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 The Valiant Universe began in 1989 as the brainchild of Jim Shooter, former EIC of Marvel Comics. Valiant started as a combination of licensed characters from Gold Key and original characters. The universe tried to be more realistic in tone than the Big 2 and the titles were much more interconnected. The company introduced a lot concepts, both in publishing and storytelling, that are still in use today. Eventually after an initial massive success and inner turmoil, as is often the way these things go, the company was sold to Acclaim just a few years after forming. This lead to several titles getting video game adaptations which was a big deal at the time. Turok especially is probably remembered more for the video game series than it is for the comics. The Valiant universe as it existed then eventually burned out and was remembered as a niche cornerstone of '90s comics, both for good and bad reasons. The original holdings of the company were acquired by Jason Kothari and Dinesh Shamdasani in 2005 and they decided to start building the company again from the ground up. Gone were the licensed characters such as Magnus, Solar, and Turok. They decided instead to focus on the fully owned characters that the company had made through the years. They slowly laid the groundwork and planned to bring the company back small at first and focus on quality stories from strong creative teams rather than bombard an already overcrowded market right out of the gate. They decided the Summer of 2012 was finally the time bring Valiant back. They did so with critically acclaimed titles such as X-O Manowar (their flagship character), Bloodshot, Harbinger, and Archer & Armstrong. Later that year they added the popular Shadowman to the lineup. After only a few short months they had already built up a small but powerful reputation among comic fans and all of their comics to this point had been met with great critical acclaim. During the next two years they brought back huge fan favorite title Quantum and Woody as well as greatly expanded and changed up the creative direction of Bloodshot and X-O Manowar. Bloodshot crossed over heavily with Harbinger as the Harbinger Wars storyline played out and then expanded into a full fledged team book with H.A.R.D. Corps for a time. X-O Manowar expanded outward and became more of a cosmic book as it dealt with off planet happenings and built towards the Armor Hunters storyline, the first big story that crossed over almost all of the Valiant Universe. The Eternal Warrior spun out of Archer & Armstrong into his own title and eventually joined the ranks of Valiant's first super team Unity, along with Ninjak and Livewire from Harbinger. During this time Valiant started taking more opportunities to introduce characters both new and old. Including familiar names like Rai, Dr. Mirage (a whole new version of a previously existing character), The Timewalker Ivar, and Divinity. Divinity is the first all new character to get his own title under this incarnation of Valiant. Through all this expansion Valiant has been careful to not overload the stands with books. Most weeks will see Valiant only put out two or three titles at most. Even after nothing but success after success for the last three years the company is still determined to put out high quality books not a high quantity of books. Though new titles have come along older ones have ceased. Harbinger, Bloodshot, and Archer & Armstrong all stopped after 25 issues. Other titles spun off these such as Ivar, Timewalker and Imperium. Bloodshot went through a game changing and character re-defining event in the series The Valiant. The new series, Bloodshot Reborn, sees an almost complete reinvention of the character. Several of the books that have stopped are primed for new volumes though. With Eternal Warrior, Harbinger, and Archer & Armstrong all looking to have new books in the coming months. Current Titles Britannia: We Who Are About To Die  Fifty thousand Romans stand on their feet, watching from the rafters of the Coliseum with captured breath as Achillia, a gladiator unlike any that Rome has seen before, faces incredible odds – one lone warrior against five of Rome’s greatest. Such is the tradition, when a female gladiator enters the fray. When the carnage is complete, the coliseum roars its approval as Achillia stands victorious. Now, only one match away from winning her freedom, she has begun to gain renown. The women of Rome, suppressed by their husbands and fathers, have noticed. The men of Rome, husbands and fathers to a growing horde of women entertaining ideas of independence, have noticed as well. On the other side of Rome, a strange mystery swirls through the Palatine Hill. In the dead of night, down winding alleys, Rome’s elite swear that they see visions of a blood-soaked Apollo walking the city…visions that are driving them mad. Even more are becoming sick with weird fever god-dreams. Panic ensues in the city. The Chief Vestal, Rubria, is arrested by Emperor Nero and threatened with crucifixion unless the deadly curse that’s fallen on Rome is lifted. She asks Antonius Axia, hero of Britannia and Rome’s only detective, for help. She offers only one clue…the gladiator Achillia. Britannia: We Who Are About To Die #1 Harbinger Renegade  Six months ago, a secret team of renegade whistleblowers leaked the existence of these extraordinarily dangerous individuals to a stunned world. Today, all across the country, crude, DIY psiot activation attempts have left hundreds brain damaged…or worse. The emergence of a new psiot in a community often leads to riots and mass violence. Gun sales are through the roof. America is terrified of what could happen next. With this revolutionary upheaval now in motion, Kris Hathaway, John “Torque” Torkelson, Faith “Zephyr” Herbert, and Peter Stanchek are about to discover their calling. Together, the HARBINGER RENEGADES are moving from town to town, building their ranks, and subverting authority one mind at a time…and setting out to prove once and for all that behind their power, there has always been a purpose. Harbinger Renegade #1-4 Rapture  On a scarred landscape, two otherworldly armies prepare to battle one last time, vying for control of a massive tower named from an ancient language no longer permitted to be spoken. One army is led by a primeval force named