The Good
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #8 delivers a fun and solid story as Archer, Amrstrong, Gilad, and the Geomancer try and story Zorn and his minions from nulling everything from existence. Also, Archer's sister Mary-Maria returns to shake things up on Wall Street and get a hold of the boon. In addition, there's something going on with the Source, just to make things a tad worse, and the new Geomancer doesn't know what to do.
I loved the opening here, which features Gilad and Armstrong in ancient Persia. I've really been enjoying how writer Fred Van Lente has been opening up these issues with the brothers in the past. The first page of the issue by Emanuela Lupacchino (art), Guillermo Ortego (inks), and Matt Milla (colors), is fantastic. I love the splash page and the perspective. There's a great sense of depth and danger portrayed within the art as well. These two elements are stand-out brilliant throughout the book. Every panel has a fresh take on the scene, and it will keep the reader's eyes very happy.
I'm loving the character Obadiah. I found myself really digging his powers and back story. He's probably one of the most interesting secondary characters introduced in this series. One thing I found incredibly cool was the fact that his word bubbles were red instead of the traditional white bubbles. It adds a bit of evil to the character and it's a solid indicator of where this character is in the story, which makes a lot more sense when you read the issue.
The return of Mary-Maria means some big things are coming down the road. It seems she'll be joining up with some familiar faces. Fred Van Lente does wonders with these secondary characters. He is setting up something big, especially with Mary-Maria, and I find myself really enjoying her brief scene. I can't wait to see what happens next.
What a great ending to the issue. We get a great sense of danger here in a very nice cliffhanger. What I enjoyed most about it was that it completely changes the mission this team is on. It throws the team and the reader for a loop when they realize that everything has changed and they have to change their strategy on the fly.
The Bad
My only real problem with the issue is that it's just an ok story for me. I have a feeling I'll enjoy the next issue a bit more, but as far as this one goes, it was fun but not as great as earlier issues.
The Verdict
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG is the only A.A. I need and you'll be able to say the same after reading this issue! (If you do have a serious problem with alcohol, or Archer & Armstrong, please seek advice from a doctor and not a comic book reviewer) We're building up to something big here, and it's pretty darn exciting. As with every issue, I demand you start reading this book because it's one of my favorite on-going series, and the book is awesome.
Overall, I highly recommend this issue.