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Ivar, Timewalker
Ivar, Timewalker, Vol. 1: Making History
From the dawn of the dinosaurs…to the Battle of Trafalgar…to the end of time itself…the first century-spanning adventure of Ivar, Timewalker starts here!
At this very moment in Geneva, Switzerland, history is being made. A thousand meters underground inside the Large Hadron Collider, researcher Neela Sethi is about to discover time travel – and jeopardize her life in the process. But she doesn’t know that yet. Ten minutes from now, every deadbeat chrononaut, wannabe conqueror, and misguided protector of the timestream will be banging down her door. Good thing that the legendary Ivar, Timewalker, got there first… right? Now it’s down to history’s most jaded, most tempestuous time traveler to stop the worst of everything that is, was, and will be… before time runs out!
New York Times best-selling creators Fred Van Lente (Archer & Armstrong, Amazing Spider-Man) and Clayton Henry (Harbinger, Incredible Hercules) begin a clock-stopping odyssey into the distant past, far future, and every moment in between right here with the first volume of Valiant’s latest epic – intro-priced at just $9.99 for new readers!
Collecting: Ivar, Timewalker 1-4
At this very moment in Geneva, Switzerland, history is being made. A thousand meters underground inside the Large Hadron Collider, researcher Neela Sethi is about to discover time travel – and jeopardize her life in the process. But she doesn’t know that yet. Ten minutes from now, every deadbeat chrononaut, wannabe conqueror, and misguided protector of the timestream will be banging down her door. Good thing that the legendary Ivar, Timewalker, got there first… right? Now it’s down to history’s most jaded, most tempestuous time traveler to stop the worst of everything that is, was, and will be… before time runs out!
New York Times best-selling creators Fred Van Lente (Archer & Armstrong, Amazing Spider-Man) and Clayton Henry (Harbinger, Incredible Hercules) begin a clock-stopping odyssey into the distant past, far future, and every moment in between right here with the first volume of Valiant’s latest epic – intro-priced at just $9.99 for new readers!
Collecting: Ivar, Timewalker 1-4
112 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2015
About the author
Fred Van Lente
1,297 books287 followersFred Van Lente is the New York Times-bestselling author of comics as varied as Archer & Armstrong (Harvey Award nominee, Best Series), Taskmaster, MODOK's 11, Amazing Spider-Man, Conan the Avenger, Weird Detective, and Cowboys & Aliens (upon which the 2011 movie was based), as well as the novels Ten Dead Comedians and The Con Artist.
Van Lente also specializes in entertaining readers with offbeat histories with the help of his incredibly talented artists. He has written the multiple-award winning Action Philosophers!, The Comic Book History of Comics, Action Presidents! (all drawn by Ryan Dunlavey), and The Comic Book Story of Basketball with Joe Cooper (Ten Speed September 2020).
He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Crystal Skillman, and some mostly ungrateful cats.
Van Lente also specializes in entertaining readers with offbeat histories with the help of his incredibly talented artists. He has written the multiple-award winning Action Philosophers!, The Comic Book History of Comics, Action Presidents! (all drawn by Ryan Dunlavey), and The Comic Book Story of Basketball with Joe Cooper (Ten Speed September 2020).
He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Crystal Skillman, and some mostly ungrateful cats.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
April 23, 2019
A really fun and interesting take on time travel!
Ivar is the brother of Armstrong of Archer & Armstrong fame. And so apparently, this time travel gig is due to his fuck-up with whatever happened back in the day - the pre-pre-historic day referred to in The Michelangelo Code story. Which also explains how Ivar kept popping up as a Jesus figure to Archer and kind of trying to nudge him toward helping Armstrong.
It opens with Ivar nabbing a young scientist (Neela) who is just about to discover something big. The past/future relationship between these two is slowly (and not completely) revealed as a very cool plot thread. <--color me intrigued
I also really liked the way the whole time traveler thing was explored. The whole you simply can't kill Hitler because Time itself won't let you change pivotal things was just super refreshing. Instead of being super careful to follow rules, Ivar basically does what he wants to do, and there are little to no repercussions.
Fuck that butterfly and his flappy wings!
While this might not be for everyone, I personally loved it. I've already got the second volume on hold at my library, in fact. Valiant is killing it for me this month!
Ivar is the brother of Armstrong of Archer & Armstrong fame. And so apparently, this time travel gig is due to his fuck-up with whatever happened back in the day - the pre-pre-historic day referred to in The Michelangelo Code story. Which also explains how Ivar kept popping up as a Jesus figure to Archer and kind of trying to nudge him toward helping Armstrong.
It opens with Ivar nabbing a young scientist (Neela) who is just about to discover something big. The past/future relationship between these two is slowly (and not completely) revealed as a very cool plot thread. <--color me intrigued
I also really liked the way the whole time traveler thing was explored. The whole you simply can't kill Hitler because Time itself won't let you change pivotal things was just super refreshing. Instead of being super careful to follow rules, Ivar basically does what he wants to do, and there are little to no repercussions.
Fuck that butterfly and his flappy wings!
While this might not be for everyone, I personally loved it. I've already got the second volume on hold at my library, in fact. Valiant is killing it for me this month!
January 4, 2019
Another fantastic Valiant book. Basically Dr. Who set in the Valiant Universe but with an intelligent companion. The book immediately explores the tenets of time travel. I loved that every time traveler immediately tries to go and kill Hitler and that the universe won't allow major events to be changed. The issue where Neela repeatedly tries to save her father was very well-written.
May 3, 2015
Of the three Anni-Padda brothers, Ivar is definitely the most boring. Armstrong is a drunken adventurer, Gilad is a fighter - Ivar is basically a museum docent. He “walks” through time with people, showing them history, not altering it, and then doing it all over again. Well, lucky us for getting a whole series of that!
Fred Van Lente is best-placed to write this, not just because he’s the Archer and Armstrong writer, but because of his indie series Action Philosophers where he could apply that informative style to Ivar Timewalker. Unfortunately the demands of the book means that he can barely touch on some of the interesting subjects here - The Battle of Trafalgar, the plot to assassinate Hitler - before lapsing into heavily expositional scenes on the utterly dull time-travel story.
Ivar’s got to save the inventor of time-travel, Neela Sethi, from Prometheans, artificial suicide life from the fifth dimension or something so it’s “time” to quickly jump from one era to another!
The comic was flat boring. Ivar is barely a character, he’s some suave-ish dude who travels through time like a personality-free Doctor Who, while Neela basically becomes the main character. Who’s Neela? The better question is, who cares? Predictably they go back in time to see about killing Hitler before he rose to power, then things go off the rails once time-travel and all the usual tropes are trotted out. What if we do this, will it change that, blah blah blah. It’s so damn boring.
Clayton Henry’s art is fine, some of the historical scenes are ok, but generally I read this with my eyes half-closed - that’s the thing with time-travel stories: once you’ve read a few, they all blend together and I felt like I’d read this before at least a hundred times. I wasn’t much of a fan of time-travel stories to begin with but Ivar Timewalker’s dreary series has only cemented my opinions against this very limited sub-genre.
Fred Van Lente is best-placed to write this, not just because he’s the Archer and Armstrong writer, but because of his indie series Action Philosophers where he could apply that informative style to Ivar Timewalker. Unfortunately the demands of the book means that he can barely touch on some of the interesting subjects here - The Battle of Trafalgar, the plot to assassinate Hitler - before lapsing into heavily expositional scenes on the utterly dull time-travel story.
Ivar’s got to save the inventor of time-travel, Neela Sethi, from Prometheans, artificial suicide life from the fifth dimension or something so it’s “time” to quickly jump from one era to another!
The comic was flat boring. Ivar is barely a character, he’s some suave-ish dude who travels through time like a personality-free Doctor Who, while Neela basically becomes the main character. Who’s Neela? The better question is, who cares? Predictably they go back in time to see about killing Hitler before he rose to power, then things go off the rails once time-travel and all the usual tropes are trotted out. What if we do this, will it change that, blah blah blah. It’s so damn boring.
Clayton Henry’s art is fine, some of the historical scenes are ok, but generally I read this with my eyes half-closed - that’s the thing with time-travel stories: once you’ve read a few, they all blend together and I felt like I’d read this before at least a hundred times. I wasn’t much of a fan of time-travel stories to begin with but Ivar Timewalker’s dreary series has only cemented my opinions against this very limited sub-genre.
August 4, 2017
Now, normally I'm a bit of a Valiant fanboy. They're probably my favorite superhero universe publisher... but they really screwed up here... well, at least compared to many of their books.
What's it about?
A scientist is about to accidentally create time travel so of course a time traveler goes back in time to take her and an evil organization is after her.
Pros:
The art is fantastic as it is in most Valiant books.
The action scenes are good.
Like most Valiant (one of the reasons I like the Valiant universe) this is not a predictable for sure.
I really like the ending.
Cons:
The characters are awful. Ivar (the time travel guy) is like a not very good Doctor. The scientist is poorly written. She could have been interesting but instead just freaks out and says whatever nerdy sounding stuff the author could come up with. There's a random robot that just kinda shows up and says stereotypical gamer stuff for no reason.
I already sorta touched this but the dialogue... ugh.
There are MAJOR plot holes.
I think this book tries to be funny but... fails. Okay, there was one joke I laughed pretty hard at but that was it.
The story could have been interesting but it actually ends up being pretty boring.
Overall:
It could have been a good comic but it is ruined by the awful characters and boring execution. This book is not entirely horrible, there are some good things I mentioned but it mostly is poorly made especially compared to Valiant's awesome titles like Bloodshot, Harbinger, Rai and many more... though in all fairness, I guess those would be very hard to compete with.
2/5
What's it about?
A scientist is about to accidentally create time travel so of course a time traveler goes back in time to take her and an evil organization is after her.
Pros:
The art is fantastic as it is in most Valiant books.
The action scenes are good.
Like most Valiant (one of the reasons I like the Valiant universe) this is not a predictable for sure.
I really like the ending.
