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• Price: $3.99
• Rating: T+
• Pages: 32
• On Sale: February 7, 2018
• Writer: Fred Van Lente
• Artist: CAFU
• Publisher: Valiant Entertainment

From the publisher – What secrets await inside the Vault of Spirits? Deep beneath New York City’s seediest dive bar, Armstrong – the hard-hitting, harder-partying immortal veteran of history’s greatest escapades – is hosting an invitation-only affair for his most beloved friends and allies! Archer… Ivar, Timewalker… Faith… Quantum and Woody… And special guests from across the Valiant Universe… All have been offered a seat at the table for a personally guided tour of Armstrong’s most valuable and tightly guarded treasure… From the Great Flood to ancient Greece to the height of the Crusades, raise a glass as Armstrong recounts the true stories of his wine-soaked path down through the ages and the artifacts that reside within his own secret archive!

Our We Talk Comics WeView – The immortal Armstrong has a bottle of wine for every year he’s been alive, or about 10,000 in all, and once a year, and only once a year for fear he would drink them all, he opens his vault of wines for an hour to experience these legendary spirits. This year though Armstrong has invited some of his closest friends to join him, and unbeknownst to them a collection of his greatest enemies are gathered outside to get their own greedy little hands on his greatest treasures for reasons of their own.

If this sounds like the makings of a great adventure you’re right, but not necessarily in the action packed style the concept seems to promise. Not that the book lacks fisticuffs, but this is more of a character piece, introducing the cast in a typically humorous way typical of a book featuring Armstrong and his side kick Archer. But perhaps more importantly is that it manages to do so while providing a accessible story for new readers and Valiant veterans alike while not forgetting to add a touching component to the framing story of the night’s events and within the flashback story featuring Armstrong’s interactions with Noah and his Ark.

The reason this is pulled of so well is because of writer Fred Van Lente’s innate understanding of the characters in the Valiant Universe, along with his impeccable dialogue and pacing.

Artist CAFU meanwhile provides the typically slick and professional art one expects from a Valiant feature, highlighted by his facial expressions and body language to get across the deeper meaning of the happenings in the issue.

This is a fun and breezy comic anyone can pick up and enjoy, and is a good example of the quality work Valiant Entertainment continues to provide readers.

Rating: Very Fine+ (VF+) or 8.5/10

Review by Mo

Love the review? Hate the review? Disagree with me? I’m happy to talk comics on twitter @Mo_WeTalk

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