Archer & Armstrong Vol 2 1

You're making a big mistake, Archer! The world is a lot stranger than you think! You need a guy like me, who's been around, to show you the ropes! Archer!!

-- Armstrong

Sons of Perdition[]

Appearances[]

Featured Characters:

Archer & Armstrong (First appearance)
- Aram "Armstrong" Anni-Padda (First appearance)
- Obadiah "Obie" Archer (First appearance)

Supporting Characters:

Gilad Anni-Padda (First full appearance) (Flashback only)
Ivar Anni-Padda (First appearance) (Flashback only)
Mary-Maria Archer (First appearance)

Villains:

The Sect (First appearance)
- The Dominion (First appearance)
  - Congresswoman Archer (First appearance)
  - Reverend Archer (First appearance)
- The One Percent (First appearance)

Other Characters:

Archer Family (Obadiah's foster siblings)
- Barry, Big Jacob, Bort, Crystal, Dae, Dinesh, Duffy, Iskandar, Jean-Paul, Johan, Kim, Kofi, Little Jakey, Mercedes, Rivka, Spiros, Suri, Svetlana, T-Bone, Tsuyoshi (Cameo)
Carl Sandburg (Mentioned as friend of Armstrong)
Cavewoman Andy (Fictional character)
Dinosaur Flo (Fictional character)
Founding Fathers of the United States
- Freemasons
  - Benjamin Franklin (Mentioned as Sect member)
  - George Washington (Mentioned as Sect member; and seen as statue in front of Federal Hall)
Mammon (Mentioned only)
Melissa (Bartender) (First appearance)
Nudist Cowboy (Cameo)
Rush and parents (Promised Land visitors)
Sons of Perdition (biker gang)
- Bruce (Single appearance)

Locations:

Earth
Egypt (Mentioned only)
The Faraway (Mentioned only)
Greece (On a TV or computer screen)
- Athens (On a TV or computer screen)
  - Acropolis of Athens (On a TV or computer screen)
    - Parthenon (On a TV or computer screen)
Mesopotamia (Flashback only)
- Ur
  - The Great Cataclysm
New York
- New York City
  - Manhattan
    - The Meat-Packing District
      - Sows and Cows (First appearance)
    - Times Square
    - Wall Street
      - Federal Hall
Ohio
- Adams County
  - Promised Land (First appearance)
    - Great Pyramids (Imitation)

Items:

Armstrong's Satchel
The Boon (First appearance)
- The Fulcrum (First appearance)
- The Plane (Mentioned only)

Vehicles:

Noah's Ark (Replica)

Credits[]

Writers: Fred Van Lente
Pencilers: Clayton Henry
Inkers: Clayton Henry
Colorists: Matt Milla
Letterers: Dave Lanphear
Cover Artists: Mico Suayan (A / Gold / ODD), Clayton Henry (Pullbox / 3rd), David Aja (1:20), Neal Adams & Moose Baumann (1:100), Clayton Henry & Santi Arcas (2nd), Clayton Henry (ODD), Blank Cover
Editors: Warren Simons, Josh Johns (assistant), Jody LeHeup (associate)
Editor-in-Chief: Warren Simons

Synopsis[]

Thousands of years in the past, in ancient Mesopotamia (before the Great Cataclysm), Aram Anni-Padda argues with his brother Ivar. Ivar plans to use an artificat called "The Boon," taken from someplace called the "Faraway," to resurrect their younger brother Gilad. Aram believes it is too dangerous, but Ivar insists they owe it to Gilad for the countless times he's saved their city. It is also revealed that Ivar killed the ruler of Ur for trying to stop him from using the Boon. Aram insists Ivar has gone insane with grief, and reminds him they have no idea what will happen when they turn the Boon on. Ivar replies "That's always been your problem, hasn't it? You have no faith." Ivar walks outside the temple to switch the Boon on in front of a giant crowd, announcing that he has discovered eternal life. Aram kills the guards and tries to stop Ivar, but he is too late. The Boon is switched on, and a wave of energy engulfs the entire planet.

The scene changes to modern-day Ohio, in a Christian theme park called "Promised Land" run by a Congresswoman Archer and her husband Reverend Archer. In a secluded room, their son Obadiah Archer receives his "final test" in combat against several other youths. Obadiah defeats them all with martial arts, and his parents tell him he is ready for his first mission in the outside world. It is revealed that they belong to an order called "The Dominion" and they are dedicated to destroying a "son of perdition" they refer to as "He Who is Not to Be Named." Obadiah is given a device called "The Fulcrum" and sent to assassinate this man in New York City. Before leaving Promised Land for the first time, he says goodbye to his large amount of foster siblings. Mary-Maria, the only one who's been outside before, hugs him and gives a tearful goodbye. She quietly tells Obadiah to escape while he has the chance, and not to be weak like her. She also gives him a journal to remember her.

