I finally realized something while reading Unity #23, this series is different from all other team books for several reasons but one in particular: no one trusts anyone else. Maybe that’s something that I subconsciously knew before, but I think it might have taken writer James Asmus to make me realize it. That’s kind of what this issue is about. Trust. Even after all these missions our team doesn’t quite trust each other. Ninjak is Ninjak and very mysterious to both Gilad and Livewire. While Gin-gar poses the question of whether or not a villain can truly reform. There’s levels of distrust that is sprinkled all throughout this issue which is a follow up to last year’s Armor Hunters.
We begin by seeing that one of the Hunters is still alive and being experimented on. He keeps shouting about the return of the Hunters because even if one of them is still alive they’ll finish the job. Turns out he might not be so wrong. This brings in X-O and Unity… whether Unity likes it or not.
This was a much needed issue after War Monger. I can’t stress enough how terrible that character is/was and frankly this story helped me move on. It also brought back one of the strongest crossovers in the Valiant U and showed that even after the event is over, the story goes on in the Valiant U. There’s some funny moments. Not a lot because the series is far too serious for James Asmus to be his usual witty self, but the few funny moments were a nice addition to the series. Overall I think this issue shows how talented Asmus is as a writer and that he can adapt and grow. He’s a stronger writer since his last Valiant series.
When you have Diego Bernard on art, you’re in good hands. Bernard is a staple over at Valiant and I can’t even remember all the titles he’s worked on, just that they look great when he’s done with them. No change here. The art is photorealistic and the right fit for the story. His facial expressions were a nice touch especially his shocked scientist in the beginning. It reminded me a bit of Gary Frank’s style, which isn’t a bad thing. Overall Bernard is an artist that doesn’t get enough praise for his skills.
Since we already know how the series finally is going to go down, it’s safe to assume this story will wrap up with the next issue and that’s okay. It’s a nice quick story and I kind of wish that there had been more like this over the course of the series. It brought a different perspective to the team, but then also made me want to see what series writer Matt Kindt would answer with. We’ll never know since the series is sadly ending, but maybe it’ll return in some form. In the meantime, this is a great issue to pick up if you’ve been following either Unity or the Valiant U.
Score: 4/5
Unity #23 Writer: James Asmus Artist: Diego Bernard Publisher: Valiant Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/14/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital