Valiant Relaunch

[Zombipanda]

Why must you say such hurtful things?

Well you know what? Deadpool can go to hell, and you can keep reading lackluster crap from DC and Marvel, you big jerk.

You broke my heart, Zombi. Right in two.

Pffffffft. Talk to me when you're done reading some Umberto Eco.




So, I've just started reading Harbinger. Brilliant stuff, really. If I'd known the guy who did Unknown Soldier from Vertigo was involved in this, I would have picked it up a long time ago.

 

[DIrishB]

Pffffffft. Talk to me when you're done reading some Umberto Eco.

So, I've just started reading Harbinger. Brilliant stuff, really. If I'd known the guy who did Unknown Soldier from Vertigo was involved in this, I would have picked it up a long time ago.

Oh for Christ's sake...this is what I've been saying. I think you may enjoy Archer & Armstrong also, it's wonderfully snarky and tongue in cheek and pokes a lot of fun at just about everything (notably the Christian Conservative right). It's like the Simpsons but with more punching.

 

[Zombipanda]

Oh for Christ's sake...this is what I've been saying. I think you may enjoy Archer & Armstrong also, it's wonderfully snarky and tongue in cheek and pokes a lot of fun at just about everything (notably the Christian Conservative right). It's like the Simpsons but with more punching.

Archer and Armstrong is the last one I'm going to read. It's going to be the apertif in my Valiant reading binge. As it stands, I like Valiant but I find some bits.... problematic with ti. There's the symptomatic stink of nineties to it. I'll have a thorough report of my linewide assessment in a few days.

I think it's about on par with Dark Horse as far as quality goes. Both companies manage their properties well and keep their output at low numbers to insure that every book is solid. Marvel and DC have as many books that are at the quality or better of Valiant's output (and more than that, in terms of artistic talent), but their batting average is lower because they have dozens of books on the stand and the sub-par quality of the multitude weighs down the strength of the few fantastic books they're churning out.

 

[DIrishB]

Archer and Armstrong is the last one I'm going to read. It's going to be the apertif in my Valiant reading binge. As it stands, I like Valiant but I find some bits.... problematic with ti. There's the symptomatic stink of nineties to it. I'll have a thorough report of my linewide assessment in a few days.

I think it's about on par with Dark Horse as far as quality goes. Both companies manage their properties well and keep their output at low numbers to insure that every book is solid. Marvel and DC have as many books that are at the quality or better of Valiant's output (and more than that, in terms of artistic talent), but their batting average is lower because they have dozens of books on the stand and the sub-par quality of the multitude weighs down the strength of the few fantastic books they're churning out.

Good points. As far as Marvel/DC having certain books of higher quality in terms of writing and art, it's only fair to point out they've also got much higher profits and budgets to work with to hire the premiere talent in both categories.

I look forward to your breakdown, as I'm interested in your 90's comparison. I can see that in terms of XO Manowar, Bloodshot, and Shadowman to a degree, but not at all in Harbinger or A&A (well, maybe a bit). I'd think that's likely due to the company rebooting titles from a company that began and partially shaped the 90's comics boom. However, I think they've done a great job overall in terms of rebooting the line, allowing a fresh start for new readers, limiting the titles to encourage readers to check them all out (though that's growing...I think there'll be 8 ongoings by end of this year), and doing a nice job of giving each book it's own flavor, tone, identity, and even genre, while still tying them all together in both subtle and overt ways to form a cohesive universe. It's what continuity nuts like myself love. The decent and downright enjoyable writing in most titles (Shadowman and Quantum & Woody are my least favorite) keeps me interested, and the artwork in some is notable. A&A has consistently tight and strong art. Nothing groundbreaking but it is detailed, kinetic, and captures the ridiculous nature of the book well. Shadowman's rougher style fits the book's subject matter perfectly. And I enjoyed Nord's work on XO.

I'm not saying its the best comics written or currently out, merely that its a strong line overall and definitely worth a read to see if people enjoy it or not. If they don't I can understand that, but I like it.

Looking forward to your review.

 

[DIrishB]

Zombi, this may interest you:


http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/08/01/valiant-want-a-job-try-fan-fiction/

Yet another reason I love Valiant. Their relationship with their fans puts all other companies to shame, and they try new things such as this:

Allowing their copyrighted characters to be used by fans in short, fan fiction stories that can be sold through Amazon's Kindle program for profit both to Valiant and the writer.

And better yet, if its good enough and makes an impression on the Valiant writers/editors, you just may open yourself up for a job (or at least a pitch).

Seems like a better step than Marvel or DC.

 

[Zombipanda]

Zombi, this may interest you:


http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/08/01/valiant-want-a-job-try-fan-fiction/

Yet another reason I love Valiant. Their relationship with their fans puts all other companies to shame, and they try new things such as this:

Allowing their copyrighted characters to be used by fans in short, fan fiction stories that can be sold through Amazon's Kindle program for profit both to Valiant and the writer.

And better yet, if its good enough and makes an impression on the Valiant writers/editors, you just may open yourself up for a job (or at least a pitch).

Seems like a better step than Marvel or DC.

Hrm. Well, I never really intended to step into the industry through DC or Marvel. My heart is in prose.

But still, hm....

 

[DIrishB]

Hrm. Well, I never really intended to step into the industry through DC or Marvel. My heart is in prose.

But still, hm....

Technically this is prose...you elitist snob. Only kidding.

Still, I'd love to read something by you, especially if its Valiant related. And who knows? It may just catch the eye of Valiant's powers that be and who knows what could happen?

 

[Zombipanda]

Technically this is prose...you elitist snob. Only kidding.

Still, I'd love to read something by you, especially if its Valiant related. And who knows? It may just catch the eye of Valiant's powers that be and who knows what could happen?

A low-paying job at America's seventh best-selling comics company!

Seriously, though. I'm working on something now. I'll send some pages your way once I have something substantial.

 

[DIrishB]

A low-paying job at America's seventh best-selling comics company!

Wait...you really are an elitist snob!

But for a company that's only been around for a year, seventh isn't bad. I expect them to climb up the sales rank to at least 4th or 5th place by next year. It's not likely they'll ever overtake Marvel, DC, Image, or even Dark Horse, but whatever.

Seriously, though. I'm working on something now. I'll send some pages your way once I have something substantial.

Very cool, I'm definitely looking forward to it. I know you have a talent for high concept, but I'd love to see your abilities in terms of characterization.

 

[DIrishB]

So just got caught up on my Valiant titles from the past 2-3 weeks.

Harbinger Wars was a decent mini. My biggest gripe is it involved too much repetition of certain events seen through different viewpoints amongst Harbinger War, Harbinger, and Bloodshot. I felt it was a bit redundant and unnecessary and could've benefitted more by offering more original story instead of rehashing the same few scenes. That said those same scenes were only a few, and a lot of ground was covered despite the rehashing. Valiant also showed that really no one is safe.

Harbinger itself is an extremely strong title, always an enjoyable read, and the most recent issue ended with the death of a major character. I was shocked.

Bloodshot finished up its Harbinger War tie in issues, and now looks to be a prisoner of Harada. That should be interesting. We'll see what happens in Bloodshot #0 later this month.

Archer & Armstrong is probably my personal favorite. It's always fun, with great humor and adventure. The latest issue re-introduced Ivar the Timewalker (Armstrong and Eternal Warrior's third brother), and offered some great in-jokes and allusions of what's to come. It's truly a pleasure to read this book each month.

Shadowman is still the weakest title in my opinion. While its got a lot going on and isn't afraid of making major changes (as the newest issue shows with yet another major character death), the characters, story, and overall tone of the book aren't really my thing. I'm still reading it to see if it catches my attention and to gauge its position in the overall Valiant mythos, but its my least favorite.

Quantum & Woody #2 was pretty funny. I liked the first issue but the second was an improvement. Silly, somewhat shallow, goofy, and weird...it's right up my alley. It's like a less cerebral version of Archer & Armstrong (though that's admittedly not very cerebral), but with more of a buddy cop vibe than the Indiana Jones vibe A&A has. Both work, and work well, though, however you classify them.

Looking forward to the new XO Manowar and Bloodshot issues next week.

Overall, the Valiant books are still holding very strong.

 

[DIrishB]

Just read Eternal Warrior #1 and Archer & Armstrong #13.

EW was decent. Mostly set up, obviously, but there's an undeniable gravity to the book that makes it obvious there's a lot of cool stuff in store. Plus Clayton Crain's artwork on the next issue (seen in previews) looks fantastic.

A&A is simply my favorite. Love the characters, humor, adventure, etc. Really great book all around.

The recent issue of Shadowman (#10) was a flashback issue which shed light on where Shadowman comes from. Very interesting how its tied to Darque's sister.

And Quantum and Woody #3 had me laughing out loud. The "blackface" scene was fantastic and hilarious.

 

[DIrishB]

Another fantastic week of Valiant releases. XO Manowar #17 is laying the seeds for the upcoming Unity series. Harbinger #16 was fantastic. Great characterization, great interaction, and nice twist at the end. Bloodshot and HARD Corps #14 was great as well. Loved the character building for the HARD Corps members. Palmer is going to be a really interesting character. Also quite interesting to see Bloodshot needing a rescue.

Also, this is a perfect example of why Valiant is awesome:

Valiant 8-bit Unity Cover

 

[E]

Comixology is running a sale on Valiant books - they say there are over 200 issues at 99 cents each.

 

[Friday]

I picked a bunch up in the sale again. Quantum and woody was fun but not as good as I expected after reading the writers image mini about the apocalypse. I finally got to check out archer and armstrong too, it's very fun and it seems to be the glue that's connecting a lot of the series into their shared universe.

 

[DIrishB]

Comixology is running a sale on Valiant books - they say there are over 200 issues at 99 cents each.

Is that on the new stuff too or the old 90's era? I only ask because I'm pretty sure they haven't put out 200 different comics yet in the rebooted universe.

If it is including any of the new stuff, I strongly suggest checking some out, namely Harbinger, Archer & Armstrong, and Bloodshot.

 

[DIrishB]

I picked a bunch up in the sale again. Quantum and woody was fun but not as good as I expected after reading the writers image mini about the apocalypse.

The first two issues of Q&W were just a lot of set up, and the first didn't have any real hilarious moments, but the second one had a few pretty funny gags. Issue 3 was great. I was dying of laughter from the black face scene.

I finally got to check out archer and armstrong too, it's very fun and it seems to be the glue that's connecting a lot of the series into their shared universe.

A&A is my favorite, with Harbinger a close second. And you're right, A&A is definitely well classified as the series which touches on and ties the rest together. Though Bloodshot also does so in more overt ways, especially in terms of how it intersects with Harbinger in the Harbinger Wars mini. And the upcoming Unity series will help tie together characters from XO, Harbinger, and A&A quite nicely.

But the individual titles still work perfectly even when read individually. They aren't trying to beat the readers over the head with the world building, just fleshing that world out more by reading some of (or all of) their titles.

And really, all the titles are worth a try, at the very least. The one I've been slightly disappointed with and impressed by the least has been Shadowman, but some recent issues (the #0 and #10 issues, both of which examine the origins of Darque and his sister) have been excellent, and with Peter Milligan coming on as writer for #13 onward, I'm expecting some great things.

 

[DIrishB]

Just checked Comixology, they've got both the old 90's stuff and new universe stuff on sale for 99 cents. I'd definitely recommend the new stuff, anything marked from 2012 onward. The old 90's stuff has its die-hard fans, but as I've never read any of it I'm pretty clueless as to the quality or if the stories hold up well.

But yeah, the new stuff is awesome.

And if you read XO Manowar #1, and keep reading through the most recent arc, there's a nice pay off of a reveal of Eternal Warrior cameoing in the first few pages on the first issue.

 

[DIrishB]

Man, every book Valiant has put out in the past couple weeks has been at worse pretty decent, and most damn great.


Archer and Armstrong #15 was fantastic. A 3,000 drinking binge through time travel courtesy of Armstrong and Ivar, with a nice nod to the ending of Back to the Future 2 at the end. Good stuff.

Quantum and Woody #5 was hilarious. Just really fun and ridiculous humor, works on every level. The Obamacare and Game of Thrones jokes were great.

Harbinger #18 was also good. Continuing the "Perfect Day" arc, with some interesting developments into Harada's character and his "limits".

Shadowman #12 was a decent read. Was an anthology issue, with 3 short stories before Peter Milligan begins his run next month with issue #13. Looking forward to that.

Unity #1 is the kick off the next Valiant crossover event, and was very good. Great art, storyline was strong and interesting, can't wait to see Aric and Harada go head to head (especially given Harada's power levels and how easily he took apart Bloodshot in the recent Harbinger Wars mini).



Seriously, Valiant is, as usual, knocking it out of the park.

I keep recommending it to you guys because not only are most of the books really good, but its a variation of what originally all brought us to this website: its a reboot of an existing universe (much like the Ultimate universe for Marvel) that's incredibly well written and a lot of fun. Great blend of action, humor, darkness, and characterization, depending on the book.

 

[mike3717]

Seriously, Valiant is, as usual, knocking it out of the park.

I keep recommending it to you guys because not only are most of the books really good, but its a variation of what originally all brought us to this website: its a reboot of an existing universe (much like the Ultimate universe for Marvel) that's incredibly well written and a lot of fun. Great blend of action, humor, darkness, and characterization, depending on the book.

Agreed. I am trade waiting but the trades come out pretty regular. I am basically 3 books into each title now (except Q&W) and am reading the Harbinger wars stuff now. Its all been really good.

 

[DIrishB]

Agreed. I am trade waiting but the trades come out pretty regular. I am basically 3 books into each title now (except Q&W) and am reading the Harbinger wars stuff now. Its all been really good.

Yeah the trades usually release within a month or two of the respective arcs end (that they collect), which is very cool. Helps keep trade waiters up to date.

Also, while Q&W isn't a great title, it is quite funny. While A&A does the humor and satire more intelligently (while combining a healthy dose of sci-fi and adventure), Q&W is definitely laugh out loud funny. Definitely worth a look.

Shadowman (which has been the weakest Valiant title so far), looks like it'll be improving greatly next month once Milligan's run starts. I'm looking forward to that.