Valiant Entertainment 2017
Written by Matt Kindt
Pencilled by Trevor Hairsine
Inked by Ryan Winn
Coloured by David Baron
Lettered by Dave Lanphear
Ever since Divinity was introduced we’ve wanted to know more about the planet they all landed on that gave them their powers. We’ve also seen Divinity land in Australia and leave behind a group of people who basically worship him. Myscka coming back she and Abram fight then get things together and seemingly fall in love. So now it’s time for all things to come full circle as the stage gets set anew and all the player get introduced to reader’s as if for the first time. Matt does make this new reader friendly which is just an added bonus.
Oh Trevor there’s so much wrong with the opening shot of the son on the ground in that crawling pose, he looks too old and well I don’t wanna say the other thing he looks like. That kind of faux pas really isn’t normal for you mister. Since I started the subject let’s dive into the rest of the interiors now. I love the way we see the Unknown, their world, species that inhabit it and just the overall effect brought to bear. This representation of imagination and creativity that I love seeing from Trevor and then Ryan and David finishing it off with some stellar work themselves.
There is an event with the Unknown that forces them to change all plans and scramble into something else by heading to Earth. On Earth the arrival of the Unknown comes to where Divinity first landed in Australia. There they find David Camp who through his zealous nature reveals to them the location of Abram and Myshka and that act is what starts off the story in earnest.
The characterisation here is utterly spectacular and it’s all over the map. From the way we see the Unknown both at home and on Earth with their different species, jobs and such while being so wildly different for inhabiting the same world is interesting. The there’s the whole David angle and his outright unhinged adoration and devotion to Divinity like he’s a new messiah is creepy as all get out and pathetic at the same time. Now we haven’t seen enough of husband and wife yet to see how their personalities grow, change ad evolve but I’m anticipating some great things and moments to come.
The way that this book flows, it’s structure and how all the plot and character development that Matt brings to this is among the best there is. The way we can go from segment to segment tying it all together beautifully along the way is not as easy as it looks and that Matt makes it look so effortless just adds to my reasons to be envious. That moment of let’s call it first contact between the Unknown and David with the birdmen landing on either side of him the way that scene is constructed is amazing and how that translates through Trevor’s work just made it more impactufl.
At first I thought this would be more about Abram and Myshka but while this story raced towards it’s conclusion I realised they have their part to play but this isn’t really about them. It’s about the Unknown and those that call themselves Eternity. This story is a result of what opened with on their homeworld and that’s more intriguing to me. We haven’t seen much of Universe at large after Aric left the Vine and came to Earth and then went back out and became Thundarr and either way it’s really just been him so that we finally get to see the life that’s out there and not just on Earth has all this unlimited potential to that captures the mind and imagination.
A much needed look outside of Earth that expands the Valiant Universe to new heights.