Archer & Armstrong is a superhero duo in the Valiant Comics universe. The two were originally created by writer and artist Barry Windsor-Smith and introduced in their own self-titled comic book series in 1992. After Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant Comics in 1996, the two characters were rebooted in a series of one-shot comics entitled Eternal Warriors. Valiant Entertainment, Inc. relaunched the Valiant Comics universe yet again in 2012 and Archer & Armstrong Volume 2 introduced a new version of the duo. Their stories are a mix of dark superhero action and comedic adventures.
Obadiah Archer is a young man with a superhuman power that allows him to become a master fighter. After his seemingly devout religious parents turn out to be evil and then attempt to kill him, Archer decides to protect innocent people and stop villainy. He befriends and partners with a hard-drinking and jocular immortal with superhuman strength who calls himself Armstrong. Archer commonly uses a crossbow in combat while Armstrong is known for carrying a magical bottomless satchel containing a large collection of items and weapons. Armstrong is the brother of two other immortal heroes of the Valiant Comics universe: the ruthless Gilad the Eternal Warrior and the manipulative Ivar the Timewalker. Since the 2012 reboot, Armstrong also has an immortal sister, the villain called Vexana the War-Monger.
Publication history Valiant Comics debuted Archer & Armstrong Volume 1 in 1992 and began with issue #0, a stand-alone story explaining Archer's background and how he met Armstrong. Issues # 1 and #2 were part of "Unity", Valiant's first crossover, and were written by Jim Shooter, Barry Windsor-Smith and Bob Layton, with art by Windsor-Smith. Issues #3–12, written and largely drawn by Windsor-Smith, established the world of the heroic pair and explored their enemy the Sect, an international secret society that had infiltrated most of the world's significant governments and religious organizations.
Originally, there were meant to be only two immortal brothers in the Valiant Comics Universe: Gilad the Eternal Warrior and Aram A.K.A. Armstrong, younger by two years. Archer & Armstrong/Eternal Warrior #8 (a double-sized "flipbook" that was two issues in one) later revealed there was a third brother, Ivar the eldest.
The original Archer & Armstrong series was called "The best buddy team book of all time" by Ain't It Cool News, and "Superhero buddy book of the decade" by Wizard magazine. The series ended in 1994 with issue #26.
In 2008, Valiant released a deluxe hardcover of the Archer & Armstrong origin story, entitled Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions. The hardcover was later named one of the top ten graphic novels of 2008 by Diamond Comic DistributorsThe Best Collected Editions of 2008, December, 2008 and one of the best of 2008 by Ain't It Cool News.
Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant comics in 1994, leading to a reboot of the Valiant characters. In 1997, a one-shot comic series under the banner title Eternal Warriors reintroduced Armstrong and his two brothers as Vikings, the sons of Mog and Nin, who become immortal due to a special plant. Collectively called the "Eternal Warriors", the three brothers fight evil together and share immortality with others over the centuries, creating the "Forever Family". The series started with the 1997 one-shot Eternal Warriors: Time & Treachery by writer Art Holcomb and artists Doug Wheatley and John Floyd. The series ended in 1998 after five more one-shots. In chronological order, they were: Eternal Warriors: Digital Alchemy, Eternal Warriors: Archer & Armstong, Eternal Warriors: Blackworks, Eternal Warriors: Mog, and Eternal Warriors: The Immortal Enemy.
Acclaim Entertainment declared bankruptcy in 2007 and the newly created Valiant Entertainment, Inc. bought back the rights to many characters. Valiant Comics was relaunched in 2012 with a rebooted universe. Archer & Armstrong Volume 2 began in 2012 under the creative team of writer Fred Van Lente and artists Clayton Henry and Brian Reber. Archer's origin was revised and the nature of his powers was altered. Archer & Armstrong Volume 2 #0 revealed that in the new continuity, the three Anni-Prada brothers gained immortality when Ivar activated a strange machine known as the Boon. The device gave them healing abilities, enhanced minds, and seemingly-ageless life by draining the life force from their entire home city-state of Ur. This revised story now said Gilad was the youngest Anni-Prada brother rather than Aram, though Ivar was still the oldest.
Fictional character biographies Valiant Comics Version (1992–1994)
Aram Anni-Padda is born in a village of Anatolia over three thousand years before the celebrated birth of Jesus. He is the son of a warrior named Vandal, along with his older brothers Ivar and Gilad. Their mother dies during Aram's birth, and Ivar leaves the village in grief. Another tribe attacks the same day, forcing Vandal to flee with Gilad and Aram while the other villagers are killed. Adopting a new home, Gilad and Aram learn they are immortals with enhanced physical abilities (the same is true of Ivar, who learns he can also walk through time).Timewalker #0.
In 3219 BC, Gilad and Aram's adopted tribe battles the superior weaponry of the Mesopotamians. All of the tribe is killed with the exception of Gilad, Aram, and Gilad's first son Kalam, who is adopted by Mesopotamians. Gilad becomes a nomadic warrior, traveling alongside a Geomancer sorcerer for a time. Disillusioned with the glory of violence, Aram spends his immortal life preferring to seek pleasure, adventure, and drink.Eternal Warrior Volume 1 #1–2. On occasion, he reunites with his brother Gilad, now the ruthless Eternal Warrior, and Ivar the Time Walker. A few exploits of the three brothers even inspire the tales of The Three Musketeers.Archer & Armstrong #8, Eternal Warrior #8. By the modern-day, Aram is a wandering vagrant constantly searching for company and alcohol. He now uses the name "Armstrong".
