Valiant Entertainment has announced War Mother, a four-issue series spinning out of their 4001 A.D. event. Fred Van Lente and Stephen Segovia will “bring War Mother to bear with an all-new, self-contained entry point for the newest hero manning the frontline of the Valiant Universe’s far future.”
Set in 4001 AD, the series revolves around a place called The Grove, the war-torn Earth’s “last-known repository of scientific knowledge and bioengineered prosperity.” It’s protected by War Mother and her talking sniper rifle. So who is War Mother? Van Lente noted he’s still figuring that out as he works on the series:
“I think there’s definitely an iron core there that once she’s decided that what she’s doing is for the greater good, nothing is going to stop her,” Van Lente told SyFy Wire’s Lucas Siegel. “She’s the classic immovable object or unstoppable force. I think the people around her and Flaco, her talking, sentient sniper rifle, are probably more hesitant or filled with self-doubt than Ana ever has been.”
If you’ve ever wondered about the significance of Valiant’s “4001” timeline, their CEO gives a bit of context:
“The year 4001 is a critically important component of the Valiant Universe – a turning point where the full effect of events of the present day finally come into focus in the future,” said Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani in a press release. “As readers who picked up this year’s Free Comic Book Day issue can attest, it’s a setting that we’ll be revisiting multiple times over the coming year – and not just in this series. War Mother is a character that resonated instantly upon her first appearance and, as we noted at the time, she is a major new player that can stand alongside Valiant’s most powerful and enduring heroes. Perhaps more importantly, the path that Fred Van Lente and Stephen Segovia set her down here will have massive repercussions not just for War Mother, but for the entire direction of the year 4001 moving forward.”
Back in the 1990s, Valiant’s first title was Magnus, Robot Fighter, which was set in 4000 AD and starred the Russ Manning-created Gold Key character from the 1960s. As a licensed character, Magnus wasn’t included in the Valiant Universe relaunch; currently Dynamite Comics has the license to publish Magnus, Solar and Turok comics (all of which were part of the original Valiant line). But they’ve kept the idea of this future world, where Rai and now War Mother reside. So there’s a connection to what came before.
Check out the four covers by Mack below; the first issue arrives in August.
