One of the reasons I see Valiant's greatest suffering was its inconsistencies. A few months ago, I was worshiping at the feet of the book. Now, dullsville. I loved the character - and frankly, some of the situations are normal-ish everyday circumstances. This is where Valiant really shines. In this case, though, the sum of the parts don't really make it. I know where the story is going. Aric is getting forced out, and we'll see a new X-O - but... don't kill me along the way. Maybe this is why I didn't like X-O very much through most of its run. These were the issues I was buying. Bleah.
Ah, the deflection.
Look, over there! My alter-ego! A quick suggestion of where to run - and now I can escape! Well, the comics are getting better at painting people into corners, but much worse at painting themselves out of them. This issue is nowhere near as good as the last one, but it isn't as bad as a few months ago. Iron Man keeps getting better, but hits a bump here. I like the idea of dropping out the back-up stories, and we know that Captain America will be joining the ranks soon. The five page back-up is cute, but silly. Not as bad as aliens landing in the last story... For someone who is just supposed to watch, he does quite a bit of interfering.