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geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong, Vol. 1: In the Bag' was my introduction to the world of Archer & Armstrong, but even though this is a Volume 1, it's probably not the best place to start.
Armstrong is a larger than life character with a very long lifespan. His latest partner is named Archer. We get a glimpse at some of Armstrong's partners. We also learn that Archer's sister is with a group of warrior nuns.
Anyway, in this adventure, Armstrong has remembered he put a bottle of whiskey in his bag, so he goes in after it. The bag is definitely bigger on the inside and holds a lot of really nasty things that want out.
It's a new start for these characters apparently, but I still felt like there was a lot of stuff that I just kind of felt lost with. Still, it's a crazy, fun adventure.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Valiant Entertainment LLC, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Armstrong is a larger than life character with a very long lifespan. His latest partner is named Archer. We get a glimpse at some of Armstrong's partners. We also learn that Archer's sister is with a group of warrior nuns.
Anyway, in this adventure, Armstrong has remembered he put a bottle of whiskey in his bag, so he goes in after it. The bag is definitely bigger on the inside and holds a lot of really nasty things that want out.
It's a new start for these characters apparently, but I still felt like there was a lot of stuff that I just kind of felt lost with. Still, it's a crazy, fun adventure.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Valiant Entertainment LLC, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
lunchlander's review against another edition
2.0
Probably closer to 2.5 stars but the best parts of this book for me were the Faith date issue (already collected in the Faith HC) and the two one-shots that close it out.
mcbeezie's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a fun book. It makes me want to read the others in this series. There's a lot of puke in this volume, fair warning. The style reminds me a bit of Venture Brothers. I received this from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
1.0
I was looking forward to delving back into the world of Archer & Armstrong, but the new creative team is bereft of talent and creativity. This reads like Valiant humor fanfic by someone with no writing experience, and the artist's depictions of faces are terrible. Every human nose has a weird, flat spot in the middle where most humans have a bridge, and when they can be bothered to accentuate cheeks or chins, the characters look like marionettes. The fact that this was drawn by [a:David Lafuente|1391240|David Lafuente|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], whose work on Ultimate Spider-Man was so refreshing, is a massive disappointment.
So, terrible art, and just the clunkiest, hackiest dialogue make this an unreadable mess. I don't undertand how this book turned out so bad, but I wouldn't wish it on bow-tie twirlingest, hand buzzer wearingest, selter-in-the-faciest, ununny clown.
So, terrible art, and just the clunkiest, hackiest dialogue make this an unreadable mess. I don't undertand how this book turned out so bad, but I wouldn't wish it on bow-tie twirlingest, hand buzzer wearingest, selter-in-the-faciest, ununny clown.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
2.0
This book gave me a headache.
Volume one was terrible, and I expected more of the same. But the crossover with Faith was a really solid superhero story with the right amount of humor. It was fun, pleasant, and interesting. And the following issue began with the same tone, and then it was fart jokes, circus freaks are funny, and things that a robot who had been told about humor might have assumed were funny. It wasn't funny. Or interesting. Or readable. I think if you told Rafer Roberts to write a book that wasn't supposed to be funny, he could write solid story with a humorous edge, but he just doesn't have any skill for humor. At all.
I'm glad this book listed Roberts as "Valiant Exclusive" so I don't have to worry about him popping up in a series I actually care about until he evolves into a better writer.
Volume one was terrible, and I expected more of the same. But the crossover with Faith was a really solid superhero story with the right amount of humor. It was fun, pleasant, and interesting. And the following issue began with the same tone, and then it was fart jokes, circus freaks are funny, and things that a robot who had been told about humor might have assumed were funny. It wasn't funny. Or interesting. Or readable. I think if you told Rafer Roberts to write a book that wasn't supposed to be funny, he could write solid story with a humorous edge, but he just doesn't have any skill for humor. At all.
I'm glad this book listed Roberts as "Valiant Exclusive" so I don't have to worry about him popping up in a series I actually care about until he evolves into a better writer.
crookedtreehouse's review
3.0
The first two volumes of this series were some of the worst alleged humor comics I've ever read. Any time the story seemed to be going somewhere interesting, Roberts had a "funny" idea, and there would be a terribly unfunny aside that just took all the air out of the story.
There are a couple of instances of that in this volume (I wish the whole Bobby The Mackerel, and the guy whose name I hope to never remember, pages were torn out of this volume. They were dumb, never funny, never interesting, and they ultimately retconned themselves from being relevant to anything.) but for the most part, Roberts stuck to plotting so he could wrap up his run, and this volume is the better for it.
