Reviews»Comic Books»Armor Hunters #1
AH_001_crop
Kareem Ali 4.5

Armor Hunters #1

 

  • The good

    Excellent setup for series and establishes the armor hunters as a series threat. Story progresses extremely well and easy to follow even for those new to Valiant universe. Stunning conclusion

  • The bad

    Lack of communication when given the opportunity to explain dangers of the armor. No demonstration of the armor's capabilties

  • The ugly

    • Armor Hunters #1 is Valiant’s premiere issue for its crossover event that begins when hunters from the far reaches of the galaxy descend on Earth seeking the armor worn by X-O Manowar. It opens up in Russia with soldiers in a secret underground bunker holding a line trying to protect experimental weapons against an unknown enemy. Everyone else has been killed in the bunker so at this point they’re on their own but there’s no way out as the door is breached and a mysterious gas comes pouring through. They realize how much they’re in over their hands when the gas transforms into an alien being who opens the door for an even more threatening creature, and the two of them decimate the remaining soldiers. However they’re surprised the armor hasn’t attacked them yet until they realize that the armors in the bunker are just duplicates, attempts to recreate the original armor. They inform the ship in orbit of this development and it’s decided that a more thorough search of the planet is needed since they know how dangerous the armor can be, and they believe they’re protecting the inhabitants of Earth. Meanwhile Aric, the one who is in possession of the armor, is greeted by a M.E.R.O. escort who informs him they have to take him back to their base, and when he arrives he’s informed that the planet has been invaded by incredibly powerful forces seeking the armor so they’re attempting to protect him. But considering just 2 of them laid waste to a max-security Russian facility in less than 5 minutes, how can anyone contend with their entire force?

    AH_001_002
    Armor Hunters #1 was my first foray into the Valiant universe, and aside from a random comic here and there I was completely unfamiliar with recent events or character backstories but figured now was as good a time as any. And wow, I was thoroughly impressed not just in terms of this being an excellent issue and start to a crossover event but with the characters and the universe as a whole making me want to know more. The threat the armor hunters posed was immediately made clear through their destruction of opposing forces in the bunker and the statements of the last soldiers standing (complete with some Russian) making the scene very intense. And I appreciated the fact that the need for them to thoroughly search the planet for the armor was explained as opposed to them hitting the planet from orbit since they had the capabilities. And the story progressed well as the situation was explained to Aric, and even as a first-time reader it was very easy to follow without feeling lost but more importantly feeling like there was some depth to the interactions despite not knowing the actual history. I can’t say how long-time fans will treat any of these story developments but this issue needed to accomplish 3 main things to me: establish the armor hunters as a viable threat, establish a reason for them to hunt the armor, and last but not least, justify defending the armor, which would create the inevitable conflict. Of course all of this would need to be done while being entertaining and the writing and artwork made sure of that. The first two were accomplished spectacularly and the build-up of the armor hunters as a threat left me shocked at their capabilities, and I’m not giving away any spoilers regarding that but your mouth will drop. Their conversation among themselves and with M.E.R.C. made it clear the armor was a huge threat and their reason for hunting it justified however the lack of communication was clearly a plot device to create conflict. So the defense of the armor, or more accurately against the invaders was a matter of survival against a threat that would stop at nothing to destroy it. My lack of understanding of the armor or not seeing it in action could’ve dampened my investment in the defense of it but there was more at stake than just that and the way the events unfolded kept me glued to the pages from beginning to end, and left me anxious to get my hands on all the issues in this event.

     

    SUMMARY

    Armor Hunters #1 is an explosive start to Valiant’s crossover event and one that’s worthy of setting the stage and showing the very survival of humanity is at stake, and not just from one direction. The armor hunters are ruthless and truly believe in their cause but aren’t one-dimensional so their hunt for armors throughout the galaxy and the toll it has taken on them is very intriguing. And I was very impressed with my introduction to the Valiant characters in this issue and easily digestible story made me hungry to investigate the events preceding this issue despite not being an absolute necessity to follow the events. And with the stunning conclusion I’m glad I won’t have to wait an entire month before reading the second issue.

     

    Release Date: 6/11/14

    Writer: Robert Venditti

    Artist: Doug Braithwaite

  • Rating ( 9.25 )
  • Total score 9.3

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: