Valiant February 2017 solicits

[Shadowras]

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/11/...february-2017/
Goodbye A&A.

[sifighter]

I'm honestly surprised to see A&A cancelled already, I thought it would do a lot better then this.

Either way I'll be getting the following
Harbinger: Renegade
Generation Zero
Faith
Savage
Ninjak
A&A

[TheFerg714]

Pretty boring month in terms of surprises, announcements, and big stories. Only really have two thoughts about this.

1) I'm pretty disappointed that Bloodshot's ending. I'm sure, in retrospective, Lemire's Bloodshot will still hold up as quite the epic, 22 issue run (24, including one-shots). But honestly, this sucks. I could deal with X-O ending. It was inevitable, and X-O was ready for a change of direction. I could deal with Imperium and Wrath ending because the sales were god awful for both. I could deal with A&A sucking, because of everything else in the line was great. But now Bloodshot? This one hurts.
Renegade is untested, Ninjak is on it's way out, and I don't like Gen. Zero, which just leaves Faith as Valiant's "tentpole" ongoing. I love Faith, but come on... Valiant can do so much better. Hopefully this is just a lull period and we'll start to see the real books in 2017.

2) YES! A&A got canceled. 12 issues is exactly what it deserved. Thank you Rafer Roberts, for that amazing 5th issue, but I am sincerely happy that A&A can go away and hopefully be replaced by a more competent series in the future.

Anyway...
Definitely:
Divinity III 4
Shadowman and the Battle for Stalingrad (amazing title)
Ninjak 24
Faith 8

Probably:
Harbinger: Renegade 4
Savage 4

Probably Not:
Generation Zero 7
A&A 12

[RolandGunner]

Pretty boring month in terms of surprises, announcements, and big stories. Only really have two thoughts about this.

1) I'm pretty disappointed that Bloodshot's ending. I'm sure, in retrospective, Lemire's Bloodshot will still hold up as quite the epic, 22 issue run (24, including one-shots).

I haven't seen anything about Bloodshot being canceled. It could just be a skip month before the next arc starts up.

[TheFerg714]

I haven't seen anything about Bloodshot being canceled. It could just be a skip month before the next arc starts up.

*crosses fingers*

EDIT: Looks like there will for sure be a Bloodshot issue out in March. Dinesh posted this on the ValiantFans board due to people complaining about missing Bloodshot and the current direction of the line.

New Bloodshot issue in March. We'll reveal what the larger Bloodshot plan is with that. Don't worry, we got you.

What you're feeling is the definition of what Valiant can be expanding. We took the opportunity 2016 presented to build new corners for the universe (Divinity, Britannia, Savage, Faith, Generation Zero etc). To do that we had to put the big toys away for a bit. Behind the scenes, we've been using the time to quietly build what we think will be their best runs yet (made possible by the addition of all the new characters and ideas we put on the board this year...can't say too much though about this yet). Harbinger Renegade is the first part of that but things really kick off in March. Can't wait for everyone to see what we're cooking up and get as excited as I've been these last few months! Sorry to see you take a break. Totally understand. You're going to miss some great stories. :P

[ian0delond]

Divinity III
Divinity III: Shadowman
Generation Zero
Ninjak

and maybe Harbingers Renegade. I miss Dysart, the first issue was not perfect, but I did get more intrigued by it than what I was expecting.

feels weird to not have any Bloodshot on that list. It would have looked better if they kept the Divinity III:Bloodshot for the break.

[Shadowras]

*crosses fingers*

EDIT: Looks like there will for sure be a Bloodshot issue out in March. Dinesh posted this on the ValiantFans board due to people complaining about missing Bloodshot and the current direction of the line.

Thanks for the info, since there would be a vacancy for two books in March I'm hoping for a Unity relaunch(EW, LIVEWIRE, DIVINITY, SAVAGE, DOC MIRAGE.). Shadowman should also get a book sometime next year.

[Captain Craig]

All the monthly titles.

