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.  

Valiant Entertainment renews distribution agreement with comiXology, expands to Amazon’s Kindle Store

Today’s announcement coincides with the launch of Valiant’s summer event, 4001 A.D.

May 19, 2016 — New York, NY— Valiant Entertainment, comiXology and Amazon announced today an expanded and renewed distribution agreement to sell Valiant Entertainment’s digital comics and collections on the comiXology platform and expand the distribution of Valiant’s library to Amazon’s Kindle Store. Valiant Entertainment publishes such fan-favorite titles as A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong, Bloodshot Reborn, Divinity, Faith, Harbinger, Ninjak, Rai, X-O Manowar, and more.

Today’s announcement coincides with the May 2016 launch of Valiant Entertainment’ latest comics event in 4001 A.D. #1 (of 4) – on sale now – by New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt, superstar artist Clayton Crain, and Eisner Award winner David Mack.

(See above for exclusive preview pages from Valiant’s 4001 A.D. #3
Writtten by Matt Kindt with art by Clayton Crain)

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SO MANY NEW COMICS COMING OUT THIS WEEK

plus I hear they made a new Captain America movie or something?

I AM CAPABLE OF ANYTHING

Some positive reinforcement (we all need it sometimes), from Rai (by Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain).  He’s on sale now from @valiantentertainment

THE OCEAN IS JUST OUTER SPACE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION

It’s a great week for Kindt fans!  Dept. H by Matt and Sharlene Kindt is new today from Dark Horse Comics.

WE ARE NOT GOING TO DIE HERE

Divinity II #1 by Matt Kindt, Trevor Hairsine and Ryan Winn is new today!

YOU DID A BAD THING

YOU ALL DID A BAD THING

Past Aways #9 by Matt Kindt and Scott Kolins is new today!

HARDCORE SUPERHEROISM

Valiant’s UNITY is on sale now!

Smoking, bleeding, broken glasses, dog, Geof Darrow- all the basic states of being are represented in Matt Kindt’s MIND MGMT Vol. 6

The Valiant by Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, and Paolo Rivera continues to be really weird and pretty awesome. 

If you’ve never read any Valiant books before this series is a great introduction to the universe. 

Check it out here. 

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.

DAILY DEAL - 1/29/14!

Get Unity for just 99¢ when you use the code UNITY at checkout on comixology.com

To kill a king, he has created an army.

The world’s most dangerous man, Toyo Harada, has been struck by the one thing he never thought possible - fear. Halfway across the globe, a new power threatens to topple modern civilization and, to preempt the cataclysm that is to come, Harada will unite the most lethal, most volatile, most unforgiving team the world has ever known - UNITY. Their mission: defeat the warrior king armed with the universe’s most powerful weapon. Kill X-O Manowar!

10 Survival Tips We Learned During Our Sweet Tooth $0.99 Sale

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