Creative Staff:
Story: Robert Venditti
Art: Doug Braithwaite
What They Say:
Five alien Armor Hunters now control the planet, millions are dead – and that was only the beginning!
But if X-O Manowar surrenders now, will he spare the Earth…or spell its doom? And, as the world descends into pandemonium, can Bloodshot and the Unity team finally pinpoint a weakness in an enemy with more power, more endurance, and more technology? When you can’t find a way to win…you’d better find a way to cheat!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The second installment of the Armor Hunters miniseries worked well for me, even if it was without much in the way of action, because it focused on making the main characters more accessible to someone like me who hasn’t read too many Valiant books and because it made the villains interesting. The book dealt with the fallout of the destruction of Mexico City well and how the reactions went while also bringing in the characters populating the side miniseries getting involved and the whole Unity aspect as well. While it may not get me to run out and start catching up on Bloodshot, the inclusion made sense with the way the books are connected and it provided a little easing for Aric in terms of having to deal with everything. But with with the alien hounds dropped on the planet and the casualties climbing high, things are starting to hit their limit.
That level of fallout is rather nicely done. While Bloodshot has helped out at MERO, the attack by the hunters has devastated the base and there’s nothing left to salvage. That has Capshaw doing the smart thing in utilizing their backup mobile base and getting a skeleton crew on it so they can at least take a command position, even if they don’t have any capability to back it up. It doesn’t hurt that they have Livewire though since her digital connectivity ability is extremely useful. While the devastation and story occurs around MERO, things are even more tragic in Nebraska where the death toll on Aric’s people is intense. This is a humbling moment for him, one that shakes his pride and confidence in a big way, because these are his people and before all else he swore to protect them. Failing that, and losing as many as they did, it’s no surprise that he’s willing to surrender the armor as he’s known nothing but being targeted since he got it. Does that sit well with Capshaw? Of course not.
Capshaw has definitely shown herself to have earned her position over the course of this miniseries with quick thinking and smart decisions and that carries through here in a big way. While it plays up an angle of Independence Day to a sort, sending Livewire in the armor – especially with her history with it – to make a final offer before infecting their system works well. I’d have loved to have seen the conversation and convincing that Capshaw would have had to do in order to get Livewire to do it. There’s some great dialogue between her and the Primary though, worn and weary as he is at this point with his entire life, and it takes on a kind of crazy factor as it all goes down. Naturally, things aren’t going to go easy as this isn’t the finale, so while Livewire helps change the nature of the battle here, the battle still goes on. But overall it was one of those solid and realistic plays to make, and one that gives Aric the kick in the ass he needs.
In Summary:
The Armor Hunters miniseries has been a lot of fun for me as it’s given me a decent view of where parts of the cast of the Valiant universe stand at this point and it does draw me into wanting to read more about them, or at the least continuing on from here. But even with that, Armor Hunters is telling a good if classic style story of the alien invader, the plucky heroes and the grinding down that they get while never giving up. Well, except for when they give up. This issue has a bit more action than the previous one, but again, it’s mostly about the scale of things as it’s not just a slugfest between hero and villain. It’s not hugely nuanced, but it’s more entertaining and engaging because it’s dealing with it in a better way.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Valiant Comics
Release Date: August 13th, 11th, 2014
MSRP: $3.99