Obadiah Archer is a boy in Topeka, Kansas raised by evangelist minister Joe Earl Archer and his wife Thelma Archer. Devoutly religious, Obadiah discovers he has incredible hand-eye coordination and physical skill. After learning their son discovered they were kidnapping and molesting children from their congregation, the Archers set fire to their own home and leave Obadiah bound inside. Promising to bring his parents to justice if God helps him, Obadiah frees himself, but loses consciousness from smoke inhalation. He is found in time by firefighters and taken to the hospital. Obadiah has a near-death experience, seeing a great light and recalling his promise. Knowing his parents will kill him at their first opportunity, and fearing that no one will believe him, Archer sneaks out of the hospital and seeks someone to teach him how to fight. He finds his way to a Buddhist monastery in Ladakh, high in the Himalayas, where he is given sanctuary and lives for the next several years.
The monks observe Obadiah has extraordinary control over his body, a natural talent for martial arts, and flawless skill with a bow and arrow. Young Archer credits this to his near-death experience, believing he died and was brought back by God to enact justice. His desire for revenge is incompatible with the monks' beliefs, so he later leaves the monastery. Returning to the United States, he learns that his parents' crimes were discovered weeks after his departure, and they were arrested and imprisoned. Suddenly unsure of his purpose, he comes across Armstrong, a vagrant who shares stories of being immortal and having had adventures throughout history.
Believing Armstrong is a liar, Archer leaves him and encounters Mahmud, who tells him that his group, the Sect, has been fighting evil and hunting an enemy called "He Who Is Not To Be Named" for over 2,500 years. Archer discovers their target is Armstrong and quickly realizes the Sect is evil. Armstrong explains the Sect is a corrupt international cult whose members have infiltrated every government body and religious organization in the world including the Vatican. Eight hundred members live in Archer's hometown of Topeka.
Escaping imprisonment in Vatican City, Archer & Armstrong embark on a journey through Europe, dealing with attacks by the Sect while encountering a number of adventures and a number of Armstrong's old acquaintances including his former wife Andy (the Greek goddess Andromeda), his brother Gilad (or "Gilly" as Armstrong calls him), and his older brother Ivar the Timewalker. Their adventures also involve the recovery of Armstrong's magical satchel. Along the way, the two learn that Archer's combat talents are due to his being a "psiot" or "harbinger", one of a rare number of humans born with superhuman traits. Archer's ability allows him to mimic any human skill and adapt to various situations.
Acclaim Entertainment Version (1997–1998) Long ago, the Viking warrior Mog has a wife Nin (a woman with one green eye and one brown eye) and three sons: Gilad, Ivar and Aram. Mog discovers a special herb he believes is connected to the gods. Calling it the Bloom, Mog shares it with their young sons, who begin growing rapidly and show increased physical abilities. Consuming the plant regularly, Mog gains a form of immortality and begins to hear voices he thinks are gods telling him it is his destiny to dominate Earth. When Nin shows concern for him, Mog decides she is jealous of his power and stabs her fatally. To save his mother, Ivar pushes her into the river where the Bloom plant was found. Mog destroys his village in a rage, then continues pursuing murder and conquest over the centuries. Eventually, he gains enough control over his rage to act clandestinely when he must. Nin, transformed by the Bloom, repeatedly confronts Mog, becoming his "Immortal Enemy".Eternal Warriors: Immortal Enemy
Reaching adulthood, Mog's sons realize they are ageless and nearly invulnerable. Working against threats to humanity, they become known as the Eternal Warriors. As the centuries go on, the three Eternal Warriors occasionally choose those they deem worthy to become immortal as well, sharing the Bloom with them. Those chosen become known as the Forever Family, and together they and mortal allies work in secret to fight evil and influence humanity for the better. Many of the Forever Family leave their old names behind, renaming themselves after weapons or items of significance. The three Eternal Warriors also earn individual titles among the Forever Family. Aram, also nicknamed "the Mighty Arm-Strong", becomes an Earth-based sorcerer known as a Geomancer. Gilad becomes known as Warmaster. Ivar, who discovers how to fold time and travel through the sub-dimension of "netherspace", earns the title Timewalker. Aram forges a strong friendship with a Forever Family warrior who takes the name "Archer". The two work as partners for a while until Archer dies in battle.Eternal Warriors: Time & Treachery, Eternal Warriors: Archer & Armstrong.
In the modern-day, the Eternal Warriors have a hidden community in the Palazzo base in Rome that includes the Forever Family, several human allies, and the Neo-Vals, the last surviving descendants of the original Vikings. While investigating a threat from within, the Forever Family discovers a young man named LeMont Quirrel, a petty criminal who finds himself wishing to help. Quirrel's manner and natural skill for weapons reminds Aram of his old friend Archer. This, along with the fact that Quirrel also wears a pendant decorated by arrows, leads Aram to instinctively call him "Archer". Resistant at first to fill the role of a person he never met, Quirrel later accepts the nickname gladly.