Ivar, Timewalker 6

With the universe on the brink of destruction, Ivar must turn to his closest relatives – Armstrong and Gilad Anni-Padda – to save Neela Sethi from the machinations of the Prometheans! The problem? These three guys couldn’t be further apart. Time doesn’t heal all wounds as the assault on Oblivi-1 begins!

Fred Van Lente (ARCHER & ARMSTRONG) and Francis Portela (Green Lantern Corps) continue this time-shattering comics event!

Writer:
Fred Van Lente
Artist:
Francis Portela
Editor:
Tom Brennan

It's interesting that this past week I've been reviewing two series, both involving time travel. One is Doctor Who (link to 9th doctor review?),whilst the other almost feels like a tribute. So it's interesting to see how both issues, during the second part of their story arcs no less, tackle those issue differently.

Whereas Doctor Who dives right into the weirdness, confident that it's fans will be able to keep up, but still trying to provide an experience that would be enjoyable to anyone, Ivar is a bit more focused on the destination and woe-betide anyone who hasn't done any their homework beforehand.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. Both series have different aims and remits. It's just a general comment that were you to come in fresh to this series, just one issue after the start of a new story arc, you would be lost. With the focus on setting things up for future issues, the humour has taken a backseat losing the key strength of the series.

Now I know that my own preferences come into this as a Doctor Who fan. I'm probably likely to be more forgiving of any media based on the show because of my long history with it. But Ivar captured my attention in the past due to just how far it's willing to go out there with it's concept.

Now it's settled down into a pattern and some of that freewheeling has gone, I'm wondering what is coming in the future for the series or if it's just more of the same. Which for a series based on spontaneity and talking about if the future is predicable, would be a disappointment.

Cover image courtesy of Valiant Entertainment

Ivar, Timewalker is available from Valiant.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Ivar, Timewalker 5

Dr. Neela Sethi, the inventor of time travel has been captured by her evil future-self (because…time travel) and imprisoned at the end of the time! To save her from the threat of her own future self, all hope now lies in the hands of Ivar! But even he can’t save us alone…

What happens when history’s most jaded time traveller puts together the best team he can find to save time itself? A combination of his estranged family, including his immortal brothers, his inter-dimensional enemies and a Bloodshot Nanite with one heck of an attitude problem! And that’s just the start of history’s most unexpected saviours.

Writer:

Fred Van Lente

Artist:

Francis Portela

Editor:

Tom Brennan

The start of a new arc in the ongoing series, #5 of Ivar, Timewalker takes some time to gather itself before going onwards. Though this doesn't necessarily make for a great jumping on point for new readers, it does allow for the series to catch its breath and refresh a story that was threatening to become stale.

The issue divides itself almost perfectly into two mini stories, one focusing on Neela encountering her future and the other on Ivar collecting allies to 'rescue' her. This boils the characters back to their core element; Neela being an inquisitive person, still open to manipulation by those trusts and Ivar being, well, one of those people. Even if he is a charming one.

The story around all of this seeks to reinforce the key statement of Ivar's, that time cannot be changed once certain events are set in motion without serious consequences and that all actions have unintended consequences. We see the results of that in the future, where future Neela's actions have destroyed everything but herself and those she controls in the quest to ensure her creation in the first place.

It's nice to have a new artist on the book and in my opinion, trading Clayton Henry for Francis Portela was a significant boost for the series art wise. Even just the small things like minor background details and textures look better this issue and characters themselves look more vibrant. Ivar himself finally looks like a slick bastard for the first time in the series too. From the slightly arrogant smirk that's always on his face, to the way that his body language seems to shift slightly depending on who he needs to manipulate, it's nice to see his image finally matches the one his actions had been creating in my head!

The only small complaint I would have about the issue is that the Neela part of the issue felt more like an afterthought, included to allow for some heavy exposition dumping rather than further her actual storyline, which spins its wheels completely this issue. It's a minor thing, but even the artwork here feels less sure of itself than later on in the issue when the same time period is included. Perhaps both Van Lente and Portela were getting a feel for that era and those characters, but it's just noticeable that the second half of the issue seems to be tighter script and art wise.

A solid issue overall and a great refresher for the series. Here's hoping, with Portela bringing a fresh take to the creative team of the book, it can go onto new heights.

Cover image courtesy of Valiant Entertainment

Ivar, Timewalker is available from Valiant.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Ivar, Timewalker 4

Time is almost up!

