Magnus Robot Fighter #1
Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Cory Smith
Colors by Mauricio Wallace
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Covers by Gabriel Hardman, Joe Bennett, Scott Wegener, Tom Fowler, and Ken Haeser
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: March 12, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Magnus Robot Fighter #1 is one of those comics where you don’t really know what’s going on. At about the halfway point, you’re bashed in the head with a totally different book, and luckily, both are amazing!!

Fred Van Lente sets up an awesome world, establishes a fantastic atmosphere, and the introductions in the book flow nicely and are very natural. Then, he punches us in the face and throws us all for a HUGE loop. But, it’s all done in a good, solid, entertaining way. This is like reading a summer big budget science fiction movie, which is exactly what this book needs. I only casually followed this book in the past, and while I found it interesting, previous series never really “grabbed” me. But this issue and series is a WHOLE different ball game.

Archer & Armstrong: Archer #0
Written by Fred Van Lente
Illustrated by Pere Perez
Lettered by Tom B. Long
Covers by Clayton Henry, Joe Eisma, Andy Kuhn
Valiant Entertainment
Release Date: February 5, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

I love the Archer & Armstrong title from Valiant Universe. It’s a witty, funny, exciting, odd-couple adventure that explores the relationship of two diametrically opposed companions, who still somehow remain friends.

The origin story of Archer, though, as presented in Archer & Armstrong: Archer #0… I’m not so much a fan of.

I won’t go into any spoilers here in this review, but the origin of Archer de-mystifies him. While it pulls him closer into the heart of the Valiant Universe (aiding in upcoming crossovers), it simultaneously takes away some of the very unique aspects of the title. And while Archer & Armstrong has dipped into some dark places in the past, this issue is particularly dark and disturbing.

Below you’ll find the solicitations information and cover artwork for all of the Valiant Entertainment comic titles hitting stores in April of 2014, including issues for Matt Kindt’s Unity, Greg Pak’s Eternal Warrior, and more.

Brain Boy #0
Written by Fred Van Lente
Illustrated by Freddie Williams II
Colored by Ego
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Cover by Ariel Olivetti
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: December 11, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

Open up your mind and allow writer Fred Van Lente to introduce you to an early adventure of the trained telepath, Matt Price in Brain Boy #0. With illustrations from Freddie Williams II, this prequel issue to the new series from Dark Horse is one wild adventure filled with betrayal, espionage, and a plethora of mind control tricks.

In one of his first missions ever, Matt Price, also known as Brain Boy, is subcontracted by the secret service to help protect the president and a special package called the “football” at a world leaders summit. Able to read the thoughts of others as well as telepathically and telekinetically force them to do things against their will, Brain Boy is tasked with determining every eventual outcome in regards to the summit in order to prevent something catastrophic from occurring; however, when lethal assassins force their way onto the premises and the other secret service agents begin committing suicide, Brain Boy quickly discovers that he is not the only telepath in the vicinity — nor the world.

Conan and the People of the Black Circle #1
Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Ariel Olivetti
Letters by Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Cover by Ariel Olivetti
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 23, 2013
Cover Price: $3.50

Based on a couple of panels of preview art I saw, I was set to love Conan and the People of the Black Circle #1. Painted! And Ariel Olivetti‘s Conan looked like a real badass. I even pulled up my online pull list to put it in this week’s basket.

But then I got my advance reading copy and with each successive page, my initial enthusiasm waned. There’s something just”¦missing here. It felt flat overall, lacking dynamism and fluidity, with some pages containing only three or four illustrations per. There were some compositional elements that made it seem like the characters weren’t looking/reacting to each other. It also appeared that a profile illo of the evil sorcerer was repurposed three times, and not for dramatic effect.