How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Valiant

How did you become a VALIANT collector?

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foreveranimal
2 posts down, 2 million to go
2 posts down, 2 million to go
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 5:53:59 am
Valiant fan since: The relaunch in 2005
Favorite character: Ivar, Timewalker
Favorite title: Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior
Favorite writer: Jeff Lemire
Favorite artist: Paolo Rivera
How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Valiant

Post by foreveranimal »

Hello there. Well, I've been onboard with Valiant since the 2005 relaunch, but previous to that I had no history at all with the company or characters.

I've been a comic fan and reader for pretty much as long as I can remember, but started visiting specialty shops and collecting in earnest in around 1984, starting with Micronauts New Voyages - which I picked up in a newsagents one day after seeing a copy and remembering reading it as a backup strip in the old Marvel UK title 'Future Tense'. After that I started haunting local newsagents and picking up any Marvel and DC titles I happened upon before finding out about an actual comic shop in Liverpool, the nearest large city to me.

Once I started going to the comic shop every week I was opened up to the world of indie comics by comics like Nexus, Grendel, Concrete, The Jam and early Dark Horse stuff like The American and Roachmill.

When the nineties hit and everyone got pouches, unfeasible knockers, yuge guns and gritted teeth, I was OUT. Like, I sold my entire collection and stopped reading ANYTHING at all. That's how much I hated 'the Image explosion' and the resultant takeover of Marvel. I could just about stomach Silvestri on the X-Men and MacFarlane on Batman Year Two but that was the beginning of the end for me.

Fast-forward to the release of The Authority and Planetary and I came back in from the cold thanks to Warren Ellis, but had missed a lot of things, some of which I went back and picked up on - mainly Hellboy -and most of which I was happy to remain ignorant of.

When Valiant relaunched in 2005 I looked at the first wave of releases in Previews and thought it looked like something I would enjoy, except for Bloodshot. The name, lack of shirt and guns had convinced me that it was waaaaaaaay too nineties for me to get into so I swerved it for quite a while, but picked up everything else and loved it.

As more titles came out I picked up all of them religiously and still do, although I'm quite concerned about Valiant's current business model and their blatant ignoring of their non-US market.

So, there you go. Valiant - the only company ever where I buy every single title that they publish. Even Bloodshot.

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greg
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
Posts: 22861
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 9:39:27 am
Valiant fan since: Rai #0
Favorite character: Depends on title
Favorite title: Depends on writer
Favorite writer: Depends on artist
Favorite artist: Depends on character
Location: Indoors
Contact:
Re: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Valiant

Post by greg »

Welcome!

The nearest large city to you is Liverpool... home of the Beatles.
The nearest large city to me is Memphis, Tennessee... home of Elvis.
Rock royalty and Valiant, a cool combo. :high-five:

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TheeBaldMoose
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Posts: 2451
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 12:03:41 pm
Valiant fan since: ECCC April 2016
Favorite character: Bloodshot/Ninjak/Divinity
Favorite title: Divinity/BS Reborn/Britannia
Favorite writer: Kindt/Lemire/Roberts
Favorite artist: All of them, really
Location: Tacoma
Re: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Valiant

Post by TheeBaldMoose »

foreveranimal wrote:... although I'm quite concerned about Valiant's current business model and their blatant ignoring of their non-US market.

So, there you go. Valiant - the only company ever where I buy every single title that they publish. Even Bloodshot.
Everything eventual. Market has been strong in Canada for quite some time, and has successfully moved into Mexico (with some fans further south). They also have a Con they are hitting up here in a few weeks over in London. Are they strong there? No, but things are moving as merch is finally being sold in the UK (and fans are happy as hell). Growth is slow, but like I said, everything eventual.

Welcome to the pages, glad to have you on board
Moose

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Summydad1
Is it Dee-no or Die-no? Dunno.
Is it Dee-no or Die-no? Dunno.
Posts: 405
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 5:04:14 pm
Valiant fan since: 1992
Favorite character: X-O/Bloodshot/Ninjak/Rai
Favorite title: X-O (2012)/Harby (2012)
Favorite writer: Kindt/Venditti/Dysart
Favorite artist: BWS/Braithwaite/Crain
Location: St. John's, Florida
Re: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Valiant

Post by Summydad1 »

Welcome! I think it is very cool to have board members from all over the world. Enjoy the boards.
"Do. Or do not. There is no try" -Yoda

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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
Posts: 5047
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:27:03 am
Valiant fan since: 1993
Favorite character: Harada
Favorite title: Imperium
Location: Maryland
Re: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Valiant

Post by DirtbagSailor »

Even Bloodshot! :lol:

Welcome!

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grendeljd
innerSPACE does whatever I tell them
innerSPACE does whatever I tell them
Posts: 8132
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:51:43 am
Valiant fan since: 1991
Favorite character: Aric
Favorite title: Harbinger
Location: On the 7.5th floor of LesterCorp, headed through the back door to John Malkovich's brain.
Re: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Valiant

Post by grendeljd »

Welcome! You mentioned two of my all-time favourite comic series there - Grendel & Planetary! It only makes sense that someone with good taste in comics like that would come around to the current Valiant's line-up. :clap: (Although, I'm with you a little on having some concerns around their business model this past year.)
I like to draw stuff... http://grendeljd.deviantart.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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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