
Valiant Entertainment 2017
Written by Matt Kindt
Illustrated by Tomas Giorello
Coloured by Diego Rodriguez
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Now Aric has abandoned the armor and the Earth that was the only true home he had ever known.On an alien planet called Gorin, he is starting fresh. Free from the armor. Free from his past on Earth. But not free from war that seems to dog his steps no matter where he goes….
I am slowly coming to the realisation of why i’m enjoying this take so much. Forget that Aric has left Earth to find his peace among the stars. He’s trying to put his past behind him and forge a new future and I get that, appreciate it even but it’s more that simply that. Don’t get me wrong I adore the inner struggle we’re seeing play out between Aric and the suit and how Matt is portraying that, especially this issue with the word Wedded used! No there’s something else about these two issues that does something to me as a reader that makes me pay more attention.
There’s something about the work that Tomas and Diego are doing on the interiors here that reminds me of old underground or Heavy Metal comics in it’s quality that is both a throwback and yet completely and utterly new and original feeling. The way the colours almost feel painted on the page and all the linework and attention to detail that go with that just grab you by the short and curlies and make you feel what Aric is going through. It’s strong, powerful and gorgeously rendered work full of zest, verve and charisma. The utilisation of page layouts through angles, perspective and those backgrounds make the scope of this extremely stunning and cinematic in nature.
Matt is a god among men who write. I mean seriously he’s got that ability to literally write characters in any genre and make us believe them. We see the struggle Aric is going through here and we feel his pain and the struggle and while we want him to find peace we also know that’s never going to happen. Ever since he was taken by the Vine his destiny was to be at war, with himself and those around him and no matter that he tires of fighting it’s what he knows. I like seeing him and the suit converse and whether or not that’s all in his head is something else entirely but it does add this dimension to the character that I find intriguing.
There have been a few times in the character’s history that I found myself trying to follow his adventures. It never seemed to last very long however. Now this feels different to me and not just because of the look of it, this run starting off far away from Earth and focusing on the man has a way of redefining a character and who he is that resonates with people. We’ll see how long he stays out in space dealing with his current situation that again we find exciting to witness. Personally I like that with or without the full suit he’s a man of action and is being used and manipulated by forces to do things he wishes he could pass on because of his true nature.
Valiant’s found a way to keep him relevant, interesting and on the tips of our tongues time and again and it’s truly a testament to the creative team and their vision for this man.