ARCHER & ARMSTRONG FOREVER #3, from Valiant Entertainment on July 13th, 2022, brings the boys closer than ever to finding a way to restore Armstrong’s immortality. Unfortunately, an angry cave troll, inter-dimensional portals, and unpleasant jerky all stand in the way.
The Details
- Written By: Steve Foxe
- Art By: Marcio Fiorito
- Colors By: Alex Guimarães
- Letters By: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Cover Art By: Bernard Chang (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: July 13, 2022
Was It Good?
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG FOREVER #3 is wacky and weird. If you’re a fan of the perennial Valiant duo, this issue gives you plenty of what you already love. If you’re new to the title and these characters, this issue is an acquired taste.
There are two high points in this issue – the art and the imagination.
Regarding the art, Fiorito and Guimarães crafted a bright, detailed, and vibrant world and set of characters. The linework is outstanding, the (mildly slapstick) action sequences are excellent, and there are plenty of weirdly amusing visuals to hold your attention.
Plenty of credit is due Foxe for the sheer volume of creativity and imagination on display in this issue. Readers are assailed with everything from blue cave trolls to inter-dimensional portals to thylacines and even overdue school books used as weapons. There’s no shortage of ideas in this issue attempting to grab your attention and make you chuckle.
That said, the two down points of the issue both center around the writing. First, the jokes are very hit-or-miss. The humor feels like a series of in-jokes where “you had to be there” to get what’s going on. If you’re 100% well-versed in Archer & Armstrong canon, some of the jokes work better, but if you’re new to the title and these characters, some of the jokes fall flat. Second and similar to the first point, there are several references in this issue to past A&A adventures without any editor’s notes, so the references tie back to … nothing. This could have been an opportunity to tie this adventure back to previous arcs, but without the editor’s notes, the references make no sense and only serve to waste dialog space.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Read our ARCHER & ARMSTRONG FOREVER #2 review to find out how A&A encountered an angry cave troll.
We begin with Archer & Armstrong (A&A) in a fight for their lives against a very large cave troll guarding the Treasure of the Golden Apples, said to grant immortality. The troll tosses Archer into a bottomless pit that eventually sends Archer through a portal into a timeless jungle known as the Faraway. Armstrong and the troll soon follow as their fight sends them falling into the same pit.
With all three characters trapped, the troll speaks and explains how she was once marooned in the Faraway. A portal opened up years ago near her home cave and brought her to this timeless jungle. Years later, a second portal opened and brought her to the temple guarding the Golden Apples. Local humans revered her as a goddess, and she resigned herself to living on Earth.
The trio decides on a tentative truce to find a way back to Earth since A&A has experience escaping from the Faraway. We conclude the issue with a new portal depositing an unwelcome arrival, special jerky, and fresh meat.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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ARCHER & ARMSTRONG FOREVER #3 is filled with stellar art and oodles of imagination. However, the humor falls flat in several spots unless you’re an A&A aficionado and get the in-joke, and references to past arcs don’t make sense because there are no editor’s notes.
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