LET'S TALK: Valiant

[BobBretall]

Overall observation. When reading all 5 series I noticed something that I don't believe is a coincidence. All 5 series appear to go out of their way to develop and make interesting their supporting characters. Whether good or bad guys. Even if it's only a panel and/or line or two. They give these characters some background that makes them more interesting.

Good observation. I think this is part of what makes me love these books so much.

[Perry]

BLEEDING COOL just posted a pic of the U.S luge team ... in the X-O Manowar armor.


HHmmm, pic not showing up. How about this

Click here

[the1captain]

BLEEDING COOL just posted a pic of the U.S luge team ... in the X-O Manowar armor.


HHmmm, pic not showing up. How about this

Click here

That's great! Hopefully Valiant gets some mention in the media closer to the winter Olympics.

[the1captain]

So I just read a couple of new books. I'll be a month or so behind the new releases as I wait for the dollar drop on comixology. My ceiling for spending on a monthly book was 1.99 for digital. But for Valiant only I'm breaking that rule and going to 2.99.

HARBINGER #6- Wow. The best issue so far. And a more or less done in one. Out of nowhere Kris became my favourite character in this series. To think out of the 5 series this was the one I almost didn't try. Great stuff.

SHADOWMAN #2-Great art. Interesting characters. Good job building the tension for the return of Master Darque.

BLOODSHOT #5-I was never a fan of the character in the 1990's. BUt great art, interesting supporting characters. Fun interaction between Bloodshot and his nanites. It helps break up the tension and exposition by giving the nanites a dry sense of humor. I laughed out loud at the line "don't you have enough women in your life?"

Overall observation. When reading all 5 series I noticed something that I don't believe is a coincidence. All 5 series appear to go out of their way to develop and make interesting their supporting characters. Whether good or bad guys. Even if it's only a panel and/or line or two. They give these characters some background that makes them more interesting.

Forgot to mention. The only thing I would change form Harbinger #6 is Faith's costume. Wish they would get away from that ugly red thing and more like the white costume on the cover.

[BadDeacon]

Forgot to mention. The only thing I would change form Harbinger #6 is Faith's costume. Wish they would get away from that ugly red thing and more like the white costume on the cover.

I think they'll get there eventually. I think they are showing Faith's "homemade" costume right now. It is a slight homage to Magnus, Robot Fighter with the red dress and white boots though, which is kinda cool.

[BobBretall]

BLEEDING COOL just posted a pic of the U.S luge team ... in the X-O Manowar armor.


HHmmm, pic not showing up. How about this

Click here

Hmmm. I don;t look at those & think "XO Manowar!" I can kind of see it if I know what I'm looking for, but not as distinctive as I was expecting them to be.

[the1captain]

New Valiants I've just read:

A&A #5: Eternal Warrior was my favourite character in the old Valiant universe. So I really looked forward to this issue. I did really enjoy it. But I would have preferred less "terminator" from Gilad. One would think having a brother you have known for thousands of years would have earned at least a 5 minute conversation to explain what happened to the Geomancer before fighting. On the other hand I still enjoyed the banter between Gilad, Archer & Armstrong. Look forward to the next issue.

BLOODSHOT #6: Similar to A&A, this is mostly one long action sequence following Bloodshot as he invades a facility of the group that has been attacking him since issue 1. Great action. Still enjoying the back and forth between Bloodshot and the "kid". Nice cliffhanger ending.

X-O MAN-O-WAR#8: One thing I like about this series is the pacing during the action scenes. Let the art tell the story. Too much dialogue or narration distracts from the action. X-O does a nice job of not doing this. Also does a great job of showing how Ninjak might not be as overly powerful as Aric, but is still very affective in his own way. The comparison of how one can fight in the open while the other will fight in the dark made me think of the comparison between Batman and Superman. Still hate Ninjak"s costume though.

HARBINGER #7: This issue introduced Flamingo to the team. She was a character from the old Valiant that I never really liked. Back then she had an awful southern accent and not interesting back story. So it was a nice shock to see how in one appearance the writer could make me like her and feel bad for her situation. With this issue I noticed a trend within the team. On different levels each character has emotional issues they need to deal with. Peter with having to deal with all this power and with the ways he has used it in not the best ways. Kris is dealing with what Peter did to her early in the series. Faith is in some ways escaping into a fantasy world to cover the pain of always being an outsider to other kids. And Flamingo as we see in this issue is dealing with being used and abused most of her life. It is these conflicts that make each character interesting. With the last 2 issues Harbinger was jumped over A&A as my favourite Valiant book. I almost didn't even try this series until Bob talked me into it. Thanks!

