Archer & Armstrong Introduces A Ninja-Nun For Hire…

What is it about nuns in comics? About 25% of them turn out to be warriors, ninjas or other assaulting types. It's getting to be a real habit.

Well, debuting in today's A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong teaser from our friends at Valiant, it's none other than Archer's estranged stepsister (and former childhood crush) Mary-Maria.

Currently serving as the leader of a monastic order of "ninja-nuns" called the Sisters of Perpetual Darkness, Mary-Maria is a fairly recent introduction to the Valiant Universe, having first appeared early on in Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry's Archer & Armstrong series and quickly becoming a fan favorite.

And now it would appear that incoming creators Rafer Roberts and David Lafuente are going to be pushing her back to the forefront with A&A's introductory storyline, "In the Bag," as Archer sets off on a rescue mission into the recesses of Armstrong's magical, bottomless satchel to save his partner.

Given Valiant's recent success with female superheroes in their Faith title and Mary-Maria's increased profile in the new A&A series, could a solo opportunity be in the offing? Late last year, we heard rumblings that Valiant had been working away on several projects to bring a Wonder Woman-level icon to their universe… Might we have another contender in the running?

A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #1 by Rafer Roberts and David Lafuente is on shelves March 16th. In the meantime, Valiant has also given us sneak peek at a variant cover to issue #3 by The Multiversity's Ben Oliver: