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

[Aomalle27]

What's with the Hilary Clinton issue of Faith #5? Has Valiant officially jumped the shark? Just when I thought only DC and Marvel could figure a way to alienate fans, along comes this news. Wow, why do they have to resort to this? Apparently using "real" people in comics is the hip thing; but I remember a better time, when fictional presidents were used, and fictional politicians etc. The evil president storyline of Cap America in the late 80's early 90's was one of the best storylines ever (yes their president was obviously a facsimile of Reagan)... Keep politics out of comics; keep ideas and art in

[harashkupo]

I gotta say, it's a little surprising that you're just up and leaving. Are you not enjoying Bloodshot, Ninjak, Wrath, X-O, or Divinity? And aren't you excited to see the Renegades and Gen. Zero return?

Ninjak's first arc was great but the my enjoyment was on a slow decline until Deadside which was pretty cool up till the ending. I can't seem to get into Bloodshot other than digging the art and have been dissatisfied with anything Venditti since Armor Hunters. Right now it's all meh and I'm just getting them to have them. Like I posted earlier, a lot of my problems have to do with Marvel and it's affecting pretty much all my comic reading.

Finding myself getting nit picky and seeing the smallest flaws as if they're glaring problems and being that kind of reader is exhausting. I need a break from everything so I'm not at this point where I see gimmicks everywhere and I can just enjoy good storytelling, if that makes any sense. Comics are fun and shouldn't be a chore. After a bit of time and a clear head that's what they're going to be.

[Knight of DC]

What's with the Hilary Clinton issue of Faith #5? Has Valiant officially jumped the shark? Just when I thought only DC and Marvel could figure a way to alienate fans, along comes this news. Wow, why do they have to resort to this? Apparently using "real" people in comics is the hip thing; but I remember a better time, when fictional presidents were used, and fictional politicians etc. The evil president storyline of Cap America in the late 80's early 90's was one of the best storylines ever (yes their president was obviously a facsimile of Reagan)... Keep politics out of comics; keep ideas and art in

...You are aware that comics, like all forms of art, have a deep root in politics and expressing them, right? Hell, even the Valiant comic a good chunk of us considered the best one of the last year and a half, Imperium, is the most political comic Valiant has done. And you say that ideas should be kept in and not politics. Do you not see that is a complete contradiction?

[TheFerg714]

What's with the Hilary Clinton issue of Faith #5? Has Valiant officially jumped the shark? Just when I thought only DC and Marvel could figure a way to alienate fans, along comes this news. Wow, why do they have to resort to this? Apparently using "real" people in comics is the hip thing; but I remember a better time, when fictional presidents were used, and fictional politicians etc. The evil president storyline of Cap America in the late 80's early 90's was one of the best storylines ever (yes their president was obviously a facsimile of Reagan)... Keep politics out of comics; keep ideas and art in

Yea, I agree with Knight of DC. There's nothing wrong with imbuing art with the writer's political leanings. Granted, if it feels forced, it can be a bad thing (Cyborg in JLA, everything about current Marvel), but it can also be a good thing (everything Dysart does). While I do find the Hilary thing pretty silly and perhaps even a little douchey, I don't fault them for trying something like this, especially when there's still two more stories in the issue. The Spider-Man issue starring Obama outsold every comic on the shelves for two months in a row (just happened to browse the sales figures of the past 10 years earlier today).

I'm not upset that they're using a real-life political figure, but I'm a little annoyed at the fact that they're essentially endorsing Hilary, because there's no reason to get behind either candidate imo, but that's neither here nor there.

[Aomalle27]

...You are aware that comics, like all forms of art, have a deep root in politics and expressing them, right? Hell, even the Valiant comic a good chunk of us considered the best one of the last year and a half, Imperium, is the most political comic Valiant has done. And you say that ideas should be kept in and not politics. Do you not see that is a complete contradiction?

Quite the contrary; while comics can and have been political, seldom do they engage in politicing (i.e. Openly endorsing candidates, or defaming them....we still don't know what direction the Hilary appearance will take, which is irrelevant either way); and comics have always been a part of escapism, very few if any comics are successful when grounded in realism. That's why I say feel free with engaging the ideas but not the politicing. No contradiction.

[Inhuman X]

What's with the Hilary Clinton issue of Faith #5? Has Valiant officially jumped the shark? Just when I thought only DC and Marvel could figure a way to alienate fans, along comes this news. Wow, why do they have to resort to this? Apparently using "real" people in comics is the hip thing; but I remember a better time, when fictional presidents were used, and fictional politicians etc. The evil president storyline of Cap America in the late 80's early 90's was one of the best storylines ever (yes their president was obviously a facsimile of Reagan)... Keep politics out of comics; keep ideas and art in

I absolutely love what Dysart did in Imperium. He hit the ideas on a grand scale without pandering to the pop culture fight. This is a very contentious election with a pair of candidates only loved by extremists on either side be they labeled ultra SJWs or KKK members. Same coin worth of people regardless of how you flip it. Even though I wish they would leave it out, I do get that political issues of the day will make it into a comic book once in a while. I am going to skip that issue though. It's just not what I personally want out of my typical monthly read. Particularly when so many writers are advocating hate and mockery for or against one ideal crusade, candidate for office, political party, or institution, telling me how they feel without creating a thoughtful platform for a story these days. I want to be entertained by a comic book read, not preached at by another fool.

