Thoughts on the Future

[BugsySig]

Basically they need to just keep doing what they are doing. It takes a long time to build brand awareness. They've tried a whole bunch of different things across various genre's and markets: energy drinks, toys, collectibles, plushes, cards, RPGs, t-shirts, wall art, statues, apps, even a billboard promoting a private school with "chibi" valiant characters.

The movie deal will be the biggest factor, though, as that will increase exposure exponentially. Turning that into TV/Animation projects, etc, will only add to that and lead to other products.

In the meantime, I suppose they could attempt to get into more mainstream stores with their merch: Midtown Comics (and other chain "lcs"), Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, etc. Places that deal in pop culture, but focus on an older crowd.

[BugsySig]

Here's that Billboard:

[Watchtower]

Bottom line, it doesn't matter what age bracket they target, the real problem is Batman has had a 40 yr PR blitz by third party companies. Whether its cartoon, toys, clothes, bed sheets or even candy. Valiant simply doesn't have a clue or the amount of financial backing to thrust any of their IPs beyond the niche market they are clinging on to with pride. These movie deal is huge step, but there's been nothing else. I don't see X-O lunchboxes or Ninjak toy swords, I don't see any pop cultural references in music, comedy, or even politics. There are songs, there jokes, even politicians are asked about Batman or/and Spider-man.

I've *SQUEE* about this before and I'll continue to preach it. If Valiant is serious about any growth for their IPs, they need to hire a legitimate PR company that handles big company brands. They need a real PR department, not some editor who's been doing comics for 30's years. They need a marketing machine. Valiant needs to be advertised as THE best IPs on ANY market (not just comic IPs). They need to build rapport and confidence with the public, even with people who have never read a comic in their life. They shouldn't need people to be comic book readers. There are people who never read a single Batman but think he's super cool character.

PR and marketing are nowhere close to being the same thing.

Marvel and DC didn't push their characters onto third-parties. It's the other way around. Third-parties came to Marvel and DC, some wanting to capitalize on something popular and marketable, and some just wanting to do their own thing. If you want Valiant to be big to the public, you need to give the public a reason to care. Forcefully pushing onto an uninterested party just makes that party less interested.

And again, Marvel and DC have had decades to build their characters into pop-culture icons. Rome wasn't built in a day. Valiant's movie deal is a big step forward, but even with that it's going to take time.

[Phoenix8008]

Bottom line, it doesn't matter what age bracket they target, the real problem is Batman has had a 40 yr PR blitz by third party companies. Whether its cartoon, toys, clothes, bed sheets or even candy. Valiant simply doesn't have a clue or the amount of financial backing to thrust any of their IPs beyond the niche market they are clinging on to with pride. These movie deal is huge step, but there's been nothing else. I don't see X-O lunchboxes or Ninjak toy swords, I don't see any pop cultural references in music, comedy, or even politics. There are songs, there jokes, even politicians are asked about Batman or/and Spider-man.

I've *SQUEE* about this before and I'll continue to preach it. If Valiant is serious about any growth for their IPs, they need to hire a legitimate PR company that handles big company brands. They need a real PR department, not some editor who's been doing comics for 30's years. They need a marketing machine. Valiant needs to be advertised as THE best IPs on ANY market (not just comic IPs). They need to build rapport and confidence with the public, even with people who have never read a comic in their life. They shouldn't need people to be comic book readers. There are people who never read a single Batman but think he's super cool character.

PR and marketing are nowhere close to being the same thing.

Marvel and DC didn't push their characters onto third-parties. It's the other way around. Third-parties came to Marvel and DC, some wanting to capitalize on something popular and marketable, and some just wanting to do their own thing. If you want Valiant to be big to the public, you need to give the public a reason to care. Forcefully pushing onto an uninterested party just makes that party less interested.

And again, Marvel and DC have had decades to build their characters into pop-culture icons. Rome wasn't built in a day. Valiant's movie deal is a big step forward, but even with that it's going to take time.

I agree. Time is what's needed most here. After the movies come out some and raise the general awareness, then they can start pushing outward some more. Until then, I don't think it's gonna matter a lot. Marvel & DC have a half century head start on Valiant. As long as they stay in the game, they should keep improving their prospects.

[Nameless7]

Less variant covers. I feel that a great deal of comic book readers are also collectors (or become collectors of their favorite books) and it is prohibitive for this people to even attempt to jump into valiant due to the large number of covers.

I actively try to recruit more valiant fans locally and about say 10%-20% give me that tired look and tell me they don't want to hunt yet another set of comics with tons of variants.

