Round Robin Review: The Valiant #3

Every week we get together to discuss the latest books in our advanced round robin reviews. Here are our thoughts on The Valiant #3.

Amy’s take

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this next installment, and the only disappointment I felt was when I finished the last page. I’m ready for more! Lemire and Kindt continue their successful writing collaboration. The story focus is split. There’s the larger battle plot line between the assembled heroes of the Valiant universe versus the Immortal Enemy, and the smaller but no less significant story of Bloodshot and Kay, off on their own and trying to keep her alive. It was exhilarating to see so many Valiant characters banded together.

I also found the quieter moments of discovery and understanding between Kay and Bloodshot to be interesting. Looking forward to seeing the effect that these two have upon each other. I should also mention that Paolo Rivera continues to provide strong visuals and easy to understand storyboarding. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to know What Is In the Box? Bring on #4!

Paul’s take

This miniseries is one of the best things ever. This issue sees all-out war against the Immortal Enemy and bonding between Bloodshot and Kay in a mall. What more could you ask for? Paolo Rivera’s art continues to be astounding. It’s interesting seeing the juxtaposition of the two threads of the story in this issue. I can’t wait for the next issue, and I’m sad that it’s almost over. There. Now there’s a dichotomy in this review as well.

Scott’s take

This is the only book that I broke my trade-waiting habit for, and the third issue might just be the best yet. One of the most interesting aspects of The Valiant thus far has been the way in which Lemire and Kindt have incorporated the entire Valiant universe, but the characters are introduced so efficiently that a new reader won’t be lost. This issue takes that to the extreme; I think I counted every single Valiant protagonist in the book at some point. Obviously, having Paolo Rivera on art duties for this helps, as he brilliantly finds ways of depicting them all in the same place in a clear and organized manner without the slightest appearance of posing. Unfortunately, there’s simply no way for the writers to introduce most of these characters. That said, it was a cool moment for any of the more dedicated Valiant readers. More importantly, this issue also contains a lot of character- and relationship- building scenes between Bloodshot and Kay. We already know that these two end up together based on the promotional images from the upcoming Bloodshot Reborn, but their interactions here are meant to show the spark as it develops between the two. While this plot of this issue allowed for a great deal of develop for them, it will be interested to see how they interact with one another once they’re pressed into action in the final issue.

Originally from ValiantCentral.com