Faith & Livewire
Welcome back to Strange Times & Places, where we’re going to the strangest time and place of all: high school! That’s right, we diving into the world of the High School AU with Valiant High!
How’s It Different?
Like all such tales, it’s an Imaginary Story that transfers recognizable characters (in this case, those of the Valiant Universe) into a high school setting as a mix of students and faculty. This has been done with The X-Men (several different times), The Avengers, Witchblade, My Little Pony, the entire DCU, and several of Shakespeare’s plays, so it’s well-worn territory by this point.
What’s The Story?
Peter & Colin
It’s the start of a new school year and two sets of best friends – girls Livewire & Faith and boys Peter Stanchek & Colin King – will have to navigate all the pitfalls of high school life including unrequited crushes, a volatile social hierarchy, strict teachers, and the homecoming dance. But attending a school for the superhuman means extra surprises, including dark secrets and mysterious evils, beyond those of a standard blackboard jungle.
Best of Differences
- Coach Bloodshot. The illegitimate offspring of Cable, Wolverine, and Lobo as a high school gym coach. It’s glorious.
Coach Bloodshot
- No matter what continuity he’s inhabiting, Colin “Ninjak” King is Valiant’s coolest superhero.
- Pretty well every Valiant favorite gets at least a cameo, which makes it fun for those of us who love their universe. Special shout out to Woody as the school’s mascot.
Casting the immortal brothers Armstrong and Gilad (here called “The Eternal Sophomore”) as the school’s undercover protectors is a stroke of brilliance. Although it does run into the same problem as Twilight: of all the experiences for an immortal to repeat ad infinitum, who would choose high school?!
Worst of Differences
Trying to fit in the whole Valiant Universe doesn’t leave much room for exposition, explanation, etc. That said, the story does a good job sticking to the main sets of protagonists and explaining supporting cast members as they relate to them. Plus, I don’t think this was meant as a super serious mini-series…
Lucky he’s secretly faculty or that knife would get him expelled.
Come Back Next Week for a New Installment of 1 Out of 5 – Would Recommend!
