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| Convention Report by Clay N Ferno |
Valiant Comics remains committed to their rabid fans with a series of announcements tied to top industry talent and is expanding on the current Valiant Universe with new titles and crossovers in 2014.
Valiant Comics Director of Marketing Hunter Gorinson introduced an impressive series of panelists including Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Matt Kindt, Clayton Henry, Dinesh Shamdasani, Alejandro Arbona, ChrisCross and more at the Must Read Valiant panel on Saturday.
The panel starts off with the reveal to the pre-con teaser about the return of “The (Original) World’s Worst Supehero Team”.
The lead off announcement is that series creators Christopher Priest and M.D. Bright are returning to Quantum and Woody for a limited series set in the original Valiant Universe. No plans on expanding on the original universe beyond this series, we’re told, this is a special exception to reunite the team.
Starting in issue #5, fan favorite Mara artist Ming Doyle joins James Asmus on the current Quantum and Woody title, introducing the goat!
The first Valiant crossover title, Unity #1 helmed by Matt Kindt and drawn by Doug Braithwaite will be a 30 page story, and a great jumping on point for new readers.
X-O Manowar is taking Romania back from Romanians and Russia and Toya Harada has assembled an all-star team to stop him. In issue #3 of the series, we see someone else don the X-O Manowar suit.
Over in X-O Manowar #19, Cary Nord experiments with a new art style as Ninjak is taken prisoner and we find out that Aric of Dacia has little to no knowledge of modern dentistry, preferring extraction when the suit detects something is wrong in Ninjak’s mouth!
Over in Archer and Armstrong, Fred Van Lente kicks off the Sect Civil War.
In order to keep the world from falling apart, Archer and Armstrong must save the Sect from itself! Issue #15 Aram and Ivar take to history for what Van Lente describes as as 3000 year drinking binge.
Industry veteran Peter Milligan (Justice League Dark, Shade the Changing Man) takes over on Shadowman with Roberto de la Torre on art.
Greg Pak’s Eternal Warrior introduces his daughter as the Earth he serves proves to be uncaring. In issue #5 we jump forward in time to the important year of 4001 to launch the Valiant “Futureverse”. The return of fan favorite Rai was teased but not confirmed at the panel.
A new arc in Harbiner introduces Axe—the Julian Assange of Valiant in issue #20 with Joshua Dysart and Clayton Henry returning as creative team.
Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps continue regularly working together as they stumble across a rival team of psiots.
Let’s just say not everyone survives. The new arc is written by Christos Gage and Josh Dysart with art by Bart Sears.
For retailers, a heavily discounted 120 page book, Must Read Valiant ships soon with 5 of the best comics since the relaunch. For those looking to jump on to the exciting and varied Valiant Comics Universe, this anthology will be the perfect start.