Babel, whose goal is singular: to breach “Heaven” no matter the cost. The only thing standing in his way is a gray-haired barbaric warrior, filled with rage and regret, a man who sees this battle as his last chance for redemption. But he knows his depleted forces have little chance of victory unless aid comes. Enter Tama: A 12-year old girl on the crest of a hill overlooking the battle, who has just become humanity’s only hope. The last in an ancient line of mystics who protect the Earth, she has foreseen this battle and knows millions will perish if she’s unable to stop it. Now Tama and her ragtag team of malcontents – Ninjak, Shadowman and Punk Mambo – must somehow defeat an elder god hell bent on piercing the heavens. Rapture #1 X-O Manowar (v2)  Now, far from home on a strange and primitive new world, Aric has begun a new life. Liberated from his past, he tends to his crops. Free from war. Free from violence. Free from the armor. But the machinery of death marches his way once again. Conscripted into an alien army and thrown into an unforgiving conflict, the fury inside him finds voice as he is forced to embrace the armor once more. With it, he will decimate armies, topple empires and incite interplanetary warfare as he rises from SOLDIER to GENERAL to EMPEROR to VISIGOTH. They wanted a weapon. He will give them war! X-O Manowar #1-3 Previous Titles 4001 AD      At the dawn of the 41st century, Rai is about to inherit the dark truth behind the origin of his kind…and discover the sinister secret at the heart of Father’s existence. For New Japan to live, Earth must die…and as Rai challenges his former master for the first time in more than a millennium, the lone guardian of New Japan will be cast out of his own Father’s kingdom. Exiled from the only realm he’s ever known, Rai now walks the ravaged world of 4001 A.D. in search of forgotten heroes like himself… on a mission to collect the last surviving legends of a broken planet…and to forge a rebellion with the power to bring the most advanced civilization in history crashing back down to Earth. 4001 AD #1-4, 4001 AD X-O Manowar #1, 4001 AD Bloodshot #1, 4001 AD Shadowman#1, 4001 AD War Mother #1 Archer & Armstrong  After years of meditation and training, 18-year-old Obadiah Archer has been dispatched to New York City to carry out the sacred mission of his family’s sect – locate and kill the fun-loving, hard-drinking immortal known as Armstrong! But as this naive teenage assassin stalks his prey, he’ll soon find that both hunter and hunted are just pawns in a centuries-old conspiracy that stretches from the catacombs beneath Wall Street to the heights of the Himalayas. And Archer & Armstrong will have to work together if the future is to stand any chance of surviving the past’s greatest threat! Archer & Armstrong #0-25, Archer & Armstrong: Archer #0, Archer & Armstrong: The One Percent #1 A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong  Meet Armstrong: Since the ancient city of Ur, this immortal adventurer has spent the last 7,000 years drinking and carousing his way through history alongside some of the greatest merrymakers the world has ever known. Meet Archer: A sheltered teenage martial arts master and expert marksman that was raised for a single purpose – to kill the devil incarnate. Little did he know that this undying evil was actually Armstrong (he’s actually a pretty good guy…once you get to know him) and, since hitting the road together, the two have become great friends and even better partners. Now: Archer is about to set off on his most dangerous mission yet – a quest into the mystic reaches of Armstrong’s bottomless satchel to liberate his friend and comrade from the clutches of the mad god Bacchus! A&A #1-12 Armor Hunters    When Aric of Dacia returned to Earth with the stolen X-O Manowar armor of an alien race, he thought he finally found a weapon to guard the peace and kingdom he’d struggled so long to secure. But now, a relentless and surgical strike team from the farthest reaches of space – sworn to exterminate the armor and all like it – have found their final target. The ARMOR HUNTERS are coming. They will hunt. They will trap. They will kill. And they will rid the universe of the X-O Manowar’s incalculable destructive power…even if it means taking the Earth with it. Armor Hunters #1-4, Armor Hunters: Bloodshot #1-3, Armor Hunters: Harbinger #1-3, Armor Hunters: Aftermath (Tie-ins: Unity #8-11, X-O Manowar #26-29) Bloodshot  Your name is Angelo Mortalli. Your brother is trapped behind enemy lines and on the verge of — no. That’s not right. Your name is Raymond Garrison. You’ve retired from the dangers of the field, but a desperate plea from your oldest friend plunges you into a vicious firefight that — no. That’s not right, either. You are Bloodshot. You are the shade of gray that freedom requires. The perfect confluence of military necessity and cutting-edge technology. A walking WikiLeaks. A reservoir of dirty secrets that could set the world on fire. And you’ve just been captured. Bloodshot #0-13, Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps #0, #14-23, Bloodshot #24-25 Bloodshot Reborn  Bloodshot’s nanites made him a nearly unstoppable killing machine. His enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and healing made him the perfect weapon, and he served his masters at Project Rising Spirit – a private contractor trafficking in violence – very well. Now, Bloodshot is a shadow of his former self. He lives in self-imposed exile, reeling from the consequences of his past life and the recent events that nearly drove him mad. But when a rash of shootings by gunmen who appear to look just like Bloodshot begin, his guilt will send him on a mission to stop the killers, even if it means diving headlong into the violence that nearly destroyed him. Bloodshot Reborn #1-18, Bloodshot Reborn Annual 2016, Bloodshot Reborn #0 Bloodshot USA  Project Rising Spirit – America’s greatest exporter of classified weapons technology – has achieved a breakthrough: a contagious, airborne nanite dispersion prototype that can turn the population of any city into an army of indestructible soldiers. A doomsday virus capable of destroying an enemy nation from the inside out. A machine-made pathogen that can completely rewrite human physiology…and hardcode every man, woman, and child with the same cutting-edge technology that created their greatest weapon: Bloodshot. But now…Project Rising Spirit’s top-secret contagion has been released onto the streets of America’s greatest metropolis: New York City. As mayhem engulfs Manhattan, Bloodshot must lead the most dangerous invasion ever waged on American soil and keep a runaway pandemic from toppling armies and governments…and threatening to destroy humanity itself. Bloodshot USA #1-4 Book of Death  The Valiant heroes. X-O Manowar. Bloodshot. Ninjak. The Harbinger Renegades. Unity. This is how they lived. This is how they died. Now we know. The Book of the Geomancer has recorded it all. But only a young girl – the last in a line of the enigmatic mystics who protect the Earth known as Geomancers – has seen this future come to pass, from the coming cataclysm to the dawn of the 41st century. Alone with her sworn protector, the Eternal Warrior – a soldier battle-forged across five thousand years of combat – the duo must defy their allies to stop the Dark Age that now threatens to eclipse our world. Together, they are the number one target of every hero and villain on Earth. Either the Eternal Warrior hands her over…or they take him down. But can even he single-handedly protect one child when the entire Valiant Universe wages war against him? Book of Death #1-4, Book of Death: Legends of the Geomancer #1-4, Book of Death: Fall of Bloodshot #1, Book of Death: Fall of Harbinger #1, Book of Death: Fall of Ninjak #1, Book of Death: Fall of X-O Manowar #1 Britannia  Ruled by the Fates. Manipulated by the Gods. Commanded by Caesar. In the year 65 A.D., one’s destiny was not his own. At the height of Nero’s reign, a veteran of Rome’s imperial war machine has been dispatched to the farthest reaches of the colonies to investigate unnatural happenings… In the remote outpost of Britannia, Antonius Axia – the First Detective – will become Rome’s only hope to reassert control over the empire’s most barbaric frontier…and keep the monsters that bridge the line between myth and mystery at bay… Britannia #1-4 Dead Drop  There is a secret black market in New York. It is hidden in plain sight – in our streets, trains, restaurants. Those who know how to navigate it exchange secrets of extraordinary nature. But when the secret in circulation is a biological weapon derived from Vine technology, the gloves are off – and the most extraordinary agents are released to stop the disaster before it occurs. Otherwise, in less than thirty minutes, there will be no world to come back to. X-O Manowar, Archer, Neville Alcott, Detective Cejudo and Betamax are ready to save the world. Dead Drop #1-4 The Death-Defying Dr. Mirage  Doctor Mirage talks to the dead…but the only spirit Shan Fong can’t find is that of her late husband, Hwen. Instead, America’s favorite semi-retired paranormal investigator is haunted and raw, using her gift to solve homicides and bring peace to the recently bereaved. But when a big-time occultist with a classified military past hires her for a special job, Shan discovers a lead that might close the greatest mystery she’s ever tackled – how to get Hwen back. Now, Doctor Mirage must enter the undiscovered country and cross all the realms of the underworld, if she has any hope of rescuing the man she loves…or be forever lost beyond the earthly plane. The Death Defying Dr. Mirage #1-5 The Death-Defying Dr. Mirage: Second Lives  Occult investigators Shan and Hwen Mirage lived their lives in the thrall of an epic love that few will ever have…until Hwen died tragically before his time. Now, after a perilous trip through the underworld, Shan and Hwen are reunited…but Hwen is still an intangible spirit of the dead – incapable of opening a spellbook or even touching his wife. Their options exhausted, the death-defying Doctors Mirage are about to enact a dangerous spell to restore Hwen’s solid form…and grant his ghost a second life. But, in the wrong hands, their ancient rite will become a tool of terror – and unleash a force of pure, homicidal evil that lusts for the murder of the living and the dead alike… a torturous death that obliterates not just everything a person ever had in this world, but everything their ghost will be in the next! The Death-Defying Dr. Mirage: Second Lives #1-4 The Delinquents  Quantum and Woody are the world’s worst superhero team. Archer & Armstrong are a mismatched pair of conspiracy-busting adventurers. When a mysterious force collides these ill-suited and irresponsible “heroes” for a cross-country race through the darkest corners of American mythology, all hell is bound to break loose. Can two busted pairs become four of a kind in time to defeat the Hobo King, save the day, and make it back home in time for happy hour? Let’s hope so…’cause these guys make a really, really bad team. (And you don’t even want to know about the goat.) The Delinquents #1-4 Divinity  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. How long can it be before the first confrontation between mankind and DIVINITY begins? Divinity #1-4 Divinity II  Long thought lost and erased from the history books, Abram Adams was the first to return, crash-landing in the Australian Outback. The few that have been able to reach him believe him to be a deity. They say he can bend matter, space, and even time to his will. But, even with seemingly limitless power at his fingertips, he is concerned only with the secret love he hid away from his superiors and the unborn child he never had a chance to meet. Now, Miska, the female co-pilot of the group, has also returned to Earth… but, unlike Abram she had no secret family. Unlike Abram, she still believes in the Communist ideal. And, unlike Abram, she intends to play a very real role in the return of Soviet glory. Divinity II #1-4 Divinity III: Stalinverse      Welcome to the year 2017…where the Soviet Union has spent decades as the world’s reigning superpower and the Iron Curtain now encircles a planet riddled with war, strife, and oppression. Freedom is a thing of the past in the Stalinverse… So why can’t Russian intelligence officer Colin King shake the feeling that something has gone terribly wrong? He’ll put his freedom and life on the line to uncover the truth… Even if that means finding out whatever happened to the long-missing cosmonaut Abram Adams – the one man who just might hold the key to unraveling the dystopian world of today… Divinity III: Stalinverse #1-4, Divinity III: Komandar Bloodshot #1, Divinity III: Aric Son of the Revolution #1, Divinity III: Shadowman and The Battle of New Stalingrad #1, Divinity III: Escape From Gulag 396 #1 Eternal Warrior  Across ten millennia and a thousand battlefields, Gilad Anni-Padda has traversed the darkest, most mysterious corners of history. But the horror and bloodshed of constant warfare has finally taken its toll on the man myth calls the Eternal Warrior…and he has abdicated his duties as the Fist and the Steel of Earth for a quiet life of seclusion. But when a blood vendetta from the distant past suddenly reappears in the modern day, he must decide if he will return to the ways of war…for the child who betrayed him thousands of years ago… Eternal Warrior #1-8, Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel #1-3 Eternal Warrior: Awakening  On the brink of carving out victory in the most violent battle of his life, Gilad Anni-Padda suffers a devastating injury. He awakens weeks later in a strange land, nursed back to health but with no memory of his past. A tribe has shown him compassion in an age of cruelty, and he will return their gift in kind. Now the real violence will begin… Eternal Warrior: Awakening #1 Faith (Limited Series)  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 her into harm’s way! Well, at least she thought it would… When she’s not typing up listicles about cat videos, Faith makes a secret transformation to patrol the night as the City of Angels’ own leading superhero – the sky-soaring Zephyr! Faith #1-4 Faith (Ongoing Series)  In a city under siege by robots, aliens, monsters and even worse… celebrities, there is only one woman the people of Los Angeles can count on: the stratospheric superhero called Faith! Aspiring reporter by day and dedicated crime-fighter by night, Faith has tackled every obstacle in her path with confidence – like those crushing deadlines at work, the long-distance boyfriend half a world away, and the missing back issues that plague her comics collection! But, unbeknownst to her, Faith is about to collide with the one force she never saw coming: an up-and-coming super-villain bent on snuffing her out once and for all! But who is lurking behind the mask of her new foe…and could they just be the one person capable of rendering Faith powerless? Faith #1-12 Generation Zero  If you have a problem… If your parents won’t help… And if your cause is worthy… Log onto network #ZERO…because Generation Zero is listening. 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. One of those kids is Keisha Sherman, whose boyfriend just turned up dead after a suspicious car crash in Rook, Michigan – a newly booming tech town that sprang from rags to super-riches seemingly overnight. When Keisha makes a desperate plea into her webcam, the local high school suddenly finds itself with several unusual new students… But as word of Generation Zero’s presence spreads rapidly through the halls, this volatile band of teenage upstarts is about to discover that they’re far from the most extraordinary thing lurking behind Rook’s stainless-steel facade… Generation Zero #1-9 Harbinger  Super-powered teenager Peter Stanchek is on a dangerous path. Skipping across the country in a desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of the authorities, Peter is quickly realizing that he’s a psionically-charged “harbinger” with the potential to reshape the course of human history. But Peter’s plight has not gone unnoticed. Respected philanthropist and fellow harbinger Toyo Harada is about to offer Peter the chance at the things for which the boy has always longed — family, inner peace, self-control — and induct him into the sprawling, secret network of conspiracy and subversion known as the Harbinger Foundation. Now Peter begins his long road towards a destiny that will shake the very foundations of the Valiant Universe. His first lesson? All power comes with a price. Harbinger #0-25, Harbinger: Bleeding Monk #0, Harbinger: Omegas #1-3, Harbinger: Faith #0 Harbinger Wars  For decades, Toyo Harada’s Harbinger Foundation and the government’s own Project Rising Spirit have been waging a secret war over the rarest resource known to man – the unwieldy superhuman telekinetics known as harbingers. Over the years, they’ve each collected a small army of these empowered children to inflict their agendas on the world. But now the reformed harbinger hunter known as Bloodshot needs to atone for his crimes – and he’s going to start by releasing two dozen of the most volatile harbingers from their PRS prison and into the world. Harbinger Wars #1-4 (Tie-ins: Bloodshot #10-13, Harbinger #11-14) Immortal Brothers: The Tale of the Green Knight  It’s winter at King Arthur’s court in Camelot! The monstrous Green Knight has appeared before the Round Table with no armor, a gigantic axe, and a challenge. He has come to insist that the weaker knights participate in a friendly “winter’s game” where anyone can strike him once with his axe, but on one condition: That the Green Knight can return the exact blow in one year’s time. King Arthur has agreed to face the mysterious knight himself, but the Round Table’s youthful and most gallant champion, Sir Gilad, takes up the challenge to protect his king. Much to the court’s surprise, the Green Knight doesn’t flinch as his head is struck clean off…only to pick it up himself and warn Gilad that he is fated to receive the same blow before the year is out. Now, Gilad – the Eternal Warrior – must solve the mystery of who the Green Knight is before his hour at the axe comes to pass! But first, he’ll need to find some help…in the form of his own immortal brothers – Armstrong and Ivar – who shall be united once more! Immortal Brothers: The Tale of the Green Knight #1 Imperium  Toyo Harada is the most dangerous human being on the planet. Imbued with incredible powers of the mind, he has spent his life guiding humanity from the shadows. But today he is a wanted man. His powers are public knowledge, his allies have turned to enemies, and he is hunted by every government on the planet. Instead of surrendering, Harada has one last unthinkable gambit to play: to achieve more, faster, and with less, he will build a coalition of the powerful, the unscrupulous and the insane. No longer content to demand a better future, he will recruit a violent legion from the darkest corners of the Earth to fight for it. The