There was even a several page journey through the mind of ... sigh ... Gub Gub, which allowed the artist to have some fun, and gave the story some visual flair.
It's still not my type of comic, but it was a readable adventure involving characters I like (and Gub Gub, and Bobby The Mackerel, and what's-its-face). It was several steps up from where the series started. I believe if you liked [b:Archer & Armstrong, Volume 1: The Michelangelo Code|17158627|Archer & Armstrong, Volume 1 The Michelangelo Code|Fred Van Lente|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391572226l/17158627._SY75_.jpg|23582136], you'll think this story was pretty ok.
There are a couple of instances of that in this volume (I wish the whole Bobby The Mackerel, and the guy whose name I hope to never remember, pages were torn out of this volume. They were dumb, never funny, never interesting, and they ultimately retconned themselves from being relevant to anything.) but for the most part, Roberts stuck to plotting so he could wrap up his run, and this volume is the better for it.
There was even a several page journey through the mind of ... sigh ... Gub Gub, which allowed the artist to have some fun, and gave the story some visual flair.
It's still not my type of comic, but it was a readable adventure involving characters I like (and Gub Gub, and Bobby The Mackerel, and what's-its-face). It was several steps up from where the series started. I believe if you liked [b:Archer & Armstrong, Volume 1: The Michelangelo Code|17158627|Archer & Armstrong, Volume 1 The Michelangelo Code|Fred Van Lente|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391572226l/17158627._SY75_.jpg|23582136], you'll think this story was pretty ok.
verytoristory's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
verytoristory's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
old_tim's review against another edition
5.0
A big raspberry to grimderp. RIYL: Faith, Waid's Daredevil, Hawkeye, Spiderwoman, etc...
http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2016/08/all-he-wanted-was-drink.html
http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2016/08/all-he-wanted-was-drink.html
carroq's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Archer and Armstrong are all sorts of ridiculous. It starts with the title of the book, which is just a mouthful. Armstrong is a 7,000 year old perpetual drunkard with a magical bag that may just contain infinite space. Archer is his sidekick and current best friend.
Armstrong decides to enter his magic bag in search of a bottle of booze from a previous adventure. Creatures begin to escape the bag, and Archer goes in after Armstrong so he can close the bag. Archer leaves his sister and her group of nun assassins to guard the entrance. Archer and Armstrong run into goblins, trash golems, and Bacchus (yes, the god) within the bag. Bacchus has a grudge against Armstrong and is determined to escape and cause chaos.
This is another book that is pure entertainment. Sure, there are some dramatic moments, but the book is driven by silly things. The closest thing I can relate this to is a buddy movie. These guys are friends, get pissed at each other, and eventually make up to save the day. It is a fun story, but it may not be the best jumping on point for these characters. There is a history between these two that is hinted at throughout the book, but is not covered in detail.
I enjoyed the art, but some of the panel layouts were odd. At times, there are illustrations that are broken into boxes when they probably didn't need to be. This follows other parts of the book where the same technique is used well because of the way the drawings are set up. The pictures lean toward cartoony aspects. This fits the feel of the book perfectly. The creatures and events are buoyed by the art, whereas a more realistic approach would make the book feel too over the top. I've read a few different Valiant books recently, and this one has a completely different vibe from the other ones.
Archer and Armstrong are all sorts of ridiculous. It starts with the title of the book, which is just a mouthful. Armstrong is a 7,000 year old perpetual drunkard with a magical bag that may just contain infinite space. Archer is his sidekick and current best friend.
Armstrong decides to enter his magic bag in search of a bottle of booze from a previous adventure. Creatures begin to escape the bag, and Archer goes in after Armstrong so he can close the bag. Archer leaves his sister and her group of nun assassins to guard the entrance. Archer and Armstrong run into goblins, trash golems, and Bacchus (yes, the god) within the bag. Bacchus has a grudge against Armstrong and is determined to escape and cause chaos.
This is another book that is pure entertainment. Sure, there are some dramatic moments, but the book is driven by silly things. The closest thing I can relate this to is a buddy movie. These guys are friends, get pissed at each other, and eventually make up to save the day. It is a fun story, but it may not be the best jumping on point for these characters. There is a history between these two that is hinted at throughout the book, but is not covered in detail.
I enjoyed the art, but some of the panel layouts were odd. At times, there are illustrations that are broken into boxes when they probably didn't need to be. This follows other parts of the book where the same technique is used well because of the way the drawings are set up. The pictures lean toward cartoony aspects. This fits the feel of the book perfectly. The creatures and events are buoyed by the art, whereas a more realistic approach would make the book feel too over the top. I've read a few different Valiant books recently, and this one has a completely different vibe from the other ones.