This took me by surprise. It is very, very good.
8-bit fun and adventure
Valiant and Comixology released the Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: UNITY #1 today. It is a digital-only comic available on Comixology, for only a buck-ninety-nine ($1.99).
I loved this thing.
It uses the strengths of the “guided view” technology, which uses the ability of the digital comics panel to change as the story is told.
The story is pretty simple, the Unity team of Livewire, Eternal Warrior, and Ninjak are plugged in to a training simulation that is presented like your favorite old-school 8-bit video games. The majority of the game story is presented as like a video game, with our favorite characters fighting to get through the various levels of the training exercise.
Knowing the basics of the story doesn’t ruin much of anything, the strength of this story is in the dialogue and in the ways that the characters fight their way through the levels. It is hilarious, and I laughed out loud many times while reading this. There have been some good humor moments in other Valiant books like Archer & Armstrong and Quantum & Woody, and this story trumps them all for humor.
The majority of the story is told in the 8-bit setting, but there is an introduction and an ending to the story that is presented with traditional comic book illustration by ChrisCross (who did the art for Bloodshot #0, featuring afro-Bloodshot). The art is great, and the ending of the story ties this in to the story of Unity with surprising relevance. I recommend reading this after reading Unity #1 (also out today) for the most satisfying reading experience.
If you want a fun, humorous story with some retro video game nostalgia, and a nice ending that continues and expands the story of Unity #1, I definitely recommend this story.
Here’s the press release from our homies at Valiant Comics, with links to Comixology to get this thing:
ComiXology Debuts Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: UNITY #1
Valiant’s First Guided View Native Comic
November 13, 2013 – New York, NY – Comics and gaming fans prepare for a whole new level of Valiant 8-Bit greatness with the debut of Valiant’s first-ever digital-first Guided View Native comic – Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: UNITY #1. This all-new Valiant release is out now exclusively on comiXology – the revolutionary cloud-based digital comics platform available across iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows 8, and the Web at www.comixology.com.
Hot off the heels of Valiant’s best-selling 8-bit covers, Valiant is proud to debut its first 8-bit Guided View Native comic that has been created specifically for digital, showcasing comiXology’s unique digital-only storytelling experience. Written by acclaimed creator Ben McCool with art from Valiant 8-Bit superstar Donovan Santiago and fan-favorite penciller ChrisCross, Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: UNITY #1 is the first, full-length look inside the world of Valiant 8-Bit with an all-new adventure starring X-O Manowar, Ninjak, Eternal Warrior and the rest of Valiant’s elite super-team, Unity!
“We’re excited to help bring Valiant’s first Guided View Native title to life and look forward to many more of their great stories to come,” said comiXology co-founder John D. Roberts. “It’s amazing to see the kinds of innovative comic story-telling the Guided View Native format has produced and Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: UNITY #1 brings us another stunning example of just that.”
“ComiXology’s Guided View Native format opens up a whole new horizon of storytelling possibilities,” said Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “This is the next step in expanding Valiant’s incredibly successful 8-Bit initiative, and the Guided View Native process has allowed us to capture the best of what traditional comics and old school gaming have to offer for a one-of-a-kind reading experience unlike anything Valiant has attempted to date. Ben, Donovan, Chris and Assistant Editor Josh Johns have delivered something truly innovative here.”
Even the most dreaded team of heroes needs a training day. Before they take the fight to X-O Manowar in the pages of UNITY #1, Toyo Harada is launching his all-star squad of heavy hitters – Ninjak, Eternal Warrior, and Livewire – into the most intense, most unpredictable, most fantastic battle simulation ever undertaken. Can these inscrutable heroes survive a pixel-smashing fight through each of gaming’s greatest milestones? Find out today in Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: UNITY #1!
Also debuting the same day, don’t miss the landmark first issue of the Unity team’s battle against X-O Manowar in the pages of UNITY #1 – the hotly anticipated debut of Valiant’s latest ongoing series by New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite – on sale now at comiXology!
VALIANT 8-BIT ADVENTURE: UNITY #1Written by BEN MCCOOLArt by DONOVAN SANTIAGO with CHRISCROSS