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 The artistic team of Sal Velluto and Bob Almond create a new “Archer & Armstrong” story for the hardcover “First Impressions,” which will collect the earliest stories of the odd couple of adventurers from the Valiant Comics line.  Earlier this summer, the artists talked to The Oklahoman about the characters, Valiant Comics, and their artistic collaboration.  They also hint about a possible future collaboration reuniting their “Black Panther” team.

Matt Price: What’s most appealing to you about the characters of Archer and Armstrong?  What interested you most about drawing a new tale featuring these characters?

SAL: In the past I’ve had the chance to work on other characters from the Valiant Universe, such as X-O Manowar (#2-3, 1992), Rai (#3, 5-6, 1992) as well as the revamp of Bloodshot for Acclaim (#1-16, 1997-1998). Archer and Armstrong represents both a return to my own personal “Valiant Era” of comics and a re-discovery of some beloved characters and stories. Working again with Jim Shooter is absolutely a treat, as it is joining forces - again - with my long time art partner, Bob Almond. It is interesting to note that Bob and I started our 10 year plus collaboration on an historic issue of Bloodshot vs. X-O Manowar.

BOB:  Indeed, on Acclaim’s Bloodshot #8 back in 1997. Regrettably, I didn’t get a crack at those original era characters like Sal did…until now! It’s such a hoot for us to further add to the tapestry of the Valiant Universe and history as it’s still so well beloved by the diehard fans after all these years. Plus, some of my first and favorite comics were Jim Shooter’s stories at Marvel from the ‘70s, like the Avengers.

Matt Price: What do you think about the resurgence of Valiant Comics? Why is Valiant still important to people?

SAL:  Since its first inception, Valiant Comics has been a character and story driven publisher. In the old days, as well as today, when you work for Valiant you have to leave at the door a big part of your ego and your temptations to “show off”. This might be a little uncomfortable to admit, for an illustrator such as myself, but it deserves to be recognized. This is a company who could have used the famous Shakespeare motto: “The story is the thing!” I believe the readers have enjoyed and will enjoy Valiant Comics for that very reason: “The story is the thing.”

BOB:  Yes, this challenges an artist’s storytelling chops over the flashy approach. We can do flashy, and have, but Sal is so good when it comes down to the basic foundations of telling a story that he seems like such a good fit for the new Valiant.

With all the publishers that have come and gone, Valiant was among the best when it came to planning, execution, and quality by an all-star line-up of greats who created modern legends. Try to recall those other publishers and their titles and characters. While some are still remembered, like CrossGen and Malibu, most are fading memories to the fans.  But it’s a testament to Valiant and its groundbreaking production of art and stories that fans are still fond of the past and eagerly rabid for more new stories.

Matt Price: What can “Archer & Armstrong” fans expect in the new story? 

SAL: I’ve had a lot of fun illustrating this story and really appreciated the great amount of research Jim Shooter has put into it. Luckily, I was quite familiar with most of the historical and geographical settings, since I grew up not too far from where the story takes place and have touched with hand many archeological artifacts of that time period. I think Jim did a wonderful job taking some pre-existing elements from Archer & Armstrong published stories and creating a plausible and interesting prologue. If the fans enjoy it half as much as I did, I think we’ll all be in great shape.

BOB:  I don’t have the same global background and experience as “Indiana” Velluto here, but I could tell that Jim still has a fondness to these characters when I read the script.  He’s still writing epics without having to tell multi-chapter, cross-title ‘events’ like other publishers are doing.

Matt Price: The two of you are best-known as a team for your work on “Black Panther.”  Tell me about working together on that series. 

SAL:  When Bob and I were hired to work on “Black Panther”, the book was slated for cancellation. We started with “unlucky” issue number 13, which was coincidentally titled, “The End.” Well, with the help of the great Christopher Priest  (also a veteran of Acclaim Comics) and the critical support of a wonderful fan base, we ended up prolonging the life of the book for three more years (36 more issues) and smashing Jack Kirby’s record for the most prolific art-team on that particular title. Along with all that, there was a lot of passion and involvement with the Black Panther characters and environments, which resulted in many, many extra hours at the drawing table for me and a strange psychosomatic reaction, developed by Bob, every time he had to ink one of my pages (smiles).

