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Archer & Armstrong #1 Advance Review

By Dan Horn
August 2, 2012 - 05:52

Archer & Armstrong #1 is a monumental debut. The story spans from the Biblical destruction of Ur to present day without the benefit of one of those inside-cover timelines Valiant is so fond of these days, and the reading experience is greatly enhanced by this traversal of time and inclusion of epic mythology.

Readers are introduced to Obadiah Archer early in the issue. He is part of a foster child commune inhabiting a Young-Earther amusement park in Ohio. Obadiah has distinguished himself through combat from his scores of foster siblings, and his parents have tasked him with a mission to find and kill the son of Satan, who of course resides in New York City. Armed with an ancient artifact that hones in on evil, Obadiah sets out on a quest to the Big Apple and on a collision course with an immortal, drunken bouncer named Armstrong.

Van Lente really lays on some contempt for Americans here, particularly far-Right conservatives, but unlike the unwieldy criticism of Punk Rock Jesus, Archer & Armstrong succeeds in being simultaneously hilarious while also keenly incising and amplifying for effect the cult-like norms of fundamental Christianity with which many Americans have grown so complacently indifferent. Some of my colleagues have expressed a distaste for negative commentary aimed at fundamentalist Christian values, but if you ask me, these people deserve to be a literary and artistic punching bag. So, if you're anything like me, then you're going to love Archer & Armstrong #1.

However, Van Lente doesn't stop with religious fundamentalism. The naive and spiritually pure point-of-view that Obadiah embodies also allows Van Lente to criticize other facets of the American way of life. If Obadiah's parents are disturbingly backwards, then the "East coast liberals" are just as disturbingly dependent on technology, greed, and sex. The entire book reads like a culmination of criticisms for the post-9/11 U.S., and it's incredibly competent and precise.

This premiere issue succeeds almost perfectly with a dense reading experience, Clayton Henry's dynamic artwork, some wonderfully smart and scathing humor, a heaping helping of social relevance, and fantastically even story progression. This is my favorite of the Valiant relaunch books thus far.

Rating: 9.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12