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OUT THIS WEEK 8/2/2017
Miscellaneous deals on Amazon - Physical - Kindle (redeems to Comixology)
What is Valiant Comics?
If you were into comics in the 90's, it's likely that the name Valiant is familiar to you. Valiant was an American comic book publisher that was founded by Jim Shooter in 1989. They started off with then defunct Gold Key characters , such as Turok, but eventually began creating their own original characters. The label introduced twists on age-old superhero archetypes, with the most 90's sounding names ever – names like Ninjak and Bloodshot. At one point, Valiant's popularity rivaled that of Marvel and DC, and it was poised it to surpass its competitors by having such a large share of the market. However, due to the comics crash in the mid-90's, Valiant was sold off to Acclaim which eventually went bankrupt in 2004. In 2005, a group of entrepreneurs and fans of the publisher, led by Dinesh Shamdasani, acquired the rights to the Valiant characters and founded a new company – Valiant Entertainment. In 2012, they began publishing all new stories with their old characters, bringing in little-known writers and artists to work on its books. While Valiant Entertainment has yet to become as big as it was in the 90's, one thing is for sure – its quality is something to take note of.
Why should we care about Valiant?
If you're already a comic reader, you may already know what you like or maybe you're getting into new things now. Regardless of what stage in the hobby you're in, Valiant has something for you. Valiant's approach in the industry is unique – it's not creator-owned, but it sure has that feel. While the majority of the roster comes from Valiant's past (and retain some of their 90's flair), there have been great and significant additions to the universe made by these new batch of creators. The creators are given an unheard of amount of freedom to create the stories they want to tell with these characters, whether they are from old Valiant or not. The writers – such as Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Fred Van Lente, Jody Houser, Peter Milligan – are the ones that really control the direction of the universe. To paraphrase what CEO Dinesh Shamdasani says about their stories, they're ”telling good stories that happen to have superheroes at the center." What's more, it is cool how the stories all tie together in a more subtle sense. In the first few years, Valiant took the more traditional approach to crossover events; with Harbinger Wars and Armor Hunters, they grabbed a few of the series together and sequenced the issues. However, most recently, they've moved away from this approach for accessibility's sake. Now, crossovers and events are relegated to miniseries with one-shot tie-ins, which helps the overall fluidity of the stories being told as well as the consumer's wallet. What's more, they have smaller continuity aspects that tie books together, like persisting villain organizations or world events, but it never encroaches on the story a writer sets out to tell.
Also, they don't take themselves too seriously..
Why do YOU care about Valiant?
I started reading Valiant in 2015, when I had just heard about the deal the company had cut with Sony for a cinematic universe (more on that later). I had never heard of the publisher, so I asked in the COMICS! OT if anyone had any recommendations. I was given a handful of series – Harbinger, XO Manowar, Archer & Armstrong - to start with, so I went along with them. Aside from some rough art in the first few issues when they rebooted, I was simply blown away by the quality and the originality the books employed. They were taking tropes I knew well and turning them on their heads. But when I read what was considered their flagship entry story, The Valiant, I knew I was onto something special. However, when I came back into the COMICS! OT, I noticed very few people had read any of this. I felt like I was on one of the comics' industries greatest secrets. So, I started shilling for it.
But these really just seem like low-rent counterparts of Marvel/DC heroes
Sure, that's an adequate, albeit harsh, comparison. What makes these characters stand out? It's the stories written around them. I picked up Harbinger volume 1 expecting a mix between X-Men and Teen Titans. What I got was possibly one of the most adult, complex, and thematically relevant stories I've ever read. It covers some very deep, dark topics, and is not at all the story I expected. This was not a superhero team in the traditional sense, and what it did was tell the story that fit these characters without compromising for spectacle.
Do I really have to read everything to get the most out of it?
Not at all. You can get exactly what you want out of the publisher without having to put in more than you'd like. If you want to jump in for one series, that's fine. If you'd like to pick up several, that's fine too. You won't need to ”invest" in an entirely new universe to get the full enjoyment. Most of the stories are standalone or are designed in such a way that new readers can easily jump in without having to worry about years of established history. Also, all these characters got a fresh start in 2012. None of their history carried over from the 90's.
Are these books available on a subscription service or something? I don't really want to pay
Great question, and the answer is yes! Many Valiant Comics are available through Hoopla (free through your local library, where available), several of their first volumes and issues are available through Comixology Unlimited., and there are a large number of issues on ComicBlitz. Also, Valiant periodically teams up with Humble and Groupees to offer cheap DRM-free comics bundles. Comixology also periodically has sales for their series.
Ok, you maybe have me willing to give it a shot. Where should I start?
Glad you asked! Keep in mind, I'll list some stories that preceded or follow the book, but none of it is required reading unless otherwise noted. Most of the first trade paperbacks in a series are $10 MSRP (lower on Amazon) to provide an appealing entry point for new readers. I've also put an asterisk next to anything that needs a specific sequencing/reading order. Reading order for this will be at the bottom.
* denotes special reading order. Refer to the bottom of the second post for the order.
If you just want to try a bunch, here's a list of free #1's available through Comixology.
Divinity #0
Description: When we catch up with Divinity, this lost Russian cosmonaut newly arrived on Earth with god-like powers has successfully restored the world to order after the reality-altering event known as the Stalinverse. He has to take stock of the current reality to make sure things really have been restored, so in taking account of the Valiant Universe, we get an insider view of his perspective on the heroes, villains, and gods that he encounters. Because of this approach, this zero issue will contain ”guest stars" like Bloodshot, Faith, Ninjak, X-O Manowar and more.
Writer: Matt Kindt (MIND MGMT, Dept. H, Ether)
Artist: Renato Guedes
Status: Releases August 16th
You'll like it if you like: Doctor Solar, reality-bending Grant Morrison-style writing, a single issue entry into the universe
If you enjoy this, you will likely enjoy: Divinity, X-O Manowar (2017), Ninjak, Unity, Rai
Where to Buy: Local Comic Book Store
X-O Manowar (2017)
Description: Several years in the future, Aric of Earth has finally found peace on a distant planet away from the war-torn lands he hailed from. He has a wife now, and has forsaken the armor that had brought him many victories. But as luck would have it, war seems to have found Aric once more and roped him in. Struggling with having his newfound peace destroyed no matter his choice, Aric must decide whether he dons the armor once more, or finishes this war without embracing that part of himself once more. This is a sequel to the X-O Manowar series that started in 2012.
Writer: Matt Kindt (MIND MGMT, Dept. H, Ether)
Artist: Thomas Giorello, Doug Braithwaite(Justice, Green Arrow), Clayton Crain (X-Force)
Status: Ongoing, 3 issues currently
You'll like it if you like: space operas, Conan the Barbarian
If you enjoy this, you will likely enjoy: X-O Manowar (2012), Ninjak, Wrath of the Eternal Warrior, Unity, Rai
Where to Buy: Trade Paperback - Comixology - Local Comic Book Store
Harbinger Renegade
Description: Following the events of Harbinger and Imperium, the Renegades are forced to reunite as a new threat looms - a threat which even challenges the world's most dangerous man, Toyo Harada - with a new method of activating psiots becoming all too common, to catastrophic and brain-bursting results. Now, Faith "Zephyr" Herbert (LA's friendly neighborhood superhero), John "Torque" Torkelson (the hero turned reality TV star), and Kris Hathaway (the imprisoned mastermind) must come together to call back from the abyss of space the only person capable of rising up to this new challenge - Peter Stanchek, the drug-addicted young man who dragged them all into this in the first place and the most powerful psiot alive.
