I never
read Valiant during the early 1990s, but I have always been aware of
it and its quick early – and fleeting – success. I knew the
properties were much loved by many, and was vaguely aware that it was
being revived of late. Then I've been hearing nothing but good
things about the revamp, especially from the hosts of the Comic
Book Page podcast, who endlessly
trumpet the comics and the company as, at least now in the beginning,
“comics done right.” So when I noticed this trade being
solicited a few months ago – not the first of the new Valiant – I
decided to roll the dice.
I
was a little taken aback as I read it to see that at least a certain
aspect of the story plays off of the ridiculous and offensive Da
Vinci Code phenomenon (I take
the historicity of my Faith seriously) – of course, a clue that it
is so appears in the very title – but
frankly it's pulled off so tongue-in-cheek and so entertainingly that
I find I can't hold that ultimately fleeting element of the plot
against it. What you end up with here is a good, solid story that
moves right along, issue by issue – there are only four in this
slim volume, but those four issues contain enough story that it seems
like more – with two surprisingly quickly developed
antagonists-turned-partners whose banter had me grinning a good bit
of the time. It's graced by nice, clean art that gives this tale a
very cinematic air. I definitely will be back for subsequent
volumes, and am checking out some of the other revived Valiant
titles.
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