Valiant Universe: Harbinger, Unity, Rai, A&A; current state & future prospects

[Captain Craig]

And Wrath of the Eternal Warrior is ending...

This is too bad cause the ground work for The Dying One is now firmly in place.
I feel like this book is ending at halftime due to sales dictating it's demise. I strongly believe a 25 issue run was anticipated and the book plotted as such.
There is no way issue #14 is a logical conclusion to the groundwork that's been laid.

Where did all you VALIANT readers go on Eternal Warrior? #bummed

[TheFerg714]

This is too bad cause the ground work for The Dying One is now firmly in place.
I feel like this book is ending at halftime due to sales dictating it's demise. I strongly believe a 25 issue run was anticipated and the book plotted as such.
There is no way issue #14 is a logical conclusion to the groundwork that's been laid.

Where did all you VALIANT readers go on Eternal Warrior? #bummed

I know dude, it's ridiculous... The same thing happened with Imperium. Both books got rave reviews from the Valiant community, and yet they both suffer hard when it comes down to straight sales numbers.

[ksbord]

I know dude, it's ridiculous... The same thing happened with Imperium. Both books got rave reviews from the Valiant community, and yet they both suffer hard when it comes down to straight sales numbers.

Can you blame the fans when there is yet ANOTHER Avengers title to buy? #sarcasm

[Chief Jon]

This is too bad cause the ground work for The Dying One is now firmly in place.
I feel like this book is ending at halftime due to sales dictating it's demise. I strongly believe a 25 issue run was anticipated and the book plotted as such.
There is no way issue #14 is a logical conclusion to the groundwork that's been laid.

Where did all you VALIANT readers go on Eternal Warrior? #bummed

Hey now, I may not be able to be very active on the boards right now, but Wrath of the Eternal Warrior was the ONLY Valiant book I've been able to budget for as a monthly and I've made this great series a monthly priority (I pick up the other series in DE form when I can find a really good sale).

[thewarning]

Britannia is cool. Curious to see how it fits in the universe.

[Knight of DC]

Apparently, Multiversity Comics is doing an exit interview w/ Venditti tomorrow and are looking for questions from the fandom: https://twitter.com/KenGodberson3/st...08570074329092

[ksbord]

Britannia is cool. Curious to see how it fits in the universe.

Agreed. Really enjoyed this issue and looking forward to seeing where this story goes!

[sifighter]

Apparently, Multiversity Comics is doing an exit interview w/ Venditti tomorrow and are looking for questions from the fandom: https://twitter.com/KenGodberson3/st...08570074329092

Is Venditti just done with Valiant? X-O Manowar is done next week and Eternal Warrior is ending in December, so unless I've missed something it looks like he's done.

[keeen]

While i am enjoying the Valiant books i am reading i felt Unity let itself down by Vol 3.

For team that seemed to be Valiant's "Avengers" or "Justice League" the decision to keep the cast so small really worked against the book i felt.

VEI should have expanded the team to at least 7 members. And we needed more villains of a stature to challenge the team.

A wasted opportunity in some respects.

This is my biggest complaint about Valiant. I really want to see a good, expansive superhero team book that pulls from all the well-developed corners of the universe. I haven't read the vol of Unity where I guess Faith is on the team, but that sounds like it was a good idea. Have Torque on a team with Archer and XO, why not? Have them encounter Ivar for a story arc of time traveling. I don't think Valiant is really going for that, maybe it's too cliched Marvel/DC superheroics for them, but that's what I'd like to read at this point.

[keeen]

A&A 7- More tripe. I dislike this book more and more with every issue, especially because I'm currently rereading Van Lente's run, and this is just sucking the life out of these characters (specifically Archer). The plot is boring, pointless, and stupid. Armstrong's an idiot. There's no character development whatsoever. I don't care about the mystery. The art isn't bad, but wasn't as good as the last two issues. Ugh, I'm just so done with this book. Van Lente's run had some of this over-the-top silliness, but balanced it out by taking itself completely seriously. Yea, insane, ridiculous stuff happened, but it always felt grounded. This run just does not feel like "the world outside your window," like Valiant purports itself to be.

That's harsh, but I have to agree. I've only recently read the first three volumes of Van Lente, but that makes the comparison all the more stark. I don't know why I'm buying it at this point. I guess it's the art that I still appreciated, but there are better titles, like Wrath, that I'm not reading monthly, so I think this month I'll swap them in my budget.