BOB:  Thanks…I think.

Yeah, good times, good times; the series was ‘cancelled’ so many times while we were on it so imagine working on a series with a gun to your head, listening to the chamber and clicks, waiting for it to go off every few issues, and then suddenly three years passed and we had created some of the best work we’d ever produced and it’s still admired by the fans. Hey, that’s an unintentionally nice connection to my analysis of the Valiant books.

By the way, wouldn’t it be so cool for someone to bring back together both Acclaim alumni and award-winning Black Panther creators Priest, Sal & Bob on something in the future?

Matt Price: What other projects do you have in the works?

SAL:  I am currently one of the artists on Lee Falk’s The Phantom, which is printed by Egmont Publishing in Scandinavia and Frew Comics in Australia. Among my other projects, a summer vacation with my family.

BOB:  Vacation?!  What’s a vacation?

I am doing some work for IDW on Star Trek: Year Four - The Enterprise Experiment and I’m even doing something else with Sal that I have to keep discreet about at the moment. Outside of that and lots of commissions, I’m also kept pretty busy with my ongoing pet project and passion, The Inkwell Awards at http://www.inkwellawards.com/.

According to MTV, Adam Beach (”Flags of Our Fathers”) is developing a movie based on the dinosaur-fighting American Indian character, Turok.  Turok was a popular Gold Key and later Valiant Comic before becoming an Acclaim video game in 1997.

“He’s the first Native American superhero that I ever looked up to,” Beach said. “He basically [comes from] a family where they’re protecting our universe from an alternate universe that wants to take it over. He uses his wits, and his might, and his special bow and arrow to take over the world.”

– Matt Price

“Archer and Armstrong” may have been my favorite Valiant Comics title, so I was very pleased to receive this e-mail from Valiant Entertainment today.
From Valiant Entertainment:

New York, NY – Following the successes of its first two deluxe hardcover edition releases, Harbinger: The Beginning and X-O Manowar: Birth, Valiant Entertainment will release its third hardcover edition, Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions, on September 24.

Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions hardcover edition will contain issues #0-6, digitally recolored and wrapped in a brand new dust jacket cover by legendary artist, Michael Golden. Like their previous two hardcover releases, Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions will contain an all-new story written exclusively for this edition. “The Formation of the Sect”, by original series creator Jim Shooter and artists Sal Velluto and Bob Almond, tells the long-awaited story of how and why Armstrong has been pursued by this secret organization all these years.

“Our first two hardcovers have been big hits with Valiant fans both new and old,” said Walter J. Black, Senior VP & Publisher of Valiant Entertainment. “We expect this new one will be received just as well. We’ve put together a solid package highlighted by the all-new Jim Shooter short story. If you’re new to the series, this is a great way to get involved. If you’ve read it before, this new story alone will make picking it up worthwhile.”

Considered “the superhero buddy book of the decade” by Wizard Magazine, Archer & Armstrong tells the story of comics’ most unlikely traveling companions. When Archer’s preacher parents betray and try to murder him, he goes in search of enlightenment returning as the world’s greatest hand-to-hand fighter seeking revenge. Instead of revenge he finds Armstrong, the centuries old immortal wanderer who spends his time drinking, fighting and spinning tales of his hedonistic adventures throughout history. Together they span the globe facing down a threat that could destroy the world.

Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions will be available to order through Diamond Comic Distributors in their July 2008 issue of Previews which reaches comic stores on June 25.

For more information on the Valiant Universe and its characters, please log on to their website at www.ValiantEntertainment.com. While you’re there, be sure to join the mailing list to receive future updates in your inbox. Or visit Valiant Entertainment on ComicSpace at www.comicspace.com/ValiantEntertainment.

