series in which superheroes and super-villains engage in a slug fest.  Part of me enjoys seeing so many of the superheroes that I've known most of my life together, even the new versions.  I enjoyed the Scarlet Witch angle of this story, as well as the Scarlet Witch-Rogue subplot.  I think this Red Onslaught character is ridiculous, however.  I did not plan on reading any more of this, even while wondering why I was reading Avengers & X-Men: Axis #1 to begin with.

Then, I saw Sentinels at the end of the first issue, and then, I decided to read more.  I think that is how these superhero crossover events work.  The writers, artists, and editors throw so much into the event (something we can compare to a pot full of ingredients), and the readers are bound to find something to appeal to them.  So there you have it.  I thought I was out, but they dragged me back in.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Valiant Comics Shipping in May 2013

VALIANT Solicitations for MAY 2013

HARBINGER WARS #2 (of 4)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART & DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art & Cover by CLAYTON HENRY
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by LEWIS LAROSA
Variant Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
Variant Cover by STEPHANE PERGER

The HARBINGER WARS heat up Las Vegas!

After decades of secret conflict, Toyo Harada has managed in one fell swoop to cripple Project Rising Spirit through the masterful manipulation of key players in the Valiant Universe. Now he wants the psiot children Bloodshot rescued from the bowels of a nightmarish PRS facility. Too bad. This rogue band of super-powered escapees have begun to call themselves GENERATION ZERO and they've declared a war of their own. First strike: Vegas, baby! And while PRS fashions a radical plan for getting the kids back, Peter Stanchek and the Renegades are following visions right into the heart of the Harbinger Wars.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE MAY 1st!
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HARBINGER #12 (HARBINGER WARS)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by KHARI EVANS
Cover by AMY REEDER
Variant Cover by KHARI EVANS

HARBINGER WARS: HARBINGER continues here!

Battle weary, the Renegades follow Peter Stanchek's strange dreams and visions into the Southwest American desert, unsure of what exactly they'll find. Under the duress of constant conflict, and led by the words of the Bleeding Monk – who bleeds but does not die – our band of teens begins to fray, barely even a cohesive group by the time they reach Las Vegas, Nevada – now rechristened "Psiot Nation." Here Peter and his crew come face to face with the Harbingers who have escaped from Project Rising Spirit’s prison…Harbingers who call themselves GENERATION ZERO.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE MAY 8th!
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BLOODSHOT #11 (HARBINGER WARS)
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by BARRY KITSON
Cover by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY
Variant Cover by MATTHEW CLARK

HARBINGER WARS: BLOODSHOT continues here!

Everyone says they want what's best for the children... but Bloodshot's the only one who’s willing to fight for it. After a lifetime of lies, destruction and pain, he's vowed to use his extraordinary abilities to do one simple thing: keep these kids alive, even if they’re terrified of him. The war for GENERATION ZERO, however, has been waging longer than Bloodshot realizes. And what can one soldier do when he's up against two powerful, secret armies?

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE MAY 15th!
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X-O MANOWAR #13 (PLANET DEATH)
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by CARY NORD
Cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Variant Cover by RYAN SOOK

Part III of the explosive PLANET DEATH mega-event!

Aric discovers the Vine he intends conquer aren’t the only race on planet Loam, but will these surprise inhabitants offer him refuge or rivalry? Meanwhile, the Vine leaders plan their most devastating attack yet, one that will push the X-O Manowar armor to its limits and beyond. The stakes are raised and the table set for the epic battle from which no one—human or Vine—will emerge unchanged.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE MAY 15th!
--

ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #0
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art & Cover by CLAYTON HENRY
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by LEE GARBETT
Wraparound Gatefold Variant by TOM FOWLER

The true story of the Epic (Fail) of Giglamesh!

