I kept reading - I don't know how many times - that the Archer & Armstrong comic was the heart of this universe. And don't get me wrong - it was fine. And fun. Well, after the first three issues, I think. But something happened in the last two issues really that made the comic really pop out and grab me by the throat. This one hit a home run - and has now gone ahead to hit its own stride in the comic. Thankfully. The initial Valiant run was one of the best places to read a comic - and it lasted only a year (or less, if you ask me) to become one of the most raggedy pieces of garbage in the universe. In my opinion it has become nearly that good. Suayan's art - while initially I hated - has really grown on me and feels like it fits within the confines of the A & A universe - a real harkening back to the old BWS days. I AM MAKING A COMPARISON. By no means do I believe that the two are in the same ballpark - but the sort of softness to it really helped. The comedy is also strikingly light-hearted. I loved when the box-heads entered into the scene - and re-energized themselves by chanting, 'catch phrase,' and 'battle cry' from the Brtiianick video sequence (included below). It also brought back some of the best sections from early comics - the references to the abilities used. It even made a more than slight reference to the early (bad) A & A by putting the duo in that silly submarine and going down to the bottom of the ocean. The squeegee at the window - and the section of seeing the pyramid below the water were spectacular. Great comic.
This delivered.
The cover - what a terrible way to show what was inside of this comic. I kept passing this up - and heck, it's February as I write this - but what a mistake. The comic really had a bunch of insane story through it. First - loved the change in the overall appearance of the comic. It felt different - like it had embraced what it had to become to survive - and followed along the path - showing clearly that nothing could be the same again. And Duck? Wow. That happened quickly. And although the book made strong reference to the entity of the books - and followed along the lines of the changes that had to take place - it was disturbing to see how the death occurred. And the book seems to be the background and backbone of the new universe. And although the book hasn't aged particularly well, it was still a nice ride through the story. Take a read.