July 12, 2012 - A diamond in the rough
Valiant issued a limited number of VVSS books, and as the nineties comics crash expanded, issued fewer and fewer copies of books to attempt to keep demand high. While many of the books floundered, including Geomancer - cancelled after only eight issues - because ot the LOW print run, it remains a high demand book.
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Yes, it's quite a re-tread But it isn't at all an unpleasant one. So much of the industry as a whole was really suffering when Valiant hit this mess. This doesn't destroy all of the old past - like much of the re-telling of Rai - and changing of Takashi. It inserts around, rebuilds, and sort of re-establishes some history.
Kudos to Rags. The art is pretty darned good. It's a little bit cartoony, but it really has a nice flair. It represents the era - but without the hatred - and certainly without the over-emphasized posing and postulating. The company is still trying to grow - even in the face of adversity. I am a little embarrassed to say this, but I don't know if I ever gave this book a chance. Even more embarrassing, I kind of like it. It's certainly silly, and a little crazy. But, it takes some of the history, and a LOT of what I really liked in some of the better parts of the Eternal Warrior books - and puts them into this book. There is a reason that Clay is still showing up toward the end of the Eternal Warrior run, right? |