Original series artist and Harbinger Wars superstar Clayton Henry returns to tell a tale of the early days of the man known as Armstrong! How early? How's ancient Ur sound? For the first time, the 100% true story behind the Epic of Gilgamesh can be told… A tale of three warrior brothers, the Anni-Padda – or as you may know them, ARMSTRONG, the ETERNAL WARRIOR and TIMEWALKER – on a quest to the mysterious Faraway to bring back its immortal Boon. What they find is a lost land full of danger, excitement – and the greatest secret of the Valiant Universe! Plus: this issue tees up the next arc of A&A, beginning this June in issue #10!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE MAY 8th!
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SHADOWMAN #0
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN & PATRICK ZIRCHER
Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by KHARI EVANS
Wraparound Gatefold Variant by LEWIS LAROSA

The end has always been near.

Twenty five years ago, Josiah Boniface was the Shadowman, and he had more problems than simply Master Darque: things from beyond are trying to eat the world, the police are trying to send him to jail and now he's got to rescue Helena LeBretton from a murderous cult, whether she likes it or not.

A special standalone issue featuring art by comics superstar Trevor Hairsine, go back to the beginning to discover why this is the series IGN calls “all kinds of great” right here in Shadowman #0!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE MAY 1st!
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ONE DOLLAR DEBUT: X-O MANOWAR #1
ONE DOLLAR DEBUT: HARBINGER #1
ONE DOLLAR DEBUT: BLOODSHOT #1
ONE DOLLAR DEBUT: ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #1
ONE DOLLAR DEBUT: SHADOWMAN #1
ONE DOLLAR DEBUT: WAVE ONE (BUNDLE)

On May 1st, jump into all of Valiant’s ongoing series for only a dollar apiece!

Just in time for Valiant’s one-year anniversary and Free Comic Book Day 2013, Valiant is proud to announce a new line of reprints, re-presenting the sold-out first issue debuts of the series that launched the all-new Valiant Universe.

And try all five at once with the One Dollar Debut: Wave One bundle – a shrink-wrapped package containing all five #1 issues for only $4.95!

“We’ve been yelling from rooftops about how good this Valiant relaunch has been, so now’s the time to jump on board.” – MTV Geek

“The Valiant Entertainment relaunch is one of the best things to happen to superhero comics for a while." – Comic Book Resources

“Every book in Valiant's relaunched comic line is a really great comic book." – IGN

“Valiant means business…” – iFanboy

$1.00 each/T+/32 pgs. each
ON SALE MAY 1st!
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HARBINGER VOL. 2: RENEGADES TPB

Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by PHIL BRIONES, MATTHEW CLARK, KHARI EVANS, LEE GARBETT, BARRY KITSON and PERE PEREZ
Cover by MICO SUAYAN

Outside the law. Inside your head. Welcome to the Renegades.

Battered and broken after his escape from the Harbinger Foundation, telekinetic teenager Peter Stanchek only has one option left – run. But he won’t have to go it alone. Crisscrossing America with the only two people he can trust, Peter will have to activate a new team of super-powered recruits before Toyo Harada and his Harbinger shock troops can reach them first. Peter Stanchek. Zephyr. Kris. Flamingo. You’ve never met a team of super-powered teenagers quite like the Renegades. And, together, they’ll dismantle Harada’s global empire one brick at a time.

Collecting HARBINGER #6-10 by New York Times best-selling author Joshua Dysart and an all-star cast of comics’ top artistic talents, get ready for the second stunning volume of the series Ain't It Cool News calls "simply astonishing."

“Four words, ladies and gentlemen: Read this book NOW.” – Ain’t It Cool News
“A superb level of awesomeness.” – IGN

$14.99/T+/128 pgs.
ISBN: 978-1-939346-02-5
ON SALE MAY 22nd!
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VALIANT MASTERS: SHADOWMAN VOL. 1 - SPIRITS WITHIN HC
Written by STEVE ENGLEHART, BOB HALL, BOB LAYTON, JIM SHOOTER and More
Art by STEVE DITKO, BOB HALL, DAVID LAPHAM, DON PERLIN and More
Cover by DAVID LAPHAM

A deluxe hardcover collecting Shadowman’s legendary first appearance in the original Valiant Universe – featuring classic work by Steve Ditko, Steve Englehart, Bob Hall, David Lapham, Jim Shooter and more!

