Series: Ivar, Timewalker
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Art: Clayton Henry
Publisher: Valiant
Summary from Comixology: “From the New York Times best-selling team of Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry comes a centuries-spanning race against the clock, straight out of the pages of ARCHER & ARMSTRONG!
Prehistoric empires! Dystopian futures! And everywhere in between! The past, present, and future of our universe are about to meet an untimely end, and only the mysterious Ivar Anni-Padda can prevent all three from collapsing in on themselves. Unstuck in time, and pursued by enemies simultaneously across every moment of his time-lost life, can the man called Timewalker save everything that ever was, is, and will be? Get ready for a clock-stopping odyssey into the distant past and far future as the most unlikely Valiant hero of all leaps into his first history-ripping adventure!”
Overview –
I have been adding as much Valiant to my long box over the last few weeks as my finances have allowed and I’ve really been enjoying the adventure. When I heard another Anni-Padda was getting a reboot as a part of the Valiant Next event, I was excited to add it to my pull list. This book features Ivar Anni-Padda, brother of Gilad the Eternal Warrior, as a time-traveling (anti?)hero that arrives just in time to save the future inventor of time-travel from time-traveling killer robots. How is that for a killer setup?
Highs –
I was very impressed with this book. It’s a perfect blend of swashbuckling adventure (in one case literally) and time-traveling romp, with just a pinch of murderous sci-fi robots thrown in for good measure. Fred Van Lente writes a fun story and does a great job making it intriguing without making it feel like another Dr. Who (Whovians might disagree, but alas, I am not a card carrying member). It also ends with an M. Night Shyamalan like twist (in his heyday) that had some gravitas to it, which is all the more impressive considering it was the very first issue.
This book also wisely sported a character redesign by Clayton Henry. In the 90’s Ivar wore a trench coat and sported a sweet pony-tail that would have looked decidedly dated in a modern book. Henry’s art really shines when it comes to the plethora of set-pieces seen throughout. The nature of the book necessitates many different time periods be represented, and Henry makes it look easy.
Lows –
Maybe I am just not a good critic, or I just stumble into great reads, but I couldn’t find anything wrong with this one. The creative team did a tremendous job on this issue, and I am looking forward to see where the story goes from here.
The Final Say –
Valiant is still in the process of rebooting their franchise after the company was resuscitated by a young team of entrepreneurs, but they are building a damn legacy. It seems like everything they are putting out right now is top notch, and this book is no exception. The creative team is great, and the story already looks like it will be a fun ride. This book is an easy 5 out of 5, and I am already looking forward to the next issue.