Aric rallies the slaves held on the planet Loam to rise up against their Vine captors.  Meanwhile, the priest surrenders to the Vine overlords.  He upholds his convictions that Aric has sacred right to wear the Armor.  The overlords, though, would rather aim a space laser to wipe out the sacrilege. As Aric fights with weapons, the priest fights the Overlords with spiritually based arguments.  This proves an interesting parallel for the story’s advancement.  I found this to be a clever execution.

In a swift and stunning move, Aric wins both battles.  No spoilers here; you deserve to experience this cool deed on your own.

For as amazing as this issue was, only one flaw prevents it from receiving a perfect score: Aric never faced an equal rival.  Never did I fear for his safety or the victory on his part.  With too much of a super-dominator, Aric had no challenge in facing the Vine.

Anyways, this is a consistently great comic.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Robert Venditti

Artist: Cary Nord

Publisher: Valiant Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: 6/26/13