Jack Boniface nearly died one night – attacked by something out of a nightmare. But since that terrifying experience something has changed. Now, when darkness falls, a feeling comes over him, an urge to destroy the demons that would defile the New Orleans night. Wild, reckless, and hell-bent on eliminating evil in all its forms, Jack is now his city’s new protector – the nocturnal avenger simply called Shadowman.

This Valiant Masters volume collects SHADOWMAN (1992) #0-7 and material from DARQUE PASSAGES (1994) #1.

$24.99/T+/184 pgs.
ISBN: 978-1-939346-01-8
ON SALE MAY 29th!

Valiant Comics for April 2013

Solicitations for APRIL 2013

HARBINGER WARS #1 (of 4)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART & DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by CLAYTON HENRY
Cover by LEWIS LAROSA
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by CLAYTON HENRY
Variant Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
Variant Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER

“Do you know where the children are?”

HARBINGER WARS, Valiant’s first family crossover event, begins here! A decades-old secret is about to put BLOODSHOT and HARBINGER on an inescapable collision course – and, soon, the most powerful forces in the Valiant Universe will be drawn into a battle without sides, without rules, and without mercy.

•Two dozen undisciplined, untested and untrained superhuman children have just escaped from a top-secret research facility and into the world.

•When Bloodshot, Toyo Harada and Peter Stanchek join the chase, will the Valiant Universe be ready for its first all-out superhuman showdown?

•Start reading here for a high-stakes tale that will put Valiant’s greatest heroes to the ultimate test!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE APRIL 3rd!
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HARBINGER #11 (HARBINGER WARS)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art & Cover by KHARI EVANS
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by CLAYTON HENRY
Variant Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER

“Your system has failed us. Now we must build our own.”

All-new arc, all-new jumping-on point! HARBINGER WARS continues in a standalone, four-part arc of HARBINGER, featuring the return of original series artist Khari Evans (Carbon Grey)!

•The world has just become a much bigger, much more dangerous place for Peter Stanchek and the Renegades…

•How will they react to the revelation of Project Rising Spirit’s secret mission and the harbinger hunter known as Bloodshot?

•Find out in PART ONE of HARBINGER WARS: HARBINGER!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE APRIL 10th!
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BLOODSHOT #10 (HARBINGER WARS)
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by BARRY KITSON
Cover by MICO SUAYAN
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by CLAYTON HENRY
Wraparound Variant by LEWIS LAROSA

“Hitting the target is more important than who pulls the trigger.”

All-new arc, all-new jumping-on point! HARBINGER WARS continues in a standalone, four-part arc of BLOODSHOT, featuring comics legend Barry Kitson (Fantastic Four)!

•Bloodshot has banded together with Project Rising Sprit’s most dangerous escapees.

•Can he shape them into a force for good – or are they too far gone?

•Find out in PART ONE of HARBINGER WARS: BLOODSHOT!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE APRIL 17th!
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X-O MANOWAR #12
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by CARY NORD
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Variant Cover by JUAN DOE

What lurks beneath the surface of PLANET DEATH?

Aric of Dacia has taken his one-man war to the Vine’s homeworld, Loam, and is using their own X-O Manowar armor to wage it. Finding an ally in the unlikeliest of places, Aric will discover that his mission to reduce Loam to ash will come with a high price. Past, present, and future are about to collide, and if Aric isn’t careful, he will be the common thread that undoes them all.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE APRIL 17th!
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ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #9
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art & Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Variant Cover by CLAYTON HENRY

It’s all over for the Eternal Warrior!

Gilad and Armstrong must set aside their sibling rivalry long enough to defeat the deadly new champion of The Null... ARCHER! It's win or go home (i.e. "die") as "Wrath of the Eternal Warrior" reaches its bone-crushing conclusion!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE APRIL 10th!
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SHADOWMAN #6
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN & PATRICK ZIRCHER
Art & Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Variant Cover by DAVE JOHNSON

The dead rising are rising in New Orleans.

The Deadside is spreading throughout the city, while a sinister new menace gathers an army that can't be killed. Meanwhile, Jack is about to discover that his Shadowman powers are as much a curse as a blessing.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE APRIL 3rd!
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SHADOWMAN VOL. 1: BIRTH RITES TPB
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN & PATRICK ZIRCHER
Art & Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER

There are a million dreams in the Big Easy. But now its worst nightmare is about to come true.