[harashkupo]

I absolutely love what Dysart did in Imperium. He hit the ideas on a grand scale without pandering to the pop culture fight. This is a very contentious election with a pair of candidates only loved by extremists on either side be they labeled ultra SJWs or KKK members. Same coin worth of people regardless of how you flip it. Even though I wish they would leave it out, I do get that political issues of the day will make it into a comic book once in a while. I am going to skip that issue though. It's just not what I personally want out of my typical monthly read. Particularly when so many writers are advocating hate and mockery for or against one ideal crusade, candidate for office, political party, or institution, telling me how they feel without creating a thoughtful platform for a story these days. I want to be entertained by a comic book read, not preached at by another fool.

[TheFerg714]

Particularly when so many writers are advocating hate and mockery for or against one ideal crusade, candidate for office, political party, or institution, telling me how they feel without creating a thoughtful platform for a story these days. I want to be entertained by a comic book read, not preached at by another fool.

Agreed and well said. After being away from cable news for a few years, I've been noticing lately neither side treats the other with respect. I probably wouldn't pick up this issue either if it wasn't for the other two stories. Hell, I might have dropped the series by then.

[JasonTodd428]

I absolutely love what Dysart did in Imperium. He hit the ideas on a grand scale without pandering to the pop culture fight. This is a very contentious election with a pair of candidates only loved by extremists on either side be they labeled ultra SJWs or KKK members. Same coin worth of people regardless of how you flip it. Even though I wish they would leave it out, I do get that political issues of the day will make it into a comic book once in a while. I am going to skip that issue though. It's just not what I personally want out of my typical monthly read. Particularly when so many writers are advocating hate and mockery for or against one ideal crusade, candidate for office, political party, or institution, telling me how they feel without creating a thoughtful platform for a story these days. I want to be entertained by a comic book read, not preached at by another fool.

Well said and I completely agree. I'll be skipping this issue.

[Carbon Based Stickler]

Discovering there's only 1 Valiant thread on here is disappointing enough, coming in here and THIS is the conversation...Christ.

[harashkupo]

Discovering there's only 1 Valiant thread on here is disappointing enough, coming in here and THIS is the conversation...Christ.

Well if you feel unwelcomed that sucks and I can promise that's not the intent of any of the posters. All it takes is a couple clicks to show that everybody here is open to discussion. If for whatever reason you're still uncomfortable then I recommend the valiant fans board. They are definitely some nice people and might be something you like.

http://www.valiantfans.com/forum/

[Inhuman X]

Well if you feel unwelcomed that sucks and I can promise that's not the intent of any of the posters. All it takes is a couple clicks to show that everybody here is open to discussion. If for whatever reason you're still uncomfortable then I recommend the valiant fans board. They are definitely some nice people and might be something you like.

http://www.valiantfans.com/forum/

You have always been way too nice Harashkupo. Even to those undeserving. That's why a lot of folks will miss you if you tune out comics for a while.

[ksbord]

Valiant has used real political figures before (Obama in Omegas, Putin in Divinity, Assad in Harbinger), so Clinton isn't the first time. They also have used real celebrities (the American Wasteland arc in A&A had too numerous to count), and fake (the Justin Bieber pastiche also in A&A).

I think folks are finding this controversial because it's an election season and this smacks of '08 when other companies featured Obama in various ways. I'll confess I rolled my eyes when I saw the news and thought "oh lord, this again." On top of that, Valiant's more liberal leanings on some issues give the implication of them showing favoritism for Clinton in this action.

I'm going to buy it. Why? I support Valiant Comics. I read the Valiant Universe. I understand why they are doing this, and hope it works out for them. If the story makes sense (and it does sounds that from an instory perspective, it does) then I will give it every shot. If it comes off as a ringing endorsement for Hillary Clinton, I will roll my eyes again, and move on.

[ksbord]

Discovering there's only 1 Valiant thread on here is disappointing enough, coming in here and THIS is the conversation...Christ.

It is one thread, and a long one. Feel free to page through and see about all the other various Valiant topics we have been discussing, not just the latest news.

[Knight of DC]

Okay, so if we must steer away from the topic, here's this: http://www.comicsbeat.com/valiant-is...usy-pokestops/

This is a real smart move. While I have problems with GO as an app, you can't deny how much influence it's had in such a short time. I've seen a lot of businesses trying to take advantage of it in some way to garner foot traffic/potential customers.