I was waiting to read the occasion when all - or even most - of the build came to a serious head. And it really does in this comic in a few ways. First, the story ends. And much of the path has been put toward this. The noir feel of the comic book gas a shift throughout it, as well. While the Zircher art was the best part of the book - I also don't think it highlighted the best parts of it. Think about the first four issues - and how popular the covers were on them. They were deservedly adored - the Johnson variants, I mean. While they weren't perfect art, the design behind them was. The first eight issues weren't bad - just inconsistent. This art - while probably what I would call 'worse,' did a much stronger job supporting the story. I don't want to reach out too far, because some of the explanations didn't really completely come together on the reading, it certainly brought the issues into a much stronger focus, and that helped the issues to feel quite complete. It is perhaps the genre that I am not a fan of - the horror-esque. And I know that I was a real fan of the first Shadowman version. And the end of the second into the third, as well. But the new version paints outside - or maybe over - that version. That may be the reason so many existing Valiant fans have had trouble embracing it. However, it has certainly been the most bold in its structure. Sacrificing Dox was also a bold move in the first nine issues. Not that the title was named after him, but the character was strong - and important. I am curious to read issue 10 - and wrap around Shadowman's origin. Also curious to read the issues knowing where this one has come. Pretty good.
Love these focused issues.
And after the new PSI-Force has really been established - both after the annual and the new team together, this bridging over to PSI-Force really makes a lot of sense. The issue seems a bit forced - the men in the car are WAY too creepy for words - certainly he's in desperate need of nearly any kind of handout, but I can't imagine myself trusting any kind of two adults like that. But their story - if I was willing to listen to it - does have a real sense of believe-ability. It makes sense to have these two worlds quickly collide - even if on their periphery. But D.P. 7 seems really too strange and simple in the comic. I can feel how much the strong writing in the regular book really made a difference in nearly every part of the book. It's also another issue when the cover is essentially meaningless to the story, but all in all a worthy read.