I know you may think that these people are very few - and I would agree but that doesn't matter as they account for a great deal of revenue to the publishers. Just as an example - a lot of us here are paying $100 for deal offered here for Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #1.

I am on the verge or dropping singles altogether due to the difficulty and cost of variants because an incomplete collection would just constantly bother me. I would just acquire them digitally for the story(which I love), but no more revenue for valiant from me. I am just getting sick and tired of 6+ covers of bloodshot reborn every month.

This special (read - crazy) people would be more inclined to try valiant. I did this myself with Tokyo Ghost (image) which only has 2 covers, Any more than 3 covers and I would not have tried it even it the story were good for the reasons above.

Before you call me names remember that VEI's IP is not mainstream like Batman and Captain America. So you dont have little Bobby walking in the shop with Grampa to pick up the latest issue of whatever. So therefore the majority of exposure is by people who are already into this stuff (comics) and likely into collecting(variants).

[Phantom]

At least you contribute by adding digital sales. I feel a moassive connection with valiant.
At the relaunch I collected everything.
Cannot keep up with the covers or even recognise which ones they are.
Early this year it came to the point when I just gave up, cannot devote the time or space to multiples of the same books.
s.

[ShadowTuga]

I am on the verge or dropping singles altogether due to the difficulty and cost of variants because an incomplete collection would just constantly bother me. I would just acquire them digitally for the story(which I love), but no more revenue for valiant from me

Emphasis mine.
Why is a collection incomplete without only the variants? I feel you on the collector side, but it's really easy to take it off the system. It really is.
I agree that one thing I miss is the "specific cover for an issue" feel: besides X-O #7 and by a stretch, Ninjak #4, I can't really think of an issue and immediately think of its cover, which is weird. I remember covers from books I read as a kid, but for the most part, I couldn't place an exact cover on a Valiant issue if tested.
And besides LOTG, I consider my collection completely complete- I have every issue, just not every cover.

[Nameless7]

I can't really think of an issue and immediately think of its cover,

Because there are way too many covers!

[jeremycoe]

I can't really think of an issue and immediately think of its cover,

Because there are way too many covers!

VEI tried releasing a series with minimal variant covers. It was critically acclaimed but sold very poorly.

[cray_ws]

PR and marketing are nowhere close to being the same thing.

Marvel and DC didn't push their characters onto third-parties. It's the other way around. Third-parties came to Marvel and DC, some wanting to capitalize on something popular and marketable, and some just wanting to do their own thing. If you want Valiant to be big to the public, you need to give the public a reason to care. Forcefully pushing onto an uninterested party just makes that party less interested.

And again, Marvel and DC have had decades to build their characters into pop-culture icons. Rome wasn't built in a day. Valiant's movie deal is a big step forward, but even with that it's going to take time.

You're absolutely correct that PR and marketing are different. However one helps the other go. A PR department or spokesperson will constantly campaign and promote the brand, while marketing is all about selling wares. Valiant has to be more than just comics...it has to be a brand. Valiant has leg up on Marvel and DC that it is more relevant than we fans might think. Valiant is eco-minded as Geomancers are principal part of Valiant's existence. So imagine having Leonardo Dicaprio who is renown celebrity environmentalist say a few words about Valiant comics. Or how about some high profile music artist expressing their interest in Valiant characters. Maybe sneak in a character in a song. Or lets hear some Valiant related social political jokes from Stephen Colbert who is very much a comic book fan. Simply hiring a PR agent who has access to celebrities would help push the public interest....then third parties will be inclined to capitalize and market Valiant IPs.

[ShadowTuga]

My other 2 cents:
what if the movies fail? Do you guys believe that there's a backup plan for that? Sell the company? 90s all over again?

I kept reading about a 5 year plan from the peeps at VEI. That's 2017, when the movies come out. What if they bomb and Valiant doesn't gain any new boost/huge exposure from it?
Is there really a backup plan?

I remember picking X-O #1 and thinking that this company would do MOST of what has been done. 90% of it, imho. There have been twists and turns along the way that I did not like (most of the minis, most of SM, most of Q&W, EWs "WTF happened here" series) and I now hate the concept of a variant cover, for the most part. But i really come to love this universe like no other ('cept the Bat-corner of the DC one, that is) and if it weren't for VALIANT I'd have dropped monthly comics in recent times. I start to feel a bit alienated with all these hard-to-get books and axes being a non-american/canadian person. I got to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed that the folks there don't think of us rest-of-the-world as part of the same fandom. Stuff like the recent promotions makes me feel that these are american comics, alright. Good luck trying to find them here in the not-America world. So, ya, in the future, I'd like to not feel excluded of the party, otherwise I leave. This is not me playing the violin, I totally understand the point of the market. I just feel that from now on, the stories be SERIOUSLY good for me to spend my hard earned money COLLECTING them.
No more Dead Drop *SQUEE* all-in for me. That was a HUGE, HUGE disappointment as a believer in VEI's editorship (Delinquents already opened that wound). It really bummed me and I don't understand but respect the people who liked it, but emphasis on the understanding bit. That *SQUEE* made no sense at all, I believe. Sorry.

Anyway, I guess I just hope that 2 years from now, we see X-O in his 70 something issues, still mattering and not rebooting. If the Best Story Wins motto is still alive around those parts. DD was not the best in anything, only at upsetting fans of the characters there.

[Sven the Returned]

My other 2 cents:
what if the movies fail? Do you guys believe that there's a backup plan for that? Sell the company? 90s all over again?

I kept reading about a 5 year plan from the peeps at VEI. That's 2017, when the movies come out. What if they bomb and Valiant doesn't gain any new boost/huge exposure from it?
Is there really a backup plan?

I remember picking X-O #1 and thinking that this company would do MOST of what has been done. 90% of it, imho. There have been twists and turns along the way that I did not like (most of the minis, most of SM, most of Q&W, EWs "WTF happened here" series) and I now hate the concept of a variant cover, for the most part. But i really come to love this universe like no other ('cept the Bat-corner of the DC one, that is) and if it weren't for VALIANT I'd have dropped monthly comics in recent times. I start to feel a bit alienated with all these hard-to-get books and axes being a non-american/canadian person. I got to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed that the folks there don't think of us rest-of-the-world as part of the same fandom. Stuff like the recent promotions makes me feel that these are american comics, alright. Good luck trying to find them here in the not-America world. So, ya, in the future, I'd like to not feel excluded of the party, otherwise I leave. This is not me playing the violin, I totally understand the point of the market. I just feel that from now on, the stories be SERIOUSLY good for me to spend my hard earned money COLLECTING them.
No more Dead Drop *SQUEE* all-in for me. That was a HUGE, HUGE disappointment as a believer in VEI's editorship (Delinquents already opened that wound). It really bummed me and I don't understand but respect the people who liked it, but emphasis on the understanding bit. That *SQUEE* made no sense at all, I believe. Sorry.

Anyway, I guess I just hope that 2 years from now, we see X-O in his 70 something issues, still mattering and not rebooting. If the Best Story Wins motto is still alive around those parts. DD was not the best in anything, only at upsetting fans of the characters there.

Apparently the book drove Ales Kot mad, judging by his recent antics.

[tchalla8]

My other 2 cents:
what if the movies fail? Do you guys believe that there's a backup plan for that? Sell the company? 90s all over again?

I kept reading about a 5 year plan from the peeps at VEI. That's 2017, when the movies come out. What if they bomb and Valiant doesn't gain any new boost/huge exposure from it?
Is there really a backup plan?

I remember picking X-O #1 and thinking that this company would do MOST of what has been done. 90% of it, imho. There have been twists and turns along the way that I did not like (most of the minis, most of SM, most of Q&W, EWs "WTF happened here" series) and I now hate the concept of a variant cover, for the most part. But i really come to love this universe like no other ('cept the Bat-corner of the DC one, that is) and if it weren't for VALIANT I'd have dropped monthly comics in recent times. I start to feel a bit alienated with all these hard-to-get books and axes being a non-american/canadian person. I got to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed that the folks there don't think of us rest-of-the-world as part of the same fandom. Stuff like the recent promotions makes me feel that these are american comics, alright. Good luck trying to find them here in the not-America world. So, ya, in the future, I'd like to not feel excluded of the party, otherwise I leave. This is not me playing the violin, I totally understand the point of the market. I just feel that from now on, the stories be SERIOUSLY good for me to spend my hard earned money COLLECTING them.
No more Dead Drop *SQUEE* all-in for me. That was a HUGE, HUGE disappointment as a believer in VEI's editorship (Delinquents already opened that wound). It really bummed me and I don't understand but respect the people who liked it, but emphasis on the understanding bit. That *SQUEE* made no sense at all, I believe. Sorry.

Anyway, I guess I just hope that 2 years from now, we see X-O in his 70 something issues, still mattering and not rebooting. If the Best Story Wins motto is still alive around those parts. DD was not the best in anything, only at upsetting fans of the characters there.

Apparently the book drove Ales Kot mad, judging by his recent antics.

I'm about to read the Dead Drop trade for the first time to see what all the fuss is about. Just got it in the mail today.