Cons:
The characters are awful. Ivar (the time travel guy) is like a not very good Doctor. The scientist is poorly written. She could have been interesting but instead just freaks out and says whatever nerdy sounding stuff the author could come up with. There's a random robot that just kinda shows up and says stereotypical gamer stuff for no reason.
I already sorta touched this but the dialogue... ugh.
There are MAJOR plot holes.
I think this book tries to be funny but... fails. Okay, there was one joke I laughed pretty hard at but that was it.
The story could have been interesting but it actually ends up being pretty boring.
Overall:
It could have been a good comic but it is ruined by the awful characters and boring execution. This book is not entirely horrible, there are some good things I mentioned but it mostly is poorly made especially compared to Valiant's awesome titles like Bloodshot, Harbinger, Rai and many more... though in all fairness, I guess those would be very hard to compete with.
2/5
December 21, 2021
For the most part this was a fun time-travel romp with hints at a wider storyline.
A lot of people have likened this to Doctor Who, but Doctor Who didn’t try to explain away the discrepancies of time travel with nonsense pseudo-science like this vol did; instead the show often embraces the way time travel can make no sense in a more humorous way (it’s “wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey”, after all) which is something this comic would’ve benefitted from too. But perhaps those kind of jokes would’ve seemed out of place in a comic that takes itself so seriously, a little too seriously for a story with compromised integrity.
Still, despite the fact that the mechanics of the time travel made no sense, the plot itself was still understandable. It was mostly your basic first volume introductory type of stories in each issue, but the final issue of this vol is the one that really earned this vol it’s 4th star. It was a brilliant and quirky story that embedded time travel very well into the story and I loved it!
If vol 2 has more to offer like that final issue then I cannot wait to read it!
A lot of people have likened this to Doctor Who, but Doctor Who didn’t try to explain away the discrepancies of time travel with nonsense pseudo-science like this vol did; instead the show often embraces the way time travel can make no sense in a more humorous way (it’s “wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey”, after all) which is something this comic would’ve benefitted from too. But perhaps those kind of jokes would’ve seemed out of place in a comic that takes itself so seriously, a little too seriously for a story with compromised integrity.
Still, despite the fact that the mechanics of the time travel made no sense, the plot itself was still understandable. It was mostly your basic first volume introductory type of stories in each issue, but the final issue of this vol is the one that really earned this vol it’s 4th star. It was a brilliant and quirky story that embedded time travel very well into the story and I loved it!
If vol 2 has more to offer like that final issue then I cannot wait to read it!
January 31, 2018
Bullet Review:
It's Doctor Who, and I've never seen an episode of Doctor Who.
Ivar What's His Name meets Neela What's Her Name to prevent her from being destroyed by Arnold Schwarzenegger - oh, whoops, wrong time travel story. Anyway, they have to run through a bunch of different eras, because when you have time travel in your story, you are morally obligated to 1) go back to prehistoric days, 2) try to kill Hitler, and 3) try to keep your dead parent from dying.
This book acts like it has "science" but it's made up when the plot requires it. A compass is needed to travel through time until Ivar doesn't need it, and he can create whatever new drug or gizmo to deus ex machina the hell out of whatever situation he's in.
Not to mention neither Ivar nor Neela are interesting enough characters to make me have a shred of investment in learning what their story is and what happens next to them.
Yawn. My suggestion - go watch Back to the Future, Terminator or Dr Who and skip this.
It's Doctor Who, and I've never seen an episode of Doctor Who.
Ivar What's His Name meets Neela What's Her Name to prevent her from being destroyed by Arnold Schwarzenegger - oh, whoops, wrong time travel story. Anyway, they have to run through a bunch of different eras, because when you have time travel in your story, you are morally obligated to 1) go back to prehistoric days, 2) try to kill Hitler, and 3) try to keep your dead parent from dying.
This book acts like it has "science" but it's made up when the plot requires it. A compass is needed to travel through time until Ivar doesn't need it, and he can create whatever new drug or gizmo to deus ex machina the hell out of whatever situation he's in.
Not to mention neither Ivar nor Neela are interesting enough characters to make me have a shred of investment in learning what their story is and what happens next to them.
Yawn. My suggestion - go watch Back to the Future, Terminator or Dr Who and skip this.
December 16, 2020
Colour me surprised, I thought I was going to dislike this Dr. Who-esque time bounder but the way the story was anchored by the sassy and smart co-protagonist Neela made it work for me.
Yes, that's her wearing a (stolen) WWII SS uniform and fighting prehistoric insects with a severed robot arm from the future. As one does.
Guess I'll have to read vol. 2 now and see how history gets broken...
Yes, that's her wearing a (stolen) WWII SS uniform and fighting prehistoric insects with a severed robot arm from the future. As one does.
Guess I'll have to read vol. 2 now and see how history gets broken...
July 28, 2015
Ivar, Time Walker is another well-done Valiant Comics revival.
Making History does a decent job of introducing Ivar for those unfamiliar with him. The eldest of three immortal brothers, he possesses a “time compass” that allows him to calculate where and when “timearcs” will open up. Basically, windows through time and space that allow Ivar to travel across centuries.