battle for utopia begins now. Imperium #1-16 Ivar, Timewalker  At this very moment in Geneva, Switzerland, history is being made. A thousand meters underground inside the Large Hadron Collider, researcher Neela Sethi is about to discover time travel – and jeopardize her life in the process. But she doesn’t know that yet. Ten minutes from now, every deadbeat chrononaut, wannabe conqueror, and misguided protector of the timestream will be banging down her door. Good thing that the legendary Ivar, Timewalker, got there first…right? Now it’s down to history’s most jaded, most tempestuous time traveler to stop the worst of everything that is, was, and will be…before time runs out! Ivar, Timewalker #1-12 Ninjak  For the first time, Ninjak’s past and future collide in the pages of an all-new ongoing series! Then: Meet inexperienced MI-6 recruit Colin King on his first mission in the field as he learns the basics of spycraft and counterintelligence, and develops a volatile relationship with his first handler. Now: Colin King is Ninjak, the world’s foremost intelligence operative, weapons expert, and master assassin. And he’s hunting the Shadow Seven – a secret cabal of shinobi masters with mysterious ties to his training and tragic past. Ninjak #1-27 Punk Mambo  From a posh girls’ boarding school, to the slimy gutter of the London punk scene, to sniffing voodoo glue in a Louisiana swamp…how did the Punk Mambo haul herself from the upper crust to the backwater? Now, Punk Mambo is about to head back home to spread some much-needed anarchy in the UK! The punks and the voodoo priests she used to know have cleaned themselves up, and she’s a loud, belching ghost from their past, come to break in the new furniture…and break some faces! Punk Mambo #0 Quantum and Woody  Once upon a time, Eric and Woody Henderson were inseparable. Adopted brothers. Best friends. Brilliant minds. Years later, they are estranged siblings, petty rivals, and washed-up failures. But when their father’s murder leads them into the throes of a life-altering scientific accident, Eric and Woody will find themselves with a whole new purpose – and a perfectly legitimate reason to wear costumes and fight crime. Go big or go home, folks! Quantum and Woody are coming! Quantum and Woody #1-12, Quantum and Woody: Goat #0, Valiant-Sized Quantum & Woody #1, Quantum & Woody Must Die #1-4 Rai  The year is 4001 A.D. – led by the artificial intelligence called “Father,” the island nation of Japan has expanded out of the Pacific and into geosynchronous orbit with the ravaged Earth below. With billions to feed and protect, it has fallen to one solitary guardian to enforce the law of Father’s empire – the mysterious folk hero known as Rai. They say he can appear out of nowhere. They say he is a spirit…the ghost of Japan. But when the first murder in a thousand years threatens to topple Father’s benevolent reign, Rai will be forced to confront the true face of a nation transformed…and his own long-lost humanity… Rai #1-16 Rai: The History of the Valiant Universe  Rai, the spirit guardian of Earth, has uncovered an ancient tome filled with history’s greatest tales and civilizations darkest moments. Charting the dawning days of ancient Mesopotamia, all the way to the rise of New Japan, the history of the Valiant Universe is laid bare in shocking and revelatory detail. From X-O Manowar to Bloodshot to Faith to Divinity…history will reveal untold revelations for Valiant’s greatest heroes and antagonists! Rai: The History of the Valiant Universe #1 Savage  Fifteen years ago, the world’s most famous soccer star and his former supermodel wife –pregnant with their unborn child – disappeared without a trace. The world believes they are dead… But, in reality, their private jet crash-landed on a mysterious, unknown island ruled by by prehistoric creatures from another time… This is the story of how they lost their humanity. Savage #1-4 Shadowman  There are a million dreams in the Big Easy. But now its worst nightmare is about to come true. As the forces of darkness prepare to claim New Orleans as their own, Jack Boniface must accept the legacy he was born to uphold. As Shadowman, Jack is about to become the only thing that stands between his city and an army of unspeakable monstrosities from beyond the night. But what is the true cost of the Shadowman’s otherworldly power? And can Jack master his new abilities before Master Darque brings down the wall between reality and the otherwordly dimension known only as the Deadside? Shadowman #0-16, Shadowman: End Times #1-3 Unity  To kill a king… he has created an army. The world’s most dangerous man, Toyo Harada, has been struck by the one thing he never thought possible – fear. Halfway across the globe, a new power threatens to topple modern civilization and, to preempt the cataclysm that is to come, Harada will unite the most lethal, most volatile, most unforgiving team the world has ever known – UNITY. Their mission: defeat the warrior king armed with the universe’s most powerful weapon. Kill X-O Manowar! Unity #0-25 The Valiant  The Eternal Warrior has protected the Earth for more than 10,000 years. A master of countless weapons and long forgotten martial arts, he is guided by the Geomancers – those who speak for the Earth. During his long watch, the Eternal Warrior has failed three times. Each time, the Geomancer was killed…and a new dark age for humanity began. Each time, he was unable to stop The Immortal Enemy – a monstrous force of nature. A civilization killer. A horror that appears differently each time it arrives…and whose seemingly only purpose is to bring disorder and darkness to the world. Now, the time has come for The Immortal Enemy to return once more. But, this time, the Eternal Warrior will be ready. This time, he has a force greater than any single warrior. This time, he has…THE VALIANT. The Valiant #1-4 Valiant High  Taking place outside of Valiant's standard continuity, Valiant High is packed with never-before-seen incarnations of the greatest icons from the largest independent superhero universe in comics – including Archer & Armstrong, the Death-Defying Dr. Mirage, the Eternal Warrior, Toyo Harada, Kris Hathaway, Peter Stanchek, Quantum and Woody, and many more. You've never seen the heroes of the Valiant Universe quite like this before! Valiant High #1-4 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior  For five millennia, the Eternal Warrior has shaped history at the end of his sword. He’s razed empires, toppled civilizations, and broken armies as an immortal soldier in service to the Earth. But now, the Eternal Warrior has been torn from the world he once protected and finds himself stranded in a hostile alien landscape unlike any he’s faced before. Separated from his earthly environs, can history’s deadliest soldier survive a realm far older, far deadlier, and fare more ruinous than anything he’s ever encountered? Beyond Earth lies eternity… Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #1-14 X-O Manowar (v1)  Born into battle, Aric of Dacia — heir to the throne of the Visigoth people — has never known peace. After a brutal encounter with a mysterious enemy known as The Vine leaves him a prisoner on an alien world, the only hope Aric has of returning to his family and saving them from slavery is to seize armored suit capable of incalculable destruction and become X-O Manowar! The Vine destroyed Aric's world. Now he will give them war. X-O Manowar #0-50, X-O Manowar: 25th Anniversary Special #1, X-O Manowar: Commander Trill #, X-O Manowar Annual 2016 X-O fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Jun 15, 2017 |
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Sep 5, 2015 02:15
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Coming Soon Secret Weapons 6/28/17  Bloodshot's Day Off 7/5/17  Faith and The Future Force 7/26/17  War Mother 8/17  Bloodshot Salvation 9/17  Eternity 10/17  Ninja-K 11/17  Quantum & Woody 12/17  Psi-Lords 2017  Harbiner Wars 2 2018   Shadowman 3/28/18  Reading Order Coming Soon Previous Thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3489235 X-O fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Jun 15, 2017 |
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Sep 5, 2015 02:16
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Amazing OP. Thanks for the updated thread. This company puts out the most consistently good comics, with the exception of Dead Drop which was garbage that should have never happened. Otherwise, everything else ranges from good to 'my God this is awesome'. The way the whole universe feels unified is amazing. It is great when something you nearly forget about in an early arc of XO manowar shows up in Imperium. It doesn't make reading XO manowar first a requirement, but it is a great bonus for dedicated readers. Everything feels like part of an amazing whole.
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Sep 5, 2015 02:30
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Yeah, that unified feel is helped by the fact that by and large it's down to five guys that are pretty much writing everything. Venditti, Dysart, Kindt, Lemire, and Van Lente have pretty much built the Valiant Universe as it exists. There's been other writers such as Van Meter, Milligan, Swierczynski, and Pak as well but the majority of the world building and connective tissue of the universe has been established by a very small crew.
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Sep 5, 2015 02:40
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How was the last Dr Mirage series?
Teenage Fansub fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Sep 5, 2015 |
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Sep 5, 2015 03:01
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Teenage Fansub posted:How was the last Dr Mirage series? I thought it was a much better introduction to the supernatural elements of the universe than Shadowman was. It doesn't hurt that Shan is immediately a much more interesting character than either Jack Boniface or Punk Mambo. Plus where Shadowman was more about legacy up front Shan's story and background is much more relatable which helps you understand more why the character is like the way she is. I very much enjoyed Van Meter's take on it and can't wait for the followup mini.
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Sep 5, 2015 03:36
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2 questions: Harada is an old man but appears young. Is that a physical thing he's doing to himself or is he just altering people's perceptions so that they see him as young? I know that he looks old as gently caress when he has to do his 2 week sleep. I'm only in the 3rd trade so it may come up later but, what does XO stand for?
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Sep 10, 2015 15:55
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zoux posted:2 questions: I think Harada projects a shell in the same way Torque does. He still appears young on film so it is probably not telepathy. Dude is what in his 70s now. Or older, I can't remember how old he was at Hiroshima. Omega level psiots appear to get some gnarly regenerative abilities if Peter healing from being a husk is any indication but it may not extend to longevity. Or Peter's abilities are different. Which makes Harada's little regime kind of doomed since it would not survive his death. Neurosis fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Sep 10, 2015 |
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Sep 10, 2015 18:51
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Wasn't harada alive way in the future in one other story though? Between him and silk lasting forever, the valiant heroes are not doing that well.
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Sep 10, 2015 19:03
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zoux posted:2 questions: X-O stands for Executive Officer. Which is explained later.
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Sep 10, 2015 19:24
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Neurosis posted:I think Harada projects a shell in the same way Torque does. Yeah that makes perfect sense. X-O posted:X-O stands for Executive Officer. Which is explained later. OK, I was just confused when one of the Vine generals was like "READY YOUR XO CORPS" and it reminded me that I didn't know what it stood for.
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Sep 10, 2015 19:38
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zoux posted:OK, I was just confused when one of the Vine generals was like "READY YOUR XO CORPS" and it reminded me that I didn't know what it stood for. That's a bit of a different thing. The X-O Manowar name is given to Aric by the American military.
