In Soviet Russia, bears recombine your DNA!
Creative Staff:
Story: Rafer Roberts
Art: Mike Norton
Colors: Allen Passalaqua
Letters: Dave Sharpe
What They Say:
At long last, Valiant’s gallant adventurers have finally located Armstrong’s long-missing wife…in that dreaded land that dare not speak its name: Florida! But after centuries of thinking that his near-immortal bride, Andromeda, was just a booze-induced hallucination, how will Armstrong make up for years of lies, losses, and infidelities? And, as if that wasn’t enough, a nefarious new force is about to release an army of bathsalt-using “Florida Men” to finish off Archer & Armstrong once and for all!
It’s a true story (not really) ripped from today’s headlines (pretty much)! Pack your Crocs and don’t skimp on the lotion because the Sunshine State is about to hit Archer & Armstrong like a bad seafood buffet…and we only have Harvey Award-nominated writer Rafer Roberts (HARBINGER RENEGADES) and acclaimed artist Mike Norton (Revival) to blame!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
After escaping from a circus that was actually a research lab run by expatriate Soviet scientists experimenting with Armstrong’s DNA, our dynamic duo (plus new friend and Armstrong sorta clone Gub Gub) finally reach Florida.
There Armstrong reunites with his estranged wife, Andromeda (yes, that Andromeda), a woman he believed he’d hallucinated, and as reunions between estranged spouses go, it’s not too terrible. Armstrong apologized, Andromeda forgave him, and while the two aren’t looking to hook back up, they’ve reach a mutual understanding.
That is until Andromeda begins talking about the extra-dimensional beings that seeded life throughout the multiverse and their plans for Earth. Given all the weird situations and foes they’ve faced, one would think that Archer and Armstrong would be inclined to believe in Gods from other dimensions, but neither of them are having it. Archer, of course, expresses his skepticism politely, but Armstrong just comes right out and calls it crazy.
Andromeda’s story becomes slightly less crazy when she uses Gub Gub as a vessel for one of the extra-dimensional entities, but we’re going to have to wait for next issue to learn more secrets of the universe, like if Ricky and Dolores get back together again. Personally, I’m hoping not, because he was no good for her, but what do I know?
That’s the “A” story. The “B” story follows Mary-Maria and her newly excommunicated band of murder nuns in Belgium planning an Ocean’s Eleven-type heist on a bank that houses the Sisters of Perpetual Darkness’ money. And the “C” storyline shows us what the villainous One Percent and the evil Soviet circus scientists have planned in order to retrieve Gub Gub and take down Archer and Armstrong for good.
As always, A&A is full of big ideas tempered by a broad, wicked sense of humor. Not only do we learn about the origins of the universe and the Greek Gods, but we also learn the real purpose behind Bath Salts and why Florida is so colorful. The writing is funny, it flows well, and balances the different storylines expertly. Offhand, I wonder if Rafer Roberts using a Levitz spreadsheet to keep track of it all. It’s that good.
The art is also top notch. Mike Norton’s pencils and Allen Passalaqua’s colors bring the world to life and know just when to exaggerate and when to stay grounded—a sensibility that’s key to the success of this series. Interestingly, Nortan and Passalaqua change their style for the history lesson Andromeda gives at the beginning of the comic.
In Summary:
A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #9 is another fun issue full of jokes and bold, crazy ideas tempered by excellent character work. Plus, Soviet Science Bear is back, and that’s all I need for a good story. Dr. Josh gives this a….
Grade: B+
Age Rating: T+
Released By: Valiant Comics
Release Date: November 9th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