Making History sees Ivar intercepting researcher Neela Sethi just before she completes an experiment that would “invent” time travel. Ivar struggles to convince Neela to trust him, just as Prometheans (robot soldiers from the end of time) attack. Ivar and Neela skip across time as he explains that the Prometheans work for Oblivi-1, a sentient city at the end of time that seeks to remake the past in its twisted image.
Ivar brings Neela to the early 20th century to demonstrate how the timestream “protects” itself from being altered. Specifically, with the first thing that all neophyte time travelers try to do: kill Hitler. There’s a good reason that Ivar tries to impress that lesson on Neela. The duo separates when Neela believes Ivar is manipulating her. A tragedy from Neela’s past points toward her own connection to Oblivi-1.
Key Valiant writer Fred Van Lente is at the helm of Ivar, Time Walker and immediately sets an entertaining sci-fi/swashbuckling tone. Van Lente does a decent job of setting up the mechanics of Ivar’s ability to navigate time without getting too deep into the nature of the timearcs themselves. He also introduced various bits of futuristic tech that explain how Ivar manages to operate smoothly in a variety of time periods. And he gleefully explodes various tropes from other time travel stories with which fans will be familiar.
Although he’s the title character, Ivar remains something of an enigma by the end of the first arc. Fans of Archer & Armstrong will have a bit more background on the character, but Van Lente takes his time unfolding Ivar’s secrets in his own series. Instead, Neela takes more of the spotlight and proves to be a rather compelling co-star. Her intelligence and exasperation make her both relatable and a logical pivot for a lot of the plot action. Van Lente sets up some very effective dilemmas for Neela that drive Making History and set up the arc to follow. With a lot of humor and an adventurous spirit, Van Lente makes the book an entertaining adventure, even if its star could stand to be more prominent.
Another Valiant staple, Clayton Henry, handles the art for the first arc (with assists from Robert Gil and Francis Portela and with Brian Reber on colors). Henry has a clean, dynamic style that works well with Ivar’s widescreen aesthetic. He infuses energy into the action sequences and comes up with some clever layouts and visual riffs to sell the time travel adventure. It’s crisp, classic work that suits the material. If there’s a minor quibble, it’s that a time-skipping plot should provide more opportunity for an artist to cut loose, so Henry’s restraint is a tad curious. But overall, the title looks good.
Ivar might be a tougher sell than some of Valiant’s other offerings mostly because it’s heavily serialized and depends on some knowledge of the lead character’s family tree to be truly effective. Van Lente’s leisurely approach to revealing Ivar to viewers might not be everyone’s cup of tea, either. Overall, though, the series is a respectable addition to Valiant’s line that continues to expand its stylistic borders.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
Making History does a decent job of introducing Ivar for those unfamiliar with him. The eldest of three immortal brothers, he possesses a “time compass” that allows him to calculate where and when “timearcs” will open up. Basically, windows through time and space that allow Ivar to travel across centuries.
Making History sees Ivar intercepting researcher Neela Sethi just before she completes an experiment that would “invent” time travel. Ivar struggles to convince Neela to trust him, just as Prometheans (robot soldiers from the end of time) attack. Ivar and Neela skip across time as he explains that the Prometheans work for Oblivi-1, a sentient city at the end of time that seeks to remake the past in its twisted image.
Ivar brings Neela to the early 20th century to demonstrate how the timestream “protects” itself from being altered. Specifically, with the first thing that all neophyte time travelers try to do: kill Hitler. There’s a good reason that Ivar tries to impress that lesson on Neela. The duo separates when Neela believes Ivar is manipulating her. A tragedy from Neela’s past points toward her own connection to Oblivi-1.
Key Valiant writer Fred Van Lente is at the helm of Ivar, Time Walker and immediately sets an entertaining sci-fi/swashbuckling tone. Van Lente does a decent job of setting up the mechanics of Ivar’s ability to navigate time without getting too deep into the nature of the timearcs themselves. He also introduced various bits of futuristic tech that explain how Ivar manages to operate smoothly in a variety of time periods. And he gleefully explodes various tropes from other time travel stories with which fans will be familiar.
Although he’s the title character, Ivar remains something of an enigma by the end of the first arc. Fans of Archer & Armstrong will have a bit more background on the character, but Van Lente takes his time unfolding Ivar’s secrets in his own series. Instead, Neela takes more of the spotlight and proves to be a rather compelling co-star. Her intelligence and exasperation make her both relatable and a logical pivot for a lot of the plot action. Van Lente sets up some very effective dilemmas for Neela that drive Making History and set up the arc to follow. With a lot of humor and an adventurous spirit, Van Lente makes the book an entertaining adventure, even if its star could stand to be more prominent.
Another Valiant staple, Clayton Henry, handles the art for the first arc (with assists from Robert Gil and Francis Portela and with Brian Reber on colors). Henry has a clean, dynamic style that works well with Ivar’s widescreen aesthetic. He infuses energy into the action sequences and comes up with some clever layouts and visual riffs to sell the time travel adventure. It’s crisp, classic work that suits the material. If there’s a minor quibble, it’s that a time-skipping plot should provide more opportunity for an artist to cut loose, so Henry’s restraint is a tad curious. But overall, the title looks good.