As the forces of darkness prepare to claim New Orleans as their own, Jack Boniface must embrace the legacy he was born to uphold. As Shadowman, Jack is about to become the only thing that stands between his city and an army of unspeakable monstrosities from beyond the night. But is the mantle of Shadowman a blessing or a curse? And what is the true cost of his otherworldly power?

From rising star Justin Jordan (The Strange Talent of Luther Strode) and comics superstar Patrick Zircher (Captain America, Hulk), this volume collects SHADOWMAN #1-4.

“It's simply stunning… ‘Shadowman’ is another awesome notch in the belt of Valiant.” – IGN

“Jordan and Zircher have given us a winner with ‘Shadowman.’" – Comic Book Resources

$14.99/T+/112 pgs.
ISBN: 978-1-939346-00-1
ON SALE APRIL 24th!

Valiant Comics for February 2013

VALIANT Solicitations for FEBRUARY 2013
(subject to change, of course)

HARBINGER #0
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art & Cover by MICO SUAYAN
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by CLAYTON HENRY & CLAYTON CRAIN
Wraparound Gatefold Variant by LEWIS LAROSA

Rise to power!

Toyo Harada, CEO of Harada Global Conglomerates and the most potent known psionic in the world, has a vision for the perfect future. A vision he will realize with or without the consent of the rest of humanity. In order to achieve it, he’s built a private army of super-powered hyper-telekinetics within the Harbinger Foundation. But who was Harada before he became the world’s most powerful man? And what are the origins of his vast ambitions? Don’t miss those answers and more in this special standalone issue that will define the future of the Valiant Universe.

$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE FEBRUARY 6th
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X-O MANOWAR #10
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art & Cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Variant Cover by CARY NORD

Planet Death looms! A new X-O Manowar rises! And nothing can stop what's coming.

With the Vine invasion fleet waiting in orbit, Aric of Dacia is forced into the one battle he never wanted, against the strongest, most horrifying opponent he’s ever faced. This adversary doesn’t want the X-O Manowar armor. It doesn’t want Earth. It only wants Aric — dead. The winner will hold the fate of everyone – human and Vine – in the palm of his hand. Because before this fight is over, the armor will reveal that it wields far more destructive potential than anyone could have possibly imagined. Robert Venditti and Trevor Hairsine conclude the two-part prelude that sets the stage for the epic war everything has been building up to. X-O Manowar is going home!

$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE FEBRUARY 20th
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BLOODSHOT #8
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by MANUEL GARCIA
Cover by ARTURO LOZZI
Variant Cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE & CLAYTON CRAIN

CHAINSAW EAT BLOODSHOT!

Bloodshot may be the best, but he wasn't the first. Bloodshot is taking his revenge on Project Rising Spirit—the secret quasi-government experimental division that created him — one body at a time. But nothing could have prepared him for what's waiting for him inside the Nursery. Deep underground, get ready to go to war with the band of misfit killers that Bloodshot used to call brothers-in-arms. Cleaner. Recon. Point. Gunner. Team: CHAINSAW is reporting for duty, sir!

$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE FEBRAURY 13th
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ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #7
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art & Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Variant Cover by CLAYTON HENRY

Who shoots The Shootist?!

What would an Eternal Warrior be without an immortal enemy? For centuries, The Shootist – the Sect's most feared assassin – has been a pivotal player in world events. Now he has Archer & Armstrong in his sights! With Gilad and the new Geomancer's help, can they stop the man who only fires shots heard 'round the world?

$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE FEBRUARY 13th
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HARBINGER #9
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by MATTHEW CLARK
Cover by MICO SUAYAN
Variant Cover by KHARI EVANS

Nothing can bring her down.

She's the light in the dark. The soul of a rising resistance movement. Here now, for the first time, is the story of Zephyr (aka Faith Herbert… but shhh don't tell anyone)! As danger closes in on all sides, Faith must begin the trials and tribulations of being the Valiant Universe's first real-life superhero. Learn the secret potential of her powers and the truth about her time at the Harbinger Foundation, then follow her into battle to save the other Renegades. Look, up in the air! It's a bird, it's a plane... it's freakin' Zephyr!

