Jean-Paul Valley, Also A Crusader in Sword of Azrael #1 Preview

Sword Of Azrael #1 time. Dan Watters and Kieron Gillen are friends. You’ll see them at the bar together, Kieron as the ancient wizard, Dan as the young warrior. And over drinks, they chat – or at least they did in the Before Times. Could there have been some cross-pollination? Or is this steam engine time? Because, for one reason or another, both are writing superheroes who were, or have a legacy of, Crusaders. Medieval Christian warriors taking the faith to the heathen lands of the Middle East, by sword and crucifix, and starting religious wars that lasted for centuries. Kieron Gillen is writing Immortal X-Men with all those religious implications. And this Wednesday’s issue focuses on the Quiet Council member Exodus and his life as a Crusader. A mutant Crusader. And one who, hundreds of years ago, had a religious experience with a Phoenix. While Dan Watters has been writing Sword Of Azrael for DC Comics with a much greater emphasis on the nature of the Order of St. Dumas, of the Knights Templar, who fought in the Crusades. And you can see a preview in Tuesday’s Sword Of Azrael #1, the violence of riotous fury is bubbling under the surface. Preview below.

SWORD OF AZRAEL #1
(W) Dan Watters (A/CA) Nikola Cizmesija
THE WARRIOR ANGEL OF ST. DUMAS RETURNS! Jean-Paul Valley does not want to be Azrael ever again. All it has brought him is pain, violence, and misery. He has sequestered himself away at a monastery in Europe to find peace. But when a young woman who claims to have the same System programming that made Jean-Paul into Azrael arrives at the monastery, he won’t have a choice but to don his violent mantle of Azrael once more to protect her from the deadly assassins who wish her harm. From the rising star creative team of Dan Watters (Arkham City: The Order of the World, Lucifer) and Nikola Cižmešija (Batman: Urban Legends, Future State: Gotham) this miniseries will redefine one of the Batman world’s most iconic and fierce characters. In Shops: 8/2/2022 SRP: $3.99