Ivar might be a tougher sell than some of Valiant’s other offerings mostly because it’s heavily serialized and depends on some knowledge of the lead character’s family tree to be truly effective. Van Lente’s leisurely approach to revealing Ivar to viewers might not be everyone’s cup of tea, either. Overall, though, the series is a respectable addition to Valiant’s line that continues to expand its stylistic borders.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
June 9, 2017
Serie muy entretenida de saltos en el tiempo, Ivar Anni-Padda interrumpe a Nehli Sethi, una científica a punto de realizar un experimento que la llevará a descubrir los viajes en el tiempo, a partir de entonces comienzan una huída distintas épocas para evitar que les atrapen los prometeanos, unos constructos tecnológicos del futuro que se pueden desplazarse en las cuatro dimensiones.
Una historia muy loca y divertida en la que Fred Van Lente intenta huir de las paradojas típicas de los relatos de viajes en el tiempo mientras los protagonistas intentan no matar a Hitler xD
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Una historia muy loca y divertida en la que Fred Van Lente intenta huir de las paradojas típicas de los relatos de viajes en el tiempo mientras los protagonistas intentan no matar a Hitler xD
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June 24, 2016
My first Valiant read, and it did not disappoint. Quite anxious to know what happens next.
April 15, 2023
Now this was really good: excellent story, graphics, set up, everything. Graphic novels are particularly good formats for Time Loop stories.
September 20, 2018
This is one of those books I very much just got because the cover is really pretty (though I feel like that's not a bad thing to do when it comes to buying graphic novels because art is 50% of the story/book) and unfortunately the cover was my favourite thing about it. It looks kinda David Aja-esque so I had to get it, failing to remember at the time that I dislike time travel stories and probably wouldn't like this one either.
It wasn't BAD but it wasn't really for me. There were lots of complicated explanations as to how everything worked and as with most time-travel stories I just wanted to curl up in a ball in the corner of a room and cry. It was cool to try some more Valiant comics because I'm very new to them (any suggestions as to where I should start are welcome) and some of it was interesting. I think the most interesting part was trying to work out who to trust as we're sort of in the same position as Neela with regards to the amount of information we have about the supposed "good" and "bad" guys. I probably won't carry on with the series but it definitely wasn't all bad.
It wasn't BAD but it wasn't really for me. There were lots of complicated explanations as to how everything worked and as with most time-travel stories I just wanted to curl up in a ball in the corner of a room and cry. It was cool to try some more Valiant comics because I'm very new to them (any suggestions as to where I should start are welcome) and some of it was interesting. I think the most interesting part was trying to work out who to trust as we're sort of in the same position as Neela with regards to the amount of information we have about the supposed "good" and "bad" guys. I probably won't carry on with the series but it definitely wasn't all bad.
October 10, 2020
I like a good time travel adventure, and this one is unique and fun.
It’s a unique take, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
My only issue so far is a slight lack in character development. Everyone on page is basically a thinly rendered archetype. I hope that changes, because the overall tone, pace and premise are enjoyable.
We shall see, but only 4 stars for now.
It’s a unique take, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
My only issue so far is a slight lack in character development. Everyone on page is basically a thinly rendered archetype. I hope that changes, because the overall tone, pace and premise are enjoyable.
We shall see, but only 4 stars for now.
January 28, 2019
Time traveling craziness featuring Ivar, brother of Armstrong and The Eternal Warrior. Ivar is a cool character having lots of fun, time travel-y adventures.
January 28, 2019
18th book read in 2019.
Number 150 out of 766 on my all time book list.
Time travel done right.
Number 150 out of 766 on my all time book list.
Time travel done right.
March 16, 2017
The artwork is great and the story is just accessible enough, considering the complexities of time travel, to be highly entertaining and funny to boot. It's easy to recommend to anyone looking for strong, human characters and detailed universe mechanics with a hint of sci-fi.
Ivar Anni-Padda travels through time to save the life of the inventor of time travel, Neela Sethi. They jump through time to get away from their pursuers, cyborgs that Ivar claims want to change the past in their image. He reveals that their adversary is an entity in the far future enhabiting the orbital city Oblivi-1. Interestingly, the entity is led by a future Neela Sethi, so it's anyone's guess which is the good side.
Ivar Anni-Padda travels through time to save the life of the inventor of time travel, Neela Sethi. They jump through time to get away from their pursuers, cyborgs that Ivar claims want to change the past in their image. He reveals that their adversary is an entity in the far future enhabiting the orbital city Oblivi-1. Interestingly, the entity is led by a future Neela Sethi, so it's anyone's guess which is the good side.
March 7, 2020
Definitivamente, los hermanos Anni-Padda son lo mejor del universo Valiant. Me gusta mucho la idea de que el universo se proteja a sí mismo de las paradojas temporales evitándolas mediante eventos fortuitos que evitan que se produzcan. Fred Van Lente sigue estando tan correcto como estuvo en Archer y Armstrong, y Clayton Henry también
November 12, 2017
Cleverly done...
