If you haven't been reading Valiant's line of superhero titles, perhaps this will convince you...
Superheroes, those staples of the comic world (for better or worse), are here to stay. And if you're getting tired of the seemingly endless quest for cross-media synergy at the Big Two (and hey, every now and then that results in some fine comics, too), your options for caped and cowled action just keep expanding. Archie Comics have their Dark Circle line a-brewin', and Valiant are publishing some of the most underrated superhero titles on the stands.
And they're about to make it even easier to check them out.
Introducing The Valiant, a four-issue prestige format (remember prestige format?) mini-series from writers Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt, and artist Paolo Rivera. This is the comics equivalent of what you would call the heart of a batting order if this were baseball, but it's not, it's comics, so I have no idea what I'm trying to say. Anyway, The Valiant unites not only some terrific comics talent, but also the biggest heroes the company has to offer.
Here's the official synopsis for The Valiant:
The Eternal Warrior has protected the Earth for more than 10,000 years. A master of countless weapons and long forgotten martial arts, he is guided by the Geomancers – those who speak for the Earth. During his long watch, the Eternal Warrior has failed three times. Each time, the Geomancer was killed…and a new dark age for humanity began. Each time, he was unable to stop The Immortal Enemy – a monstrous force of nature. A civilization killer. A horror that appears differently each time it arrives…and whose seemingly only purpose is to bring disorder and darkness to the world. Now, the time has come for The Immortal Enemy to return once more. But, this time, the Eternal Warrior will be ready. This time, he has a force greater than any single warrior. This time, he has…THE VALIANT.
"I've been a huge fan of what Valiant Comics has been doing for the past two years, with a lot of my favorite creators, and favorite people, like Matt Kindt, Josh Dysart and Rob Venditti, doing incredible work for the publisher," said writer Jeff Lemire. "So, it's a huge thrill for me to now step into the ValiantUniverse in a BIG way with the upcoming four-issue series, The Valiant, along with co-writer Matt Kindt, and one of the most incredible artists working in comics today, Paolo Rivera. TThe Valiant will not only serve as a great entry point for brand new readers to Valiant, but also enrich the existing universe and shake it up dramatically moving forward. Valiant has an incredible stable of characters to play with, and they will ALL play a role in The Valiant."
"Jeff and I have been threatening to work together for a long time," said writer Matt Kindt. "And we did a little bit on Sweet Tooth with the few issues I did, but this is the first time we've really created something from scratch and written a long piece of work together. Collaborating on writing isn't something I normally get excited about, but Jeff and I just got coffee after a con one night and started brainstorming different things we could do and, by the end of the night, the waitress got a big tip and we'd written an outline for this epic story. It was like being transported to your best friend's kitchen table when you're 11 and cooking up fantastic comic book ideas. But in this case, when we were done, we got Paolo to draw it. We couldn't be more excited. I was just a fan of his on his now classic run on Daredevil. He's just a great cartoonist, you know? He can tell a story so well – and I think we gave him plenty of story to draw."
"I've heard nothing but good things about Jeff and Matt, and their script does not disappoint," said artist Paolo Rivera. "One of the major things that brought me to this project was the epic scale. Most of the stories I've worked on, even when action-packed, have been on the level of individuals. While our main characters are still the heart, this story spans epochs and realms, with consequences that, quite literally, affect the entire Earth."
"I worked with [Valiant Editor-in-Chief] Warren [Simons] briefly at Marvel, but he's been doing his best to lure me (and my Dad) to Valiant since 2012," added Rivera. "We've been doing mostly covers since then, so it's awesome to be drawing comics again. That, and it's fun to draw Bloodshot getting blown to bits."
The Valiant, which is promised to be self-contained and new reader friendly, arrives in December.
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