Valkyrie & Aragorn

Based solely on those word balloons, I think I may have briefly dated Valkyrie back in the ’90s.

Anyway, my favorite part of this cover is how it’s a perfect snapshot of Marvel Universe crazy: sometimes a chick riding a winged horse will land on your castle and call you a bitch. Poor Hulk, look at his face; he’s having a hard enough time trying to figure the flying pony, let alone being called a wuss by the Swiss Miss.

But enough of that, let’s get to it. Valkyrie…

I built this fig years ago, back before the horseless Valkyrie ‘Clix (Sinister) or the later mounted version (HoT). I’m a sucker for old Defenders comics and the crazy D-listers that filled that book, plus I’m a huge Thor fan. Asgardian Val here fits both bills and…okay, wait, when looking for Valkyrie pics for this post I came across some great images. You think Val’s a bit over-the-top in that Defenders cover up there? Check this out…

HA! I LOVE old school Valkyrie! As far as contentious guest stars go, Namor usually gets the nod for the most in-your-face cover word balloons, but he’s got NUTHIN’ on blondie here.

All this isn’t me making fun, I have genuine affection for the character. Yeah, sometimes she was portrayed in a heavy handed way, but she was at least different from most of the other Marvel heroines. She got in the mix and stirred things up. A’ight, back to the custom…

Ingredients: Val started life as an Invisible Woman (Clobberin’ Time), while I raided my box of Mage Knight figures for that sword-clutching arm and braids. It’s been awhile since I made this bugger, so I can’t be more specific about the Mage Knight parts. Her cape is a piece of index card paper rolled/shaped by hand and then hardened with a few drips of Krazy Glue (use a tissue to soak up the excess). Aragorn–the horse–came courtesy of Moonstar (Fantastic Forces). Some acrylic paint, a spritz of matte and Val was in the books. Custom Valkyrie & Aragorn dial here.

One more pic of this custom in a second, but first…

That may be my favorite of the bunch, I just love that smarmy look on Valkyrie’s face as she STANDS ON GOLIATH’S HEAD AND CALLS HIM A PIG! Haha, AWESOME! And that’s Hawkeye, by the way–Clint Barton–back in his Giant Man-esque days. When he wakes up and sees this picture (you know Valkyrie snapped some photos), he’s gonna lose his sh*t.

Overall I’m okay with how this figure came out. Not great, but I’ve made worse. Looking back at it I should have used thicker paper for the cape and given it more rolls & folds. The sword could use some work, too. Longer, more ornate. FUN FACT: That sword (Dragonfang) used to belong to the Ancient One, Dr. Strange’s old boss. When the Ancient One died, Doc took it and eventually handed it over to Val when she hooked up with him and the Defenders. Dr. Strange: RE-GIFTER!

Some random Valkyrie from around the web: First up, a Valkyrie figurine. I can’t tell if that’s a fan custom or an actual retail item, either way it’s from a bigger set (here). Next up is a wicked piece of Adam Warren Val art, then a neat fan-made Valkyrie pic. Check out Rebecca Romjin photoshopped as the Norse Goddess and lastly, a Defenders cover gallery. Issue #130 has a great Val cover…not sure if it’s a Sienkiewicz piece, it’s also got a Walt Simonson vibe goin’ on.