Writer Fred Van Lente has done something special with Valiant's reboot of ARCHER & ARMSTRONG. He's created an incredibly fun book with these two classic characters that combines humor and story telling that leaves readers on the edge of their seat.
Van Lente took some time out to answer some of our questions about the upcoming A&A story arc, "Far Faraway," which involves aliens, dinosaurs, Area 51, and the return of Mary-Maria and the upcoming #0 issue.
Comic Vine: Are we going to get the full story in issue #0 this June of why the brothers are immortal or will there still be some mystery?
Fred Van Lente: Well, each of the brothers are immortal for slightly different reasons -- though all are connected to the mysterious artifact known as The Boon. #0 tells the story of what happens directly before the first scene in #1 -- shocking, I know, because of the numbering -- about their quest to capture the Boon from the mysterious lost land of The Faraway. It's the "story behind the story" of The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest works of human literature, and contains all sorts of shocking reveals and foreshadowings that will affect Archer and Armstrong in present day.
== TEASER ==
CV: Starting with issue #10, Archer and Armstrong will be dealing a lot more with science-fiction type elements, along with the return of Archer's step-sister, Mary-Maria. What more can you tell us about this upcoming arc?
FVL: Archer and Armstrong venture to Area 51 near Las Vegas and learn its weird connection to the Faraway -- and find themselves drawn back to that land of dinosaurs, and other seemingly vanished creatures and persons -- the Lost Colonists of Roanoke, Flight 19 and Ambrose Bierce, among them. They meet a new Big Bad there which threatens our plane of reality -- can Archer and Armstrong stop him? And more importantly, where in the Faraway can Armstrong find a decent drink?
CV: What role will Mary-Maria play in this and future arcs?
FVL: She's on a quest to the Faraway herself for reasons I won't spoil here. In fact, describing her role as "spoiler" would actually be pretty darn accurate... (laughs evilly)
CV: How many dinosaurs will Armstrong be fighting, hand to hand, in the upcoming issues?
FVL: At least two at current count, but then I am in the middle of writing the arc!
CV: Could all these sci-fi elements tie into Timewalker returning? Either way, what are the chances Archer and Armstrong could be traveling through time?
FVL: Magic Eight Ball says: "OUTLOOK GOOD"
CV: Are there any plans to incorporate some other Valiant elements that we have already seen in other Valiant books?
FVL: Yes, yes, and yes. Our third arc has major connections to Project: Rising Spirit, a pseudo-governmental organization you may have heard mention of in some other Valiant books ... and our fourth arc promises even more such connections...
CV: As a writer, would you rather be writing mysticism based stories or science-fiction based stories?
FVL: Oh, I like to very it. Horror is probably my all-around favorite of the nerd genres, and that can be either. So can comedy, come to think of it...
CV: How do Archer and Armstrong seem to find themselves in the middle of these world destroying plots again and again?
FVL: Some guys have all the luck.
Thanks to Fred Van Lente for taking some time out of his schedule to answer these questions!
Issue #10 of ARCHER & ARMSTRONG hits shelves in June and issue #0 comes out in May! However, Issue #8 of A&A will be out this Wednesday (March 13th), so you can catch the end of this arc before "Far Faraway" comes out! Here's the solicit for issue #10, as well as some covers and interior art!
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #10
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art by PERE PEREZ
Cover by CLAYTON HENRY
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by JUAN DOE
Variant Cover by ANDREW ROBINSON
8-bit variant also available
ALL-NEW ARC! Archer and Armstrong and Aliens. Oh my!
Mary-Maria, Archer's arch-nemesis/love interest/adopted sister is back, ready to take over The Sect -- by any means necessary. And what better way to seize control of the secret society of secret societies than by unlocking their most secretive of secrets on the secretest place on Earth? And who but the Valiant Universe's premiere team of conspiracy-busters can possibly stop her? Just when you thought this book couldn't get any weirder, Archer & Armstrong storm Area 51…and things get weirder still!
5 Comments