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

[thewarning]

Replacing the dearly departed, previous version of this catch-all megathread.

As I posted earlier today:

No significant reveals in this year's FCBD offerings. We get two books, Armor Hunters preview and Valiant Handbook.

The Armor Hunters preview has a bunch of previews we have already seen in the back of books for the past couple months (Armor Hunters #1, X-O, Rai), a couple of pages from Venditti about Armor Hunters, a page about Valiant First, and full-page teasers for The Delinquents and Dr Mirage with the art we have already seen.

The Valiant Handbook is meatier, featuring bios of the main cast of characters in the current Valiant Universe. (Entry of note: General Redacted.) No ads besides for collections.

[MECHANO]

I haven't read Shadowman: End Times #1 yet, hopefully this is the Shadowman story that clicks with me.

It's bad... Really bad.

[clayholio]

It's bad... Really bad.

I haven't read that one, but I did read some of the new Shadowman series, and it never clicked with me.

I liked the old Bob Hall issues, though.

[JaggedFel]

I haven't read that one, but I did read some of the new Shadowman series, and it never clicked with me.

I liked the old Bob Hall issues, though.

I have said this before in the old forums. The Flashback issues are some of the best work Valiant has put out in their relaunch. Everything else though ranges from mediocre to just plan bad and is mostly a meandering mess.

[wwise03]

So I just read Rai (first Valiant book ever) and LOVED it!!! I want to go back and read and collect some of the other Valiant series.

I am generally eying X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Unity, Bloodshot, Archer & Armstrong, Quantum & Woody, and Eternal Warrior.

Couple of questions about how to collect these books...would you go for the single issues or the deluxe hardcover books? Second, if you go for the single issues, do the pullbox editions contain supplemental materials the way the Rai pullbox edition did, or do they just have different covers?

Thanks!!

[Geralt of Rivia]

So I just read Rai (first Valiant book ever) and LOVED it!!! I want to go back and read and collect some of the other Valiant series.

I am generally eying X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Unity, Bloodshot, Archer & Armstrong, Quantum & Woody, and Eternal Warrior.

Couple of questions about how to collect these books...would you go for the single issues or the deluxe hardcover books? Second, if you go for the single issues, do the pullbox editions contain supplemental materials the way the Rai pullbox edition did, or do they just have different covers?

Thanks!!

I get single issues, and as far as I know there's no difference in content when it comes to the standard cover vs pullbox edition.

Since my LCS doesn't overcharge on variant covers from Valiant; I simply pick up the cover I like better. I think Im the only customer who pulls their books...

[Geralt of Rivia]

I have said this before in the old forums. The Flashback issues are some of the best work Valiant has put out in their relaunch. Everything else though ranges from mediocre to just plan bad and is mostly a meandering mess.

Have to agree with this, Shadowman was the first Valiant book dropped since the relaunch and a few months later it seems I made a good call.

[Ying Ko]

still pulling X-O Manowar, Unity and Rai. if Eternal Warrior resumes i'll probably buy that too.

not sure yet about Dr Mirage. latest issue of Shadowman (End Times #1) was the worst Valiant book i've read. i don't like Milligan's direction or execution at all. dropping it.

[mrbrklyn]

There is no new Archer and Armstrong's?

[TheFerg714]

There is no new Archer and Armstrong's?

Nope. There was a one-shot a few months back, but that's about it.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I read Ninjak in Matt Ryan's voice ( he did Constantine and Edward Kenway from Assassins creed 4).

[Shadowras]

I finally got to see the FCBD issue, its on Valiants comic app. The book was mostly made up of previews that I had already seen, but what really intrigued me was the splash page by MJ Kim. The image focused on Valiants B and supporting characters from different books, Divinity and Mishka was front and centre, but also close to them was Savage and Geomancer. So does Valiant have upcoming plans for these two, I wonder?
val mj kim.jpg

[Dark-Flux]

Im way behind on my Valiant but am just about to make a concentrated effort to get back into it. Currently at the back end of 2016 and just finished Venditti's Eternal Warrior stuff. Now on to Gen Zero and Renegades!

What are folks enjoying out of the current series? Was Secret Weapons any good? Is Dysart back yet?

[md62]

Did anyone read Rai #1 today? I have to wait until next week to get it...

[thewarning]

Yeah. It was really dense, a lot of world-building. Something about the lettering bugs me. And the girl-interlocutor character/approach to Rai reminded me an awful lot of Dark Horse's recent reboot of X...

Nevertheless, off to an intriguing start with a pretty fresh futuristic setting. Especially interesting to remember this is happening at the same time as the recent arc of Eternal Warrior. Its a wildly different world.

I got the Plus edition, which had a Spylocke mini-comic, pull-out poster, pull-out/connectible maps of 4001 Japan drawn by Kindt. A bunch of pages of written copy, too. It was kind of strangely plopped into the middle of the book, instead of tacked on at the end. A little weird to flip through in order to continue an interrupted conversation scene.