LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
I mean it's the best Divinity
-
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Valiant Comics (Beginner's Guide) |OT| Out of the trash bin and into your hands.
- Thread starter LaunchpadMcQ
- Start date
I mean it's the best Divinity
ShadowSwordmaster
Banned
Fair enough.
I'm going to get a Hariginger Wars hardcover at me local comic book store this week. I keep forgetting to get it.
BuddyJoeHooker
Member
Nice OP
Ninjak is one of my favorite series and everything else is great as well.
Ninjak is one of my favorite series and everything else is great as well.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
i have nothing to really add to this, but as a huge fan of 90s valiant and the recent-ish X-O reboot, it makes me happy to see this thread and OP. i only wish Solar could be part of this universe, since he was pretty much the cornerstone of the original, and I considered him a very complex hero for the era
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
Check out Divinity. He's not quite the same, but he was intended to cull that void
Angelus Errare
Banned
Nice thread, used to read a lot of Valiant. Honestly I just fell out of comics in general but I liked many of the characters (Livewire is a favorite of mine).
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
I haven't done too much reading into the 90's stuff, but if you're into comics still, this stuff will definitely impress you
Freezasaurus
Member
Stalinverse is the only Divinity I've read so far, but I liked it enough to buy all of the relevant issues.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
So I got myself excited and re-read the first volume of Harbinger. First time since two years ago.
I feel like this is one of the best first arcs ever. There are a lot of gripping moments for me, particularly when we see Peter's and Harada's pasts, how they parallel each other in the worst ways, and more importantly how they differ. I feel for both of them, even though Peter's actions in the first issue still weigh pretty heavily on me, even through to the new series. This is a deeply disturbed character, and I can kind of side with him, but it doesn't excuse his actions; that said, the way this is all established makes him easily one of the most nuanced characters, and I'm certain people overlook this when they talk about how great a character Harada is. I think they're two halves the same coin.
I'd also like to apologize to Khari Evans. His art is good, but I didn't like his faces. Well, I've been reading a lot of Lemire drawn stuff these days, so I've had to bit my tongue on it. The faces aren't that bad. They even look really good in places. There are just a few too many lines at times, I think.
Anyway, as for the story itself, it's this perfect arc of presenting every single trope associated with this kind of topic - namely, the X-Men archetype - and tearing them down one by one. And you notice the little details of how Harada operates, how he doesn't use his powers to change the structure of the world because then "the system doesn't work." It's such a thoughtful detail, all the small tidbits of Harada's conglomerate.
God, I love this book lol
I feel like this is one of the best first arcs ever. There are a lot of gripping moments for me, particularly when we see Peter's and Harada's pasts, how they parallel each other in the worst ways, and more importantly how they differ. I feel for both of them, even though Peter's actions in the first issue still weigh pretty heavily on me, even through to the new series. This is a deeply disturbed character, and I can kind of side with him, but it doesn't excuse his actions; that said, the way this is all established makes him easily one of the most nuanced characters, and I'm certain people overlook this when they talk about how great a character Harada is. I think they're two halves the same coin.
I'd also like to apologize to Khari Evans. His art is good, but I didn't like his faces. Well, I've been reading a lot of Lemire drawn stuff these days, so I've had to bit my tongue on it. The faces aren't that bad. They even look really good in places. There are just a few too many lines at times, I think.
Anyway, as for the story itself, it's this perfect arc of presenting every single trope associated with this kind of topic - namely, the X-Men archetype - and tearing them down one by one. And you notice the little details of how Harada operates, how he doesn't use his powers to change the structure of the world because then "the system doesn't work." It's such a thoughtful detail, all the small tidbits of Harada's conglomerate.
God, I love this book lol
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
You really, really don't need to commit to the entire universe if you're at all interested in anything here. The series are standalone; anything universe-altering is relegated to its own miniseries, and if you don't care to find out what happens, you can continue on with whatever you were reading without batting an eyelash. Any event that will have altered the course of a character just gets its own new series that reflects those changes, and in those cases, the event was part of the character's story anyway, so you're never really derailed. That's the beauty of it - it's there if you want it but it never affects your enjoyment.
Coriolanus
Banned
Valiant's formula of seeking the best bang for their buck when it comes to writing and art has really produced some terrific results over time.
Feel that they're what Avatar Press could become if they ever started having, yknow, standards.
shame that it aint reflected in sales numbers
Feel that they're what Avatar Press could become if they ever started having, yknow, standards.
shame that it aint reflected in sales numbers
I've loved Valiant ever since I got a pack of those trading cards in 1993. The art style then and now had a certain flavor to it.
I remember the promotional material for the Chaos Effect crossover fondly, too.
However - I really should actually read the comics series one day. The FCBD Valiant issues have always been fun.
I remember the promotional material for the Chaos Effect crossover fondly, too.
However - I really should actually read the comics series one day. The FCBD Valiant issues have always been fun.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
Valiant's formula of seeking the best bang for their buck when it comes to writing and art has really produced some terrific results over time.
Feel that they're what Avatar Press could become if they ever started having, yknow, standards.
shame that it aint reflected in sales numbers
Their business model somehow works, though. I feel like the threshold for them to consider a series a failure is a lot lower than even we know. That said, they occasionally get home runs like the latest XO selling 60k (and it wasn't in a loot box). But yes, more people should be reading
Green Ninja
Banned
Savage, Britannia, and Quantum & Woody are stand alone right? I was thinking of starting with those as they sound the most interesting
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
Yes to all three
TheDarkKnight774
Member
Van lente's Archer &narmstrong is the my favorite valiant book. It's the spiritual successor of Incredible Herc
Valiant also reprints the classic Chris Priest version of Quantum and Woody, and published a new mini series in that continuity.
Highly recommended if you're interested. Amazing book.
Second this though should be warned the humor is a bit different than the current one.
Donniewahlberg
Banned
.....lol now you're making me want to start with Harbinger. Eh. I'll figure it out.
I understand why Valiant want to stage a comeback but given how DC and Marvel completely dominate the comic book market in every conceivable way (tv, film, merch etc, etc) just how much marketshare do they think they can whittle out for themselves?
Is managing to eek out a single one percent of the market really good enough to justify this supposed push into film and TV productions?
I just don't see Valiant making any headway in film or TV with these characters. There doesn't seem to be anything fresh about these characters, at least superficially, that makes them stand part from the vast sways of characters that DC and Marvel have.
Heh.
This is perfect.
Is managing to eek out a single one percent of the market really good enough to justify this supposed push into film and TV productions?
I just don't see Valiant making any headway in film or TV with these characters. There doesn't seem to be anything fresh about these characters, at least superficially, that makes them stand part from the vast sways of characters that DC and Marvel have.
So this is like that Sense of Right Alliance thing, yeah?
Heh.
This is perfect.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
Totally valid concern. I've learned myself that there's not much appealing about these characters at a very surface level, but the stories built around them are usually astounding. So, I guess we'll just have to see how it resonates with people when they get to that level.
FYI, I think their market share is about 1.5% now. They're top 10, but nowhere near as monstrous as DC, Marvel, or even their former selves for the reasons you mentioned - DC and Marvel have had the cartoons, the films, the tv shows for quite some time already.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
Against a number of odds, yes, and they are quite amazing
Hickbilly Deluxe
Banned
I still have my original XO #0 Foil cover sitting around somewhere. By far my favorite series out of valiant, with A&A being a close second. Happy to see they are still around.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
According to Diamond Distribution Valiant's market share for April 2017 was 0.8%. That's a perilously low share of the market to try and invest tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars in production finance for film and TV projects.
http://www.diamondcomics.com/Home/1/1/3/237?articleID=194021
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
Ok, let me correct myself. It varies between .7-1.5%, but the month you're looking at (and several months out of this year) have had the publisher only putting out 6 books, which is lower than their usual output. They've not put out more than 11 books a month before, but that's a big part of it. The months with more published books generally have them at a higher number.
Of course, even though Diamond's numbers are generally a good indicator of how well a publisher is doing, there are a few other things to take into consideration. Valiant's business model is wildly different from other companies; their margins are much lower and they can get by only selling 5-10k of a title and still make enough money to pay its creators. Moreover, they do have bigger months sometimes when they have high-profile books like the recent X-O Manowar selling 60k or so. But, the bigger part still is that Diamond numbers don't reflect the digital market. That can be said of all publishers - Brian K Vaughan, for example, says Saga sells twice as much digitally as it does physically - but it's still something to take into account. There's a larger picture we're not seeing
Also, a bit of backstory, the film and TV series landscape opened up because of a large investment from Chinese film production company, DMG. I'm not sure there were plans for these things before, and if there were, they definitely weren't as fleshed out.
Whether it ends up being worth it or not, that remains to be seen. I think they can reach a decent number of new fans with the right approach, even if they just remain as film/tv series fans and not comic readers.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
I realized, Divinity #0 is probably going to be an excellent primer into the Valiant universe based on the description. It's due out in August, but I put it at the top of the sheet. It should give a glimpse into a lot of the characters and give people some good directions to go in.
Unfortunately, I also ran out of characters while doing so, so I ended up cutting out you guys' quotes
Unfortunately, I also ran out of characters while doing so, so I ended up cutting out you guys' quotes
BenjaminBirdie
Banned
IP is all that matters, not popularity. The best selling comic sells like 200k? Movies make billions of dollars.
Comic book properties don't rely on monthly sales as a starting point. Comparatively speaking, no one reads comics.
TEOTFW sold probably even less copies than a Valiant book and is going to be a Netflix series.
So. What else you got.
What utter, fanboy nonsense. If any of what you said was true Scott Pilgrim would have made a billion dollars and be on it's third sequel by now.
No one gives a fuck about Ninjak.
Just make your peace with it.
Captain Zyrain
Member
Need to dig out my "Chromium" cover Bloodshot #0 and Magnus Robot Fighter #something.
Man, Valiant was THE SHIT when I was in middle school. We used to have fights over who was cooler.. Valiant stuff or iMAGE.
Man, Valiant was THE SHIT when I was in middle school. We used to have fights over who was cooler.. Valiant stuff or iMAGE.
Supa Necta
Banned
I "collected" comics in the early 90s--bought them, bagged them, and assigned dollar values based on price guides. I was part of the problem.
Valiant books I read.
Valiant books I read.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
And no one gave a fuck about The Walking Dead in 2004 when it was selling <10k issues monthly
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
OUT THIS WEEK
Ninjak #27 is a one-shot, for anyone interested on just getting a glimpse of the character. Haven't read it, but I'm hearing it's a strong debut for Kevin Mauer.
Britannia: WWAATD #2 is a continuation of the miniseries. If you dig ancient Roman ghost detective stories, this one is worth checking out.
Available on Comixology or at your local comic book stores!
Ninjak #27 is a one-shot, for anyone interested on just getting a glimpse of the character. Haven't read it, but I'm hearing it's a strong debut for Kevin Mauer.
Britannia: WWAATD #2 is a continuation of the miniseries. If you dig ancient Roman ghost detective stories, this one is worth checking out.
Available on Comixology or at your local comic book stores!
bengraven
Member
I remember getting this from toys r us in Duluth.
God I wonder what happened to it.
Discotheque
Banned
I've been meaning to get around to harbinger for a while now since I found Dysarts unknown soldier to be one of the best comic runs ever
His take on an xmen type of universe could potentially be interesting for sure.
His take on an xmen type of universe could potentially be interesting for sure.
What clutch timing, I just discovered Valiant last week and was going to make a topic. I'm fairly new to comics but have been reading quite a bit in the past year and I have to say, what I've read so far of Valiant has really impressed me.
The two I've really dove into so far are X-O Manowar and Ninjak. I'm about 15 issues into each and they are just fantastic. The main characters are spot on, the artwork is incredible and the storyline has kept me hooked. I'm leaning towards like Ninjak a bit more so far but I also have so much left of X-O that I can't come close to a final judgment. Thanks to ComiXology Unlimited I'im going to check out Harbringer, Bloodshot and a few of their other titles. It kinda sucks you get hooked w/ the ComiXology Unlimited volumes before they dry up and you're stuck w/ Hoopla (lower quality scans) or purchasing them. X-O at least has the first 10 volumes on Hoopla but Ninjak I will be purchasing anything past Volume 3.
Super excited to get invested enough in their universe to experience all the overlap between characters.
The two I've really dove into so far are X-O Manowar and Ninjak. I'm about 15 issues into each and they are just fantastic. The main characters are spot on, the artwork is incredible and the storyline has kept me hooked. I'm leaning towards like Ninjak a bit more so far but I also have so much left of X-O that I can't come close to a final judgment. Thanks to ComiXology Unlimited I'im going to check out Harbringer, Bloodshot and a few of their other titles. It kinda sucks you get hooked w/ the ComiXology Unlimited volumes before they dry up and you're stuck w/ Hoopla (lower quality scans) or purchasing them. X-O at least has the first 10 volumes on Hoopla but Ninjak I will be purchasing anything past Volume 3.
Super excited to get invested enough in their universe to experience all the overlap between characters.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
You're going to find that a lot of the social/political consciousness he brought to Unknown Soldier, he brings to Harbinger and even more to Imperium. I highly recommend taking a look.
Glad you're enjoying it. Ninjak is also my favorite. It's hard to imagine now that Valiant got on for like 3 years without him having a main book.
I love Aric, but he's probably a lot lower on my list of favorite characters. However, I will say his character changes a lot and has probably the most dynamic title; every arc brings some new permanent change that is both subtle yet heavily impacts the character.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
COLLECTED EDITION RELEASES FOR MAY
I'm going to start doing month look-aheads for all the releases starting next month. Generally speaking, even if a new issue is in the middle of a run, I'll denote whether it's designed as a jumping on point. Valiant creates their books in such a way that first issue in an arc always catches a reader up and gives them a good entry point into the series. Same can be said of trade paperback releases.
Also, as always, the first trade paperback in every series is $9.99! I know none of these releases are that, but in case you want to go back and read those.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR NEW READERS
DIVINITY III: STALINVERSE TPB
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Cover by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC
Earth has a new god. The world you know is gone. Welcome to the Stalinverse, comrade.
Welcome to the year 2017...where the Soviet Union has spent decades as the world's reigning superpower and the Iron Curtain now encircles a planet riddled with war, strife, and oppression. Freedom is a thing of the past in the Stalinverse... So why can't Russian intelligence officer Colin King shake the feeling that something has gone terribly wrong? He'll put his freedom and life on the line to uncover the truth... Even if that means finding out whatever happened to the long-missing cosmonaut Abram Adams – the one man who just might hold the keyto unraveling the dystopian world of today...
New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (4001 A.D.) and blockbuster artist Trevor Hairsine (Divinity II) bring you the Valiant Universe like you've never seen it before!
Collecting DIVINITY III: STALINVERSE #1-4.
$14.99 | 112 pgs. | T+ | On Sale MAY 3
FAITH VOL. 3: SUPERSTAR TPB
Written by JODY HOUSER with LOUISE SIMONSON and RAFER ROBERTS
Art by JOE EISMA and MEGHAN HETRICK with MARGUERITE SAUVAGE and COLLEEN DORAN
Cover by CARMEN CARNERO
Fight and flight!
As Los Angeles' high-flying protector, Faith has inspired the dreams of an entire metropolis... Now get ready to meet its worst nightmare! When an escaped psiot prisoner starts tearing through the streets, Faith must stop her fiery rampage before all hell breaks loose! But this isn't just any ordinary threat... Not only can this empowered escapee drain the energy of everything in sight, she's one of L.A.'s most controversial pop stars to boot!
Valiant's chart-topping superhero is about to add a major new player to her frenemies list, courtesy of breakout writer Jody Houser (Mother Panic) and acclaimed artists Meghan Hetrick (Red Thorn) and Marguerite Sauvage (DC Comics Bombshells)! Plus: legendary writer Louise Simonson and Harvey Award-nominated artist Pere Pérez present history in the making as they bring together the leading female hero in comics today for a presidential milestone like no other!
Collecting FAITH #5-8.
$14.99 | 128 pgs. | T+ | On Sale MAY 10
A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG VOL. 3 – ANDROMEDA ESTRANGED TPB
Written by RAFER ROBERTS
Art by MIKE NORTON with RYAN LEE and MARC LAMING
Cover by KANO
Beatdown in the bayou!
At long last, Valiant's gallant adventurers have finally located Armstrong's long-missing wife...in that dreaded land that dare not speak its name: Florida! But after centuries of thinking that his near-immortal bride, Andromeda, was just a booze-induced hallucination, how will Armstrong make up for years of lies, losses, and infidelities? And, as if that wasn't enough, a nefarious new force is about to release an army of bathsalt-using ”Florida Men" to finish off Archer & Armstrong once and for all!
It's a true story (not really) ripped from today's headlines (pretty much)! Pack your Crocs and don't skimp on the lotion because the Sunshine State is about to hit Archer & Armstrong like a bad seafood buffet...and we only have Harvey Award-nominated writer Rafer Roberts (Harbinger Renegade) and acclaimed artist Mike Norton (Revival) to blame!
Collecting A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #9-12.
$14.99 | 112 pgs. | T+ | On Sale MAY 24
Credit to Valiant for solicitations.
I'm going to start doing month look-aheads for all the releases starting next month. Generally speaking, even if a new issue is in the middle of a run, I'll denote whether it's designed as a jumping on point. Valiant creates their books in such a way that first issue in an arc always catches a reader up and gives them a good entry point into the series. Same can be said of trade paperback releases.
Also, as always, the first trade paperback in every series is $9.99! I know none of these releases are that, but in case you want to go back and read those.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR NEW READERS
DIVINITY III: STALINVERSE TPB
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Cover by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC
Earth has a new god. The world you know is gone. Welcome to the Stalinverse, comrade.
Welcome to the year 2017...where the Soviet Union has spent decades as the world's reigning superpower and the Iron Curtain now encircles a planet riddled with war, strife, and oppression. Freedom is a thing of the past in the Stalinverse... So why can't Russian intelligence officer Colin King shake the feeling that something has gone terribly wrong? He'll put his freedom and life on the line to uncover the truth... Even if that means finding out whatever happened to the long-missing cosmonaut Abram Adams – the one man who just might hold the keyto unraveling the dystopian world of today...
New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (4001 A.D.) and blockbuster artist Trevor Hairsine (Divinity II) bring you the Valiant Universe like you've never seen it before!
Collecting DIVINITY III: STALINVERSE #1-4.
$14.99 | 112 pgs. | T+ | On Sale MAY 3
FAITH VOL. 3: SUPERSTAR TPB
Written by JODY HOUSER with LOUISE SIMONSON and RAFER ROBERTS
Art by JOE EISMA and MEGHAN HETRICK with MARGUERITE SAUVAGE and COLLEEN DORAN
Cover by CARMEN CARNERO
Fight and flight!
As Los Angeles' high-flying protector, Faith has inspired the dreams of an entire metropolis... Now get ready to meet its worst nightmare! When an escaped psiot prisoner starts tearing through the streets, Faith must stop her fiery rampage before all hell breaks loose! But this isn't just any ordinary threat... Not only can this empowered escapee drain the energy of everything in sight, she's one of L.A.'s most controversial pop stars to boot!
Valiant's chart-topping superhero is about to add a major new player to her frenemies list, courtesy of breakout writer Jody Houser (Mother Panic) and acclaimed artists Meghan Hetrick (Red Thorn) and Marguerite Sauvage (DC Comics Bombshells)! Plus: legendary writer Louise Simonson and Harvey Award-nominated artist Pere Pérez present history in the making as they bring together the leading female hero in comics today for a presidential milestone like no other!
Collecting FAITH #5-8.
$14.99 | 128 pgs. | T+ | On Sale MAY 10
A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG VOL. 3 – ANDROMEDA ESTRANGED TPB
Written by RAFER ROBERTS
Art by MIKE NORTON with RYAN LEE and MARC LAMING
Cover by KANO
Beatdown in the bayou!
At long last, Valiant's gallant adventurers have finally located Armstrong's long-missing wife...in that dreaded land that dare not speak its name: Florida! But after centuries of thinking that his near-immortal bride, Andromeda, was just a booze-induced hallucination, how will Armstrong make up for years of lies, losses, and infidelities? And, as if that wasn't enough, a nefarious new force is about to release an army of bathsalt-using ”Florida Men" to finish off Archer & Armstrong once and for all!
It's a true story (not really) ripped from today's headlines (pretty much)! Pack your Crocs and don't skimp on the lotion because the Sunshine State is about to hit Archer & Armstrong like a bad seafood buffet...and we only have Harvey Award-nominated writer Rafer Roberts (Harbinger Renegade) and acclaimed artist Mike Norton (Revival) to blame!
Collecting A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #9-12.
$14.99 | 112 pgs. | T+ | On Sale MAY 24
Credit to Valiant for solicitations.