Ivar Timewalker #1

[Psiot X]

Everyone will be able to read this issue free through iO9 and perhaps other sources. Part one is available now with parts 2 and 3 due Wednesday and Friday. The full print and digital release is tomorrow (1/21.)

http://io9.com/read-valiants-new-hit-iv ... socialflow" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My thoughts on part 1? Well, there is little point in denying that the book itself and the characters can be looked at as a pastiche of Dr. Who tweaked up for a fun superhero comic. I say that because the writing style and stories (themes) are definitely inspired by the current Dr. Who series. There is nothing inherently wrong in that as long as they add enough quirks and twists so that there is something unique to this character portrayal and I am surprised no one (particularly the big 2) has really done this before. Usually they want to make time travelers villains from the future. Other than that it was kind of funny seeing him get smacked down by a three foot tall nerdy black woman. You dig bro?

Or maybe he needs to lift?

The art... I am betwixt and between personally and will simply call it passable. Something in the character drawing style kept looking a bit vague to me even though the panels (action) flowed well and it struck me hard in the nads leaving a grimace.

Too early to comment on the writing, dialogue, and story.

[bygranddesign]

I'll disagree in regards to Clayton Henry's work. I think he is a consistently great artist - and his work here is very strong, imo.

Also, the women scientist is Indian not black.

That aside ... This first part is very good - looking forward to the rest of it.

This series should be excellent as it's a perfect fit for FVL.

[the1captain]

I liked it but didn't love it the same way I remember loving the first issue of Archer & Armstrong. Still has a chance though. This Ivar seems different from the one that appeared in A & A. At first I was worried we were going to run into the same character problem we ran into with the Eternal Warrior from A & A to his own series. But then I thought about it. How long has this Ivar been time traveling? For him it could have literally 1000's of years since he appeared in A & A. Which might explain any differences in the character.

Wasn't crazy about the doctor. Her dialogue felt very forced. But the twist at the end left me very intrigued.

[Brapbrap]

liked the rai cameo, pretty sure they were in the same bar where the body was dumped in rai #1

[Keith]

Man, I loved this issue. Action and adventure, surprise cameos (one really surprising!), and some pretty heady time travel concepts. Plus I love seeing some of the teasers dropped in A&A now bearing fruit!

[Keith]

This Ivar seems different from the one that appeared in A & A. At first I was worried we were going to run into the same character problem we ran into with the Eternal Warrior from A & A to his own series. But then I thought about it. How long has this Ivar been time traveling? For him it could have literally 1000's of years since he appeared in A & A. Which might explain any differences in the character.

Interesting take. I was thinking that the Ivar here is more like what we were originally introduced to in the 1st issue of Archer and Armstrong than how he acted in the Faraway arc/Pub Crawl. A.K.A... kind of a *SQUEE*. I could see your point about how years of travel could impact him like that.

[Phoenix8008]

I can't wait to read this one when I pick it up after work tonight! And The Valiant #2 as well. I'll be back to report my thoughts about it after that.

[BugsySig]

Loved it. Loved the art. Loved the dialogue. Loved the cameos and Easter eggs. Can't wait for the next issue!

I didnt see any continuity issue with Ivar's character. He's only appeared in a few issues and there's been no indication of how long he's been traveling since we last saw him.

[bygranddesign]

Just finished reading this ... and i am buzzing with excitement

10/10

This is my favorite 1st issue from VEI - it is THAT good!

Its smart.
its funny.
It's mysterious.
It's compelling.
The main characters - I care about. (i'm already in love with Neela)
It had action.
It had history
It had BRILLIANT dialogue
It had big idea universe building moments
It had interesting new villains
it had surprises ... including a great final twist that took me by surprise

Love this issue so much

This is a top notch creative team - this is going to be an amazing book.

[dornwolf]

liked the rai cameo, pretty sure they were in the same bar where the body was dumped in rai #1

Pretty sure it was, the bar was either called Blackwater or was in Blackwater sector same as opening Rai arc. Makes it interesting either way, means Ivar was possibly present at the explosion site.

Also, random Gilad appearance. Kinda figured we'd have to wait till the end of the arc for either version of a cameo.

Also surprised to see Ivar was worried about preserving history.

[greg]

Ok, question time...

There were two Ivars in Japan... did they take the SAME timearc to get there?

I had thought of timearcs as a "tunnel" between exactly two different times/places. Is it actually a "hallway" into several different times and places?

[BugsySig]

Ok, question time...

There were two Ivars in Japan... did they take the SAME timearc to get there?

I had thought of timearcs as a "tunnel" between exactly two different times/places. Is it actually a "hallway" into several different times and places?

They appear all over. All the time. At least that's what he says. It just might be tricky to get to them.

[greg]

Ok, question time...

There were two Ivars in Japan... did they take the SAME timearc to get there?

I had thought of timearcs as a "tunnel" between exactly two different times/places. Is it actually a "hallway" into several different times and places?

They appear all over. All the time. At least that's what he says. It just might be tricky to get to them.

He also says "nanoseconds", which would not be useful... so I assume the useful ones (that last long enough to say "There it is!") are special/rare?

[Manaf82]

Man, I loved this issue. Action and adventure, surprise cameos (one really surprising!), and some pretty heady time travel concepts. Plus I love seeing some of the teasers dropped in A&A now bearing fruit!

I just read it..What are the other cameos besides Rai and Gilad??

[bygranddesign]

There are historical cameo's .... The Battle of Trafalgar is a famous British Navel Victory during the Napoleonic Wars.

Horatio Nelson was the historical admiral for the British ... He did die during the final battle

Ivar mentions making out with Twiggy at the memorial of Trafalgar... Twiggy was a real life model from the 60's.

The mentioning of sentient cities (setting up Oblivi-1 as the main villian of this series) ... and nanite's in the sake ... also contribute to the meatiness of this book and everything that it covers in only one issue

[greg]

Ivar told Horatio his column in Trafalgar Square is quite lovely.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson%27s_Column" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Keith]

Man, I loved this issue. Action and adventure, surprise cameos (one really surprising!), and some pretty heady time travel concepts. Plus I love seeing some of the teasers dropped in A&A now bearing fruit!

I just read it..What are the other cameos besides Rai and Gilad??

Other Ivar.

[bygranddesign]

Ok, question time...

There were two Ivars in Japan... did they take the SAME timearc to get there?

I had thought of timearcs as a "tunnel" between exactly two different times/places. Is it actually a "hallway" into several different times and places?

They appear all over. All the time. At least that's what he says. It just might be tricky to get to them.

He also says "nanoseconds", which would not be useful... so I assume the useful ones (that last long enough to say "There it is!") are special/rare?

There are definitely a lot of questions that will need to be answered

1) How do the time arcs work ... can he control where he goes in time?
2) Is Ivar immortal?
3) What about the continua prison that he was freed from in A&A #12 ... is this Ivar before or after that imprisonment?
4) What happened to him after he sets off the Boon and the first cataclysm..?
5) How will Time travel work ...?(loaded question) Was that Ivar he met in 4001 an alternate version of himself from some multiverse? .. or was that actually him from his future or past? Why does he not care about mucking up the past?

The great thing is that FVL has an understanding of the character ... he introduced him in A&A #1 ... He has been building up the character through the A&A series ... so he should have the answers for these questions.

I'm going to enjoy the ride.

[greg]

Just a quick note... the year shown for Oblivi-1 is WAAAAYYYYY longer than trillions of years. It's a number that's so big it's essentially meaningless... not sure if that's a mistake or what.

[omega_override]

I'm really not entirely sure how I felt about this issue. For the most part it seemed all over the place with the amount of things it was trying to tell the reader about Ivar and timespace, it didn't feel like there was any room to breathe and let the plot flow naturally.

It also had a feeling of the newer Doctor Who about it, but without all the mindless soap opera nonsense, which I kind of liked.

[BugsySig]

Ok, question time...

