The Good
A new arc begins here! Archer goes off on his own, leaving his crew in the Faraway to try and find the leader of Project Rising Spirit.
This is the perfect jumping-on point for new readers. In fact, it's a great example of what a jumping-on point should be. Aside from the fact it's a brand new story arc, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #14 has a couple of fantastic opening pages updating the reader on what the heck has been going on with the series, as a whole, and with the last arc in particular. It's incredibly easy way to get into the A&A pool for those who have been interested in the series.
A good chunk of this issue goes over the origin of the Sect, as the reader is treated to a drunken Egyptian ruler (Akhenaten) in the late 14th century discussing how the "religion bracket" is pretty awesome because it gives him the power to do so much. He doesn't last too long, and the Sect is formed, and there's even a mention of what seems to be Armstrong. Writer Fred Van Lente does an excellent job at delivering information to the reader while keeping them entertained with some funny dialogue or interesting characters.
Archer comes into his own here. This is the first issue we really get to see him on his own, since he left Armstrong in the Faraway after walking in on Armstrong and Mary-Maria getting it on. Archer is upset but not broken here. He gets to kick a little butt in this issue. It's really cool to see him on his own, leading the way. There's also mention of Harada here, and it would be really cool to see HARBINGER and ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG crossover.
I'm a huge fan of whoever or whatever the Black Bloc is. These guys look ridiculous.
The Bad
No real issues with this issue. The biggest problem is the lack of Armstrong here, which will be explained next month.
The Verdict
The Faraway story line was ok, but a bit of a let down. This story line, however, starts off great. There's lots of seeds that were planted in early issues that come into play here. The origin of the Sect story was really fun, and seeing Archer on his own was a treat as well. This is a book you need to jump on. ARCHER & ARMSTRONG is a fly by the seat of your pants book that steals your pants after you're done flying on them. I mean that in the best way possible. Just go out and give this series a shot, especially right now.
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