January 27, 2018
The other, other, Anni-Padda brother takes centre stage as Ivar Anni-Padda kidnaps (sorta) Doctor Neela Sethi, a theoretical physicist literally seconds from discovering time travel. But his motives aren't as clear as you'd hope, as he and Neela take a trip through history that will reveal truths about themselves and the universe that they might not be ready to face.
Think Doctor Who with ulterior motives. No, darker ulterior motives. No, darker. That's it, there you go. Ivar's name might be on the front cover, but this is totally Neela's story, as Ivar tries to show her the immutability of time through a trip to World War II that pits them against Hitler and the Eternal Warrior (because he's eternal, geddit?), while the threat of Oblivi-1, the sentient super-city from the distant future, hangs over them.
The final issue here is the true standout (although all four are great). You know that issue of Booster Gold where he goes back in time over and over again to try and save Barbara Gordon from the Joker's bullet in Killing Joke? It's that, but even more painful to watch, and cleverly written to create a completely circular narrative without you noticing. It's one of those issues that I'd point at when people as why comics are different to other forms of media. So good. So so good. And the parallels with the earlier issues of the volume are well-executed as well. Fred Van Lente is the perfect writer for this book.
Clayton Henry pencils almost all of these four issues, with Robert Gill doing a few pages in a flashback. Henry has come so far in such a short time; there are points in this book where I seriously thought Valiant had stolen Jim Cheung away from Marvel for a hot minute. Oh, and the covers from Raul Allen are literal perfection.
I'd been looking forward to starting this series since I started getting into Valiant stuff, and I am not disappointed.
Think Doctor Who with ulterior motives. No, darker ulterior motives. No, darker. That's it, there you go. Ivar's name might be on the front cover, but this is totally Neela's story, as Ivar tries to show her the immutability of time through a trip to World War II that pits them against Hitler and the Eternal Warrior (because he's eternal, geddit?), while the threat of Oblivi-1, the sentient super-city from the distant future, hangs over them.
The final issue here is the true standout (although all four are great). You know that issue of Booster Gold where he goes back in time over and over again to try and save Barbara Gordon from the Joker's bullet in Killing Joke? It's that, but even more painful to watch, and cleverly written to create a completely circular narrative without you noticing. It's one of those issues that I'd point at when people as why comics are different to other forms of media. So good. So so good. And the parallels with the earlier issues of the volume are well-executed as well. Fred Van Lente is the perfect writer for this book.
Clayton Henry pencils almost all of these four issues, with Robert Gill doing a few pages in a flashback. Henry has come so far in such a short time; there are points in this book where I seriously thought Valiant had stolen Jim Cheung away from Marvel for a hot minute. Oh, and the covers from Raul Allen are literal perfection.
I'd been looking forward to starting this series since I started getting into Valiant stuff, and I am not disappointed.
January 23, 2016
Ivar is an absolute blast, and a prime target for itchy Archer and Armstrong addicts. With Ivar we get a darker and more flexible Doctor Who style story, with Valiant's unique rules firmly in place, cementing Ivar in the greater mythology. When we open an FVL book, we have our fingers crossed for funny, because funny is where that man thrives. Luckily, Ivar, Timewalker is hilarious, especially the new Neela Sethi character, who delivers some serious laugh out loud dialogue. Sethi is Ivar's effective companion,, but truly plays the role of main character in this book. Neela is a blast and a great everyman character to introduce the reader to Ivar's world. We don't get a real strong sense of who Ivar is though, and he remains a mostly likable sort of mysterious dude the whole way through. There's a long life ahead for this comic though, and I would choose Neela's excellent character arc every time.
September 2, 2016
An intriguing, time-bending tale about saving the future about a time traveler and the woman who invented time travel. Or something like that. A nice setup, if a bit confusing, and it took me a couple of the four included issues to really get into it. I liked Ivar -- he's a bit of a scoundrel -- but I really liked Neela, the researcher at CERN who is about to discover time travel when Ivar, a time traveler, bursts onto the scene to save her from ... well, that's complicated. I couldn't follow much of the physics and couldn't tell what was based on real theory and what, if anything, was totally made up. But this was a fun romp with a serious edge.
Read
May 29, 2016"Jesus! We've somehow fled into a place even more dangerous than the one we were fleeing from! You have failed to grasp the basic concept of 'fleeing'!" A time-travelling spin-off from the same team's Archer & Armstrong, which reads a lot like a pilot for a US reboot of Doctor Who, and not in a bad way.
November 18, 2016
A fun adventure through time what more could you ask for? Well I suppose great art (check) lots of humour (check) and a great story (check)
Check out Ivar soon another hit from the Valiant Universe which seem to be knocking them out of the park currently. If you want to check out more valiant Quantum and Woody is a must and is also great fun :-)
Check out Ivar soon another hit from the Valiant Universe which seem to be knocking them out of the park currently. If you want to check out more valiant Quantum and Woody is a must and is also great fun :-)
August 26, 2020
3.5/4 solid Sci-Fi comic. Sure it left me with a million questions, but it was fun! I haven't read Archer & Armstrong and I'm not sure if I should before I continue... But, I did enjoy this as a start to a new series!