There were two Ivars in Japan... did they take the SAME timearc to get there?

I had thought of timearcs as a "tunnel" between exactly two different times/places. Is it actually a "hallway" into several different times and places?

They appear all over. All the time. At least that's what he says. It just might be tricky to get to them.

He also says "nanoseconds", which would not be useful... so I assume the useful ones (that last long enough to say "There it is!") are special/rare?

There are definitely a lot of questions that will need to be answered

1) How do the time arcs work ... can he control where he goes in time?
2) Is Ivar immortal?
3) What about the continua prison that he was freed from in A&A #12 ... is this Ivar before or after that imprisonment?
4) What happened to him after he sets off the Boon and the first cataclysm..?
5) How will Time travel work ...?(loaded question) Was that Ivar he met in 4001 an alternate version of himself from some multiverse? .. or was that actually him from his future or past? Why does he not care about mucking up the past?

The great thing is that FVL has an understanding of the character ... he introduced him in A&A #1 ... He has been building up the character through the A&A series ... so he should have the answers for these questions.

I'm going to enjoy the ride.

Two things:

1) Ivar said back in A&A that one cannot change their past. But the future is another story. The past has already happened and always will. It's interesting, though, to consider how Ivar (or any time traveller) fits into this since the past can be his personal future.

2) it is entirely possible that Ivar was time-traveling prior to his imprisonment in the Faraway. We assumed his imprisonment came shortly after the activation of the Boon, and his knowledge of time arcs came from his time in the prison experiencing all time at once forever. But not necessarily. We also don't know how that prison process worked. Was he active in those times or just observing? I would guess all these will be addressed by FVL the way he did with so much in A&A.

Also, FVL has said he will be exploring many different forms of time travel based on various theories about it. So even if Ivar was to miss a time arc, he could potentially travel in other ways.

[bygranddesign]

Two things:

1) Ivar said back in A&A that one cannot change their past. But the future is another story. The past has already happened and always will. It's interesting, though, to consider how Ivar (or any time traveller) fits into this since the past can be his personal future.

2) it is entirely possible that Ivar was time-traveling prior to his imprisonment in the Faraway. We assumed his imprisonment came shortly after the activation of the Boon, and his knowledge of time arcs came from his time in the prison experiencing all time at once forever. But not necessarily. We also don't know how that prison process worked. Was he active in those times or just observing? I would guess all these will be addressed by FVL the way he did with so much in A&A.

Also, FVL has said he will be exploring many different forms of time travel based on various theories about it. So even if Ivar was to miss a time arc, he could potentially travel in other ways.

Good Points.

Yeah ... I'm going to assume that he was time travelling before the imprisonment ...

I believe the imprisonment, Archer freeing him, the barcrawl through time hasn't happened yet at this point to Ivar.

In the bar crawl through time issue (A&A #15 which happened after his release from the imprisonment) ... Ivar mentions Prometheans and getting back to someone (we can assume that's Neela)

So I would assume at some point in this series we will see him get imprisoned in the continua

[ilzuccone]

i really like this issue. i love time travel stories. i dont like dr who so i didn't pick up any similarities. "sliders" used this devise back in '95 tho.

i dig the use of multiple types of time travel.

I also dig the villain being an older version of the doctor.

my only question would be when did ivar make his gadget? surely not when the boon exploded.

[BugsySig]

i really like this issue. i love time travel stories. i dont like dr who so i didn't pick up any similarities. "sliders" used this devise back in '95 tho.

i dig the use of multiple types of time travel.

I also dig the villain being an older version of the doctor.

my only question would be when did ivar make his gadget? surely not when the boon exploded.

That gadget was made sometime while trapped in the Faraway with Aram. He made a map of time arcs after being released from the prison, which Archer, and then Mary Maria, later stole.

So this version of Ivar has already been imprisoned in the Faraway.

[betterthanezra]

I smiled the whole time I read this

The story is solid and fun and the art is SOLID Clayton is so good.

I loved it and I expect Heather to love it also (if she reads it like she says she will)

-Brian