A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #1

A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #1 http://buff.ly/1Utsyym is a 32-page, standard size full color comic written by Rafer Roberts, illustrated by David Lafuente, inks by Ryan Winn, and colors by Brian Reber. Published by Valiant http://bit.ly/1YV9fyG

Welcome to the world of Archer and Armstrong, where the teenage martial arts master, “Archer” is raised for the sole purpose of killing the immortal adventurer “Armstrong!” Before that plan ever reaches fruition the pair become friends and hit the road together as partners. Now we find the two in a very perilous situation somewhere deep inside Armstrong’s mysterious satchel! It appears Armstrong has literally been carrying his emotional baggage around for thousands of years and now his burdensome belongings are ready to escape their prison and make Armstrong pay for their prolonged pain! What follows are strange encounters with strange characters in even stranger settings! Goblins, and golems, and garbage monsters, oh my! And I didn’t even get to the Sisters of Perpetual Darkness, or the little fish man known as Davey the Mackerel!

The artwork is terrific. It’s loaded with subtle details and odd creatures all set against a bizarre background that is the weird world existing deep inside Armstrong’s satchel! The writing sets the tone for this unusual comic and grabs the reader early on, pulling you into this outlandish odyssey just as the title characters are pulled into the unknown! The main and supporting characters are all developed in plenty of detail allowing the reader to grasp who they are and what motivates them. The twists and turns the story takes works well to introduce new crises and set up branches and sequels for the story to follow as the action unfolds!

For those not in the know, writer Rafer Roberts is a long time small press creator, artist and writer. I first got turned on to his twisted storytelling and art through the pages of “Plastic Farm” going back about a decade, and more recently “Nightmare the Rat!” Rafer was even kind enough to contribute some pages to the Almost Normal Comics and Other Oddities anthology! And believe me, this cat certainly knows how to put the “odd” in “oddities!” I for one can’t wait to see where he’ll take Valiant’s Archer & Armstrong!

Do yourself a favor and grab a copy of A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #1 from your local retailer, then hold on ‘cause you’re gonna be in for one weird ride!

via Almost Normal Comics on Tumblr at http://bit.ly/1U3U9I0