Archer and Armstrong #4
November 2012
Valiant Entertainment
Fred Van Lente, Clayton Henry, Pere Perez
Van Lente, you crafty S.O.B.
Nazi Monks. Ninja Nuns. The Sect. Subterfuge. Deception. Betrayal? Nudity??
The Sect have found all the pieces of The Boon and now, with the help of the Nazi Lamas, are ready to gift themselves the power of immortality. And what do the Geomancers have to do with the worst of the Valiant Universe turning on The Boon? Not even the combined powers of Archer and Armstrong will be enough to stop them. Another typical Tuesday.
For every question answered in Archer and Armstrong #4, two more are posed. This is the thinking man’s comic book. It’s also the last issue of the serie’s debut story arch, which means we will be parting ways with artist Clayton Henry. Valiant’s formula of switching up artists after story archs enables the series to continue with a steady pace and cuts down on the chance of books being released on a less than perfect release schedule.
Which is great because I am utterly hooked! The misadventures of Valiant’s odd couple continue to intrigue me and Van Lente continues to bait us with tastey morsels of plot pieces and hints of Armstrong’s origin. While I will miss Henry’s art, he seriously goes out with a bang and I doubt this will be the last Valiant title he works on.
There are several AH! and AH-HA! moments through out the issue as well as some comedy. Archer and Armstrong continues to be brilliantly crafted, with the story tellers giving us just enough information to keep us interested, all the while making sure enough is left out to keep us coming back for more.
9 out of 10 (only because the ending made me sad)
