Review: A+A: The New Adventures of Archer and Armstrong #1

Three of the core Valiant Universe characters are the Anni-Padda brothers, a trio of Sumerian warriors who were granted immortality at a horrible, cost and who’ve spent the last 6,000 years or so trying to make up for it through various means. They pop in and out of other peoples’ stories, even when they’re not currently starring in books of their own, and they’re often used to anchor historical events to the Valiant Universe.

So far, Fred Van Lente has been the primary writer for the Anni-Paddas, and he’s done a bang-up job of it. The dour Eternal Warrior has been handled by a few other people, but Van Lente has pretty much had the fun ones to himself. The relatively-upbeat Archer & Armstrong was one of the new Valiant’s first books, and its perfect buddy-comedy atmosphere made it a smash hit that helped cement the upstart company’s reputation. The pairing of Armstrong, who’s spent 6,000 years or so drinking and partying since he’s knows it won’t kill him, and Archer, an uptight warrior monk who grew up in a Creationist museum, is more or less perfect, and he expressed that idea to its fullest for two years. After that, he took on the third Anni-Padda brother in Ivar, Timewalker, turning Valiant’s resident time-traveler into a brilliant farce, with an insane take on “multiple worlds” theory that could rival Rick & Morty, and an emotional core that could do the same.

All told, he and his artistic cohorts (often including Clayton Henry) have given us some three years’ worth of comedic brilliance and intricate storytelling with everyone’s favorite immortals, so the spotlight’s on Rafer Roberts and David LaFuente’s first outing with Archer & Armstrong, in A+A: The New Adventures of Archer and Armstrong #1

Throughout the series, Armstrong’s always been able to grab whatever he needs out of his satchel, with Mary Poppins-like aplomb. The first arc from Roberts and LaFuenta sees him diving into his bag to retrieve something that he needs but can’t. He’s looking for a bottle of vintage Lagavulin, and it seems like he needs it somehow to do right by an old friend long since wronged. It’s a clever idea – it takes a running joke and pays off with it in a meaningful way, and one that’s reminiscent of the “pocket universe”/Thor’s Hammer idea in Planetary, while offering a depth and a twist to it that’s original and fun. Something has been lying in wait for Armstrong, from inside his own satchel, for a long time, and the fact that a long-neglected foe has been sitting under his nose for millennia runs parallel to the fact that’s it’s atonement for some past wrong that sent Armstrong looking through his bag in the first place.

Both characters feel right, by and large. Archer’s increasingly-conspicuous avoidance of cursing plays well, and Armstrong is seen to be contemplative, even penitent, for something in his past (we don’t know what yet) but he isn’t morose.
The art has a sense of sketchiness to it – the line work is reminiscent in places of John Romita Jr., or midperiod Frank Miller, but the shape of the facial features suggests something almost akin to the Archie house style. By and large it works, although at times it almost comes across too cartoonish – part of what made the last Archer & Armstrong series work so well is that it presented all of its ridiculous ideas in a straightforward way. It openly acknowledged its increasingly ludicrousness, but the art and presentation were straight-faced enough to get away with it. Seeing a mackerel-creature crawl out of Armstrong’s bag isn’t out of place with past A&a books storywise, but there’s a goofiness to him that doesn’t necessarily jive with the tone of the series in the past. Still, Lafuente’s art is phenomenal, by and large – check out the insanely-detailed wraparound cover for Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #1, for example – so this is clearly a stylistic choice, and hopefully one that’ll pay off as the story develops.

All in all the issue holds together well, laying out several threads that pull the story in different directions yet all manage to center around one man-purse. The teaser at the end promises more insanity that sounds very much in line with what we’ve come to expect from Archer & Armstrong, and if the book can pay off on all the ideas that it’s set up, it’ll fit right in with the phenomenal legacy of one of the best action-comedies in the medium.