Ivar has been keeping a secret from his partner-in-time, Neela, this whole time, and once she learns the truth their relationship will be history! Literally! Join New York Times best-selling creators Fred Van Lente & Clayton Henry for the epoch shattering conclusion of our first (time)arc!

Writer:

Fred Van Lente

Penciler:

Clayton Henry

Editor:

Tom Brennan

Ivar, Timewalker doubles down on the events of last issue and becomes a character centric issue – as Neela tries to reverse the events of the past and save someone who matters so much to her.

This far into the series and that it's been more interested in getting us invested in our Companion rather than the Doctor, sorry I mean Ivar, is encouraging, He's barely in it at all, whilst the actions of Neela take up our time, as we get to meet versions of herself at different points of her journey throughout the issue.

The actual events themselves are sort of played for lightweight comedy which undercuts the emotional intent at the end, but it's an enjoyable ride as you get to thinking how the different versions she meets (amusingly, all which are drinking at the same bar at the same time) interact with the scenarios that are presented on the page, or rather, which adventures we miss out on.

After saying all that, the artwork was the low point. The series so far has been average at best on that front, but compensated by throwing engaging and exciting visuals that kept us entertained. However, there were some panels where perspective was completely off, with Neela being taller than the car she was stepping out of, different Neela's being different sizes to one another and her being completely out of proportion to nearby objects. I'm not usually someone who cares about that too much as long as the tale is enjoyable, but the quasi realistic art style the comic is going for meant that those errors really stood out.

All in all, it's a mixed issue, with the story beats not quite landing and the artwork being noticeably poor that even I was momentarily pulled out of my enjoyment of it. It's not the worst comic and I do understand that the pressures of producing a comic on a regular basis can be hectic.

But none-the-less, I do hope that the next issue has more care taken on it. Given what happens on the last page, I can only imagine there will be.

Cover image courtesy of Valiant Entertainment

Ivar, Timewalker is available from Valiant.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Ivar, Timewalker 3

Ivar, the man called Timewalker, has been through ancient battlefields, political assassinations, the beginning of time, the invention of time travel, the great wars, and the distant future. (And that was only in the first two issues!) Now, he faces his greatest threat yet…himself! What secret does THE TIMEWALKER hold that will unlock his interest in Neela and flip our very definition of time travel on its head?

Can a man resigned to forever walk through time truly make up for the mistakes of his past? And just who is the mysterious sociopathic leader of Oblivi-1, and why does she have such an interest in Ivar and Neela’s time traveling team-up?

Writer:

Fred Van Lente

Artist:

Clayton Henry

Publisher:

Valiant

First up, a little warning; this review will contain spoilers.

Continuing on from the shock ending of last issue, Neela finds herself face to face with Ivar. Or so she thinks anyway, as the opening few pages reveal the scarred lookalike is anything but. From then onwards, it's the usual; explosions, Hitler, meme-based humans from the 41^st century and time travel. You know, that yawn inducing stuff.

I kid. The best aspects of Ivar, Timewalker are just how much variety is thrown into each issue, as Neela and Ivar stumble from problem to problem. This time, the story takes more time to focus on our companion, due to Ivar being mostly incapacitated. We find out just what she'll do when backed into a corner and when the chips are down. It turns out, pretty much anything, even if she later realises just what Ivar manipulated her into doing.

The B arc from the first issue that saw a future Neela trying to ensure her own existence comes to the fore here, as her promethium robots finally catch up with the duo and set Neela on the course to become her future self. It was nice to see that the writers have decided to deal with this dangling plot thread quickly rather than dragging it out for a few more issues. Though it could have been tempting to do such a thing, by dealing with it now it indicates that Van Lente may be attempting to subvert out expectations, especially as it was telegraphed so early on in issue one.

The artwork itself is probably the weakest aspect of this issue. Like past issues, it's something that is overall rather average, but the variety of scenarios and unique characters thrown into the mix mean I don't mind that as much, with the colouring keeping the various scenes popping, even if the linework is a little sloppy.

All in all, it's a solid continuation of past issues. Those who have enjoyed the series so far will want to keep reading, but I can't see this being the issue to jump on board for new readers. Start with issue one and enjoy a story that may bear just a passing familiarity to a certain Doctor, delivered with a smile and a knowing wink.

Cover image courtesy of Valiant.