Bloodshot Reborn not being cancelled, glad I read through the thread cause I was not seeing it in the listing. Let alone that it was cancelled.
A&A has frankly sucked and should show that's it better to advertise proper a change of direction than just cancel/reboot. That book should've been kept up last time.

Ninjak is the flagship title for VALIANT right now...unless they do a bonehead move and cancel it next month at #25.
Faith is just passable for me, I read it but it's easily forgettable. Probably the most overrated book they do right now.
Gen Zero looks to be something great, but could go the other way if the creative team doesn't have a solid plan. I'm in "wait and see" mode on it.
Harbinger Renegades does look to have a plan but is going to demand readers be patient, I am. The first Harbinger book didn't really get great till issue #8/9.

We already know 2017 will give us a new X-O book in March/April
I feel a Shadowman relaunch coming, it's time.

Where is Rai?? Is he one of the big toys Dinesh is talking about they "put on hold" and like Bloodshot Reborn is coming back at it's numbering?

I feel it's time to reinvent some Acclaim material like Black Lion or Trinity Angels(I envision a full on avatars of the elements). Trinity Angels can run parallel to the concept of the Geomancer. Remove the tacky T&A elements, make one a male. Also, Psi-Lords, 4001 AD needs a companion book to RAI.

[ian0delond]

Ninjak is the flagship title for VALIANT right now...unless they do a bonehead move and cancel it next month at #25.

I won't be a big surprise, it is reaching the sales number of a to be axed title for Valiant (around 5k estimates).

[Captain Craig]

How are people NOT reading Ninjak?
I get that Wrath of EW was a slow burn but it's built nicely and now it's going away just as it's getting interesting.
I truly don't get some of you VEI readers bailing and giving up so soon?

[thewarning]

These solicits are all pretty disappointing. Fine with A&A, waste of my money each month. I'd be shocked if Gen Zero doesn't end in March.

As for Ninjak, it's still on my pull list but it's not a book I particularly enjoy. With Valiant, I don't think I've quit on anything that hasn't quit on me first.

Looks like they're hinging a lot on Harbinger Renegade. I hope it turns around. They have to make the IP look good as quickly as possible for "the movie." Tough road ahead of them.

[Aomalle27]

How are people NOT reading Ninjak?
I get that Wrath of EW was a slow burn but it's built nicely and now it's going away just as it's getting interesting.
I truly don't get some of you VEI readers bailing and giving up so soon?

Cause it's poorly written, and chock full of inconsistencies. Case in point; there's a train full of Fitzclones; supposedly expert combatants, and they're taken apart in three pages. Just silly. Colin's not vulnerable; he's a super man, and there's not really any sense of peril. He's always the smartest person in the room with ridiculous tech at his disposal; reminds me of the 60's Batman; with literally everything in his utility belt. VEI should have gone the route of VH1 rai, and made Ninjak a designation, instead of a person; when one ninjak dies, another agent takes his place, ala the phantom. I've dumped VEI altogether once they dropped XO, nothing in their catalogue really stands out. The new A&A was terrible, (I enjoyed FVL's 20+ issue run) Bloodshot has lagged greatly, they kept pushing Q&W which I thoroughly despise.....and pretty much all their titles are restricted by the four issue arc. Everything seems rushed in the final issue of an arc. Maybe I enjoyed A&A so much under FVL cause it was a rolling narrative. Why can't they publish a two part story or a 7 part story etc? Merely to satisfy the trade pub side of their business? All I'm pulling now is Black Hood by Archie, Ragnarok by IDW, Mailbiter by Image, and Seven to Eternity. I was pulling everything by VEI for 2 yrs but at the end it was just a waste of $$$$ as issues sat in a pile for months before I read em, and even then it was more a chore than a pleasure.

[armlessphelan]

Cause it's poorly written, and chock full of inconsistencies. Case in point; there's a train full of Fitzclones; supposedly expert combatants, and they're taken apart in three pages. Just silly. Colin's not vulnerable; he's a super man, and there's not really any sense of peril. He's always the smartest person in the room with ridiculous tech at his disposal; reminds me of the 60's Batman; with literally everything in his utility belt. VEI should have gone the route of VH1 rai, and made Ninjak a designation, instead of a person; when one ninjak dies, another agent takes his place, ala the phantom. I've dumped VEI altogether once they dropped XO, nothing in their catalogue really stands out. The new A&A was terrible, (I enjoyed FVL's 20+ issue run) Bloodshot has lagged greatly, they kept pushing Q&W which I thoroughly despise.....and pretty much all their titles are restricted by the four issue arc. Everything seems rushed in the final issue of an arc. Maybe I enjoyed A&A so much under FVL cause it was a rolling narrative. Why can't they publish a two part story or a 7 part story etc? Merely to satisfy the trade pub side of their business? All I'm pulling now is Black Hood by Archie, Ragnarok by IDW, Mailbiter by Image, and Seven to Eternity. I was pulling everything by VEI for 2 yrs but at the end it was just a waste of $$$$ as issues sat in a pile for months before I read em, and even then it was more a chore than a pleasure.

I dunno. Ninjak was way outclasses by a lot of the Deadside stuff. He and Punk Mambo complimented each other rather well.

Definites:
Faith
Ninjak (reading this for the Darque stuff)
Harbinger Renegade.

Possibility:
Shadowman Oneshot
Generation Zero (This one is very, very dependent on the next few issues.)

I feel like Shadowman will be coming back soon. Likely spinning out of the Ninjak/Darque stuff.

[JediKage]

Yeah I agree Colin is way on his way to Batgod. He should not be this good against Deadside threats with no magic ability/knowledge. He is taking too much of what should be Shadowman's story and he is encroaching on Divinity. He is not needed in Divinity. And Sandria Darque should not be returning in effing Ninjak.

[TheFerg714]

How are people NOT reading Ninjak?

Honestly.. it's not great. Personally, I think it's been a lot of fun, and I don't regret buying every issue, but I can totally see why someone would jump ship. Matt Kindt is amazing, but he is just so damn inconsistent when it comes to ongoings. I'd say it's pretty solid, as a whole, but it just has some confusing and often frustrating missteps that could be easily avoided. I would rank the 1st and 3rd arcs pretty high, in terms of overall quality, but the rest was fairly 'meh.' I know I've said this before, but I also feel like it was a very strange direction to take Valiant's premier ninja/assassin/Batman in. Why did he go to the Deadside? Why is Master Darque and Sandria Darque being reintroduced in this book? Why did the series focus on so much magic in the first place? I don't think these decisions are altogether bad decisions, but I just don't really get the book's obsession with magic.

I truly don't get some of you VEI readers bailing and giving up so soon?

Hey, I might be a little overly negative about Valiant's output lately, but that doesn't mean I don't still love them. I'd be lying if I told myself that I wasn't nervous for their future, but I'm still all in. I kind of have to force myself to be harsh when it comes to dropping books because a) money, and b) I don't want to be the type of person that loves something just because. I try to be as fair and balanced as possible, and with that comes my apathy toward simply calling it quits on a few books. I have pretty ridiculously high standards for Valiant, because over the last few years, they've put themselves in the position of standard-bearer for quality in superhero-shared-universe comics. If they're not living up to that, then I think they need to be called out. Right now, Valiant doesn't really have much going for it, besides really really high-quality books. It they lose that trait, that could mean dire things for the company.
But more to the point... I do feel your frustration with people jumping ship so quickly and easily. I understand that things aren't perfect, which is rough because they were pretty near perfection for a long time, but that doesn't mean Valiant sucks now. I honestly think that 2017 will roll around, introduce us to the next publishing initiative, and all the fans will be back. I commend Valiant for trying some new things this year, but I think this has shown that (seeing as there's only 8-10 books a month) they have to have a balance in order to keep fans while also bringing in new fans.