For my money the two most interesting characters in the Valiant Universe are Peter Stanchek and Toyo Harada. Granted the Valiant Universe is populated by plenty of characters that are deep with flaws and personality to boot, but there’s something just fascinating about the relationship between these two characters.

Whatever you do don’t read this issue in sections. I started reading it and then had to go somewhere and I was distracted and bored just waiting to get back to this issue. Is it hilarious? Yes. Yes it absolutely is. It’s also the biggest fucking issue Roman Dirge has ever done and he states that in the back in case you couldn’t figure it out yourself.

I have been trying to catch up with this series since the first issue and finally made it. I wish I hadn’t waited so long since I really enjoyed what I’ve read so far of the series. To recap it’s a post-apocalyptic world and some mysterious tech has fallen from the sky and is leading anyone that finds it to New Orleans which is the worst of the worst in terms of a post-apocalyptic area.

After talking to creator and series writer Matt Miner I think I understand this series better, not that I was terribly confused by the rebranding, but just better. Critical Hit is more comic booky and while that almost sounds like a dirty word, it really isn’t. Whereas Liberator was heavily grounded in the real world and a serious look at animal cruelty, Critical Hit is a more dramatic approach.

I don’t think there’s any other series that’s as easy to enjoy as Rogues! The series is lighthearted, full of action and occasionally dripping with sexuality. It’s like Conan if he wasn’t such a hardass and could enjoy life. The thing that makes this series great is that you never worry about the characters. I never once have this fear that things are going to get serious or that they’ll die.

I’m happy to see Planet Gigantic at Action Lab Entertainment. Creators Eric Grissom and David Halvorson gave me a look at the zero issue a while back after giving them much praise for Deadhorse one of my indie darlings. Planet Gigantic is nothing like Deadhorse as it’s more of a throwback title in the vein of, and I hate to say this, old Kirby cosmic adventures.