C.9 - Archer & Armstrong

Secrets! Shenanigans! A spectacular for the ages! Someone call the fire marshal because Valiant’s all-star celebration for Archer & Armstrong is about to get out of control! Red-hot creators Fred Van Lente (IVAR, TIMEWALKER), Ray Fawkes (Batman: Eternal), John Layman (Chew), Karl Bollers (Watson and Holmes), Clayton Henry (HARBINGER), Joe Eisma (Morning Glories) and a jam-packed roster of special guests are throwing a gigantic finale for Valiant’s conspiracy-busting, history-smashing swashbucklers – and they’ve brought along a heap of all-new tales to kick this hullabaloo into high gear! Featuring the true story of Armstrong’s first drink, the secret origin of Mary- Maria, the debut of a brand new breed of villain for the Valiant Universe, and much more, this very special volume collects ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #24, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG: THE ONE PERCENT #1, and stories from the oversized ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #25 anniversary spectacular, alongside the never-before-seen ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #0: DIRECTOR’S CUT! Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind look inside the script, art, and character designs of Archer & Armstrong’s acclaimed origin issue!

Living it up at the Hotel California! Dead celebrities, an extra- dimensional hotel, the truth about The Doors…and that was all in our first issue! Fred Van Lente’s ground-breaking run continues as Archer & Armstrong face off against their greatest foe, The Lizard King, as the fate of reality itself hangs in the balance!

The true story of the Epic (Fail) of Giglamesh! Original series artist and Harbinger Wars superstar Clayton Henry returns to tell a tale of the early days of the man known as Armstrong! How early? How’s ancient Ur sound? For the first time, the 100 percent true story behind the Epic of Gilgamesh can be told… A tale of three warrior brothers, the Anni-Padda – or as you may know them, ARMSTRONG, the ETERNAL WARRIOR and TIMEWALKER – on a quest to the mysterious Faraway to bring back its immortal Boon. What they find is a lost land full of danger, excitement – and the greatest secret of the Valiant Universe! Plus: this issue tees up the next arc of A&A, beginning this June in issue #10!

From New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (BOOK OF DEATH, The Flash) and all-star artists Diego Bernard (Red Lanterns) and Doug Braithwaite (NINJAK) comes the next oversized volume collecting the series IGN calls “fantastic, action-packed storytelling that never fails to satisfy” as X-O Manowar begins his greatest challenge yet! Aric of Dacia, a fifth-century warrior bonded to alien armor and transplanted to the modern day, is now the most important weapon in the arsenal of M.E.R.O., the top-secret American intelligence organization that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. In order to protect his people, Aric must undergo dangerous missions in space, but nothing can prepare him for the stunning secret that awaits him in the stars. The Armor Hunters are coming. They have sworn to rid the universe of the X-O Manowar armor’s incalculable destructive power and they have found their final target. Earth will be the greatest hunt of all… and the fight for survival begins here. Featuring backup stories from an all-star cast of comic book superstars – including Sean Chen (Iron Man), Tom Fowler (QUANTUM AND WOODY), Bryan Hitch (The Ultimates), J.G. Jones (Final Crisis), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man), Cary Nord (Conan), and many more – the pulse-pounding storyline that redefines Valiant’s flagship hero is collected here in a prestige-sized hardcover packed with 20+ pages of rarely seen bonus materials and special features! Collecting X-O MANOWAR #23–#29 and ARMOR HUNTERS #1-4