1st Impression: SHADOWMAN # 11

SHADOWMAN # 11
Written by Jim Zub

Art by Miguel Sepulveda & Brian Reber
Valiant Comics

FLIPPING THROUGH:

                It’s Halloween in the Big Easy as a group of men get ridiculously drunk and, eventually, get possessed by some evil spirits. Jack’s personal life continues to suffer as he jumps into action against these possessed men. But it turns worse when the possessed men end up in New Orleans’ Halloween Parade , which is being hosted by Dr. Mirage.

ART:

                The book is nothing short of gorgeous. Sepulveda’s clean  and detailed style really works well as we get very detailed backgrounds, people of different sizes and colors and beings have expression.  There is a great amount of fluid motion that is captured with Sepulveda’s art that just makes the book a real treat to behold. Reber’s colors only add to the amazing pencils and inks that Sepulveda put in to this issue as it fit the very holiday that it is celebrating; dark, wicked yet festive. The oranges and blacks are well used this issue to give a great atmosphere. Overall, this art team did a solid job.

WRITING:

                This is Zub’s first (and possibly only) issue of Shadowman.  Yet, Zub does a great job of capturing our main hero’s current struggle with his destiny and his real life. We got more layers of Jack as he went to face off against the spirits … only to have a bit more of a problem than he bargained for. And I love that fact. Jack is STILL very new to all this and Zub points that out well; making sure that Jack has an air of experience around him while still playing the inexperience Jack is coping with.

                The addition of Dr. Mirage was very well used and Zub, seemingly, got more into the character than the previous writer did in this one issue. Definitely get a very good look at Dr. Mirage this issue and it was refreshing. The demons themselves mirrored their hosts; which made the possession a good fit. The book has good pacing and it used the knowledge of Halloween compared to Voodoo as a good way to establish a little background. Zub writes a strong issue here.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:
                Zub writes a good Shadowman but an even better Dr. Mirage.  The story was good. The art was fantastic. I liked this issue and wish we were getting more from this creative team.

RATING:

                I give SHADOWMAN # 11 a  9 out of 10. Pick it up when it hits stores tomorrow.

Comics News: VALIANT Brings UNITY to Baltimore Comic-Con With Kitson, Venditti,Jones & More

VALIANT Brings UNITY to BALTIMORE COMIC-CON with ROBERT VENDITTI, BARRY KITSON and More!

 

This September, Valiant is headed to Baltimore Comic-Con for a weekend packed with special guests, exclusive programming, and convention-only giveaways!

 

On Saturday, September 7th and Sunday, September 8th, join the publisher behind 2013's most anticipated comics event, UNITY, at Booth #1505/1506 for signings and appearances by some of Valiant's greatest talents, including New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (X-O Manowar,Green Lantern) and legendary artist Barry Kitson (Harbinger, Bloodshot)! 

 

Be sure to stop by and pick up your copy of the UNITY #1 Preview Edition – an all-new convention-only comic book featuring the very first look inside UNITY #1 by Matt Kindt and Doug Braithwaite! The first issue of all-new ongoing series debuting this November, UNITY #1 is the perfect place to find out why Valiant is the most-talked about publisher in comics!

 

And, as always, Valiant will also have a one-stop selection of comics, trade paperbacks, hardcovers, and official Cinder Block merchandise – including t-shirts, limited edition prints, mugs and more – available for readers new and old!

 

Plus, no fan will want to miss Valiant Comics: The Road to Unity – Valiant's Baltimore-exclusive panel presentation on Saturday, September 7th at 2 pm! Join an all-star panel of Valiant insiders for a must-see round of news and announcements about the most talked-about publisher in comics! Featuring creators J.G. Jones (Eternal Warrior), Barry Kitson (Harbinger, Bloodshot), Robert Venditti(X-O Manowar), and Jim Zub (Shadowman), alongside Publisher Fred Pierce and Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani, find out everything you need to know about the massive repercussions of UNITY and what's next for Valiant's greatest heroes – only at Baltimore Comic-Con!

 

For more information, visit BaltimoreComicCon.com and ValiantUniverse.com.

 

We'll see you in Baltimore!

Comic News: Valiant Hits Fan Expo Canada

Visit VALIANT This Week at FAN EXPO CANADA!

This weekend, Valiant Entertainment is heading north for Fan Expo Canada!

 

From Thursday, August 22nd to Sunday, August 25th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, visit Valiant at Booth #738 for a week jam-packed with special guests and exclusive giveaways!

 

Stop by for signings and appearances all weekend long by some of the Valiant's greatest talents, including Eisner Award-winning artist Cary Nord (X-O Manowar) and Harvey Award-nominated writer Jim Zub (Shadowman)! And shop a complete selection of Valiant comics, trade paperbacks, hardcovers, and merchandise – including t-shirts, prints, mugs and more! 

 

New to the Valiant Universe? Be sure to pick up your FREE Eternal Warrior #1/Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps #14 Sketchbook! Get the inside track on the the Summer of Valiant's next two blockbuster releases with this convention giveaway – featuring exclusive artwork by Trevor Hairsineand Emanuela Lupacchino!
 

 

 

For more information, visit FanExpoCanada.com and ValiantUniverse.com.

 

We'll see you in Toronto!

Comic News: ZUB & SEPULVEDA Take Shadowman on a Halloween Adventure in October

HALLOWEEN Hits SHADOWMAN #11 – A Special October Adventure by JIM ZUB and MIGUEL SEPULVEDA!

Halloween is coming – and it's about to hit the Valiant Universe like a ton of bricks!

Valiant is proud to announce its first standalone Halloween special, coming this October inShadowman #11 – an all-new, hell-raising, bonfire-blazing adventure from critically acclaimed writer Jim Zub (Skullkickers) and superstar artist Miguel Sepulveda (Red Lanterns, The Thanos Imperative)! 

After witnessing the origin of all Shadowmen past and present in Shadowman #10, follow Jack Boniface into his first Halloween in the Valiant Universe! It's All Hallow's Eve in News Orleans – and Shadowman's about to find himself alone on the job, standing guard on the most dangerous night of the year. Still reeling from the fallout of his cataclysmic battle with Master Darque, can Jack go it alone and protect his city from the legion of evils that haunt the Halloween night? By popular demand, it's a special October tale for Valiant's nocturnal guardian – and a perfect jumping-on point for new readers!

"Halloween mixes in well with the supernatural action and voodoo that drives the series and this issue uses the over the top Halloween revelry in New Orleans as a backdrop for an action-packed caper," Zub told the New York Post. "On a night where everyone is in costume and the imagery of death and the supernatural is all over the place, Shadowman can operate a bit more ‘publicly’, but the seasonal chaos also presents a whole other set of challenges."

Featuring a standard cover by Marcus To (Cyborg 009, Batwing), also look for the Shadowman #11 Halloween Mask Cover – featuring a perforated, fully detachable Shadowman mask printed on high quality card stock that no Valiant fan will want to miss!

This October, evil has its day. Ride along when Shadowman confronts Halloween's worst horrors in Shadowman #11 – by acclaimed creators Jim Zub and Miguel Sepulveda!

For more information on Shadowman and the rest of the Valiant Universe, visit Valiant on Facebook, on Twitter and at ValiantUniverse.com.

SHADOWMAN #11

Written by JIM ZUB

Art by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA

Cover by MARCUS TO

Valiant Level Two 8-Bit Variant by DONOVAN SANTIAGO

Halloween Mask Cover Also Available

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.

ON SALE 10/2/13 (FOC - 9/9/13)

Comic News: Zub & Huang Humor the H.A.R.D. Corps

JIM ZUB and EDWIN HUANG Humor the H.A.R.D. CORPS for VALIANT in July!

This summer, before the weaponized men and women of the Harbinger Active Resistance Division begin an all-new new mission in Bloodshot and H.A.R.D Corps #14, all of the Valiant Universe will be asking the same question – "Who will lead the H.A.R.D. Corps?"

 

Valiant is proud to announce that writer Jim Zub and artist Edwin Huang, the acclaimed creative team of Skullkickers, will make their Valiant debut this July with "Who Will Lead the H.A.R.D. Corps?" – an all-new short story starring the Valiant Universe's greatest heroes – and villains – as they send up the search for the H.A.R.D. Corps' next commanding officer!

 

X-O Manowar. Quantum and Woody. Archer & Armstrong. Shadowman. Bloodshot. What do these disparate champions from around the Valiant Universe have in common? They're all on the H.A.R.D. Corps' recruitment list! Now for the first time ever, Zub and Huang are bringing them together for a humorous one-shot tale of the Project Rising Spirit's latest – and perhaps last – membership drive.

 

"[We] were able to come up with a series of these little, short vignettes of the interview process," Zub told Comic Book Resources. "It's fun stuff because we get to run through a nice selection and variety of Valiant characters, some of which are appropriate, some of which are wonderfully inappropriate, how they fail the interview process and how Bloodshot succeeds over his competition."

 

Appearing as a back-up feature in each of Valiant's July releases, Zub and Huang's "Who Will Lead the H.A.R.D. Corps?" short will be available in Shadowman #8, Quantum and Woody #1, X-O Manowar #15, Harbinger Wars #4 (of 4), Archer & Armstrong #11, Harbinger #14 and Bloodshot #13.

 

But first – don't miss the first appearance of the all-new, all-deadly H.A.R.D. Corps on June 12th in 

Harbinger Wars #3 (of 4) – the next epic milestone of Valiant's first crossover event! Then jump on board the new monthly adventures of Valiant's deadly strike force when Bloodshot joins the team this September in Bloodshot and H.A.R.D Corps #14 from co-writers Christos Gage & Joshua Dysart and red-hot artist Emanuela Lupacchino!

 

For more information on H.A.R.D. Corps and the rest of the Valiant Universe, visit Valiant on Facebook, on Twitter, and at ValiantUniverse.com.

Follow the H.A.R.D. Corps' next action-packed appearances this summer in...
 

HARBINGER WARS #3 (of 4)

Written by JOSHUA DYSART & DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI

Art by CLAYTON HENRY

Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (APR131270)

Pullbox Exclusive Variant by TREVOR HAIRSINE (APR131271)

Variant Cover by KHARI EVANS (APR131272)

Variant Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (APR131274)

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.

ON SALE 6/12/13 (FOC - 5/20/13)

HARBINGER WARS #4 (of 4)

Written by JOSHUA DYSART & DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI

Art by CLAYTON HENRY

Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (MAY131294)

Wraparound Pullbox Variant by TREVOR HAIRSINE (MAY131295)

Variant Cover by JUAN DOE (MAY131296)

Variant Cover by STEPHANE PERGER (MAY131297)

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.

ON SALE 7/17/13 (FOC - 6/24/13)

 

BLOODSHOT AND H.A.R.D. CORPS #14 

Written by CHRISTOS GAGE & JOSHUA DYSART

Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO

Cover by J.G. JONES

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.

ON SALE IN SEPTEMBER!

Comic News: The Skullkickers get Uncanny!

This February, Image Comics invites readers to jump on board action and adventure, newly reinvigorated with a very special adjective – THE UNCANNY SKULLKICKERS!

“After almost twenty issues of critically-acclaimed cranium-smashing adventure, we felt it was important to remind retailers and readers that Skullkickers is the most enjoyable adventure series in the entire comic industry," said Image PR and Marketing Director Jennifer de Guzman. "What better way to do that than to add a spiffy new adjective to it! That’s what people do, right?”

UNCANNY SKULLKICKERS, written by Jim Zub and drawn by adorable elf-man Edwin Huang, begins the second half of the epic six-arc Skullkickers storyline and is a perfect jumping-on point for new readers of the action-comedy fantasy series. And who doesn't want to be known as a reader of a comic about hard-headed mercenaries knocking heads for fun and profit? I mean, really.

“We pride ourselves on making each and every issue of Skullkickersaccessible, but this spiffy #1 is that times ten," said creator Zub. "We quickly recap the story that’s come before and then push forward into new action-packed territory: a deadly island of mystery, swashbuckling adventure, ferocious man-eating turtles, pissed-off apes...  it’s a cornucopia of entertainment.”

And if you’re a diehard collector of SKULLKICKERS who's sad that you won’t have a SKULLKICKERS #19 to add to your collection? Don’t worry, we’ve thought of everything. In addition to the regular “Uncanny” cover we’re offering a special “issue #19 variant” B cover to make sure your collector streak is unbroken.

It’s new. It’s classic. It’s a modern reinterpretation that gets back to the roots of these timeless characters. UNCANNY SKULLKICKERS #1 will available wherever kick-ass comics are sold on February 27!