Valiant Returns
One company that comic book fans may look fondly upon is Valiant. Formed in 1989, Valiant gained attention with its release of titles like X-O Manowar, Harbinger, and new takes on Gold Key titles like Magnus: Robot Fighter and Solar: Man Of The Atom. Valiant helped to usher in the comic book boom of the early '90s thanks to innovative marketing campaigns that included free, exclusive issues and some of the first variant cover editions. But what holds up today and was an important hook for readers back then were the engaging storylines, arcs and characters.
Readers were presented with a well-planned and detailed universe that rivaled Marvel or DC. Sadly the boom turned into a bust in the mid-90s and Valiant was one of the many casualties of the declining marketplace. There were a few attempts to reboot the titles with little success, but Valiant bid its time . Now after laying low for over a decade, Valiant comics has returned.
Valiant X-O Manowar #1 cover
While Valiant's characters aren't as well known as say Iron Man or Batman, they have a core of followers that enjoyed the early comics for the refreshing emphasis on characters and plot in an era that was dominated by splashy artists for other companies that put out empty stories. Another thing that readers enjoyed were the arcs that reached across many titles. A rather famous event was the Unity saga that affected all of the Valiant titles and was used as a springboard for new titles. Also, there were many instances of foreshadowing about characters' fates. The best case of this was with the hero Shadowman who in the early '90s was slated to be killed in 1999.
Harbinger #1, art by Khari Evans
As with any complex book and story, it took some effort to keep up and this was partly why the company suffered greatly during the comic book bust. New readers had a hard time jumping in, and new titles were generated for unproven characters that may not have merited their own titles. Many of which had pretty but gimmicky covers.
Now, the company has wisely focused on just a handful of core titles to begin anew. Taking some of its best known and popular characters, Valiant hopes to reignite the spark. During a Valiant Live panel held on May 3 in New York City's Midtown Comics store, Valiant creators stated that the new line is an actual reboot using the same characters but modernized. However, for fans of the old comics there are Easter eggs scattered throughout the new issues but new readers don't have to know them. They also acknowledged Valiant's rich line of characters but will be concentrating for now on the four immediate titles. However, they admitted that there are plans to reintroduce other popular characters soon such as the Eternal Warrior.
Starting with a new X-O Manowar (written by Robert Venditti and drawn by Cary Nord), Valiant is relaunching its core titles which include Harbinger, Archer & Armstrong and Bloodshot. While X-O Manowar has just been released in stores and on digital downloads, the other three titles will debut one a month throughout the summer. The concepts are largely the same but with some twists. For instance, with X-O Manowar, it's still about a Visigoth called Aric from the year 402 AD who is abducted by aliens called the Vine in place of the original Spider Aliens. Unlike the original comic book, this issue takes its time in introducing the alien X-O armor that Aric will don.
The other titles have also received a few tweaks. Harbinger will be presented as more of a generational conflict between the Pete Stanchek and the evil Toyo Harada with their psionic powers. Whereas in Archer & Armstrong, Archer is a master assassin with an innocent nature sent to kill Armstrong by a cult called the Sect. But after seeing that Armstrong isn't this great evil the Sect made him out to be, Archer abandons his mission and runs off with the immortal Armstrong. The panel of creators stated that the book will be very satirical. Finally Bloodshot will take on aspects of The Bourne Identity while being extremely action packed.
The creators promised that new readers will be able to jump in and enjoy the books. They said that the comic books will be self-contained but will paint a larger picture of the Valiant universe. As in the past, the company is putting out innovative promotions for the line. One of the variant covers of X-O Manowar (drawn by Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic) has a QR Code that will allow readers to scan it with their mobile devices and hear the voice of Aric.
There will also be a pull box variant for pull list subscribers in stores and is being done to help retailers and reward fans. The creators said in the panel that this is just some of the new innovations that they have planned to help promote the new Valiant comic books.
With the elevation of comic books and characters into the mainstream culture, it's a great time for Valiant to relaunch itself. With fantastic, memorable characters and innovative promotions, Valiant should be able to call attention to its comic books and prosper.
José Soto