Publisher: Valiant Comics
Writer: Rafer Roberts
Artist: David Lafuente
Editor: Warren Simons
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Price: $3.99

Just the cast list for the Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #1 is enough to make this an instant classic. We have Armstrong, a 6,000-year-old hedonistic immortal; Archer, a teenage expert marksman and martial artist and possibly, no, definitely, the politest hero this side of forever; Mary-Maria, Archer’s sister and head of the Ninja-Nun Assassins, A.K.A. The Sisters of Perpetual Darkness (I just love the idea of Ninja Nuns!) and last but not least Davey The Mackerel, a kind of fish thing that lives in Armstrong’s satchel. Oh, did I forget to mention, Armstrong has a bottomless, magical satchel where he keeps all of history’s greatest treasures.

How can you resist a pitch like that? Armstrong reminds me of Marvel’s Hercules back in his early days but ten times the boozing party animal that Herc ever was and with six thousand years of misdemeanours to choose from is it really surprising that one of them is going to come back and bite him in his sizeable derriere? Enter the Greek God Bacchus out for revenge. And as for Archer, well, if you can’t trust your sister, who can you trust? In Archer’s case, no-one it seems.

For The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #1, Roberts and Lafuente have created a near perfect combination of humour and action that should appeal to pretty much everyone. Did I say near? Scratch that! The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #1 is comicbook perfection, no doubts.

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker