First Shift - Bring on Part 7 with the original characters
926544
I was quite disappointed in the follow-up to the Wool Omnibus.  If the author just had to do time hopping through the book, he could at least have used the interesting future characters from the first 5 chapters, instead of a bunch of characters in whom I quickly lost interest.  The explanation of how the war/annihilation started was good, however.
4541021
This really was a good expansion of the other stories.  These books are bit too short.  Plus I would love to read a book that brings all of the old characters back.  I mean not just mention them but really integrate them into a story.  Someone please take charge of that project.

Thanks a bunch.  Love the series.
3030440
I have the original & part 2. I actually like this one better than part 2. It has some awesome training scenes in it. I'm a big fan of this movie series & this one completes my set!
3461556
An excellent installment of the series, keeping the crew learning and growing both as characters and size looking forward to the next one
835503
If you liked the first seven, you won't be disappointed. I can't wait to dig in to the next one.
252045
This should be a great set.  The only fault I found with the first 13 episodes, which I think is shared here, is that Viz / Ocean omitted credits for all of the guest star voice acting roles and for several of the regulars.  That merits the loss of half a star; but I couldn't bring myself to deduct a whole one.

The pacing and content of these episodes is vastly superior to the first half of the series, where great holes in the narrative were left out.  If you want to find out what really happened, read the manga.  The VizBig sets are up to volume 12 as of this writing (soon to be 13) and are exquisite copies of the originally published single volumes with the benefit of clean print face, better quality paper, and unflipped frames.

EDIT:  Having watched the entire series, I can say that the digital transfer is very good.  The original was produced in 1080 HD, making the blu-ray media a better reproduction.  However, the DVD is still fairly detailed.

As was the case with the first 13 episodes, all titles in the OP and ED for each episode are in Japanese.  There is an "extra feature" on the second disc that translates all of that text for each episode in the set.  This is great if you want to know the Japanese cast and crew; but the English voice actors are woefully under-represented.  Practically none of the guest star voices are mentioned and even some of the regulars are overlooked, except for the main cast (most of whom returned to voice the same characters).

If anyone is familiar with the characters from the original series, Sesshomaru, Kagome and Kaede are now voiced by different actors because the original performers were unable to return for various reasons.  This may, or may not, be important in your decision to purchase this set.  This is only my opinion; but all except one acquit themselves very well taking over roles that are strongly identified with their original portrayals.  I do have a quibble with one of the leads and feel that the acting for Kagome is weaker than it could, or should, be.  Detractors of the original performer may come to regret their criticism after watching this follow-up series.

That being said, the pacing of the second 13 episodes is more leisurely and linear than in the first half, although the tension builds constantly.  However, events are still switched around in sequence from the manga and there is unnecessary filler included while canon events are omitted.  Things move along so quickly though, that some viewers may not notice, or care.
3702703
From the Actors listed I would say yes both Arcs from the 1st season are included, what I wonder is what from the 1st issue have they deleted from this set since there is 960 minutes and 4 discs, the original issue was Steelgrave Arc 4 discs 600 minutes and Mel Profet Arc 4 discs 600 minutes, be interesting to see what got cut
1718320
I really enjoy this series and in particular the relationships between the main characters. The previous 2 episodes were some what lacking in this and wee both very transitory in nature. I think episodes 7 & 8 should have been one book instead of two. This episode on the other hand is more in line with the first 6. True, at times it does seem to get bogged down in details, but the action is there in this one as well as the occasional laugh (mostly brought by the CHENG). It is well worth the time to read and I am very glad I have invested time in reading this series. Very much looking forward to the next episode...
962365
I know one guy who posts reviews here wants to wring my neck for my spoiler reviews, but I can't see what he can do to prevent me from doing so.

This voyage starts exactly where the last one left off.  Luffy and Zoro have been literally tossed halfway across Water 7 by Rob Lucci in his superpowered leopard form, with Luffy stuck between a couple of houses and Zoro stuck in a chimney.  Chopper has rescued Iceberg, Paulie, and Zoro's swords from the burning ruins of Iceberg's house.  Sanji is still following Robin's captors and is surprised to see Franky and Usopp captured as well.  And the winds from the Aqua Laguna grow ever stronger.  Luffy and Zoro manage to pull themselves loose (actually Zoro needs some help from Chopper) and they along with Nami meet with Kokoro (remember, the grinning old lady who drinks all the time) who unveils her high performance locomotive, the Rocketman (on the cover of the package and most likely a nod to the Elton John song) which will allow them to pursue the Sea Train with Robin on board.  As they get ready to pull away, they get some unexpected passengers.  The first group is the entire Franky Family along with a couple of huge beasts of burden named Sodom and Gomorrah (also on the package).  They, of course, know that Franky has been kidnapped and desperately want to get him back.  The second group are the three Galley La foremen (Paulie, Lulu, and Tilestone) who remain loyal to Iceberg and want revenge against CP9 for attacking their boss.  An alliance is forged these groups and Luffy and they begin their journey.

Meanwhile, Sanji has stowed away on the Sea Train and begins to fight his way past anyone who stands in his way.  His first opponent is a guy named Jerry who's at least 12 feet tall and has trouble manuevering inside a passenger car.  Sanji finds Franky and Usopp in the next car and frees them.  Usopp seems to run away but a masked man who calls himself the Sniper King arrives on the scene about a minute later.  Both Franky and Sanji know that the Sniper King is actually Usopp but they humor him by saying they don't know him.  Sanji proceeds to the next car to fight a fellow cook named Wanze who fights with noodles (seriously!).  Franky fights CP9's newest recruit, Nero, on top of the same car while Sniper King/Usopp sneaks ahead to the car Robin is in and tries to help her escape.  They nearly succeed in getting Robin to the rapidly approaching Rocketman, but Blueno (the CP9 guy who can create dimensional doors) takes both Robin and Franky back, leaving Luffy's alliance no choice but to follow CP9 to the heavily guarded island fortress, Enies Lobby.

Well, that about wraps up Season 4.  Stay tuned for the Enies Lobby arc that makes up most of Season 5 and is nearly 50 episodes of pure unadulturated action!
325298
Great intro to the show. The only issue for me was that a character I started to like was 'offed' in the episode, and I thought that they would have been a main part of the show.
1190174
Reading these new fotonovels makes me almost feel as if I am watching lost episodes of the original series. Lots of skill and love were put into the writing and production of these stories. I love almost everything about the trade paperback collecting the annual and issues 1 and 2--except that the covers are altered. All the writing has been removed, including the title of the series, the episode name and issue number. If you are a connoisseur of cover art by itself, you will love it. But clearly the covers were designed for the title and other info, as space in the composition was left for them, so to me, the covers look out of balance and incomplete without the text. A small disappointment, to be sure, but a disappointment nonetheless. Still, if you love the original series and want to feel like you're watching a new episode, this series is as close as you will probably ever get. Highly recommend. And thanks John Byrne. Great idea. Great execution.
750886
Where we left off:  The Armor Hunters have been defeated, and the super-team Unity stands revealed to the world.  Sponsored by both the British and United States governments, they are the first line of defense for a world that has been confronted with threats far greater than previously dreamt of.  One such former threat  the sentient giant robot and former Armor Hunter spaceship named GIN-GR, believed destroyed by X-O Manowar  is alive, well, and now working with Unity while covertly housed at Cape Canaveral.

Unity vol. 4 presents an interesting paradigm switch for the heroes of Unity.  During the Armor Hunters event, Unity felt somewhat constrained as the overarching narrative Matt Kindt had started was seemingly put on hold to accommodate the Hunters story.  Now we are getting back into the swing of things!

What I really loved about the tale told in this trade is the continued exploration of how the world reacts in the post-Armor Hunters era.  We get glimpses of the marketing blitz undertaken to popularize the concept of the Unity team to the world, as well as the negative reactions that several of the worlds governments have to the idea that the first superhero team are representing American/British interests.  The team raised to counter Unity  The United  represents a fascinating cadre of characters, and it is my sincere hope that we see more of The United in future Valiant stories to come.

The other side to this story deals with Unitys first official recruit, as psiot Faith Herbert, aka Zephyr from the Harbinger series, is invited to join the team.  As we have already seen from the Harbinger: Omegas, Faith and her boyfriend Torque have become semi-celebrities, and Faith apparently tests very well with focus groups run by Unitys marketing teams.  We are treated to the Faith #0 issue in this trade, filling in the gaps of Faith and Torque after their encounters in Mexico City with Generation Zero (see Armor Hunters: Harbinger), before Unity makes her the offer of a lifetime.  But will the good-natured Faith fit in with the likes of Ninjak or the Eternal Warrior?

Also included in this trade is Unity #0, which tells the tale from the Eternal Warriors vantage point of an earlier time when he was teamed together with a group of exceptional individuals.  While this first reads like just a nice story exploring how this world needs a Unity, I don't think it spoils anything by saying that Kindt takes the opportunity to seed one or two important characters for future stories in this tale, making it extremely important for anyone enjoying the unfolding Valiant mythology.  Not to be missed!
2593917
The cartoon we all love is back with a new release, continuing where the Phoenix Saga left off.  These are the original versions, not the syndicated versions aired on Disney-XD.  Personally, I'm on the fence as to whether or not I prefer the syndicated versions or the original.  The syndicated versions show no cuts for content (these episodes were NEVER longer than 22 minutes, including the intro and outro) but do show some corrections of animation mistakes.  For example, in "Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 1)" (which was later changed to "Savage Land, Savage Heart (Part 1)" for the syndicated edition) Sauron's dialog is incorrectly dubbed to Ka-Zar's lips during their confrontation.  This was fixed in the syndicated version.  Another example is in "Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 2)" where Storm, in a fit of rage, tears off her communicators.  The communicators stay on sfter she grumbles "leave me alone" but as it cuts to a new angle they are missing.  This was also fixed in the syndicated version.  However, disregarding these subtle differences, I encourage any X-Men fan to purchase the series on DVD.  Many of us have waited a long time for this.
2949375
A part 7 is definitely needed to wrap up. I do 't want to spoil it for anyone, but the last event needs to have more after it. Need more MaeDella and Charlie!
2474107
The only thing I have to add that hasn't already been said is, DON'T READ THE INTRODUCTION! The forward in the beginning written by Peter Milligan gives away an important plot point for those who have never gone throughout the whole series before.

That aside, I loved the Xstatix run, Mike Allred's art is TOP NOTCH and Peter Milligan's writing is FANTASTIC.
For the casual reader you may want the individual volumes, but for the rabid fan, this is a must!
722297
I love all of the episodes.  Does anyone know when the complete first series 1973-1975 will be made for region 1?  Not just the bits and pieces that was made by BFS.  I have never seen the first episodes in totality.  Does anyone know where I can purchase them here in the US?
3876653
An awesome series though I recommend reading the first seven before this one! Otherwise the character appearances and story itself would lose something.
It's honestly a great twist on an old classic, and rather fun to read. here are parts where I smile and role my eyes a bit at how cheesy it is, but I still love seeing favorites and rooting on the 'good guys' as they try to trump evil doers!