Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

I didn't like the original Valiant comics when I started reading them, mostly because I'd read the reboots first.   I'd loved the reboots, so I had a bias.   I'm enjoying these the more I read them, but the reboots do still have a bit of an advantage: they streamline the origins, or in this case, make them more interesting.   Instead of Nettie, for example, you have Alyssa.   Instead of a Voodoo queen who guides the Shadowman, you have the Abettors, who seem to guide him, but only so long as he plays by their rules.    

There is still a bit of a appropriation going on in both series, but I honestly expected this to be far worse than it was.   It was a little more in line with what I know about Voodoo, while also acknowledging the fact that it was appropriated.   When Jack goes to someone he believes knows Voodoo, the man scoffs, and says, 'what, just because we're from Haiti?'   I actually did get a chuckle from that. 

And the tie-ins to the rest of the Valiant universe were neat, too, and made sense given that some of it tied into the first issue.   Still, the politics, the power plays, and the general origin story in the reboot felt more vibrant, and I found myself more attached to the characters and the world that was built later on.   

Still, this is a fun, easy read, and if someone is interested in the first origin story of Shadowman after reading the reboot, I would suggest this.