Advance Review: IVAR, TIMEWALKER #1

IVAR_001_COVER-A_ALLENIVAR, TIMEWALKER #1
Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Clayton Henry
Published by Valiant Entertainment
Release Date: January 21, 2015

Valiant fans, it’s time to check in on the other Anni-Padda, Ivar, and all his time-travelling shenanigans. It’s a whole new part of the Valiant world, and boy, is it fun.

Fred Van Lente pens a winner any time he’s got an Anni-Padda brother in the script, and Ivar, Timewalker #1 is no different. Ivar is a character that has interested me immensely since his first appearance in this Valiant U, and to get deeper into his brilliant and devious mind. While Van Lente has already written the heart and brawn of the Anni-Padda family extensively, this look at the brain has a whole new feel, while being familiar at the same time. It’s an odd dichotomy, but it works…very well.

Ivar is arrogant, conceited…and usually right. He may be working to only fulfill his own goals, but this first issue shows a Timewalker that appears to be working to save space and time, which falls into the Anni-Padda nobility, even if it may be to save his own skin. Van Lente never openly gives readers all the information about what is going on, and it fits this story perfectly. His handle on this character is great, and the new addition to the Valiant U, Doctor Neela Sethi, adds a fun dynamic to this story. She is a great foil for Ivar and I look forward to seeing more of this character as the series rolls on.

Clayton Henry’s work in this issue is rock solid. Archer & Armstrong readers will be right at home with the man who launched that series and works so very well with Fred Van Lente. These pencils are sharp, crisp and clean, and Henry is comfortable with this character. Ivar’s arrogance leaps from the page and Henry does a great job giving the different eras in the timeline unique personalities. His artwork has the right blend of super-heroic-style and comedic prowess and I can’t think of anyone better to handle the launch of this book than Clayton Henry.

Ivar, Timewalker #1 is a strong debut issue featuring entertaining characters executed by a skilled writer and great artist. Van Lente and Henry are an all-star team that Valiant can’t miss with, and pitting them against this Anni-Padda brother is a stroke of genius.

The Verdict: 8.5/10

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