[TheFerg714]

That's harsh, but I have to agree. I've only recently read the first three volumes of Van Lente, but that makes the comparison all the more stark. I don't know why I'm buying it at this point. I guess it's the art that I still appreciated, but there are better titles, like Wrath, that I'm not reading monthly, so I think this month I'll swap them in my budget.

Yea, in hindsight, that might have been a little too harsh, but to be honest, I meant everything I said. That book just makes me sad... Wrath of the Eternal Warrior and Bloodshot Reborn pretty much kept the basic concepts of their original series' intact, but A&A just seems to be missing what made Archer & Armstrong so special. Archer is no longer a badass, they don't go on conspiracy busting adventures, the Sect has been all but forgotten, it's basically bereft of action scenes, tapping into the akashic record isn't near as in depth or cool, it doesn't take itself seriously at all. Ugh. I really didn't mean to list off stuff I don't like about it again, but it just grinds my gears. Van Lente's A&A is still my favorite Valiant book so far, but even so, I'm totally okay with those characters taking a break from the publishing block for an extended period of time, but this? This is seriously the direction that Valiant wants to take Archer & Armstrong in? I just don't get it. These stories have honestly been too goofy and stupid for even a Quantum & Woody arc, and that's saying something. Valiant's always been hit or miss when it comes to their humor books, but this makes me extremely nervous and apprehensive for Renegades.

[new_onslaught]

...but this makes me extremely nervous and apprehensive for Renegades.

Yes that how I feel too. Have you checked the preview for Renegades? It was't long, so it could go either way, but apart from Peter being a little OP IMO, it wasn't bad.

[TheFerg714]

Yes that how I feel too. Have you checked the preview for Renegades? It was't long, so it could go either way, but apart from Peter being a little OP IMO, it wasn't bad.

I've seen the art, which looked pretty fantastic, but no, I don't like reading previews.

EDIT: Btw, I posted a poll on ValiantFans asking about their favorite X-O Manowar artists. I'm super excited to see how it turns out. Go vote if you're interested.
http://www.valiantfans.com/forum/vie...hp?f=1&t=48757

[scribbleMind]

Actually really liked Britannia, which is odd because my previous run ins with Milligan have all been poor, but this is the only thing I've read of him built by him from the ground up. It reminds me of Northlanders or Vinland Saga, both of which I'm fans of. Maybe because stories like that aren't so common in the west. The art is very expressive. Perhaps too expressive when it comes to the prime Vestal. It might have been better if it wasn't immediately obvious she was playing games, but the expressions provide for as much characterization in this issue as the dialogue, which is great. I also like that there is a real sense of lore in the book, but it's subtle. Outside of the opening explanation of the Vestal Virgins, the lore isn't really fed to you, but you feel its presence. There's a real sense of past histories and unwritten rules that the characters are playing around.

[kinggirlfriend]

I've seen the art, which looked pretty fantastic, but no, I don't like reading previews.

EDIT: Btw, I posted a poll on ValiantFans asking about their favorite X-O Manowar artists. I'm super excited to see how it turns out. Go vote if you're interested.
http://www.valiantfans.com/forum/vie...hp?f=1&t=48757

I'm surprised Lee Garbett isn't getting more love. I thought his work inked by Stefano Gaudiano was a real good compliment to Cary Nord's first arc.

I'm really sad WRATH is ending. I guess it was the beginning of the summer (May?) when I picked up my first Valiant trades. WRATH, BLOODSHOT REBORN and THE VALIANT. I knew I wanted the other two but I picked up WRATH on a whim, liking Gilad's '90s comic I figured it would be a fun time, and you can't beat 10 bucks! I enjoyed all the books but I liked WRATH the most. It cut deeper. Eventually I picked up more books and am trying to give all the titles a shot. A&A is definitely at the top, but after looking at the recent series and reading your guys's thoughts I kinda cringe.

There's still plenty to look forward too, and I like that Valiant aren't just spinning their wheels, they are constantly trying new things. I just wonder how long it was all last and what their long term goals are? How many of these series are seen as a success in their eyes? IMPERIUM and WRATH are certainly as good as the best stuff put out by IMAGE but they have zero traction. It's depressing and annoying.