You can buy Ivan, Timewalker from Comixology or your local comic book retailer.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Ivar, Timewalker 2

Prehistoric empires! Dystopian futures! And everywhere in between! The past, present, and future of our universe are about to meet an untimely end, and only the mysterious Ivar Anni-Padda can prevent all three from collapsing in on themselves. Unstuck in time, and pursued by enemies simultaneously across every moment of his time-lost life, can the man called Timewalker save everything that ever was, is, and will be?

Get ready for a clock-stopping odyssey into the distant past and far future as the most unlikely Valiant hero of all leaps into his first history-ripping adventure!

Writer:

Fred Van Lente

Artist:

Clayton Henry

Publisher:

Valiant

It's one thing to rip off Doctor Who – but to do it so well and entertainingly? Well, that's an almost herculean task. None the less, Ivar, Timewalker does just that, even if it does lampshade it a little with this issue, which may as well be called (and the characters themselves say at one point) 'Let's not kill Hitler!', a reference to a Doctor Who episode from a year or so back.

This playfulness is the comic's strength. Whilst the somewhat 'bro' humour isn't quite clicking with me, the mischievousness of it all is. As is it's inventiveness. Where else would you be likely to find a comment on internet culture and the harm of sites 4chan, whilst having characters leaping through the different sections of Hitler's life, deciding if he should die or not?

Add in the several fascinating twists on the logic of time, that I'm assuming will be explained in later issues, and you have a very interesting story on your hands. The art is serviceable this issue – it sounds harsh to say, but it's all I can really say. However, composition is bloody brilliant – with Henry's layouts and direction guiding your eye to exactly where it needs to find all the various visual gags and story beats.

It may be lacking a little in the momentum of the last issue, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Issue 2 builds on a solid base and cements it, creating a good foundation for further issues to expand upon. This is two for two of the issues I've reviewed this week that do just that, so it seems both readers and creators are having a good run. Long may it continue!

In short, issue 2 of Ivar, Timwalker is fulfilling the potential it showed in it's debut. The art could stand to be a little better, but considering the tight schedules on it all as well as the fact that it's a two person team doing it all, and you have to realise it's rather impressive.

Count this series as one to watch and grab the first two issues today.

Cover image courtesy of Valiant.

You can buy Ivar, Timewalker from Comixology or your local comic book retailer.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Ivar, Timewalker 1

Prehistoric empires! Dystopian futures! And everywhere in between! The past, present, and future of our universe are about to meet an untimely end, and only the mysterious Ivar Anni-Padda can prevent all three from collapsing in on themselves. Unstuck in time, and pursued by enemies simultaneously across every moment of his time-lost life, can the man called Timewalker save everything that ever was, is, and will be?

Get ready for a clock-stopping odyssey into the distant past and far future as the most unlikely Valiant hero of all leaps into his first history-ripping adventure!

Writer:

Fred Van Lente

Artist:

Clayton Henry

Publisher:

Valiant

I've a lot of patience for people who try crazy ideas. If the concept of a person who travels through time constantly via one way portals with a physicist who one day will create time travel isn't crazy, I don't know what is. How about we add to the mix that our time traveller may as well call himself Paul McGann and start trying out for the 8^th Doctor roles? Or that our physicist seems to have the vocabulary of a fratboy, regularly calling everyone she meets bro?.

It's an odd start to a series for sure, especially as for myself (and I assume this will be the case for many of the readers of the series), this will be the character's debut, instead of whatever introduction he's had in other Valiant series.

So yeah, what did I think? I think it's a series with a lot of promise. Issue one throws a lot of balls into the air for writer Fred Van Lente to juggle and he handles them well. From doling out it's 'rules' on time travel, to setting up our characters so they are interesting enough and have to overcome enough challenges to make it worth following them through the entire series, he manages to throw it all in without it feeling forced, even if the odd speech patterns of all the character's did confuse me. Perhaps it's an American thing, in that their scientists ask you to 'get off their jockstrap'. I don't think I'll bother finding that one out.

Still, it's certainly an enjoyable enough romp through a few time periods, even if it's probably not one that will hold up to long term introspection. If you're waiting for the new series of Doctor Who to start and want something that has the essence of that, whilst having a recognisable American tinge, check it out. Those who don't know their Doctor Who from their Doctor Phil, well do you like tricksters and time travel japery? If you do, pick this up!

Cover image courtesy of Valiant.

You can buy Ivar, Timewalker from Comixology or your local comic book retailer.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.