LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
Posting Valiant recs from the other thread. For those that are unfamiliar with it, Valiant is an indie comic book publisher with a shared universe like DC and Marvel. They are very high quality comics and are very well-regarded by the more core comic book community. They have a set stable of characters from the 90s (though they've recently been creating new ones), yet they let their creators have full-reign over stories and events.
Ok, so, depending on what you're looking for:
Archer & Armstrong - Buddy cop conspiracy busters. This is one of the most widely loved books Valiant has. It's just a lot of fun. First volume is free, 6 volumes total, and there's a new ongoing series that follows the characters.
Death-Defying Dr. Mirage - kind of like an ghost/exorcism book. Kind of exposition heavy, but very unique and the art is fantastic. This is a miniseries and the whole thing is free.
Harbinger - It's kind of like X-Men, but it really has legs of its own. It follows a group of misfit teens with superpowers. Saying anything else would be spoilery, but it has two of my favorite characters in the universe. It's very thematically heavy and just an epic tale contained in 6 volumes. The first is free.
Imperium - A pseudo-sequel to Harbinger. I wouldn't recommend reading it if you like Harbinger and want to finish it, but it's a great read on its own. It's like a superpowered cold war book. The first volume is free and currently set to finish next month.
Ninjak - This is an espionage book. You'll enjoy it if you liked Grayson or Velvet. It's got fantastic characterization and Ninjak is a hilarious, arrogant prick. The first volume is free and the series is ongoing.
Quantum & Woody - Superhero buddy cop book with a lot of ridiculous and hilarious ideas. This was almost a laugh-a-panel book for me. The first volume is free, 4 total.
Rai - Cyberpunk samurai cop who rebels against his creator. While not crazy conceptually, and the first few volumes are just good, the third volume is just crazy. First volume free, currently ongoing, and leads into the 4001 AD event.
Unity - A damn good team book, but it's hard to recommend this one without reading XO Manowar up until like issue 19, since it directly involves XO. First volume is free, 6 volumes total.
The Valiant - This is by far my favorite story contained in the Valiant universe. It's a mini-event, all contained in one book, and it does a couple of things really well. First, the art by Paolo Rivera is off the walls good; it brings a tremendous amount of life to these characters. Second, while it's an event that uses established characters (Bloodshot, Geomancer, and Eternal Warrior are the leads), it is a great jumping on point, as it showcases a lot of the characters in the universe and makes you want to learn more about them. Geomancer, in fact, wasn't a character very well explored before this book, yet the story does an incredible job making you care about her plight. The story is kind of a fairytale, self-contained thing that is really touching and affecting on a lot of levels. I will say, some people come away from this feeling like they probably would have benefited from knowing more about the characters, but I knew very little about these characters before jumping into this story and loved it to death. Miniseries, all free.
XO Manowar - A standard cape book, though it has great characterization and there's a few original ideas in there. It follows Aric as he inherits the armor, then tries to avenge his people, so there's a bit of a spin on it in that he's not as much as hero as he is an avenger; however, that's kind of part of how he matures into becoming a real hero. It's Valiant's flagship title. First volume is free, currently ongoing but it will end at volume 12.
Ok, so, depending on what you're looking for:
Archer & Armstrong - Buddy cop conspiracy busters. This is one of the most widely loved books Valiant has. It's just a lot of fun. First volume is free, 6 volumes total, and there's a new ongoing series that follows the characters.
Death-Defying Dr. Mirage - kind of like an ghost/exorcism book. Kind of exposition heavy, but very unique and the art is fantastic. This is a miniseries and the whole thing is free.
Harbinger - It's kind of like X-Men, but it really has legs of its own. It follows a group of misfit teens with superpowers. Saying anything else would be spoilery, but it has two of my favorite characters in the universe. It's very thematically heavy and just an epic tale contained in 6 volumes. The first is free.
Imperium - A pseudo-sequel to Harbinger. I wouldn't recommend reading it if you like Harbinger and want to finish it, but it's a great read on its own. It's like a superpowered cold war book. The first volume is free and currently set to finish next month.
Ninjak - This is an espionage book. You'll enjoy it if you liked Grayson or Velvet. It's got fantastic characterization and Ninjak is a hilarious, arrogant prick. The first volume is free and the series is ongoing.
Quantum & Woody - Superhero buddy cop book with a lot of ridiculous and hilarious ideas. This was almost a laugh-a-panel book for me. The first volume is free, 4 total.
Rai - Cyberpunk samurai cop who rebels against his creator. While not crazy conceptually, and the first few volumes are just good, the third volume is just crazy. First volume free, currently ongoing, and leads into the 4001 AD event.
Unity - A damn good team book, but it's hard to recommend this one without reading XO Manowar up until like issue 19, since it directly involves XO. First volume is free, 6 volumes total.
The Valiant - This is by far my favorite story contained in the Valiant universe. It's a mini-event, all contained in one book, and it does a couple of things really well. First, the art by Paolo Rivera is off the walls good; it brings a tremendous amount of life to these characters. Second, while it's an event that uses established characters (Bloodshot, Geomancer, and Eternal Warrior are the leads), it is a great jumping on point, as it showcases a lot of the characters in the universe and makes you want to learn more about them. Geomancer, in fact, wasn't a character very well explored before this book, yet the story does an incredible job making you care about her plight. The story is kind of a fairytale, self-contained thing that is really touching and affecting on a lot of levels. I will say, some people come away from this feeling like they probably would have benefited from knowing more about the characters, but I knew very little about these characters before jumping into this story and loved it to death. Miniseries, all free.
XO Manowar - A standard cape book, though it has great characterization and there's a few original ideas in there. It follows Aric as he inherits the armor, then tries to avenge his people, so there's a bit of a spin on it in that he's not as much as hero as he is an avenger; however, that's kind of part of how he matures into becoming a real hero. It's Valiant's flagship title. First volume is free, currently ongoing but it will end at volume 12.
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