$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE FEBRUARY 20th
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SHADOWMAN #4
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN & PATRICK ZIRCHER
Art & Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Variant Cover by DAVE JOHNSON

All hell breaks loose.

Shadowman and the monstrous Mr. Twist battle to the death! Everything is at stake for Jack, Dox, and Alyssa – and for the world as they know it – because if Twist succeeds, then Master Darque will walk the earth once more.

$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE FEBRUARY 6th
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BLOODSHOT VOL. 1: SETTING THE WORLD ON FIRE TPB
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by MANUEL GARCIA & ARTURO LOZZI
Cover by ARTURO LOZZI

Every mission is a suicide mission.

Your name is Angelo Mortalli. Your brother is trapped behind enemy lines and on the verge of — no. That’s not right. Your name is Raymond Garrison. You’ve retired from the dangers of the field, but a desperate plea from your oldest friend plunges you into a vicious firefight that — no. That’s not right, either. You are Bloodshot. You are the shade of gray that freedom requires. The perfect confluence of military necessity and cutting-edge technology. A walking WikiLeaks. A reservoir of dirty secrets that could set the world on fire. And you’ve just been captured.

Collecting BLOODSHOT #1-4 (2012) by best-selling writer Duane Swierczynski and acclaimed artists Manuel Garcia & Arturo Lozzi, find out why this is the series that has IGN proclaiming “Valiant is quickly becoming the publisher to beat.”

$14.99/Rated T+/128 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-9796409-6-4
ON SALE FEBRUARY 6th
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VALIANT MASTERS: NINJAK VOL. 1 – BLACK WATER HC
Written by MARK MORETTI
Art by JOE QUESADA & MARK MORETTI
Cover by JOE QUESADA

Collected for the very first time – Ninjak’s solo debut in the original Valiant Universe by Mark Moretti (Bloodshot) & comics icon Joe Quesada (Daredevil, Amazing Spider-Man)!

Colin King – sophisticated British playboy by day, elite super-spy by night! Codenamed Ninjak, King is gifted with a brilliant mind and lethal training in the world’s most dangerous fighting techniques. Both will be put to the ultimate test as he is drawn into globe-spanning mission to apprehend Dr. Silk, mastermind of the WEBNET terror network, before the mysterious weapon known as “Black Water” goes online. From the British Isles to the land of the Rising Sun, Ninjak will leave an indelible imprint on the Valiant Universe – or die trying. Collecting NINJAK (1994) #1-6, #0, and #00 and featuring special, rarely seen sketches and process art from the Valiant vault!

$24.99/Rated T+/184pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-9796409-7-1
ON SALE FEBRUARY 27th

Albert Avilla Reviews: Batman the Dark Knight #0

Batman the Dark Knight #0
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Gregg Hurwitz
Pencils: Mico Suayan and Juan Ryp
Inks: Vicente Cifuentes

"Chill in the Air" (Spoiler Alert)

This story ventures away from the other #0 stories that I've read and tackles the origin of Batman from another angle. We see the traits that make Batman who is developed in his youth.

Early in his life, we see Bruce display the courage that will make him a hero when he returns to the scene of his parents’ murder. This is the determination that drives him throughout his life. Every step that he takes in his life moves him in the direction of finding his parents’ killer; there is nothing that will lead him astray. There is no one to push him to achieve his goal. He is a Spartan warrior living for battle. He allows no pleasures to distract him from his preparation. When the time comes for Bruce to face battle, he throws down on a biker gang. We don't see a bumbling idiot falling over himself. We see a master of hand to hand combat who takes down the gang without a bead of sweat.

Bruce is destroyed when he learns that his parents were not killed as part of a conspiracy, but for being in the wrong place when an alcoholic needed his next drink. The symbolism of his mother's pearls and father's watch shows how the death of his parents drives Bruce.

If you just look at the art, you are not impressed, but when you look at it in the context of the story, the art becomes an important tool in the telling of the story. The artist uses the details to help drive the story home.

I rate Batman the Dark Knight #0 Buy Your Own Copy.