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Sep 10, 2015 19:44
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Unity 23 & 24 will be a two issue arc that wraps up some dangling plot threads from the Armor Hunters storyline and involves some of the Armor Hunters that survived in space coming back for GIN-GR. Then the series will wrap with a giant size comedy special issue 25. quote:
Oh yes, that's right, we get a Hembeck cover. Valiant is smart enough to know even in 2015 you shouldn't do a comedy issue without a little Hembeck. 
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Sep 10, 2015 20:24
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X-O posted:That's a bit of a different thing. The X-O Manowar name is given to Aric by the American military. No, it stands for eXtra Old, which the armor is, and why he works with Harada who is also old.
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Sep 10, 2015 22:22
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If you're looking to get into a good portion of Valiant for a cheap price the Groupees digital sale is on for another 7 hours or so. Lots of really good reading here. https://groupees.com/valiant
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Sep 14, 2015 00:42
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X-O posted:If you're looking to get into a good portion of Valiant for a cheap price the Groupees digital sale is on for another 7 hours or so. Lots of really good reading here. Is there a good app for reading books from this on the iPad, or is that a question for another thread?
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Sep 14, 2015 07:01
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Sega 32X posted:Is there a good app for reading books from this on the iPad, or is that a question for another thread? I use Chunky comics reader.
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Sep 14, 2015 15:56
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I use Comic Zeal for CBR/CBZ and GoodReader for PDF. I didn't get that bundle, but I hope there's not a lot of PDF.
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Sep 14, 2015 16:05
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Endless Mike posted:I use Comic Zeal for CBR/CBZ and GoodReader for PDF. I didn't get that bundle, but I hope there's not a lot of PDF. All the trades that weren't duplicates from the humble bundle had cbz when I downloaded them last week. On ipad I use Comic glass but I haven't kept up with readers. Comic Zeal I found irritating due to file management. Glass just let's me pull from my network.
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Sep 14, 2015 20:00
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The December Solicitations confirm what I had believed in that issue 12 of Ivar will be the final issue of the series wrapping up the Ending History arc. Let's hope that Van Lente and Perez move on over to a brand new Archer & Armstrong series after that. Fingers crossed. Also in December we get the start of the second Dr. Mirage mini. X-O fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Sep 19, 2015 |
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Sep 19, 2015 03:28
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Valiant announced today that everyone's favorite Renegade is getting her own mini-series. From writer Jody Houser and artists Francis Portela and Marguerite Sauvage. Can't wait to check this out as Faith is great. The arc where she temporarily joins Unity is one of my favorite Valiant stories.  http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/exclusive-valiant-puts-faith-in-houser-portelas-hands-in-january
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Sep 29, 2015 19:40
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X-O posted:The December Solicitations confirm what I had believed in that issue 12 of Ivar will be the final issue of the series wrapping up the Ending History arc. Let's hope that Van Lente and Perez move on over to a brand new Archer & Armstrong series after that. Fingers crossed. Well there is this, so hopefully that's the case.
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Sep 29, 2015 19:45
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I'm weirdly excited for Faith and Archer to start dating (one of the things that Ivar revealed about the future is that Faith is the love of Archer's life).
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Sep 29, 2015 21:00
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Fritzler posted:I'm weirdly excited for Faith and Archer to start dating (one of the things that Ivar revealed about the future is that Faith is the love of Archer's life). I don't know when that'll happen though, the way Ivar acted it seems as if that happens after Archer destroys Bloodshot. I don't see that happening any time soon. Man I love the Far Faraway arc.
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Sep 29, 2015 21:31
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X-O posted:I don't know when that'll happen though, the way Ivar acted it seems as if that happens after Archer destroys Bloodshot. I don't see that happening any time soon. Man I love the Far Faraway arc. Fred van Lente said in a podcast that Archer 'destroying' Bloodshot happened in the Mission Improbable arch. I guess Ivar was exaggerating...
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Sep 29, 2015 23:04
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Rusty Kettle posted:Fred van Lente said in a podcast that Archer 'destroying' Bloodshot happened in the Mission Improbable arch. I guess Ivar was exaggerating... I would like to hear this podcast, I mean I totally believe you, but I just love Fred Van Lente and would like to hear him talking about his Archer and Armstrong run.
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Sep 29, 2015 23:18
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I've been enjoying Ivar, Timewalker a good deal, and I'm definitely excited for more Archer and Armstrong. Keep it up, Valiant.
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Sep 30, 2015 00:03
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X-O posted:I would like to hear this podcast, I mean I totally believe you, but I just love Fred Van Lente and would like to hear him talking about his Archer and Armstrong run. I believe it was on 'only the valiant' episode 191 or 192.
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Sep 30, 2015 01:24
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 Jesus Christ. Fall of Harbinger is probably the best issue of a comic the new Valiant has published. gently caress was that good. GET THIS ISSUE! If you haven't read Book of Death, first what's wrong with you?, it doesn't matter. If you read the 25 issue Harbinger series and Omegas you owe it to yourself to read this book. And if you read Imperium you'll smile at the nods to Sunset on Snow.
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Sep 30, 2015 21:52
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Thanks for the heads-up! I was going to wait a bit to pick it up, but I'll snag it tonight.
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Oct 1, 2015 01:39
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X-O posted:
I've read all those books but not any of the other Books of Death, as I haven't read most of the new Valiant stuff. Is it self contained or am I gonna be lost?
