Archer & Armstrong #24 Review

What has Mary-Maria that eager to jump into action? Read on to find out.

The official description from Valiant:

Sister. Sweetheart. ASSASSIN!

Archer and Armstrong…and Mary-Maria?! Archer’s beloved foster sister and world-class hitwoman-for-hire, Mary-Maria, takes center stage for the very first time in a high-stakes tale of hot-headed teenage temperament and tantalizing target practice! In search of her own origins, get ready to see the world through the eyes of Valiant’s number one knife-wielding love interest – just as the world of Archer & Armstrong hurtles towards next month’s colossal, issue #25 game-changer!

Archer & Armstrong is nearing it’s 25th issue, and with only one issue separating the most recent story arc and that, we get a one-shot tale featuring Mary-Maria. Aptly titled Daddy Issue, we get a look into Mary-Maria’s childhood, and how death, betrayal, and daddy issues have turned her into what she is today. Things aren’t however quite as they seem, as when Mary-Maria seeks revenge, she learns something very unnerving.

Regular series writer Fred Van Lente takes an issue off, allowing Watson and Holmes writer Karl Bollers to tackle this emotional tale of family, loss and revenge. Though the absence of Archer and Armstrong themselves was a noticeable downside to this issue, the emotional tale that Bollers produced more than made up. Producing a very gripping script, Bollers manages to capture my attention throughout this tale, making me care more for Mary-Maria. Despite this I did feel the narration was a little too thick, with there even being odd moments where I felt slightly confused.

Original series artist Clayton Henry returns for this issue, bringing the same kind of energetic panels that I loved about the early issues. Between his bold, textured inks, and the emotional facial expressions, Henry injects so much life into this issue, allowing you to feel every time the tempo changes. He also gives us explosive action sequences, and along with his dynamic layouts it really helps this tale to flow smoothly. Capping things off we get colours from David Baron, with his bold, toned colours complimenting Henry’s art perfectly.

Archer & Armstrong #24 may be different than most issues, but this emotional look into Mary-Maria’s life does provide worthy reading, and gets a recommendation from me.