Valor #7

Valor #7 (May 1993)
title: "Unimaginable Consequences"

writer: Robert Loren Fleming
penciller: Jeffrey Moore
inker: Ray Kryssing
letterer: B.E.M. Pinaha
colorist: Eric Kachelhofer
associate editor: Eddie Berganza
editor: KC Carlson
cover: Howard Chaykin & Eric Kachelhofer

reviewers: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage and Jason "Anachronistic Kid" Knol

Guest-Star(s):
The Blasters (kinda), still-unnamed Green Lantern

Opponent(s):
The Unimaginable

Summary:
The Unimaginable is loose, and Valor must escape from Starlag II.


This issue starts off ignoring the climax of the last issue's final page, instead focusing on Valor's shock that his ship, Pilgrim One, is growing tentacles. Valor tries to enter the hatch of the ship when the tentacles begin to envelop him. As luck would have it, just as a tentacle is about to gouge out his face his powers suddenly return and he's able to use his laser vision and super strength to break free and get into his ship. There's a pounding of tentacles on the door when the ship's holographic navigation system and unwanted sidekick, Babbage, returns with the gift of exposition.

The next EIGHT PAGES are a recap of the previous issue, from Babbage's point of view. It's worth noting that we already had several of these scenes from his point of view last issue, so this bloated recap does very little other than provide a really cool visual of The Unimaginable...

...and show us that "Doctor Bendorion," the being who defeated The Unimaginable, was none other than The Unimaginable itself!

Babbage reveals that The Unimaginable has the ability to transmute and manipulate all inorganic matter, which is why it was trapped in a living crystal within an organic chamber. Unfortunately, when Babbage led Pilgrim One to investigate The Unimaginable he inadvertently provided the alien with inorganic matter, which allowed him to escape. Valor postulates that The Unimaginable's power over inanimate objects is temporary, which is what allowed their escape-- but just then there are more tremors near the ship and walls begin to close in, leading to a fantastic Philadelphia Experiment-inspired splash page.

Unfortunately the blue and black tunnel background does little to ground the action as Valor exits the ship and saves his former cell mate, the aged Green Lantern, who had secretly recognized "Doctor Bendorion" as truly being The Unimaginable. After the events of the previous issue Kanjar Ru had ordered the Doctor to be taken away by the guards, and at that point he melted the floor to trap them and morphed back into his true form.

As Pilgrim One is on its way out of Starlag II, Valor spots the Blasters (from last issue) fighting off guards near the exit, and they urge him to chase after The Unimaginable. Meanwhile, Kanjar Ru manages to reach a secret (escape?) chamber and initiate a self-destruct sequence. Pilgrim One escapes and Babbage plots a course for The Unimaginable. Then the Green Lantern drops a handy bit of information he had forgotten to mention...

J's comments:

I can't believe this issue was almost 50% flashback. I was immediately confused when this issue didn't pick up from the massive cliffhanger, but began with Valor being attacked by his ship's tentacles (only to miraculously get his powers back at the last second). And yes, although this issue was painfully bloated with flashbacks, it still felt dense from the amount of exposition running throughout it. Babbage's recollections could've been kept to 1-2 pages and it would've left more time to catch up with The Blasters, the stars of the last issue who were relegated to....not much. 

As has been the case throughout this series, Fleming's pacing stutters and keeps readers from fully engaging with the story he's trying to tell. Unfortunately, the art does little to help. There are definite peaks and valleys, from the haunting apparition of The Unimaginable as a morphing collection of endless skeletons (easily the coolest thing this series has presented thus far) to that first panel above, where it looks like someone digitally reduced the height of the image by 50% while retaining the original width. 

I'd love to see some action and story resolution in the next issue, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Russell's comments: 

Jason hit the coffin nail on the head when he says there is just TOO much talking and flashbacking in this issue. What was DC thinking? In fact, I feel a flashback of my own coming on.....! Last issue I said: 

So....yeah, this is the worst issue of Valor yet. We keep getting worse as the series progresses. Eventually, we have to hit rock bottom and start moving up, right? 

I can't think of anything good about this issue. Jason liked the graphic representation of The Unimaginable but besides that, the art is awful. Coloring book figures on pages 7 and 11, deep shades on page 14, confusing sequences throughout the whole book....! Uggh. 

As for the story, clearly it was a place-holder for a big climax in part three. Hopefully that will deliver. In the meantime I really would have liked to have learned how or why Valor's powers keep popping on and off. I have an idea, but if the reader can figure out a solution before the lead character, the book is definitely in trouble. 

Status: 
This series has never been reprinted.