The New Valiant

[Rocko]

I was taking a very dim view of this operation going in, because it didn't look like Shooter was involved. Turns out he is. Not a lot, but he is, they got him to do some extra stories on the hardcover collections of XO and Harbinger, and they have his blessing with the reboot.

So I got XO Manowar #1, and I really dug it. Aric is less of a caveman in this but is perhaps even more of a badass, the action feels like a widescreen movie, the Spider Aliens are horrifying, and it just clicks.

Having just pretty recently tracked down and read all the pre-Unity gold that Valiant put out, I was thinking "You know, this holds up, I don't know that a reboot is necessary." And taken on the merits of the Shooter era stuff, maybe it wouldn't be, but the whole thing got out of hand. And they always made a point in Valiant to tell you exactly what year, month, day, and time it was, so if they were to go back to that continuity now anyway it would be totally fucked. So they had to start over.

Valiant at that time felt extremely new. It felt like what Marvel must've felt like in the 60s. They weren't reinventing the wheel, but they were making a better wheel. It was some serious next level shit. Does this new thing feel like that? No. Not really. We could never get that back, and now there's nostalgia involved.

but I have a feeling this is gonna get good.

[dozymuppet]

I held XO Manowar #1 in my hands for about 5 minutes, but ended up passing on it as I'm in for more titles than I should be at the moment, and I don't have any prior history with Valiant. Maybe later.

[Rocko]

It's pretty good, man. Keep it in your peripheral. 

[Ebon]

As huge X-O fan from the old days, I was a little weary about this.  I SHOULDN'T HAVE WORRIED!  I really enjoyed issue 1, we really are just starting here, but I liked the start a whole lot.  I'm definitely going to give the other Valiant books a try.  the FCBD valiant book had some insight into the other books and hopefully everything does dovetail together.  I'm excited.

Also I love the art.  I've been a Cary Nord fan since his work on Conan for Dark Horse, so I'm excited for what he will bring to this book.

[Rocko]

They all look pretty cool.

I'm a lock for Harbinger, as well.

I got to Valiant just after they fired Shooter. I got to go to the comic shop once a month while my mom waited out in the car and there was no hope of the LCS guy holding anything for me then (and this is the guy who I go to now). I had to get in with the guys at another store entirely, they held everything Valiant for me and I paid them in fucking cash on the dot monthly. The Magnus/Rai/Malev war shit was awesome, Shadowman, X-O, Turok, there was some really solid shit in there. I can now look back and see where things fucked up. As follows:

* Shadowman meets Aerosmith
* X-O gets taken over by a woman
* The Malev war ends, nobody does anything
* Solar has a clone who is 2 tha eX-TREMZ
* Valiant Vision
* Ninjak
* Doctor Mirage

And finally-
Acclaim

I went back awhile back and spent a couple bucks, got all the pre-Unity stuff, and reviewed much of it here:

http://www.criticalmess.net/index.php?topic=2591.45

It feels like reading 60's Marvel. It really does. Very fresh, very clever, very exciting.

[Spectre2001]

I got all the Valiant titles when they first came out including multiples of the Magnus ones so I could cut out a set of the cards but still have a set in the book.

I'm intending to pick up all these series since DC has decided to pass on stuff I like.

[Chooch]

I liked the first issue of X-O and now I'm considering getting the back issues digitally, but I don't think Comixology will be able to publish the Magnus, Doc Solar, and Turok stuff.  That makes me sad.

[Ebon]

X-O issue 2...Sooooo good...It's really going to take off from here boys!
I didn't buy harbinger, so if anyone gets it let me know.

[Rocko]

Got X-O #2 and Harbinger #1 today. Haven't read them yet, psyched about both.

Buy the Solar and Magnus back issues for real. And get off my lawn!

Seriously, the first 10 issues of Solar with the story that progresses in the chapters in middle of the issues, you've got to read that in a comic book form. The whole point is that there's this stylistic shift where you see what happened to this dude as he's wandering around. And then the issues of Magnus that you flip over and read what's going on with Rai, same story. Those are comic books.

I've been continuing along with reading the Valiant Magnus stuff. Shooter talked about how writing a prosaic far future was harder and more compelling than the apocalyptic future (and he was right) but damn it if the Malev War isn't solid shit. John Ostermann was the right guy to write those stories.

[Rocko]

X-O #2 is awesome. Aric's already in the driver's seat, and it's gonna get intense.

Welcome back, Valiant.

[dozymuppet]

Picked up X-O, and liking where it's going. On top of these recommendations, I'd heard it had a Prophet vibe. Kinda.

Really liked Harbinger. I'll probably have to look at the other two books now...

[Rocko]

Harbinger is also very good.

When I was re-reading the Valiant stuff this past year I was really thinking "There's great stories in here that they're just not telling." A teenaged boy who can make anybody do anything? C'mon. There's got to be more to him than what the book had him doing. And that wasn't more true for any character than Shadowman. A Jazz sax player in New Orleans gets the whammy put on him by Aliens and then gets sucked into whacked out voodoo shit should've been a lot more haywire than it usually was.

[Chooch]

I just caught up with this weeks books.

X-O #2 Finally he gets the armor!  I'm liking it so far, but spending so much time on the slave ship felt a bit padded.

Harbinger #1 This is the shit.  You're a young, dumb teen on the run from bad people and you do stupid things.  As Rocko said, this is what would happen.  Although I do wonder why he doesn't put the whammy on a hotel clerk so they can at least sleep in a bed.

[Rocko]

they'll get spotted. Whole lot of witnesses.

Shooter's worst work was in the characterization and dialogue of Harbinger. He never was one, so he didn't know how kids talk. There was a scene where the gang steals a shitload of Harada's money, so they call Kris at home and sing "We're In The Money" to her over the phone. That right there summed it up.

[Spectre2001]

Can't wait for Archer and Armstrong.

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