The art in all four books still holds up and maintains the distinct feel of each series. The more I read the new Valiant the more I notice how uninterested I've gotten in DC and Marvel. That's not to say there are no good books out by those companies. But with Valiant I feel with each page turn I don't know where the story is going to go and they continue to make characters interesting. Even the minor ones.

[Perseus]

I'm thinking of jumping on this Valiant train of goodness you guys talk about. I might just get the trades as I see the first trades are good prices. I see Harbinger and X-O Manowar are out. Which series would you recommend? Harbinger I was leaning to since I like Joshua Dysart.

[BobBretall]

I'm thinking of jumping on this Valiant train of goodness you guys talk about. I might just get the trades as I see the first trades are good prices. I see Harbinger and X-O Manowar are out. Which series would you recommend? Harbinger I was leaning to since I like Joshua Dysart.

Different people have different favorites, but most people I know tend to like most/all of the series.

My order of liking them is currently:
1) Harbinger
2) Archer & Armstrong
3) XO Manowar
4) Shadowman
5) Bloodshot

Even though Bloodshot is at #5, it's still in my top 20 (out of about 115 comics).

[Perry]

I'm thinking of jumping on this Valiant train of goodness you guys talk about. I might just get the trades as I see the first trades are good prices. I see Harbinger and X-O Manowar are out. Which series would you recommend? Harbinger I was leaning to since I like Joshua Dysart.

Tough call as I think they are all very well done titles. While I enjoy them all highly ... except for A&A (I am in the minority on that and it is growing on me) I would say that HARBINGER and X-O rank pretty much towards the top for me with BLOODSHOT right after and then SHADOWMAN.

For me, HARBINGER was strong right out of the gate, but X-O really got ramped, after a slow start, around issue 4 or 5.

How I see them in relation to Marvel/DC:
X-O MANOWAR is like mixing IRON MAN with CONAN. I know, it sounds odd or ... a little stupid, but damn it works.

BLOODSHOT is kind of like PUNISHER (with the Extremes Virus) and WOLVERINE smashed together. But it is presented in a very cool way.

HARBINGER Takes elements of early X-MEN (complete with a dash of HELLFIRE CLUB) and tosses in a heavy dose of DP-7

SHADOWMAN is a combination of DR. FATE and SON OF SATAN, mixing horror with magic (an easy and lazy comparison, though a valid one)

ARCHER & ARMSTRONG ... well ... again, not a huge draw for me, but I liken it to a "WHAT IF ... The Beast (hank McCoy) and Wonder Man (Simon Williams) took their offbeat, whimsy adventures and combined it with the many conspiracies of the Masons.

(Even though it is closer to Hercules and Hawkeye in characters)

[the1captain]

I'm thinking of jumping on this Valiant train of goodness you guys talk about. I might just get the trades as I see the first trades are good prices. I see Harbinger and X-O Manowar are out. Which series would you recommend? Harbinger I was leaning to since I like Joshua Dysart.

Different people have different favorites, but most people I know tend to like most/all of the series.

My order of liking them is currently:
1) Harbinger
2) Archer & Armstrong
3) XO Manowar
4) Shadowman
5) Bloodshot

Even though Bloodshot is at #5, it's still in my top 20 (out of about 115 comics).

Your list mirrors my own. I like how each book, while in a shared universe, each has its own flavour.

[Perseus]

Thanks for all the great input on Valiant everyone. I asked my LCS owner friend about the Valiant relaunch and how he liked it, and he is loving it. He loves Valiant and told me that at some point to jump on a series. I'm hoping Valiant will challenge for more readers as it continues to move along.

[Perry]

I'm hoping Valiant will challenge for more readers as it continues to move along.

As do we all, good sir It would be nice to see a company that is doing things right succeed with higher readership

[Perseus]

Bought the Harbinger trade and digging into it. I'm really liking it so far as it does feel like x-men a little. Dysart's dialogue is flowing nicely and the art is getting better with each issue. So far, I'm enjoying my journey into Valiant comics!

[Perry]

We Valiant readers gladly welcome you aboard, Perseus. Spread the word and receive 10,000 Harbinger Foundation credits*

*Legal notice - Harbinger Foundation credits are not a real thing