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December 11, 2016Kind of a mix of Doctor Who and James Bond. Fun read.
December 24, 2016
Great art.
I need to read more before I say I love it....
I need to read more before I say I love it....
January 14, 2019
If you crossed Sliders with Doctor Who, and a good portion of the charm somehow got lost along the way, you might end up with something like Ivar, Timewalker. You've got the "We need to be in this exact place, at this exact time, or we'll be stuck here forever" theme of Sliders, except instead of alternate Earths, the characters travel through time, a la Doctor Who. It also has the "fixed points in time" idea from that show, but I'll get to that.
The basic plot starts out with Ivar seemingly trying to stop scientist Neela Sethi from inventing time travel...by going back in time to do it. The paradox of this is explained away, by the notion that this would create a different timeline than the one Ivar's from, so at least one version of history would be free from whatever horrors Neela's invention unleashes. But his efforts get interrupted by the arrival of the Prometheans (robotic time-cops), and from there, it's a history-hopping chase sequence, where the story becomes more Neela's than Ivar's, people end up not being what they seem, and way too much time is spent ruminating over the possibility of killing Hitler.
Along the way, the story does shift from a quest to change one huge part of history, to a desperate attempt to change just one little thing--one little thing that the universe itself (for some reason) might not permit to be changed. The idea of fighting against fate is always an appealing one, but I just wish the book had handled it with a bit more seriousness.
See, Ivar, Timewalker's biggest problem is its tone. You've got a hapless woman who's been yanked out of her normal life and thrust into literal war zones throughout history, with only the briefest of explanations for what's going on, and she's cracking jokes. Actually, a lot of the characters drop one-liners, and quips, far too often. It really undercuts the gravity of the plot as a whole, and the individual, dire situations they find themselves in. If it wasn't for this dissonance, I might've given this volume one more star. But as it stands, it's as if Van Lente wasn't confident enough in his story to hold his reader's interest, so he decided to try and punch it up with ill-advised humor and memes. That's kind of a shame.
At least the art is top notch, with clean line work, great coloring, and a strong sense of style. The characters are very expressive, and their faces sometimes carry the seriousness of a moment better than the writing does.
Ivar, Timewalker isn't a terrible time-travel story, but its jokey tone detracts from its potential somewhat. If you like this particular vein of sci-fi, you could certainly do worse.
The basic plot starts out with Ivar seemingly trying to stop scientist Neela Sethi from inventing time travel...by going back in time to do it. The paradox of this is explained away, by the notion that this would create a different timeline than the one Ivar's from, so at least one version of history would be free from whatever horrors Neela's invention unleashes. But his efforts get interrupted by the arrival of the Prometheans (robotic time-cops), and from there, it's a history-hopping chase sequence, where the story becomes more Neela's than Ivar's, people end up not being what they seem, and way too much time is spent ruminating over the possibility of killing Hitler.
Along the way, the story does shift from a quest to change one huge part of history, to a desperate attempt to change just one little thing--one little thing that the universe itself (for some reason) might not permit to be changed. The idea of fighting against fate is always an appealing one, but I just wish the book had handled it with a bit more seriousness.
See, Ivar, Timewalker's biggest problem is its tone. You've got a hapless woman who's been yanked out of her normal life and thrust into literal war zones throughout history, with only the briefest of explanations for what's going on, and she's cracking jokes. Actually, a lot of the characters drop one-liners, and quips, far too often. It really undercuts the gravity of the plot as a whole, and the individual, dire situations they find themselves in. If it wasn't for this dissonance, I might've given this volume one more star. But as it stands, it's as if Van Lente wasn't confident enough in his story to hold his reader's interest, so he decided to try and punch it up with ill-advised humor and memes. That's kind of a shame.
At least the art is top notch, with clean line work, great coloring, and a strong sense of style. The characters are very expressive, and their faces sometimes carry the seriousness of a moment better than the writing does.
Ivar, Timewalker isn't a terrible time-travel story, but its jokey tone detracts from its potential somewhat. If you like this particular vein of sci-fi, you could certainly do worse.
November 13, 2020
"Let's do the Time Warp again"
I am a huge fan of the Archer & Armstrong 2012 Valiant relaunch authored by Fred Van Lente. It took me a while to realize that this book is Van Lente's return to Armstrong by way of Armstrong's brother Ivar, the Timewalker. In this first volume we just get Ivar, but it looks like the later volumes bring back Armstrong and even the third brother, Gilad. (Gilad even makes a cameo in this book.)
Here, though, we have Ivar as a suave time traveling operative, and then we have Neela Sethi, the incredulous physicist who is drawn into the center of the tale. Ivar "rescues" her just before she "invents" time travel, and right as she's about to be assassinated/kidnapped by those who feel she needs to be stopped, John Connor/Terminator style. It's all a bit confused, but don't worry. Even by the end we don't know if Ivar is a good guy or if Neela is as innocent as she seems. Busy, busy.
