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Shitshow posted:The Bloodshot storyline "The Analog Man", which begins in January, is getting a Director's Cut that is only the pencils and lettering. Great decision on Valiant's part. Isn't Guice drawing that arc?
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# ? Nov 16, 2015 01:33 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 18:04 |
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Rhyno posted:Isn't Guice drawing that arc? No, Lewis LaRosa. And it looks amazing.
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# ? Nov 16, 2015 01:53 |
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OK, these are quite amazing, especially the Eternal Warrior one.
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# ? Nov 19, 2015 23:57 |
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Holy poo poo. I love Valiant so much.
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# ? Nov 20, 2015 01:55 |
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zoux posted:My biggest gripe with Valiant is that they don't have the same overall quality of artist that you see at the Big Two or Image. They have a few standouts but a lot of the art is no better than serviceable. Also that's not how people's mouths are Khari Evans! But those pencils in that article look amazing. (I will note that the pencils I see in the back of Valiant issues as "digital exclusives" often look a lot better before the inker or colorist gets their hands on it) I'm not crazy about the art a lot of the time, and I agree that it has a lot to do with the coloring and stuff. I feel like the blandness has been more apparent over the last year, since they started having more stylish covers. It draws my attention to the difference. Like, Ivar in particular has those cool classic movie poster-style covers, and I want the interior art to have at least a little dash of that. (Imperium is another good example.) Some bolder, less obvious color choices would go a long way for me.
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# ? Nov 22, 2015 18:09 |
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Finally caught up with some stuff. Bloodshot is still very good, although I thought the Twist of Magic becoming Girlshot would have been interesting instead of "oh I fixed it straight away." Also the reveal about the kid being the killer? Lets just say I'll wait and see how that plays out. Book of Death was great as usual and a fitting climax. algebra testes fucked around with this message at 11:47 on Dec 4, 2015 |
# ? Dec 4, 2015 11:35 |
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I'm not even fully through Unity #25 and I'm cracking the heck up. This is swell.
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# ? Dec 9, 2015 22:06 |
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Valiant announced their next event. It is an event centered around Rai and the year 4001. Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain stay at the helm. Pretty exciting.
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# ? Dec 11, 2015 07:19 |
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Imperium is so loving sick.
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# ? Dec 17, 2015 14:05 |
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https://www.comixology.com/Valiant/comics-publisher/94-0?ref=Y29taWMvdmlldy9kZXNrdG9wL2JyZWFkY3J1bWJz From the sale I'll be catching up on Harbinger, finally finishing The Valiant (I'd wandered away two issues in previously), springing off that into Bloodshot Reborn (since that's Lemire, I'm guessing it's the most direct follow-up on The Valiant), doing Divinity cause it sounds interesting and going off some point in Harbinger to Imperium. Am I missing some vital thing in here? Not just other good series (I gotta stop spending somewhere), but anything that's crucial to understanding? Do I need Unity for Imperium or anything like that? Teenage Fansub fucked around with this message at 12:34 on Jan 4, 2016 |
# ? Jan 4, 2016 11:56 |
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IIRC Imperium mainly builds off of Harada from the Harbinger stuff; I don't think Unity comes up much, and if at all, not in a manner that would necessitate reading a bunch of it.
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# ? Jan 4, 2016 14:26 |
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Teenage Fansub posted:Am I missing some vital thing in here? Not just other good series (I gotta stop spending somewhere), but anything that's crucial to understanding? Ivar, Timewalker was probably my favorite series in 2015. At half price it's a no-brainer.
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# ? Jan 4, 2016 21:57 |
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Shitshow posted:Ivar, Timewalker was probably my favorite series in 2015. At half price it's a no-brainer. Ivar you can probably get away with not reading Archer and Armstrong, but I think you'd definitely have to read Harbinger to follow Imperium. Not that having to read Harbinger or A&A should be a deal breaker.
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# ? Jan 4, 2016 22:01 |
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I'm so glad we'll be getting more A&A this year. I missed their duo antics so much.
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# ? Jan 4, 2016 23:28 |
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Did anything come out of the Archer and Armstrong / Quantum and Woody crossover? I missed the final issue and not sure how the payoff went and if it is worth picking up. Was hoping for a lot more from the books tbh.
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# ? Jan 6, 2016 03:53 |
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I am looking to get into Valiant and only have the miniseries Valiant and Bloodshot reborn. What are the titles that need to be read?