Obadiah Archer travels to New York City and takes in the sights while hunting down He Who is Not to Be Named. The artifact glows brighter as he enters the Meatpacking District in Manhattan, and eventually it leads him to a dive bar. The bar is occupied by a rowdy biker gang called the "Sons of Perdition," and Archer assaults their leader when the artifact appears to be pointing to him. This quickly leads to a massive barfight. The immortal Aram Anni-Padda, now going by the name "Armstrong," is the bar's very drunk bouncer. Archer & Armstrong team up to battle and defeat all the bikers. Immediately after the battle, Archer realizes he was mistaken and the Fulcrum was actually pointing to Armstrong. Archer attacks Armstrong, and Armstrong tries to explain the situation while defending himself. They are both interrupted by a grenade that floods the room with knockout gas. Mysterious masked soldiers then enter the bar and abduct them.

Archer & Armstrong wake up inside a locked room, which Armstrong believes to be in Federal Hall (where he has previously been imprisoned). Armstrong explains that he is targeted by an ancient organization known as "The Sect," whose membership goes back to George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in the Freemasons. Archer insists this is a lie, and he is on a holy mission. Archer threatens to kill Armstrong while he's tied up, and Armstrong replies that the Sect has been failing to kill him for almost 10,000 years. He also explains that Archer's "Fulcrum" is a part of the Boon, the machine that "ended the world that came before this one." The Sect has taken over every secret society trying to find the pieces of the Boon that Armstrong hid across the planet. Archer uses his lockpicking skills to escape the room, promising to "find out what is going on" and then kill Armstrong when he returns. Archer disables several masked soldiers, and finds a large room where members of the Sect are talking. The group that captured them is a cult known as The One Percent, devoted to greed and enacting the will of Mammon. Archer is horrified to see the faces of his parents on the screen, revealing they are also members of the Sect. They admit that they intended him as a sacrifice, to "distract or destroy Aram Anni-Padda" so they could assemble the Boon together. The One Percent explain that they are betraying the Dominion, and stealing the Fulcrum means they now have 2 out of the 6 parts of the Boon. Their plan is to stabilize the Euro by blowing up Greece. Archer's parents beg them to return the Fulcrum, saying "You can keep the boy -- he's a failure -- useless to us now."

Notes[]

This issue includes a "sneak preview" of X-O Manowar (Volume 3) #5.
This issue is reprinted in the collected edition Archer & Armstrong: The Michelangelo Code. It was also reprinted as "One Dollar Debut" in May, 2013 (First Printing) and October, 2014 (Second Printing). The First Printing features existing cover artwork and the Second Printing features brand-new cover artwork by Clayton Henry.
The Blank Cover is a convention exclusive cover that was made available at Baltimore Comic-Con (Baltimore, MD) in September 2012. It was limited to 1,000 copies only. It's a flipbook with Bloodshot (Volume 3) #1 thus it actually has two blank covers or one wraparound blank cover.
This issue establishes several of Obadiah Archer's skills, including Capoeira, Krav Maga, Tae Kwon Do, and Lockpicking. His foster brother Jacob also demonstrates Savate.
One of Archer's foster siblings is named Bort. This is a reference to the classic The Simpsons episode "Itchy & Scratchy Land."
The "Nudist Cowboy" seen in New York City is a reference to the real-life street performer Naked Cowboy.
"Cavewoman Andy" probably is a homage to Andrew "Andy" Claybrook.

Quotes[]

People of Ur! Your heroes, the Anni-Padda, have returned triumphant from the Faraway! And brought back its boon! Must eternal life be for gods alone?! I say --

-- Ivar Anni-Padda

Don't be weak, like I was. I had my chance -- I got out. But the world scared me, so I ran back with my tail between my legs. You mean everything to me, Obie. So promise me, when you leave this place... you'll never come back.

-- Mary-Maria

Mom and Pop always taught us Manhattan is a rat's nest of Liberal Marxist Atheist Nazis who want to rob us of our freedom by making us dependent on government handouts. And that is 100% true. But in many ways it's also a lot like home. After all, we did grow up in an amusement park.

-- Archer

You taught me your name! How dare you! You are not to be named!

-- Archer

I have been expertly homeschooled, sir.

-- Archer

You're making a big mistake, Archer! The world is a lot stranger than you think! You need a guy like me, who's been around, to show you the ropes! Archer!!