Writer: Rafer Roberts (Thanos and Darkseid: Carpool Buddies of Doom, Plastic Farm)
Artist: Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan, The Boys)
Status: Ongoing, 4 issues currently
You'll like it if you like: X-Men
If you enjoy this, you will likely enjoy: Harbinger, Imperium, Generation Zero
Preceded by: Imperium
Where to Buy: Trade Paperback - Comixology - Local Comic Book Store
Secret Weapons
Description: Shortly after the identities of all the potential psiots in the world are leaked, a cybernetic threat rises and begins to hunt down those activated psiots too weak to defend themselves. A group of psiots with awful powers activated by Toyo Harada must band together to survive this impending doom. Led by former Harbinger lieutenant and technopath, Livewire, this group of bird-talkers and make-objects-glowers will find new ways to use their powers and become stronger than they were told they ever would be.
Writer: Eric Heisserer (Arrival)
Artist: Raul Allen
Status: Starts June 27, 4 issues planned
You'll like it if you like: The Runaways, Doom Patrol
Faith and the Future Force
Description: Faith ”Zephyr" Herbert – former member of Unity, current Harbinger Renegade, and Los Angeles' #1 superhero – is the universe's last, best chance at survival! Centuries from today, a devious artificial intelligence has unleashed a blistering attack on the very foundations of time...one that is unwriting history from beginning to end! Now, with her options exhausted, Neela Sethi, Timewalker – the self-appointed protector of what is and will be – has returned to the 21st century to recruit Earth's greatest champions of today and tomorrow to oppose this existential threat...and she needs Faith to lead them! But why Faith? And why now?
Writer: Jody Houser (Mother Panic, Faith, The Cavalry: S.H.I.E.L.D. 50th Anniversary)
Artist: Stephen Segovia (Action Comics), Barry Kitson (Legion of Super-Heroes, Amazing Spider-Man)
Status: Starts July 26, 4 issues planned
You'll like it if you like: time-traveling superhero teams
Rapture
Description: Tama, the 12 year old Geomancer, senses a new threat on the horizon - one that threatens to rip apart both Earth and the Deadside, where lost spirits reside. However, she can't do it alone. Heeding her former mentor, she seeks the help of Ninjak (the secret agent ninja), Shadowman (the former shadowmancer), and Punk Mambo (the terribly named voodoo expert). Together, they must venture into the Deadside and stop this old enemy - the one called Babel. But as Tama soon comes to realize, this rag-tag team of would-be heroes has their own set of problems to contend with that endangers the mission.
Writer: Matt Kindt (MIND MGMT, Dept. H, Ether)
Artist: CAFU (Action Comics)
Status: Starts May 24, 4 issues planned
You'll like it if you like: horror-esque character designs, mystical comics
Preceded by: Ninjak
Where to Buy: Trade Paperback - Local Comic Book Store
The Valiant
Description: My recommendations always start with The Valiant. It is what made me fall in love with the publisher, without having read too much of it yet. It's a fantastic and tragic tale of several of Valiant's heroes facing an impossible threat. It makes you fall in love with its characters after only a few pages, even with no prior background. What's more, it sets up several new and interesting directions, while giving a glimpse to the bigger Valiant universe for people wanting to experience new characters and stories. It's an amazing story and a great looking glass into this world.
Writer: Matt Kindt (MIND MGMT, Dept. H, Ether), Jeff Lemire (Green Arrow, Old Man Logan, Essex County, ”Real Hawkeye")
Artist: Paolo Rivera (Daredevil, Hellboy and the BPRD: 1953)
Length: 4 issues
You'll like it if you like: thematically deep storytelling
If you enjoy this, you will likely enjoy: Bloodshot Reborn, Ninjak, Book of Death, Unity, Rai
Where to Buy: Trade Paperback – Deluxe Hardcover - Comixology (#1 is free) – Local Comic Book Store
Ivar, Timewalker
Description: Time-traveling hijinks! As a Timewalker, Ivar has been cursed with traversing through time and maintaining the very fabric of time itself. But now, to save time, he must stop scientist Neela Sethi from creating time travel! Will Ivar be able to convince Neela she is about to set in motion a catastrophic series of events?
Writer: Fred Van Lente (The Incredible Hercules, Weird Detective, Slapstick)
Artist: Various
Length: 12 issues
You'll like it if you like: time-traveling hijinks of the funnest order
If you enjoyed this, you will likely enjoy: Archer & Armstrong, Generation Zero, Faith, Valiant High
Where to Buy: Trade Paperback – Deluxe Hardcover - Comixology – Local Comic Book Store
Faith
Description: Orphaned at a young age, Faith Herbert – a psionically gifted "psiot" discovered by the Harbinger Foundation – has always aspired to greatness. But now this once ordinary teenager is taking control of her destiny and becoming the hard-hitting hero she's always known she can be – complete with a mild-mannered secret identity, unsuspecting colleagues, and a day job as a reporter that routinely throws into her harms way! Well, at least she thought it would... When she's not typing up listicals about cat videos, Faith makes a secret transformation to patrol the night as the City of Angels' own leading superhero – the sky-soaring Zephyr! But flying solo is going to be tougher than Zephyr ever thought when she uncovers a deep-rooted alien conspiracy. Two-bit burglars and car thieves are one thing, but when the world needs a hero to stave off a full-blown extraterrestrial invasion, will Faith find herself in over her head...or ready for her biggest challenge yet?
Writer: Jody Houser (Mother Panic, Faith, The Cavalry: S.H.I.E.L.D. 50th Anniversary)
Artist: Francis Portela (Adventure Comics), Marguerite Sauvage (DC Comics: Bombshells, Shade the Changing Girl)
Length: 4 issues
You'll like it if you like: slice of life, young adult superheroes
If you enjoyed this, you will likely enjoy: Faith (series), Harbinger, Harbinger Renegade, Valiant High
Where to Buy: Trade Paperback – Deluxe Hardcover - Comixology (#1 is free) – Local Comic Book Store
Generation Zero
Description: Years ago, the children of the experimental strike team known as Generation Zero were taken from their families by Project Rising Spirit, a private weapons contractor, and raised to be psychic soldiers. After years of taking orders, they have fought for and won their freedom. Now, the world's most wanted teenagers have pledged to protect each other tooth and claw, while using their extraordinary abilities to right wrongs for a generation without a future... To fight for kids, just like them.
Writer: Fred Van Lente (The Incredible Hercules, Weird Detective, Slapstick)
Artist: Francis Portela (Adventure Comics), Diego Bernard (Red Lanterns)
Length: 9 issues
You'll like it if you like: teams of misfits, Doom Patrol, Umbrella Academy
If you enjoyed this, you will likely enjoy: Ivar, Timewalker; Harbinger; Harbinger Renegade; Archer & Armstrong; Valiant High
Where to Buy: Trade Paperback - Comixology – Local Comic Book Store
Divinity
Description: At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union - determined to win the Space Race at any cost - green lit a dangerously advanced mission. They sent a man farther into the cosmos than anyone has gone before or since. Lost in the stars, he encountered something unknown. Something that...changed him. Long thought lost and erased from the history books, he has suddenly returned, crash-landing in the Australian Outback. The few that have been able to reach him believe him to be a deity - one who turned the scorched desert into a lush oasis. They say he can bend matter, space, and even time to his will. Earth is about to meet a new god. And he's a communist.
Writer: Matt Kindt (MIND MGMT, Dept. H, Ether)
Artist: Trevor Hairsine
Length: 4 issues
You'll like it if you like: cosmic stories, alternate reality and time-travel stories
If you enjoyed this, you will likely enjoy: Divinity II, Divinity III: Stalinverse*, Eternity, Imperium, Ninjak, The Valiant
Where to Buy: Trade Paperback – Deluxe Hardcover - Comixology (#1 is free) – Local Comic Book Store
