Skip to content

Please note that when you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Thanks!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks!

Archer & Armstrong Reading Order (2012 Valiant Reboot)

  • by

The world of superhero comics is dominated by Marvel and DC Comics, but other publishers also have their own superhero worlds. This is the case with the Millarworld (including Kick-Ass and Jupiter’s Legacy), the Wildstorm Universe (now owned by DC Comics), the Spawn’s Universe or the Invincible Universe (also considered part of the bigger Image Universe).

Today, we turn our attention toward another superhero comic book publisher, and more specifically toward a unique superhero duo: Archer and Armstrong from the Valiant Comics Universe. Created by Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, and Barry Windsor-Smith, our two adventurers made their first appearances in Archer & Armstrong Vol. 1 #0, an issue explaining Archer’s background and how the two men meet.

Armstrong, also known as Aram Anni-Padda, is a hedonist noted for his drinking and sexual adventures. He is one of three immortal brothers (along with Gilad and Ivar the Timewalker). Obadiah Archer is the polar opposite of Armstrong, a martial genius raised by Evangelical Christians who ran away from home after learning his parents were serial killers. They are both targets of an old religious order called “The Sect.”

The original Archer & Armstrong ran for two years, concluding with issue #26 in 1994. Following Valiant’s takeover by Acclaim Entertainment in 1997, the Valiant characters were relaunched for the first time. It spawned the short series Eternal Warriors (as well as additional one-shots) in which the three eternal brothers banded together to combat threats. Archer is no longer a character in this story because he died and was replaced with a new character named LeMont Quirrel.
 
When Acclaim Entertainment declared bankruptcy in 2007, the newly formed Valiant Entertainment, Inc. purchased many characters’ rights and relaunched Valiant Comics. Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry revived Archer and Armstrong with more success. They are the versions at the center of this reading order, spanning their escapades from 2012 to 2022, the publication date of their most recent series (to this day)!

Archer & Armstrong, The Valiant Entertainment Relaunch

In this rebooted universe, Archer’s origin and the nature of his powers were changed. His preacher/politician parents trained him as a kid assassin out of a Kansas theme park, and his first assignment was to assassinate a man deemed a demon, Aram “Armstrong” Anni-Padda. Following their abduction and evasion from the secret society known as the Sect, Armstrong discovered the truth about his parents and chose to work with Archer to stop them and the Sect.

Archer & Armstrong by Fred Van Lente

The first Archer & Armstrong run for 25 issues, written by Fred Van Lente and penciled by Clayton Henry.

This run has also been collected in a hardcover deluxe edition, though those editions are only available second-hand at an expensive price:

Following the conclusion of Archer & Armstrong, our mismatched pair of conspiracy-busting adventurers met Quantum and Woody, the world’s worst superhero team in the limited series The Delinquents for a team-up from writers James Asmus and Fred Van Lente.

Want to know more about Ivar, Timewalker? A spin-off of Fred Van Lente’s run on Archer & Armstrong, this 12-issue comic book invites us to follow Armstrong’s brother for some time-travel shenanigans. And, you’ll find Armstrong in several issues:

Before a new Archer & Armstrong buddy series, Archer is working with other Valiant characters — X-O Manowar, Neville Alcott, Detective Cejudo and Betamax — to save the world in the miniseries Dead Drop, from Ales Kot and Adam Gorham where they explore the darkest corners of the Valiant Universe.

The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong by Rafer Roberts

Archer & Armstrong are back in the spotlight, this time under the creative team of Rafer Roberts and David Lafuente for new adventures while there’s romance in the air for Archer with the Valiant superheroine Zephyr aka Faith Herbert. Fred Van Lente also wrote again the duo for two one-shots.

This run has also been collected in a hardcover deluxe edition, though those editions are only available second-hand at a high price:

Archer & Armstrong Forever

Written by Steve Fox and penciled by Marcio Fiorito, Archer & Armstrong Forever is the last series at this date starring our two adventurers, dealing with Armstrong apparently losing his immortality.

Pin
Tags:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *