MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fan

How did you become a VALIANT collector?

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NinJZA
Ninjak and Ninjil went up a hill
Ninjak and Ninjil went up a hill
Posts: 102
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2015 3:10:49 pm
Valiant fan since: Magnus RF vs. Predator
Favorite character: Ninjak
Favorite title: Divinity
Favorite writer: Matt Kindt
Location: Attabar Teru
MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fan

Post by NinJZA »

Love that this forum has a category like this.

My first experience with Valiant was from my slightly-older half-cousin in Toronto. His family used to let my younger brother and I stay over when we were in grade school, and my introduction to comics first came from watching the X-Men '92 animated series as well as Batman the Animated Series. Also played the horrible top-down X-men NES game, but really just liked looking at the box art. My cousin started letting me read some of his comics, and at the time, I read some of his Alien vs. Predator comics and was hooked. He then showed me another book, Magnus Robot Fighter vs. Predator #1 of 2. I'd never heard of MRF or Valiant before, and the book read like an 80's action movie, filled with shootouts, gore, and provocatively drawn women, definitely unlike what I had been reading in X-Men or even the WildCATS, which mostly seemed to consist of posing and punching. Spawn's demonic imagery was still creepy to me at the time, so I didn't get into that particular title even though I ended up liking it when I got older. Later on at a flea market, he persuaded me to buy the second issue of MRF vs. Predator, and when I mentioned that I was interested in reading some Punisher comics, he got me to buy Bloodshot #4, and this book cemented Valiant in my head as a great publisher.

I continued to read Bloodshot on and off as I got more into videogames, and less comics, but I still read some of the title into the Acclaim years. I started reading mostly TPB's every once in awhile and stopped collecting single issues. I never completely stopped reading comics, but probably only read a trade or two a year for most of the 00's, and it was usually Star Wars, a Marvel event, or an Image title here and there. I probably didn't even hear the words "Valiant Comics" between 2001-2010. The titles that probably engrossed me the most during these years were the Authority, Stormwatch, and the Wildstorm universe in general. I really liked their characters and their take on a shared universe, and when the imprint was sold off to DC, I figured the next best shared universe was Marvel, and I continued my occasional TPB reading while being completely irritated at DC's mishandling of what used to be my favorite characters. This is probably what made me open to the idea of another independent shared universe besides the big 2, but I was still thinking that the Valiant imprint was defunct at the moment.

Fast-forward to earlier this year. The GF just got me an annual subscription to Marvel Unlimited, and the reading selection is great although the app has so many bugs. I was curious whether or not there were alternatives to the service, and that's what led me to Scribd. I noticed Valiant on the list of publishers, and that there were some Bloodshot titles. I went through the selection, thinking that these were digital versions of the Acclaim comics. I was hooked by the story, but puzzled because I had read up through the Acclaim Bloodshot issues in the 40's, and didn't recognize these stories. I saw that the new Bloodshot run was dated 2012, and that made me curious as to what Valiant had been up to recently. I then saw X-O Manowar, and started reading out of curiosity, since I knew this character had been a Valiant flagship character. I read almost all of the XOM on Scribd in a day or two, and this made me obsessed with Ninjak.

I made it a priority to go to a Valiant panel at my next convention, which turned out to be this year's Wondercon. It was great hearing Dinesh's story of the legal wrangling to get these characters, and also about their "Moneyball" approach in getting lesser-known, undervalued creators to write these titles. That whole fan-to-owner story is so inspiring, I think it should be published as a graphic novel. Hearing that movie deals are coming was really just icing on the cake, I was just glad that these characters from my childhood are being written and managed by fellow Valiant fans, and the way they're being updated for modern storytelling keeps on blowing me away with title after title.

I've actually started a pull list, something I've never done before, with Ninjak and Ivar to start. So far I've read significant amounts of Harbinger, XOM, Bloodshot, and A&A on Scribd and Comicsfix. At my suggestion, we'll be reading the '94 Ninjak with my graphic novel book club this month. Valiant is definitely back for me.
Last edited by NinJZA on Tue Jun 09, 2015 4:37:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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DirtbagSailor
I only know how to fish, f^%k, fight, and throw rocks
I only know how to fish, f^%k, fight, and throw rocks
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Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:27:03 am
Valiant fan since: 1993
Favorite character: Harada
Favorite title: Imperium
Location: Maryland
Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by DirtbagSailor »

Welcome!

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Ricomortis
lookin pu nub in all da wong pwaces
lookin pu nub in all da wong pwaces
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Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 9:31:46 pm
Valiant fan since: 1991
Favorite character: Shadowman - Harada
Favorite title: Imperium
Favorite writer: Dysart & Fred Van Lente
Favorite artist: Larosa, Henry & CAFU
Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by Ricomortis »

Love that story! :clap:

Welcome! You will learn a lot here.... tons of knowledge hidden in these threads! :thumb:

Rico
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ilzuccone
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Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by ilzuccone »

:thumb:

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comicsyte95
It's Porktastic!!!
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Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by comicsyte95 »

Welcome! :thumb:
If I just can't be me ,and the Arrow isn't enough.. then maybe I should be Ra's al Ghul

NinJZA
Ninjak and Ninjil went up a hill
Ninjak and Ninjil went up a hill
Posts: 102
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2015 3:10:49 pm
Valiant fan since: Magnus RF vs. Predator
Favorite character: Ninjak
Favorite title: Divinity
Favorite writer: Matt Kindt
Location: Attabar Teru
Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by NinJZA »

Thanks for the replies, I'm glad to have a place to finally discuss all this Valiant I've been reading. I was using the Valiant subreddit, but this message board is great :clap:

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grendeljd
innerSPACE does whatever I tell them
innerSPACE does whatever I tell them
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Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by grendeljd »

Welcome, welcome! Great story, sir. Always glad to see another Canadian join the ranks around here. :thumb: :thumb:
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My wife likes to draw stuff too, and she is better than me! [I'm very proud of her]... https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sara-Dec ... ref=stream" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Daniel Jackson
A toast to the return of Valiant!
A toast to the return of Valiant!
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Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by Daniel Jackson »

Glad you rediscovered Valiant. Welcome.

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bobby97801
Just jumpin' through time arcs, that's all.
Just jumpin' through time arcs, that's all.
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Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by bobby97801 »

Welcome :thumb:

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betterthanezra
Wanna see an unpublished Shadowman page?
Wanna see an unpublished Shadowman page?
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Favorite writer: Josh Dysart
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Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by betterthanezra »

:thumb:

Welcome!!!

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jeremycoe
I like spidey-butt and I can not lie
I like spidey-butt and I can not lie
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Valiant fan since: 1993
Favorite character: Bloodshot
Favorite title: Quantum & Woody (Acclaim)
Location: Utah
Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by jeremycoe »

Welcome to the boards :D
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ilzuccone
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Re: MRF to Bloodshot to XOM to Ninjak to lifetime Valiant fa

Post by ilzuccone »

:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:


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