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Oct 1, 2015 01:43
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zoux posted:I've read all those books but not any of the other Books of Death, as I haven't read most of the new Valiant stuff. Is it self contained or am I gonna be lost? Self contained. Like the other "Fall of" books it only needs you to have read the characters in their own adventures not in Book of Death. It does not spoil or rely on Book of Death at all. If you have read Harbinger 1-25 and Omegas you will be fine. If you have read Imperium you will smile at a few nods but it's not necessary. Fritzler posted:I'm weirdly excited for Faith and Archer to start dating (one of the things that Ivar revealed about the future is that Faith is the love of Archer's life). This is also touched upon in Fall of Harbinger. Faith dies in her sleep at the age of 57 next to her husband Archer. Her funeral is attended by thousands as she was the most popular superhero the world had ever known. X-O fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Oct 1, 2015 |
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Oct 1, 2015 01:51
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That was an incredible finale to Harbinger. Like, if that was the actual end of the series, I'd say it ended well. The actual ending, if that ever happens, has a lot to live up to.
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Oct 1, 2015 02:21
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X-O posted:This is also touched upon in Fall of Harbinger. Faith dies in her sleep at the age of 57 next to her husband Archer. Her funeral is attended by thousands as she was the most popular superhero the world had ever known. Fall of Harbinger is the most heart-wrenching but fulfilling ending to the harbinger story. All Josh Dysart needs to do is tie where the story currently is with this amazing issue and we'll have a modern masterpiece. Regarding the quoted spoiler: I am so proud of Dysart for killing Faith in her fifties from heart failure. It is awesome to see hefty people represented in comics. Everyone doesn't look like Flamingo and it is great to see people of all body types in comics. That being said, being overweight does take a toll on your body. Having her die in a way and age that is typical for overweight people sends the message that it's not shameful to be overweight if that is the lifestyle you want to lead, but you need to be realistic about how it'll affect you and your loved ones. People may disagree with this message (and this thread is certainly not the place to argue), but it is a surprising mature statement compared to something like Bitch Planet. The proven and intuitive health problems associated with obesity shouldn't be downplayed and Dysart brings that to the forefront by having Faith die of heart failure in her fifties. Torque's death almost gave me heart failure because of sadness! It's easy to forget that inside of Torque is someone with a crippling disease. Having him die of that disease despite everything is heartbreaking.
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Oct 1, 2015 05:07
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Yeah, Harbinger Book of Death owned. Is the Book of Death event just "Six Feet Under finale but for all our comics"? One thing I really like about Valiant books is that they do scifi concepts very well. I'm not talking about dudes in space stuff, Marvel and DC cosmic stuff isn't really scifi. But stuff like the time shenanigans in Ivar or transcendent non-corporeal minds or Major Mech/SoS AI identity struggle are all ideas that have strong legacies in scifi literature going back decades, while offering fresh takes on them. Van Lente's framework for time travel in Ivar is one of the most interesting stories about the idea I've ever read.
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Oct 1, 2015 16:07
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zoux posted:Yeah, Harbinger Book of Death owned. Is the Book of Death event just "Six Feet Under finale but for all our comics"? The tie-ins for Bloodshot, Harbinger, and Ninjak have basically been that. The actual event comic is a proper crossover and is something that spins directly out of The Valiant and sets up the new Eternal Warrior series. So if you've read the former and want to read the latter then you need to check it out. Like all of Valiant's crossovers it's very good in being self contained from the ongoing books so it doesn't rely on you having followed any of the others. If you'd followed Unity you'd probably appreciate part of it more, but it's not necessary. quote:One thing I really like about Valiant books is that they do scifi concepts very well. I'm not talking about dudes in space stuff, Marvel and DC cosmic stuff isn't really scifi. But stuff like the time shenanigans in Ivar or transcendent non-corporeal minds or Major Mech/SoS AI identity struggle are all ideas that have strong legacies in scifi literature going back decades, while offering fresh takes on them. Van Lente's framework for time travel in Ivar is one of the most interesting stories about the idea I've ever read. Yeah, they don't let real science restrict or hold back the creativity of their storytelling, but at the same time they respect real science enough that it plays heavily into their concepts. Divinity is also a great example of playing with scifi and science in a really unique way. The structure of that mini is genius and his appearance in Imperium was a real "Oh poo poo" moment. I can't wait to see what Kindt does with him in the next miniseries.
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Oct 2, 2015 13:34
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If anyone's wanting to catch up on Eternal Warrior or Unity now's the time! https://www.comixology.com/Eternal-Warrior-Sale/page/8341?ref=c2l0ZS9pbmRleC9kZXNrdG9wL3NtYWxsQ2Fyb3VzZWw Also The Valiant is on sale. Get on it! Great prices for great books!
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Oct 2, 2015 21:57
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io9 has an interview with Lemire about his upcoming Bloodshot run. I don't know if the premise has been revealed before, but it's the first I've heard of it and it sound badass.
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Oct 6, 2015 22:09
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I knew something with Bloodshot and the future was coming up, but holy poo poo that art is amazing. Also I heard from the Baltimore panel that Lemire has already written 25 issues of Bloodshot completely and the art is complete on 16 or 17 of those issues. They're working super far ahead it seems.
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Oct 6, 2015 22:21
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X-O posted:I knew something with Bloodshot and the future was coming up, but holy poo poo that art is amazing. Also I heard from the Baltimore panel that Lemire has already written 25 issues of Bloodshot completely and the art is complete on 16 or 17 of those issues. They're working super far ahead it seems. Awesome. 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)
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Oct 6, 2015 22:24
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