Unity #1

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    gmanfromheck

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    Edited By gmanfromheck

    The Good

    UNITY is ready to amp up the level of action and adventure in the Valiant Universe. With a company wide event, it could be easy to want to shy away out of fear of not knowing what's going on. With this very first issue, you find out everything you need to know within the recap on the very first page.

    We see the focus begin with Aric, the bearer of the X-O Manowar armor. A fifth-century warrior, he and his people were taken by an alien race and tortured. This lead to his coming upon the armor. When he managed to escape and return to Earth, 1600 years had gone by. He has found the descendants of his people and is now determined to reclaim his homeland by any means necessary. It just happens that his "kingdom" happens to currently be occupied by the people of Romania. Thus, a major conflict has ensued.

    With the area transformed into a war zone, others have turned to Toyo Harada and his Harbinger program to ready themselves to confront and stop Aric. We also see Ninjak and others thrown into the mix. What we get is a massive beginning that sets the stage for more incredible action to come.

    Matt Kindt sets everything up perfectly. We get an immediate sense of the situation and even if you're unfamiliar with the characters, you'll be able to figure out who everyone is without a lengthy and obtrusive introduction being forced upon the page. We rarely see conflicts such as this in the pages of "superhero" comics and it's great to see a character like X-O Manowar take such a drastic stand.

    Doug Braithwaite's art is breathtaking. There is a nice variety to the scenes and locations and each is filled with detail and the feeling of what is going on. You can feel the panic as characters find themselves in a war zone or the tension as others need to prepare for a deadly confrontation. The art captures the mood of each character and it doesn't just look like just another comic book story. Without going over the top, you get a good sense of the importance of everything going on. Brian Reber's colors really make everything shine as well.

    The Bad

    No complaints here. The only unfortunate thing would be for those readers that have missed out on the Valiant books prior to this issue. It's unfortunate not because readers will be lost but more so that they've missed the build up with the characters up until this point.

    The Verdict

    You can't walk into a comic shop without seeing issues containing crossovers. They're all around but Valiant gives it a different approach. This is a story that anyone can easily jump right into. The stakes are high and it's made perfectly clear within the first few pages. Matt Kindt builds up the action and suspense as the story progresses and Doug Braithwaite's art is top notch. Many comic book crossovers have an almost flamboyant feel. UNITY is a more than just an event - it has the makings of a great story. There's no flashy gimmicks necessary. With a focus on that story and the characters, you know we'll be treated right with what is delivered. Do yourself a favor and pick up this issue to find out what you've been missing.

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    k4tzm4n

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    #1 k4tzm4n  Moderator

    Happy to see this was good. It's definitely the first thing I'll read once I'm done with my reviews.

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    TommytheHitman

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    I can't wait to pick this up tomorrow!

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    zedneptune

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    It's great to see Matt Kindt getting the attention he deserves. While his "Big Two" material has been very hit and miss, MIND MGMT is easily the best Dark Horse comic on the shelves today.

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    Cap10nate

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    Great start to the new series. I loved seeing Ninjak and his technology and approach. Harada continues to be a fascinating character. The new Harbinger issue has a cool scene where it shows all his activities.

    I hope we get to see some action between Livewire and Aric next issue. I really want to see how her technopath powers interact with the Harbinger armor.

    Gilad had some good scenes as well.

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    Nahuel

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    Glad to hear this is good, cause I've been hesitant to pick up this book due the only Valiant book I read is Quantum & Woody.

    Can somebody tell me if this is just an event or is it going to become an ongoing series like Avengers or Justice League?

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    Mucklefluga

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    #6  Edited By Mucklefluga

    I can picture the argument between you Mat and Gregg over who would review this haha

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    Cap10nate

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    @nahuel said:

    Glad to hear this is good, cause I've been hesitant to pick up this book due the only Valiant book I read is Quantum & Woody.

    Can somebody tell me if this is just an event or is it going to become an ongoing series like Avengers or Justice League?

    This is an ongoing series.

    You don't need to have been reading X-O or Harbinger or Eternal Warrior to jump into Unity even though all three books have main characters that are involved. Like the review says, the whole situation is summed up in the opening page. If you want to catch up on anything, I would read the last couple issues of X-O which is the lead in to Unity. No other books really tie in except for the characters being involved.

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    That60sGuy

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    THE BAD

    WHICH FREAKIN COVER TO GET!!??

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    MakkyD

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    This reminds me that I have unread copies of Valiant to read, always a treat ^_^

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    gmanfromheck

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    I can picture the argument between you Mat and Gregg over who would review this haha

    It was a matter of I started writing the review first and told them. I can't let them review all the Valiant books!

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    Nahuel

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    @cap10nate: Thanks dude! Now I have double reasons to pick up this series: it's an ongoing and not a crappy event.

    Now I've to decide which Marvel or DC book to remove from my pull list... Nah! Who am I kidding? Just gonna cut some X-books

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    HeckTate

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    If you live in Massachusetts Friendly Neighborhood Comics in Bellingham is giving out free issues of Unity. I was going to buy anyway cause I like Valiant, but you can't beat free.

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    AllStarSuperman

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    Im totally saving this for last!

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    deactivated-5c901e667a76c

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    Ninjak looks just like Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan.

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    MadeinBangladesh

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    I'm excited for this! Everything I have tried from Valiant is awesome so far!

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    CaptainHoopla

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    This was a really solid first issue. Aric drops some serious paffs! The Captain really gets ahead of himself. I'm looking forward to X-O next week with its crazy new art style and the next issue of this.

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    deathmedal

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    VALIANT has been killing it.

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    That60sGuy

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    THE BAD

    WHICH FREAKIN COVER TO GET!!??

    I ended up getting both the Bryan Hitch wraparound AND the 8-bit variants. Here have some more money Valiant!

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    deactivated-5c6600594117e

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    This issue was great. Harada, Ninjak, Eternal Warrior and X-O Manowar make for some great antagonists.

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