Fast pace. Snappy banter. Two characters who complement each other perfectly. Time travel. Daring escapes from implacable villains. Grace and a bon mot under pressure. More snappy banter. This is the Valiant I enjoyed during the early Archer & Armstrong days. It's fun; it can be edgy; it has a dry, deadpan, flyaway style that accents and then breezes by the humor. And if it really matters to you, there is actually a coherent plot.
So, jump to the left and then a step to the right, this is an entertaining hoot.
(Please note that I had a chance to read a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
I am a huge fan of the Archer & Armstrong 2012 Valiant relaunch authored by Fred Van Lente. It took me a while to realize that this book is Van Lente's return to Armstrong by way of Armstrong's brother Ivar, the Timewalker. In this first volume we just get Ivar, but it looks like the later volumes bring back Armstrong and even the third brother, Gilad. (Gilad even makes a cameo in this book.)
Here, though, we have Ivar as a suave time traveling operative, and then we have Neela Sethi, the incredulous physicist who is drawn into the center of the tale. Ivar "rescues" her just before she "invents" time travel, and right as she's about to be assassinated/kidnapped by those who feel she needs to be stopped, John Connor/Terminator style. It's all a bit confused, but don't worry. Even by the end we don't know if Ivar is a good guy or if Neela is as innocent as she seems. Busy, busy.
Fast pace. Snappy banter. Two characters who complement each other perfectly. Time travel. Daring escapes from implacable villains. Grace and a bon mot under pressure. More snappy banter. This is the Valiant I enjoyed during the early Archer & Armstrong days. It's fun; it can be edgy; it has a dry, deadpan, flyaway style that accents and then breezes by the humor. And if it really matters to you, there is actually a coherent plot.
So, jump to the left and then a step to the right, this is an entertaining hoot.
(Please note that I had a chance to read a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
May 24, 2020
Disappointing
First Valiant book of Fred Van Lente's that I didn't really enjoy. There are two reasons for this:
1) Ivar is barely a presence in his own book. I got more of a window into Ivar in the opening of Archer and Armstrong when he was messing around w/ the boon than I did in four chapters of his own series. What I did get a lot of conveniently leads into my second reason...
2) Neela Sethi is obnoxious, vapid, and (really) annoying. I've seen some compare this volume to Doctor Who. If that's the case then think of your most hated Doctor companion, drain that character of anything interesting or dynamic, and make her (a researcher who is on the verge of discovering time travel, keep in mind) sound like a teenage cliche, and you have something this is approaching Neela Sethi.
And, hey, I know it's comic books, but this is the first time I couldn't maintain my suspension of disbelief. I don't need a character to sound like Stephen Hawking, but this Neela. I don't know what else to say. I was cheering for something to intervene in the story that caused both present and future versions of Neela to cancel each other out.
So, let's hit the "Reset" button and move on to Volume 2.
First Valiant book of Fred Van Lente's that I didn't really enjoy. There are two reasons for this:
1) Ivar is barely a presence in his own book. I got more of a window into Ivar in the opening of Archer and Armstrong when he was messing around w/ the boon than I did in four chapters of his own series. What I did get a lot of conveniently leads into my second reason...
2) Neela Sethi is obnoxious, vapid, and (really) annoying. I've seen some compare this volume to Doctor Who. If that's the case then think of your most hated Doctor companion, drain that character of anything interesting or dynamic, and make her (a researcher who is on the verge of discovering time travel, keep in mind) sound like a teenage cliche, and you have something this is approaching Neela Sethi.
And, hey, I know it's comic books, but this is the first time I couldn't maintain my suspension of disbelief. I don't need a character to sound like Stephen Hawking, but this Neela. I don't know what else to say. I was cheering for something to intervene in the story that caused both present and future versions of Neela to cancel each other out.
So, let's hit the "Reset" button and move on to Volume 2.
December 2, 2022
Okej, Fred Van Lente kopira. Kopira tuđe fore, kopira tuđe zaplete, koncepte i kompletne priče. Ivar je Doctor Who, Neela je Rose (jer se cijeli album vrti oko toga kako da spasi svog oca koji je umro na operacijskom stolu od alergije na neki od lijekova nakon što je preživio tešku saobraćajnu nesreću - skoro pa prepisan zaplet iz Doctor Whoa Russela T. Daviesa). Još k tome, glavni antagonist ovog albuma koji zapravo tek ovdje počinje biti antagonist jest sama Neela (što je pak dignut zaplet iz serijala Hero Squared, DeMatteisa i Giffena). Ključne šale u stripu su sve citirane iz popularne kulture, serija, drugih stripova, filmova. Koji je smisao svega toga? Radi li se to tako da bi se privuklo publiku? Kako bi im se pružio osjećaj bliskosti materijalu? Iz marketinških razloga razumijem takav pristup, ali što zapravo ovakav strip ima novo? Što on sam po sebi može ponuditi osim eventualno na momente stvarno krasnog linijskog crteža Claytona Henryja? Ne baš puno, rekao bih. Sve u svemu zanimljivije od Van Lenteovog Archera & Armstronga, i bolje posloženo, ali nedovoljno.
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