Ivar, Timewalker #3

by Fred Van Lente, Clayton Henry, Brian Reber, Andrew Dalhouse

Until recently, there has been a void in my soul; a hole in my heart that was once filled by ARCHER & ARMSTRONG each month. I list FRED VAN LENTE as my personal favourite VALIANT writer (not to take anything away from JOSH DYSART or JEFF LEMIRE…), and somehow the combination of FRED’s writing style with CLAYTON HENRY’s clean pencils and inks just works for me. IVAR, TIMEWALKER has managed to make my heart whole again (LOL!) and ISSUE #3 was the best yet!

To bring your up to speed, there already has occurred in the first two issue; DR NEELA SETHI almost discovered time-travel when IVAR decided to show up and warn her about a few things and take her on a wild ride through space and time. We see NEELA and IVAR in different times and at different ages; in the future NEELA is quite menacing, if not also one of the deadliest women in the galaxy. IVAR is seen as a murderer (see ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #0 for details on how that came to be…), and there is much yet unknown.

Fast forward to IVAR, TIMEWALKER #3, where our story seamlessly picks up where ISSUE #2 ended; WORLD WAR II in Nazi occupied Germany. Kill Hitler? Seems like a plan, but is it really that simple? It seldom is. Enter GILAD the ETERNAL WARRIOR, who clearly has his own agenda in dealing with the Nazis that is simply not the same as NEELA and IVAR’s. That doesn’t mean that GILAD isn’t also VERY interested NEELA’s connection to IVAR, nor does it mean that he won’t lend her a hand. NEELA is the main character here this time. She has to make several decisions on her own, morally, scientifically, and strategically. She takes actions that just a few days prior she would not have even considered; yet a lot has happened since just a few days prior that has opened her eyes in more ways than one.

IVAR is also a tricky sort of guy, and has seen multiple events past, present, and future. He knows what will be, what might be, and every possibility in-between. As a result, he is often somewhat manipulative and misleading to achieve what he believes to be the best possible outcome, and it is fair to say that NEELA doesn’t appreciate this very much. IVAR has interest in NEELA that goes FAR BEYOND just a simple causal relationship, and he knows what is to come. It is safe to say, things go quite badly…

If you were a fan of ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, then this issue is for you. FRED VAN LENTE is telling us a story that is entertaining, humorous, and interesting. It is not overly serious, nor does it pretend to be. It is fun, and everything that a comic book should be.

I have to go on record as saying that CLAYTON HENRY’s understanding of depth, perspective, and proportion is flawless. if you ever get the chance to hold and view his work up close, you will be shocked at how clean and smooth each line is. I personally did not fully appreciate or understand his mastery of pencil and ink until given the chance to physically see how much quality and effort he puts into each page; while at the same time NEVER ONCE overdoing it. He makes it easy for BRIAN REBER and ANDERW DALHOUSE to add colours and bring each page to life. Again, CLAYTON HENRY was the perfect artist to draw this book.