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# ? Jan 6, 2016 16:46 |
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bobkatt013 posted:I am looking to get into Valiant and only have the miniseries Valiant and Bloodshot reborn. What are the titles that need to be read? https://www.reddit.com/r/valiant/wiki/readingorder That's what I've been using. All the titles are great, though I've not read Shadowman and a lot of people don't like it.
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# ? Jan 6, 2016 17:14 |
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bobkatt013 posted:I am looking to get into Valiant and only have the miniseries Valiant and Bloodshot reborn. What are the titles that need to be read? I'm a recent convert to comics and I dipped my toes into what seems like the first five titles they published: X-O Manowar is great. It's space opera action-adventure with about a million plot hooks, a fantastic world, and gorgeous action scenes. I got volume one and ended up getting a whole bunch more. Archer & Armstrong is really, really funny when it's not too on the nose and the character interactions are great. The most lighthearted of the bunch but also the one with the strongest characters and the deepest mythos. Bloodshot is an ultra violent sci-fi thriller complete with conspiracies, super weapons, betrayals, and redemption. It's probably my least favorite aside from Shadowman, but it's still very good. Harbinger is like a weird bildungsroman about telepaths and wayward youths. It wasn't quite up there with X-O and A&A, but it definitely feels like it's got massive potential. Shadowman is, you know, good. But it's the one book that feels like it doesn't fit into the Valiant universe - even with all these different books, they've managed to build a very convincing and congruous universe and Shadowman seems to stand completely apart from it. Since that's definitely my favorite part of Valiant so far, it's disappointing. Disclaimer: I only read volume 1 (and in some cases 2) of these, but I'd recommend them all, with an asterisk on Shadowman.
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# ? Jan 6, 2016 22:14 |
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Ninjak is still hands down my favorite book right now. Still really dig the backups too. Finally picked up xo on comixology again. So good. I just keep buying it so I have like 15 issues to read.
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# ? Jan 22, 2016 13:57 |
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Everyone should be reading Imperium. The lack of sales does not reflect the quality of the comic. Best drat comic on the shelves and it deserves more sales than it is getting. Everyone read Imperium and urge your friends to read Imperium.
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# ? Jan 22, 2016 14:32 |
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Rusty Kettle posted:Everyone should be reading Imperium. The lack of sales does not reflect the quality of the comic. Best drat comic on the shelves and it deserves more sales than it is getting. I will! I just started harbinger and like it. I was told that reading this is important to understanding it.
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# ? Jan 22, 2016 15:16 |
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Rusty Kettle posted:Everyone should be reading Imperium. The lack of sales does not reflect the quality of the comic. Best drat comic on the shelves and it deserves more sales than it is getting. Believe me, bud, I've been buying it since day one and haven't regretted it.
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# ? Jan 22, 2016 15:43 |
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After trying a few Valiant series in the past (Harbinger Vol 1, Quantum & Woody Vol 1+2, Archer & Armstrong Vol 1), and feeling some DC/Marvel burnout, I'm ready to give this publisher a bigger shot. I read The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage in one sitting, and wow it is easily one of my favorite comics of 2015. Everything about it -writing, art, coloring, even lettering- screams quality, and has set a high bar for everything else. I like Valiant's humorous series, so picking those back up will be seamless, and I understand Bloodshot leads to Bloodshot: Reborn, an excellent and well-received take by Lemire. What are some other high points to you? Eventually I'll probably skim at least the first volume of each series so that I know who's who during the crossovers and events, but Harbinger turned me off and I'd rather hop to another Doctor Mirage-level gem. edit: Hot diggity, I found Valiant's 2015 universe guide! Space Fish fucked around with this message at 08:34 on Jan 24, 2016 |
# ? Jan 24, 2016 08:04 |
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Space Fish posted:I understand Bloodshot leads to Bloodshot: Reborn, Lemire's 'The Valiant' miniseries leads to Bloodshot Returns. I only started with The Valiant, missing the first Bloodshot series, and thought it explained things well enough to get going. Teenage Fansub fucked around with this message at 08:15 on Jan 24, 2016 |
# ? Jan 24, 2016 08:09 |
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Space Fish posted:After trying a few Valiant series in the past (Harbinger Vol 1, Quantum & Woody Vol 1+2, Archer & Armstrong Vol 1), and feeling some DC/Marvel burnout, I'm ready to give this publisher a bigger shot. I read The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage in one sitting, and wow it is easily one of my favorite comics of 2015. Everything about it -writing, art, coloring, even lettering- screams quality, and has set a high bar for everything else. I like Valiant's humorous series, so picking those back up will be seamless, and I understand Bloodshot leads to Bloodshot: Reborn, an excellent and well-received take by Lemire. What did you find wrong with Harbringer? I just finished Volume 1 and really enjoyed it.
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# ? Jan 24, 2016 08:27 |
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I read Harbinger a couple of years ago, so the details are a bit fuzzy beyond feeling bored by the end of it. I'll reread and see if my opinion of it has changed since then - if nothing else, I should be aware of the series for the Harbinger Wars crossover, right? And hey, maybe books 2 and onward will win me over! Full disclosure: the finale to Secret Wars felt like such a great conclusion to Marvel, and DC progresses in such baby steps (when they're not taking those steps backward), that I'd like to hop into a whole different comics universe for a while.
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# ? Jan 24, 2016 08:52 |
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Space Fish posted:What are some other high points to you? Eventually I'll probably skim at least the first volume of each series so that I know who's who during the crossovers and events, but Harbinger turned me off and I'd rather hop to another Doctor Mirage-level gem. I picked up a whooole bunch of Valiant during the Comixology sale (all of my Christmas money evaporated) and I'd say the highest points so far have been Divinity, the Armor Hunters crossover, Dr. Mirage, Rai, and Imperium. Harbingers starts very slow and it might not be your thing since out of all the Valiant titles it's the one that spends the least time moving forwards. It's unapologetic about it too, but I really liked the contrast between that and the high-octane stuff like X-O Manowar or Bloodshot. Harbingers has a bunch of kids who have no idea what they're doing fighting an insanely powerful foe in a world of increasingly weaponized psychic powers. It also introduces Faith, the best character of all time, and the book eventually leads to Imperium which is just the goddamn best. I posted my thoughts about the first five series above (and I would scratch out Shadowman entirely, but I stick by the rest). Other than that, Divinity is an excellent semi self-contained book which you could dive into. I think virtually all of the other series bleed into each other but you can't really go wrong with any of them (and you don't have to read Literally Everything to get what's going on, since Valiant works hard on making sure you always know what you need to know when they introduce things from other books).
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# ? Jan 24, 2016 15:37 |
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I scored a copy of the Divinity HC for $5 this week and god drat is that a mind boggling book.
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# ? Jan 24, 2016 20:23 |
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I'll reiterate what other people have said: Bloodshot Reborn: Really cool gritty serious but not super grimdark or anything, some nice stylish art. Also a lot of serious character work for a series about a dude with machines in his blood who shoots people. Ninjak: My personal favourite. I like it because each issue has a really great backup that normally gets into some back story. The villains get some serious groundwork done on them which really excites me for the future. Currently Ninjak is in some crazy alternate dimension which is pretty dope for a pretty serious comic. I think of it as Valiant's Batman but that might be a dumb analogy. Imperium: I too, read Harbringer and got bored after a while. But if you've read the start and you get the gist of "Harada = Bad man" you should be able to jump into one of the richest comics I've read in a while. The Valiant / Book of Death: The Valiant leads into the Book of Death and those 8 issues are great and almost operate as their own little series in a way and are a great little taster of whats going on. X-O Manowar: In many ways it's Valiant's Superman. I think the best part about X-O is how it's been so good for so long. Also for a while every series would interact with X-O and serve as an introduction. I think X-O runs into Ninjak, The Eternal Warrior, Harada, Unity, Bloodshot etc etc So if you just read that from the start eventually you'll be exposed to everything. algebra testes fucked around with this message at 22:30 on Jan 24, 2016 |
# ? Jan 24, 2016 22:28 |
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For me Rai hits that sweet spot. It's part Action, part Thriller, part Dystopian Rebellion. Rai is Father (God)'s right hand and one man army keeping the peace in Neo Tokyo, until little things stop adding up and Rai begins to question his place in the world. It lacks most interactions with the rest of the Valiant universe - because it's set 1000 years in the future - but the hints are there and it's AH-MAZE-ING. Seriously my first read since Archer and Armstrong stopped.
