Miketime's Art :: Unity (2013) VEI

Unity # 1 2013 Variant Cover by J. G. Jones

Artists: J. G. Jones (Penciller) , J. G. Jones (Inker) , Matt Kindt (Writer)

4 Comments - 1,078 Views - 7 Likes

Unity # 1 2013 Variant Cover by J. G. Jones Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	Unity # 1 2013 Variant Cover by J. G. Jones
Artist:	J. G. Jones (Penciller)
Artist:	J. G. Jones (Inker)
Artist:	Matt Kindt (Writer)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	1,078
Likes on CAF:	7 8
Comments:	4
Added to Site:	1/23/2014
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Unity #1 November 2013
Ink and grey/ brown tone wash on bristol
Pencils, Inks, & wash: J. G. Jones (signed lower right)
Writer: Matt Kindt (Signed lower left)

This has been 6 months in the making and is my first cover purchase. Just days after Valiant released the first 2 teaser images for Unity (this and the Crain X-O 19 cover) I ran into Anthony Snyder at Boston Comic Con. I asked him if he had any new Valiant art and he showed me this. I don't think anyone had even seen it yet. It never made it's way onto the web site. This is the most I have ever paid for a piece of art. Even though I was recently out of work, I had to have this masterpiece.

Valiant sold out its 70,000 print run for Unity #1 less that two days after going on sale. The actual number was more like 68,500 and the book was made returnable for retailers that ordered enough copies. If you did not return any books you could get a 3-D Crain Unity cover which has already sold for over $300.00 itself.

Valiant Entertainment continues to reinvent the concepts developed by the original Valiant Comics over twenty years ago, this time grabbing the name of the old publisher's most famous and popular event and reforming it into a new ongoing title, kicking off with "Unity" #1 by Matt Kindt and Doug Braithwaite. The characters and concepts featured in the new Valiant's titles have largely been faithfully based on the originals, and that same kind of similarity is found in this first issue; it's a crossover that keys off of events from the publisher's other ongoing titles, not unlike the original "Unity," although the title has a different meaning this time around, and it doesn't come across as a blatant marketing stunt like the first one did.

This isn't a line-wide story that impacts all of Valiant's titles, at least not yet; there's no all-star extravaganza, but the story doesn't suffer for it. Kindt doesn't dive into the pool of characters available to him, but instead wades in slowly, using recent events from "X-O Manowar" as a launch pad and bringing in characters from other titles sparingly, while introducing plenty of new ones as well. It doesn't read like an "event" story, as some might presume it to be based on its name, but instead more like any other well-constructed comic book story that takes place in a bigger universe. Kindt's story is aware of its surroundings, but doesn't try to take readers on a dizzying sightseeing trip to try and see them all.

Kindt starts off the issue with a sequence establishing the scenario for the title with an engaging narrative that welcomes both existing readers and new ones alike; it's informative for those new to Valiant without being redundant to those already onboard. A half dozen pages in, the stage is set as Kindt moves from setting up the threat to focusing on how it's going to be dealt with, and who's going to do the dealing. This second act develops a dynamic between two existing Valiant characters and several new ones, and halfway through Kindt has the story firmly under control. He gets a little careless in the next sequence, though, which features a slightly-lesser known character who isn't identified nor shown in costume for the first few pages, and not definitively named for a few more. "X-O Manowar" readers shouldn't have any problems, but everyone else will find themselves distracted until it's clear who they're actually reading about. That's about the biggest mistake Kindt makes, though, and once things are cleared up it leads towards a somewhat surprising turn of events.

Braithwaite takes advantage of this issue's thirty story pages, effectively using splash pages to introduce each character or team of characters when they first appear. He avoids the temptation to fill this extra-long story with an excessive number of such pages, and there's not a single double-page spread, even in a couple of battle sequences which arguably might have justified them. Braithwaite makes sure it's all about the overall story, not his art, which is attractive without calling a lot of attention to itself. He aptly moves the story along with mostly traditional panel layouts, quietly supporting Kindt's story in between battle scenes but stretching his legs when the fighting gets started, making for a truly collaborative effort between the two creators.

"Unity" #1 for the most part succeeds at what it's meant to do; it's a simple, appealing, and accessible introduction to the Valiant Universe that welcomes new readers while entertaining existing ones, and starts to bring the four corners of this universe together, just as the original event did. It�s entertaining enough to pick up the next issue, and even makes a good case for trying out some of Valiant's other titles, some of which are just as good if not better.

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About the Owner

	Michael Molinario ( 2 )
Joined:	November 2011
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Dan Moler
Member Since 2004

Posted on 1/24/2014

Congrats! That is an amazing piece!

Michael Molinario
Member Since 2011

Posted on 1/24/2014

Thanks Dan, it really is. This piece transcends comic line art. It's a modern masterpiece. It's so realistic and looks better in grey tones than it does in color.

Gal Schwartz
Member Since 2005

Posted on 2/18/2014

Beyond awesome !! It's a very powerful image ! What a stunning arrival !

Anthony F
Member Since 2004

Posted on 6/24/2014

The armor looks so imposing, Awesome image!

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