Imperium #3

[Brapbrap]

Excellent issue, got to learn a lot more about Sunlight On Snow (a.k.a. the best character), seems to me like he was is based off the medbot from Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps. Lord Vine is an interesting addition to the team, I like the idea of Harada recruiting someone who only wants to kill him.

Don't know why Broken Angel got put on the cover though when she's in one panel.

[pixierosa]

Best issue of the series so far! Excellent writing. Lots of interesting tidbits - like that seed from the 60s? Where did that come from - PRS? If so, how did they get it? Was PRS also infiltrated by Vine hybrids? Great character development. SOS is one of my favorite characters. Dysart is doing a great job of conveying his sense of disconnect and loss, also his awareness as being treated as less-than. I hope he doesn't go the road of Roy in Blade Runner.

Enjoyed all the themes of "light" and connectivity. Looking forward to next issue!

[BugsySig]

Another amazing issue. One of, if not the, best book on the stands.

Love Sunlight on Snow. What an amazing character, written to perfection.

The Vine seed is interesting. It was likely developed by the Vine to eliminate Harada, a potential threat to humanity. Remember, the Vine consider themselves the caretakers of the planets they seed.

[pixierosa]

I assumed that the Vine were involved, but I found it interesting that it originated around the same time that Harada had his big face-off with Carter and the PRS. Made me wonder if they were involved at all. If the Vine infiltrated every other organization like they did MI6, stands to reason that they would be in PRS and opposed to a group like the Harbinger Foundation. Might just be coincidental timing.

[David_Cody]

Absolute brilliance!!!

I try to read Marvel and DC sometimes and it is such complete *SQUEE* compared to Valiant. But then I cannot fathom buying Marvel or DC as they have something like 20 issues or more released every month and most is pure crap.

Love, love, loved being introduced to the mind of an AI being.

I think Harada is going to have his hands full with this new Vine creature he's taken on and how Sunshine on Snow will deal with it.

[BugsySig]

I assumed that the Vine were involved, but I found it interesting that it originated around the same time that Harada had his big face-off with Carter and the PRS. Made me wonder if they were involved at all. If the Vine infiltrated every other organization like they did MI6, stands to reason that they would be in PRS and opposed to a group like the Harbinger Foundation. Might just be coincidental timing.

I don't doubt that Vine Plantings were likely involved, but I doubt they would reveal their technology, let alone hand over a fully grown Vine, to PRS. I think it is more likely that the 60s was when Harada was officially outed as a Psiot and a threat to PRS and other government agencies. Thereby leading the Plantings to attempt to remove him from the equation.

While Harada can't alter or read the mind of a Vine, it is likely he could do so with a planting, as their anatomy is basically the same as a human's (at least according to VDitti). That would make him a huge threat to expose the Vine colonization of the planet.

[Blood of Heroes]

This issue was so good! Probably my favorite single VEI issue to date. The first two books set up Sunshine on Snow's personality very well, and even in those books I started to feel for the guy. No one will call him by the name he wants. What a bunch of a-holes! The third book knocks it out of the park. His therapy session with Ingrid is priceless. "You don't mean to be unkind? Well, unfortunately you're pretty good at it"
Also, SOS is the only "person" that can talk *SQUEE* to Harada. Their exchanges in the laboratory are awesome.

I can't wait for Sunshine on Snow and Lord Vine 99 in their own spin off buddy comic book. It's going to be the smash hit of the summer!

[Mandrakk]

Beautiful issue, my favorite from the run yet...be it for Sunshine on Snow who is awesome or Lord Vine and everything his presence implies for the future or the interaction between Ingrid and Sunshine on Snow showing the therapist's limits and bias as well as her fear of the current foundation MO.

I am also pretty curious to see what comes next with Broken angel and good ol' Borz whose interaction with Harada was handled very very well, eh for some reason after reading this issue I got a new idea of Harada's role in the bigger Valiant universe: the guy creates heroes by his very acts and existence.

Also it may be because Rai #8 came out today(and because of a problem at my store I won't get it until friday ) but say do you think Sunshine on Snow might have survived until 4001 and found himself to be a bit fatherly ?

[hawkeyeps]

I assumed that the Vine were involved, but I found it interesting that it originated around the same time that Harada had his big face-off with Carter and the PRS. Made me wonder if they were involved at all. If the Vine infiltrated every other organization like they did MI6, stands to reason that they would be in PRS and opposed to a group like the Harbinger Foundation. Might just be coincidental timing.

I don't doubt that Vine Plantings were likely involved, but I doubt they would reveal their technology, let alone hand over a fully grown Vine, to PRS. I think it is more likely that the 60s was when Harada was officially outed as a Psiot and a threat to PRS and other government agencies. Thereby leading the Plantings to attempt to remove him from the equation.

While Harada can't alter or read the mind of a Vine, it is likely he could do so with a planting, as their anatomy is basically the same as a human's (at least according to VDitti). That would make him a huge threat to expose the Vine colonization of the planet.

MI 6 was infiltrated by the Vine before Aric, Ninjak and Neville purged them in XO #8. Could be something there...

[jmatt]

Dysart issues are the best read of the month, month after month. I have my fingers crossed that the reason we see him on only one title a month is that VEI has him working on something big, Big, BIG. He's exclusive to VEI, so they have to be doing something that keeps him busy.

Fabulous issue.

[hunter_peterson]

Dysart issues are the best read of the month, month after month. I have my fingers crossed that the reason we see him on only one title a month is that VEI has him working on something big, Big, BIG. He's exclusive to VEI, so they have to be doing something that keeps him busy.

Fabulous issue.

Well, he DID say he wanted to write any Harbinger movie that gets made, and Valiant got a bunch of movie money recently...

Amazing issue. Dysart is one of the best writers I've ever seen. SOS, Lord Vine and Gravedog are already just as interesting and complex as Harada himself, which is impossibly excellent execution. I can't wait to see what Broken Angel is about! She looks quite different from last issue, so that's weird.

[jmatt]

Gravedog's sudden reappearance at PRS has me wondering if that whole interrogation isn't a Harada mind game to get him to talk about why he's really there.

[hunter_peterson]

Gravedog's sudden reappearance at PRS has me wondering if that whole interrogation isn't a Harada mind game to get him to talk about why he's really there.

That would also make sense. Lots of ways next issue could play out.

[nonplayer]

Sunshine on snow is father.

[BugsySig]

Sunshine on snow is father.

Doubtful. One, SOS dislikes violence. Two, Father was introduced as a concept almost a year before SOS.

However, an AI version of Harada as father is very likely IMHO.

[greg]

Sunshine on snow is father.

Doubtful. One, SOS dislikes violence. Two, Father was introduced as a concept almost a year before SOS.

However, an AI version of Harada as father is very likely IMHO.

Nonplayer may be on to something...
Imperium #3 tells us that Sunlight on Snow was following an inevitable path of logic until he was "shackled".
Additionally, Rai #6 tells us that Father created Izak from Vine --- possibly because of the Sunlight on Snow and Lord Vine 99 connection.

The fact that Sunlight on Snow gets his name from a memory that he never had, the nanites may have the "soul" of dead humans.
Bleeding Monk tells Harada he will be the father of the future of humanity... so if Sunlight on Snow eventually absorbs Harada's soul, you've got everything for future Father.
Especially if Sunlight on Snow eventually absorbs Livewire, too.

[Phoenix8008]

Sunshine on snow is father.

Doubtful. One, SOS dislikes violence. Two, Father was introduced as a concept almost a year before SOS.

However, an AI version of Harada as father is very likely IMHO.

Nonplayer may be on to something...
Imperium #3 tells us that Sunlight on Snow was following an inevitable path of logic until he was "shackled".
Additionally, Rai #6 tells us that Father created Izak from Vine --- possibly because of the Sunlight on Snow and Lord Vine 99 connection.

The fact that Sunlight on Snow gets his name from a memory that he never had, the nanites may have the "soul" of dead humans.
Bleeding Monk tells Harada he will be the father of the future of humanity... so if Sunlight on Snow eventually absorbs Harada's soul, you've got everything for future Father.
Especially if Sunlight on Snow eventually absorbs Livewire, too.

Yeesh! Scary, but logical, concept!

[BugsySig]

Sunshine on snow is father.

Doubtful. One, SOS dislikes violence. Two, Father was introduced as a concept almost a year before SOS.

However, an AI version of Harada as father is very likely IMHO.

Nonplayer may be on to something...
Imperium #3 tells us that Sunlight on Snow was following an inevitable path of logic until he was "shackled".
Additionally, Rai #6 tells us that Father created Izak from Vine --- possibly because of the Sunlight on Snow and Lord Vine 99 connection.

The fact that Sunlight on Snow gets his name from a memory that he never had, the nanites may have the "soul" of dead humans.
Bleeding Monk tells Harada he will be the father of the future of humanity... so if Sunlight on Snow eventually absorbs Harada's soul, you've got everything for future Father.
Especially if Sunlight on Snow eventually absorbs Livewire, too.

I thought Izak was more Spider alien than Vine...

[greg]

I thought Izak was more Spider alien than Vine...

Are you saying that VEI has two separate alien races for the original Spider Alien concept?

[BugsySig]

I thought Izak was more Spider alien than Vine...

Are you saying that VEI has two separate alien races for the original Spider Alien concept?

That I am.

[nonplayer]

Heres another kicker. What of this memory of him sitting lokking at the snow in the mountains. The bleeding monk sat for ages in tue mountains perhaps its his memory. Nanites came from monky? Just a thought!

[nonplayer]

Just think he was absorbing and getting the in to computers. What if he goes in the network of Japan a big *SQUEE* computer and decides its best to just leave. We know all about computers made to help us and going to far and florking us. Hal, the computer in ai will smith the lsit goes on. Im sorry I cannot open the pod bay doors.

[jmatt]

Heres another kicker. What of this memory of him sitting lokking at the snow in the mountains. The bleeding monk sat for ages in tue mountains perhaps its his memory. Nanites came from monky? Just a thought!

I thought the same thing. Very much the same vibe.

I loved Dysart's observation (via Sunlight on Snow) that he realized that the thing he found so beautiful would also be the cause of its own demise. Where else in comics do you get such wonderful, thought provoking depth?

How does he do it? How does he manage to put such incredible perspective and humanism into the characters while also telling a gripping story?

[hunter_peterson]

Heres another kicker. What of this memory of him sitting lokking at the snow in the mountains. The bleeding monk sat for ages in tue mountains perhaps its his memory. Nanites came from monky? Just a thought!

I thought the same thing. Very much the same vibe.

I loved Dysart's observation (via Sunlight on Snow) that he realized that the thing he found so beautiful would also be the cause of its own demise. Where else in comics do you get such wonderful, thought provoking depth?

How does he do it? How does he manage to put such incredible perspective and humanism into the characters while also telling a gripping story?

I assume virgin sacrifice is involved.

[erwinrafael]

In my perfect VEI world, the First Four writers would have had two books a month, with JenVanMeter's supernatural limited series alternating with Q&W limiteds. That is the killer 9 books a month lineup.