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# ? Jan 24, 2016 23:52 |
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I'd give Harbringer another try. It continually improves leading to Imperium right now which is loving awesome
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# ? Jan 25, 2016 00:15 |
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Nystral posted:For me Rai hits that sweet spot... it's AH-MAZE-ING. LordPants posted:I think the best part about X-O is how it's been so good for so long.
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# ? Jan 25, 2016 00:49 |
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The Delinquents - I've already read and liked some of Archer & Armstrong and Quantum & Woody, and this was a surprisingly well-designed and -composed hobo quest. This is like Marvel's platonic ideal of Deadpool humor, but spread across four main characters (and a goat) and endlessly attractive without resorting to shootouts or buckets of blood. I know that's an imperfect comparison in so many ways, but it's an example of how Valiant gets so many things right that I now take for granted will get done half-assed at the big two. (Would also compare Q&W to Superior Foes of Spider-Man, as a compliment to both) Divinity - Four issues, plenty of backstory and characterization, and again with the thoughtful compositions. The backup material broke down the pencils/inks/colors/letters process so well, it was like a self-contained master class in why it was so fun and satisfying to read. When Unity showed up to stop him I was worried the compelling parts of the story would get jettisoned, but nope, Abram Adams uses his powers to insert another high sci-fi concept in place of fisticuffs. Can I express again how great it feels to read a Valiant "event" that introduces a new character, builds on the surrounding world and mythos, crosses over with a bunch of other established characters, ends on a powerful note, accomodates new readers without insulting their intelligence, and only takes four issues?! And there's a sequel coming this year, I'm feeling the opposite of event fatigue. Abram, via Valiant (or vice-versa), has given me what I wanted: event hope. Going to start Bloodshot and Ivar, Timewalker soon, with The Valiant on the way from the library. Definitely looking forward to Imperium, Ninjak, and Rai, too. I'm hooked. With the two books above plus Doctor Mirage, that's three home runs in a row in one weekend's reading. gently caress yeah. Edit: PLUS Goat #0 and Valiant-Sized Quantum & Woody, two excellent one-shots. Is it okay to just report back every so often and praise Valiant as they continue to impress? Space Fish fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Jan 25, 2016 |
# ? Jan 25, 2016 04:10 |
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Space Fish posted:Is it okay to just report back every so often and praise Valiant as they continue to impress? 95% of the thread is people popping in to say "Status Update: Imperium still awesome" or "Comixology sale grab everything for a dollar" so I'd say yes. That and us getting excited about announced upcoming events that exceed expectations.
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# ? Jan 25, 2016 06:03 |
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Space Fish, I think your earlier post has convinced me to go back and read The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage. I stayed away from it because I hadn't kept up with the Shadowman corner of the universe, and I assumed that dealing with dead folk would mean I'd be a little lost were I to have tried it out. After being a little lost anyways right now in following the Operation: Deadside arc in Ninjak, I don't think I'll mind not knowing too much about that corner if there's enough praise for that collection. I've been able to pretty much trust Valiant this entire time, so that oughta be good. Though to deviate from all the praise, I will say that I feel a little 'ehh' about the way the current Ninjak arc's framing is handled; it feels super artificial, but the events being recalled are pretty neat to me anyways that it's excusable.
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# ? Jan 25, 2016 06:25 |
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graybook posted:Space Fish, I think your earlier post has convinced me to go back and read The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage. I stayed away from it because I hadn't kept up with the Shadowman corner of the universe, and I assumed that dealing with dead folk would mean I'd be a little lost were I to have tried it out. The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage could just as easily be a new Image series or especially cool Doctor Strange miniseries cobbled from equal parts Brubaker noir, workmanlike Hellboy shenanigans, and Sandman-esque rules for the afterlife. There are a few end pages showing her cameo in an issue of Shadowman, otherwise her book is entirely her own. That book does everything right including beautiful setpieces and clever panel constructions one after another, I can't recommend it enough.
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# ? Jan 25, 2016 08:12 |
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Is anyone else looking forward to the Faith book? I really like the character and I hope the book is good.
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 16:53 |
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bobkatt013 posted:Is anyone else looking forward to the Faith book? I really like the character and I hope the book is good. Absolutely. Also looking forward to giving Bloodshot a second chance on Wednesday with the beginning of the Analog Man story line.
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 20:00 |
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bobkatt013 posted:Is anyone else looking forward to the Faith book? I really like the character and I hope the book is good. How's your Valiant adventure going so far?
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 20:02 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 18:04 |
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Faith #1 is good.
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 20:03 |