Archer & Armstrong Volume 3: Far, Faraway (ARCHER & ARMSTRONG (VU) TP)

The Archer & Armstrong series has always been a bit silly, but this one takes the cake. Aliens and dinosaurs? A religious cult? Those are just the tip of the iceberg.There is so much that I like about this volume. It starts to examine Archer's past in more depth while setting up things to come in some very explicit ways. The story ties in some elements from the previous volumes too. The appearances by some historical figures are great, but the significance could be lost on people that aren't familiar with them. Plus, the book made me laugh out loud a few times.I really enjoyed the art this time around too. It meshes well with the silliness of the series. The creators are able to push things a bit more with the way the art works because it can deviate a bit more than it could in a more serious book.

Where we left off: With a new Geomancer in place and the Eternal Warrior mostly calmed down, Archer & Armstrong were able to defeat the Null and prevent the destruction of, well, everything. Further mysteries around Archer’s true origin were discovered, and the Eternal Warrior was able to set A&A on the right path to begin investigating… a path that leads right to the doors of Project: Rising Spirit!There is so much to love in this trade paperback! Not only do we get an amazing tale crafted by Fred Van Lente and drawn by Pere Perez, but we also get a Zero issue that detailing the Anni-Pada brother’s fateful first adventure into the Faraway. This issue serves two purposes: give us an “origin” story, but also provide setup for the Far, Faraway story arc.To say that a lot goes down in this story would be the understatement of all understatements. We get glimpses of Archer’s mysterious connection to Project: Rising Spirit, explanations of many of the world’s disappearance conspiracies, tantalizing glimpses into the surprising future of our characters, humanity in general, and the Valiant Universe overall, love, betrayal, dinosaurs, probe happy alien grays, and (best of all) the return of the Valiant hero known as the Timewalker!!As I write this review, we are now almost 2 ½ years into the publishing of new Valiant comics. I love the company, love the entire line, and have enjoyed many brilliant tales so far. But, ladies and gentlemen, I humbly submit to you… the Far, Faraway arc of Archer & Armstrong is one of, if not THE, best piece of work Valiant has put out to date.Read it and find out why.

Valiant hits another one out of the park as writer Fred Van Lente and an art team led by Clayton Henry and Pere Perez continue to excel in this third volume of “Archer and Armstrong” comics. This collection shows how “Gilgamesh” is tied to Armstrong and his brothers while Archer continues to develop as a hero as the unlikely duo explore Area 51 and the Faraway. The supporting cast is excellent and Van Lente continues to find the perfect balance between action and comedy in this outstanding collection. Highly recommended.

Collecting #0 and the impressive A&A #10-13 this is my favorite of the collected trades for Archer & Armstrong. Faraway is the best of Van Lente. Clayton Henry and Pere Perez are the perfect combination of artists for this book they are so close in styles the visuals just don't skip a beat.Aliens, Dino's and Area 51? You get it all in this story. It's really hard not to smile and laugh out loud when reading this series because Fred really does throw so much at you. ONE thing for sure Van Lente doesn't dumb down to his readers and that's what separates Valiant from many of the publishers in the Marketplace. I purchased this on Amazon and read it cover to cover when I received it.

This is my all-time favorite storyline in the entire new Valiant universe. This collection packages Archer & Armstrong issues 0 and 10-13. Fred Van Lente does an amazing job taking a ridiculously silly story and set of characters and make it really fun. We are introduced to the Faraway and a history of the anni-paddi, as well as the Timewalker. Archer delves into his connection with the Project Rising Spirit (PRS) and we see additional history into Gilad and Ivar. Perhaps the silliest thing we see is General Redacted and his band of grey aliens flying fighter planes. This book lays the foundation for the title and the Valiant Universe for many years to come.

Dans la suite des précédents tomes que j'ai déjà eu le plaisir de commenter (1), le scénariste Fred VAN LENTE poursuit sa mission consistant à proposer un comic book aussi "action packed", varié et amusant que possible.Et il réussit haut la main dans son entreprise, aidé par des dessinateurs tels que Pere PEREZ, Clayton HENRY et David BARON, aux styles proches, sérieux et précis mais "humour friendly".Frère et sœur suite à leur adoption par un couple sectaire au sens propre du terme, mais suivant désormais chacun leur propre destinée, Mary-Maria et Obadiah ARCHER sont à la recherche de la même chose, pour des visées différentes.Ils finissent bien entendu par se retrouver, dans un monde étrange, le "Faraway", au sein duquel tout peut réellement arriver. Obie peut compter sur son ami ARMSTRONG. Jusqu'au moment où...Honnêtement, ce TPB qui ne contient pourtant que 5 comic books, est difficilement résumable tant cela part dans tous les sens, tout le temps. Si sur sa couverture, vous reconnaissez la créature de Roswell confinée dans l'Area 51, vous voyez juste. Et, en même temps... <spoiler>. Le tout se termine avec un "massive cliffhanger".Réellement, je trouve cette série excellente pour le bon moment de lecture qu'elle propose, du fait de la maîtrise et j'oserais dire de la passion dont font montre les auteurs pour leur "re-création" (la série a déjà existé dans un passé que je ne puis évoquer car je ne le connais pas).Une "gallery" ajoutée à la fin propose les couvertures alternatives, les différentes étapes de plusieurs planches (crayonné, encrage, couleurs).(1) ' Archer & Armstrong Volume 1: The Michelangelo Code ' et ' Archer & Armstrong Volume 2: Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior '. Ou bien préfèrerez-vous attendre l'achat de leur compilation en "HC", ' Archer & Armstrong Deluxe Edition Book 1 ' ? Sachant que la version française est publiée par Panini : ' Archer et Armstrong, Tome 1 : Le Michelangelo Code '. Archer & Armstrong Volume 1: The Michelangelo CodeArcher & Armstrong Volume 2: Wrath Of The Eternal WarriorArcher & Armstrong Deluxe Edition Book 1Archer et Armstrong, Tome 1 : Le Michelangelo Code

Ce nouvel épisode entretient l'évolution de la série : moins d'humour en général, mais des blagues, répliques et autres retournements de situation qui font VRAIMENT mouche, et plus de scénario.Ici A&A se retrouvent dans une "dimension parallèle" étrange peuplée de tas de gens tous plus cintrés les uns que les autres et croisent à la fois des personnages historiques et des figures de l'univers Valiant, avec excellent un coup de théâtre à la fin d'une histoire pleine de rebondissements et d'action.