Last call for this Valiant collections sale!
Including the origins of your favorites from Valiant High, like Coach Bloodshot…
BLOODSHOT Vol. 1: SETTING THE WORLD ON FIRE
Every mission is a suicide mission.
Your name is Angelo Mortalli. Your brother is trapped behind enemy lines and on the verge of — no. That’s not right. Your name is Raymond Garrison. You’ve retired from the dangers of the field, but a desperate plea from your oldest friend plunges you into a vicious firefight that — no. That’s not right, either. You are Bloodshot. You are the shade of gray that freedom requires. The perfect confluence of military necessity and cutting-edge technology. A walking WikiLeaks. A reservoir of dirty secrets that could set the world on fire. And you’ve just been captured.
And many more excellent Valiant titles, including Divinity.
DIVINITY
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union - determined to win the Space Race at any cost - green lit a dangerously advanced mission. They sent a man farther into the cosmos than anyone has gone before or since. Lost in the stars, he encountered something unknown. Something that…changed him.
Long thought lost and erased from the history books, he has suddenly returned, crash-landing in the Australian Outback. The few that have been able to reach him believe him to be a deity - one who turned the scorched desert into a lush oasis. They say he can bend matter, space, and even time to his will. Now the rest of the world’s powers must decide for themselves - will the enigmatic Divinity offer his hand in friendship, or will Earth’s heroes find themselves helpless against the wrath of the divine?
A comiXologist Recommends
Divinity II #2
Written by Matt Kindt
Pencils by Trevor Hairsine
Inks by Ryan Winn
Color by David Baron
Mother Russia rain down, down, down
Divinity II is my first Valiant book, and it’s hooked me into the universe with only its second issue. For those of you like me who are new to things, the short version is that during the Cold War, Soviet Russia sent three cosmonauts into deep space, where they encountered a presence. One of the explorers, Abram Adams, returned to Earth imbued with god-like powers. Heroes of the Valiant universe came together to make contact with the deity-like Abram, who intended no harm but wished to reunite with his family.
Where Abram’s motivations in Divinity seem largely centered around his personal relationships, Myshka, another of the cosmonaut trio and the protagonist of Divinity II, doesn’t have any personal relationships. She, too, touched the Unknown in deep space. She, too, returns to Earth with near unlimited power. But she’s focused on only one thing: the glory of communist Russia. And no sacrifice is too great for that greater good.
I’m fascinated by the implication of casting a woman as the dogmatic Russian communist instead of the one desperate for her family. Women are too often depicted as disempowered by their relationships as wives and mothers. The ideal of womanhood those roles impose is one of self-sacrifice through gentle nurturing. Since Russia is often personified as the “Motherland,” what it means for an extraordinarily powerful woman with no intentions of using that power for nurturing is an interesting play on gender role ideals. This is especially brought into focus when she clashes with Abram.
You don’t necessarily need to read Divinity before you start Divinity II, because the creators do a pretty good job of making sure you know what everyone’s deal is in the story that’s in front of you. But you should probably just read Divinity because it’s awesome.
Tia Vasiliou is a Digital Editor at comiXology. She often dresses like Andrew Eldritch.
valiantentertainment continues to knock it out of the park with their Valiant Next lineup.
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union - determined to win the Space Race at any cost - green lit a dangerously advanced mission. They sent a man farther into the cosmos than anyone has gone before or since. Lost in the stars, he encountered something unknown. Something that…changed him.
Divinity #1 was a great read and perfect for someone who has never read any Valiant comics before.
