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

[BigLbo]

This is the third time. Acclaim bought the original Valiant and rebooted the universe back in the '90s. IMO, it was terrible.

Shadow Man was awesome, the comic and the game.

[The Invincible Beawulf]

https://www.comicsbeat.com/valiant-e...ensed-content/

Valiant entertainment expands into novels and board games.

Wow, finally some good news.



Also, August 2023 solicits: https://bleedingcool.com/comics/one-...unconquered-6/

[The Invincible Beawulf]

Valiant To Finally Publish Ninjak Superkillers in September 2023: https://bleedingcool.com/comics/vali...eptember-2023/

[Captain Craig]

So X-O Unconquered is going to total 8 issues when it is done or 6?
It has been a rather enjoyable read and the art has been great.

Looking forward to Ninjak Superkillers but more interested in VALIANTS financial affairs. I'd like this company to get some mgmt that has a clue. Sadly once DMG bought them it has gone in the toilet. Even they can't be happy. Clearly should've acquired it but kept Dinesh in charge.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

https://www.thepopverse.com/valiant-...ooks-licensing

The Valiant Universe of characters will now be published by Alien Books, a NY based publisher.

[Shadowras]

https://www.thepopverse.com/valiant-...ooks-licensing

The Valiant Universe of characters will now be published by Alien Books, a NY based publisher.

Interesting, so Valiant wouldn't be self publishing anymore, but licensing out their characters to Alien books. Hopefully we get at least 3 books a month.

[Captain Craig]

https://www.thepopverse.com/valiant-...ooks-licensing

The Valiant Universe of characters will now be published by Alien Books, a NY based publisher.

I saw this yesterday somewhere. Hopefully it means DMG has realized they are ill equipped to handle this company. From any standpoint really. Their stated directive was to make movies/tv or animation with the characters. It has been years and nothing on that front, just a financial cluster and drop in product to one character/book a month.
Will we see more characters in more monthlies now? How does the finances of this this work? If DMG could produce more than one book why haven't they? Does Alien Books assume the overhead and keep any lions share of revenue with only a smaller percentage kickback to DMG? Hence licensing.

[The Invincible Beawulf]

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/ninj...2023-solicits/

[The Invincible Beawulf]

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/vali...m-alien-books/

[Captain Craig]

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/vali...m-alien-books/

Bleeding Cool has, all this year, every month, reported news on the one comic book that Valiant Entertainment was publishing each month. And for a while, it was X-O Manowar Unconquered by Becky Cloonan. Michael Conrad and Liam Sharp, with three issues published in March, April, and May. But then #4, #5 and 6 were delayed and never came out. Ninjak Superkillers, long promised by Jeff Parker, Mike Norton, Andrew Dalhouse and Dave Sharpe was also solicited, one issue a month, to begin in September. Now Diamond Comic Distributors has cancelled all listings for X-O Manowar Unconquered and Ninjak Superkillers, and in November, there is no Valiant listing at all.
Fairsquare Comics/Alien Books are meant to be taking over the publishing for Valiant Entertainment, but there is no sign in Fairsquare's November 2023 solicits and solicitations… not yet anyway.

On one hand this could be part of a reorganization by Fairsquare and we may yet get XO:U #4-6 as well as Ninjak Superkillers.
On the other hand this could be the final gasp of life for Valiant 2.0 which has been on life support for over a year now.
The fan in my hopes it is the former.

[shooshoomanjoe]

The original Valiant's first years had a strong start and a slow death. Sad to see history repeating itself.

[Shadowras]

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/alie...iants-in-2024/
Interesting news here.

[Captain Craig]

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/alie...iants-in-2024/
Interesting news here.

This does on the surface sound like good news. DMG needs to unload Valiant to someone who can do the VU justice and Alien Books is going to get a chance to prove that's them.
Cautiously optimistic.

[Bslythegamerguy]

Man, 2012-2014 was like heaven with Valiant, now it seems like all they do is renumber X-O and publish once in a blue moon
.I've been away, so what happened? Confused as to what happened to their publishing power...

[Captain Craig]

Man, 2012-2014 was like heaven with Valiant, now it seems like all they do is renumber X-O and publish once in a blue moon
.I've been away, so what happened? Confused as to what happened to their publishing power...

It started when DMG fully took over Valiant and DMG owner said this which was, well....a Harbinger of things to come and the reality of where we are now.

DMG, run by founder and CEO Dan Mintz, already had a 57 percent stake in Valiant, but made a strategic move for whole ownership in order to make a concerted push into film, television and other media platforms.

“This is about taking it to the next level,” says Mintz, a former filmmaker-turned-entrepreneur. “I am not looking on expanding from a publishing standpoint but from a motion picture standpoint.”

When DMG fully took over Valiant(strategic move)...see Dinesh forced out by manipulation of shareholder value.

Dinesh posted this himself on a Valiant message board which I found on Reddit.

"DMG invested as a minority shareholder with minimal rights then proceeded to misrepresent their position in the press as being brought in to help with Hollywood. Hilariously, behind the scenes, they were constantly asking me to introduce them to people in Hollywood. The change in control happened because DMG wanted to push us into movies faster and wanted to run that part of Valiant (they needed our announcements to keep their stock price up in China). I had enough controls with my shares to keep them away myself. They started buying up all the other minor shareholders and got to a place where I could only keep them in check by working with the other major shareholder. Then they convinced that shareholder to cash out.

We got Bloodshot in 2019, then of course the whole industry took a hit during Covid's strong shut down years but by and large the world has been back for a bit now. DMG didn't focus on publishing, they shifted and shut down staff, capital is low. It's been a disaster since DMG took over.
In 2022 there were reports Dinesh was looking to buy back majority but that has been over a year now.
DMG has licensed the publishing side to Alien Books who fully take over and resume the publishing schedule this December. Early 2024 we will see some new Trades of earlier material. Hoping we can get back up to at least two titles a month sometime in '24 and grow back some audience.