The fourth series to come out from Valiant Comics in the 1990s, “X-O Manowar” mixed the barbarian archetype with the idea of a high-tech hero for “X-O Manowar.” Aric is a Visigoth, captured long ago by the spider-aliens. He finally breaks free, stealing the Manowar armor and returning to earth. But more time has passed than Aric realizes — 1600 years. He’s now in 1990s earth, as the spider-aliens stealthily invade earth by means of members of their race altered to look human.
Aric and the X-O armor seek revenge on the aliens, with few allies and less knowledge of the workings of the modern world. Valiant’s interconnected universe shows up in “X-O,” though it’s not necessary to understanding the story. Aric fights the Harbinger kids, and briefly crosses paths with Solar. A not-yet Shadowman, Jack Boniface, shows up in a New Orleans scene.
This book collects issues 0-6 of the original series, and adds a new story by Bob Layton detailing the rise of Lydia, the spider-alien running Orb Industries before Aric’s return.
Writers include Jim Shooter, Steve Englehart, Bob Layton and Jorge Gonzales.
Pencillers include Barry Windsor-Smith, Sal Velluto, Mike Leeke, Mike Manley, Steve Ditko and Joe Quesada; Layton is among the inkers.
Despite the “many hands” approach, “X-O” is thematically consistent (at least through the course of this collection), and worth a read.

– Matt Price 

Not the singer or the wrestler, this is Pete “Sting” Stanchek, the lead character of “Harbinger,” my favorite of all the Valiant Comics properties.

Brian Cronin, as part of his “Valiant Alphabet of Cool,” profiles the character here.

Things do go downhill in the series after “Harbinger” No. 25, but a really good series up to that point.  And early work by David “Stray Bullets” Lapham.

– Matt Price 

The return of Valiant Comics’ X-O Manowar is this week, with a hardcover collecting his earliest adventures, along with a new story.  Josh Howard collects his three Dead@17 miniseries into one compendium with some new artwork.  “Countdown” wraps up with “Countdown to Final Crisis” No. 1.   And the Winchester brothers return to comics with “Supernatural: Rising Son” No. 1.   Full commentary and list after the break.

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Brian Cronin at Comics Should Be Good at Comic Book Resources started a new “Comic Alphabet of Cool,” this time focusing on the Valiant Universe.  Really, that’s something dorky enough that I should have come up with it.  (Don’t get me started on being jealous of Cronin’s also currently running “100 Greatest Comic Book Runs of all time” which I have some ideas on how to steal for this blog.)  

Cronin kicks off the alphabet with “Archer and Armstrong,” a Valiant title that, when it was written and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, was one of my favorites.

Cronin writes:

The basic concept of the book is simple to anyone who’s read Chuck Dixon’s Green Arrow - a devoted young martial artist travels the world with a brutish world-weary lout.

In this case, Archer was a young man who was perhaps the world’s greatest martial artist. He had been left for dead by his own parents, who turned out to be majorly evil, so he devoted himself to ridding the world of evil. During his quest to do so, he was suckered into working for a group that was designed to kill off an evil demon, who turned out to be Armstrong.

Armstrong (otherwise known as Aram) was an immortal who had lived since the mid 5400s BC (or around there). He was a lot like Hercules, in that he’s had a ton of battles over the years, but he also enjoys having a good time.The unlikely pair are really locked together when Armstrong has a bag of magical items stolen from him, as a result of Archer’s ignorant meddlings. To make it up to him (and the world), Archer travels with Armstrong to get all the items back (and, of course, along the way, they become good friends).

Cronin is working pretty hard (without his knowledge or anything) on becoming my favorite blogger.

– Matt Price

Those of you who, like me, were fans of the 1990s Valiant Comics created by Jim Shooter and company, will be excited by this recent promotional item at CBGextra.

The X-O Manowar collection was announced at November’s Big Apple Con, with a new story by Bob Layton. More info is at www.myspace.com/orbindustries.

Valiant Entertainment published the recent “Harbinger: The Beginning” hardcover collecting the early “Harbinger” tales as well as a new story from Jim Shooter.

I think the early Valiant Comics are currently critically underrated, so I’ll be glad to see them in print again.

— Matt Price