1st Impression: UNITY # 1

UNITY # 1

Written by Matt Kindt
Art by Doug Braithwaite & Brian Reber
Valiant Comics

FLIPPING THROUGH:

                This is it! The big Valiant title they have hinted at all summer. This is the book that has been building and spinning off directly from X-O Manowar and features many big characters from the Valiant Universe.
                And it starts with a bang … literally as a woman gives us the opening attack that leads to the world being on high alert. The Russians want X-O Manowar dead and they are gonna do what it takes to do so. Eternal Warrior ends up meeting with Toyo Harada as they plot how best to fight X-O Manowar. But Aric (X-O Manowar) is far stronger than they anticipated and the war between characters in Valiant is just beginning.

ART:

                I admit. I was not the biggest fan of Doug Braithwaite’s art original. But after looking at the panel work and detail from the just this first issue, I am definitely a fan now. There is a great amount of details in each panels; to backgrounds to clothes to people. Braithwaite really gives a 100 percent in his work here with very strong, impressions on his characters; a great amount of personal detail and great angles.
                Braithwaite really captures how gruesome war is, the stature of each main character in the book as well as some deep background detail. Reber adds to the fresh pencil work with his solid colors. The colors are not loud unless they need to be. And Reber does a great job of find the right tones to not only fit the characters but the mood  of the scene as well.  It was a really strong showing by this art team.

WRITING:

                This first issue was absolutely solid from start to finish. We get background detail on the inside cover to catch up new readers. Then Kindt starts us off with not a main character but a woman and seeing events unfold through her eyes. This felt authentic and gave the book and story more depth. This is a person who is caught up in all this …. Not a main character. Not a supporting character. Yet, her narrative really fit about being somewhere when something like war starts. 

                Kindt also has a firm grasp on each and every character that we have already seen before in the Valiant Universe. Kindt presents strong characterization from Harada, X-O Manowar, Eternal Warrior and Ninjak. Ninjak’s banter was refreshing and playful while Harada was very tactical and authoritative. His Eternal Warrior was strong, knowledgeable and very blunt while his X-O Manowar was very much a stubborn, no nonsense king. All these fit extremely well.  Without giving much away, we see where Unity gets against X-O Manowar in this issue. Kindt really does well pacing and building upon events and the characters throughout the entire issue.
                Honestly, this entire issue was very easy to read and get into while providing great amount of character development and strong storyline. Kindt really did a great job grabbing you and making you want more as the story went along.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

                The art was amazing. The writing was superb. This book delivers on all the hype promised by Valiant Comics and then some.

RATING:

                I am proud to give Unity # 1 from Valiant Comics a well-deserved 10 … out of 10! Buy it when it comes out on November 13^th.