The Good

Archer and Armstrong end up taking on the Eternal Warrior, who is Armstrong's brother, while trying to find the successor to the Geomancer, who was killed by Archer's parents.

Before I get into anything else about this issue, I need to talk about the funniest page in comics this week. Without getting into any specifics, the Eternal Warrior is chasing down Armstrong in a way that will only result in the reader laughing. If you don't laugh at this panel, you are a robot, and you should be doing menial tasks and not reading comics. Shame on you, robot.

ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG 5 adds a classic Valiant character to the book, Armstrong's brother, Eternal Warrior, Gilad. The reintroduction, and reboot, to this character is fantastic. Once again, Valiant builds upon their universe and I love the weird family dynamic here. Archer and Armstrong, at this point, are their own family (Archer considers him kin at one point here) and now we have someone of blood relation to Armstrong in the mix, who wants Archer dead. Design-wise, Gilad looks great. It's a simple, but effective outfit featuring mainly a black outfit, with some cool touches like the pieces of metal on his shoulders that remind the reader or ancient Asian armor. I was also really digging on the metal spikes on his knuckles.

Even though we're five issues into A&A, this is a great jumping on point for new readers. Where these characters are headed is explained well in the opening pages, and a new reader won't have any trouble understanding what this book is about and who these characters are.

If you enjoy the occasional fisticuffs in your comics, and let's be honest, who doesn't, then this issue will tickle your senses with endless amounts of fighting. This issue is full of action and punches to the face, but what I loved most about it was the perfect balance between action and story. This book is always moving forward and doesn't become stale. Fred Van Lente's writing is top notch, and this story remains interesting and will keep the reader on their toes.

The Bad

I laughed at one scene way too hard. It was mainly one page.

The Verdict

If you're still reading this review, then you're doing something wrong. You should already be in your car on the way to your LCS. Is it closed? Well, wait outside until morning. You owe it to yourself to read this book. ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG 5 is the start to a new story that anyone can pick up and enjoy. The creative team on this series, and this issue in particular, is fantastic, and it should be one of your top 10 books each month.

Overall, I thing you need this book. Now, time for a wacky rating.

ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG 5 gets 5 screaming Gilad's out of 5.