TITLE: The Chaos Effect vol. 1 – Alpha
YEAR: 1994
COMPANY: Valiant Comics
Writer: Bob Layton
Penciller: Bernard Chang
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorists: Mike Cavallaro
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Layton
In 1994, Valiant Comics would showcase their crossover storyline “The Chaos Effect”.
The event would kick off with the free issue, “The Chaos Effect: Alpha” and would lead be featured on all Valiant titles with the first four as Gamma, the next four as Delta, the next four as Epsilon and concluding with Omega. And then two additional epilogue featuring Magnus, Robot Fighter.
With “The Chaos Effect: Alpha”, the first free comic book features a short storyline that begins with a man (who happens to be Ivar, the Time Walker) being shot from above.
Monks see the man and they are warned that the end of everything is coming and all over the world, the power goes out. Not just electricity but any kind of battery power whatsoever.
Solar (Phil Spector) is unable to control his molecules and starts to sink and use with his bed, to be rescued by his wife, Gayle. Shadowman is gifted with enormous power, while Geoff the Geomancer stars to feel pain.
As for Master Darque, he and his sister are granted limitless power, while Dr. Mirage is no longer transparent and has return to a solid state.
Unfortunately, Bloodshot nanites are no longer healing him, X-O Manowar is thinking the insect aliens are to blame and everyone else is affected.
Meanwhile, the monks take a mysterious hooded man to see the man who fell out of the sky and the mysterious hooded man tells the monks that the end of everything is at hand and chaos now rules the Earth.
Overall, this was a short story to kick off the crossover series of 1994. While Valiant started off strong with Unity, I couldn’t really say that I was excited about “The Chaos Effect”. Part of the problem with Valiant comics is that it was growing too big during a time when the market was becoming oversaturated. Too many titles and for comic book collectors who were still collecting DC, Marvel, Image, Ultraverse, Valiant and other publishers, it no doubt a financial pain in the arse.
But one thing that Valiant had was loyal readers and some who were willing to stay with the titles, even after the purchase by Acclaim that same year and the titles going through cancellation and a revamp.
I look at this crossover as bittersweet. Not knowing that the Valiant that I have come to love, would no longer be the same.