A new (but very familiar) Valkyrie debuts in this Exiles #2 exclusive

By Oliver Sava | April 19, 2018 | 9:15pm

Aux News comic previews

Built on the idea of a team of superheroes from alternate realities traveling through different dimensions, Marvel’s Exiles is a title that allows creative teams to explore the full breadth of the Marvel Comics Multiverse. It’s basically Sliders for superheroes, and the series is in the midst of a big revival thanks to writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Javier Rodríguez. Ahmed became one of Marvel’s rising stars with his emotional, ambitious story for Black Belt, and Rodríguez is the publisher’s underrated secret weapon, an artist who should be a superstar in the industry. They’ve brought back original Exiles leader, Blink, and she’s joined by a new team that includes a grizzled future version of Kamala “Ms. Marvel” Khan, Iron Lad, a chibi version of Wolverine, and a new incarnation of Valkyrie based on Tessa Thompson’s character in Thor: Ragnarok.

Ahmed has assembled an excellent team of heroes, and they’re on a mission to stop a giant Galactus head called the Time-Eater from devouring all realities. Rodriguez and his regular inker, Álvaro López, are one of the most versatile art teams in superhero comics, and this exclusive preview of next week’s Exiles #2 shows how they bring in different artistic influences to distinguish the different dimension. They channel the look of Walter Simonson’s iconic run on The Mighty Thor for the introduction of the new Valkyrie, and it gives the heroine a connection to Marvel’s past while also imbuing her debut with spectacular energy. Colorist Chris O’Halloran steps in for Jordie Bellaire on this issue, and as a former student of Bellaire’s, O’Halloran maintains the textured rendering and bold palette choices that characterize her work. It’s a stunning book, and these pages spotlight just how much fun this creative team is having playing in a massive Marvel sandbox.