To all those saying they are thinking of quitting Valiant...

[paradise]

Had lunch with Dinesh today, wanted to see how he was doing and all that. I also wanted to ask him some questions. He can't and SHOULD NOT talk about things that happened, for many reasons, and everyone needs to respect that. Safe to say, for those who have said that he sold out and left, you don't know how wrong you are and how much you are going to eat your words eventually. That statement could not be farther from the truth.

But one thing is clear, Dinesh is still a GIANT Valiant fan, and is a HUGE fan of the people who are currently working at Valiant, for the new regime, both Talent and actual VEI employees, most of whom are his personal friends, his family and he cares a ton about how they will carry on, and also how Valiant characters will be treated from now on. He does not want to wait another 20 years for some kid who was a fan and had a Valiant birthday cake to resurrect them again. (his own words).

With that in mind, to all of those who have stated they are quitting the books in protest, dropping subs, boycotting, whatever, please ask yourself this one question:

Would Dinesh want the fans to quit and by that act help to create the worst possible situation, the end of his own dream of Valiant characters in print? I know the answer, btw, asked him today. HE DOES NOT. He wants Valiant to succeed, and it has nothing to do with how it ended for HIM, or maybe (my opinion) even despite how it ended for him. He cares only about what Valiant shutting down would mean for the people still working there, their families, and for all the fans who waited patiently for the characters to come back.

I don't understand this whole "I may just quit" thinking before you even see any changes, positive or negative. It's the WORST THING IN THE WORLD you can do to Dinesh and his amazing legacy. Time will pass and everyone will eventually find out what really happened, but that has everything to do with internal politics of a company with multi-million dollar IPs, and nothing to do with a legacy that Dinesh created and is still pretty damn important and amazing.

[lorddunlow]

Glad you posted this, Ed. Like I said before, Dino was clearly not in this for the money. I'm glad he has a payout to soften the blow, but the profit wasn't his passion, clearly. The company is no longer in I'm the best hands, but we will see what the future brings. I was very relieved that Fred and Warren are still with the company. That should keep things stable for the time being. It's the future that scares me.

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[Phoenix8008]

Just yes.

Thanks for posting this, and if you see/talk with Dinesh again soon, pass on all our condolences for how this has gone down. I'll be supporting Valiant until I have good reason not to.

[kevinbastos]

Thanks, Ed,

Appreciated.

[nonplayer]

Thank you for your post.

[paradise]

I was very relieved that Fred and Warren are still with the company. That should keep things stable for the time being.

I, too, am a big fan of those two, as well as other friends I have there, Atom, Hunter and the rest. It's up to us to keep them there. Every fan (and retailer for that matter) that quits now without a real long term screw up in their editorial process is putting one nail in the proverbial coffin of those two and many others jobs. I don't want to hear about how they don't like the statements in the press release, about only movie rights mattering, those are all sorry excuses. If they continue to produce the books we are expecting, continue to support them.

[David_Cody]

Thanks again for posting this. I think it helped bring a true perspective as to how to view this change in leadership.

[murrayroach]

No surprises for me in your post, Ed. Well said.

[jedimarley]

That's odd? I don't think I saw any posts calling Dino a sellout?

[depluto]

I am in until the end (and then some). I'm still Noah's Arking every book.

But if Dinesh tries out something new I will be there as well.

[jeremycoe]

That's odd? I don't think I saw any posts calling Dino a sellout?

I saw lots, but they may have been mostly on Facebook.

[Jrosen]

That's odd? I don't think I saw any posts calling Dino a sellout?

I saw lots, but they may have been mostly on Facebook.

I don't know what's being discussed outside of this forum, but there was nothing in that press release that suggested that Dinesh sold out. I'm still just bummed that I won't get a chance to meet him at the cons.

[jmatt]

Thanks for the post, Ed. I hope he continues to have a strong relationship with the company he created.

[possumgrease]

That's odd? I don't think I saw any posts calling Dino a sellout?

I saw lots, but they may have been mostly on Facebook.

no one on this forum thinks that.

[lorddunlow]

I am in until the end (and then some). I'm still Noah's Arking every book.

But if Dinesh tries out something new I will be there as well.

I've been in on VEI 100% since they launched. I see no reason to stop until the company puts out crap.

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[The Chosen 1]

That's odd? I don't think I saw any posts calling Dino a sellout?

I saw lots, but they may have been mostly on Facebook.

I don't think anyone with any sense would consider Dinesh a sell out.
I live in Australia and have never met Dinesh, so i don't have the same relationship as many of you. It would have been nice to attend a convention and meet him.
I was a Valiant fan first and foremost, but am ever grateful that Dinesh revived Valiant so i can continue to read and love the comics that Valiant produce.
I listed to podcasts he was on and you could tell how passionate he was about Valiant. This man isn't a sell out.
Hopefully Valiant will continue and grow for many, many years. With the movies, im sure Valiant will get an influx of fans.
Whatever Dinesh decides to do, im sure he'll be successful and use this episode as a great learning experience.
I look forward to reading future Valiant stories, and hopefully future stories from Diniesh's new company.

[otomo]

Good report, Ed! This is a business and I'm sure the people running it from here forward will treat it one and respect the customers as well. Valiant's reputation depends on it, and if they're dropping good money on the company, one would expect them not to be foolish about what they've got. Benefit of the doubt first.

[IMJ]

Every organization has to evolve, although I would definitely guess that Dinesh took the payout because the house he built was at it's pinnacle before needing a reinvention beyond his first revitalization. I don't resent that.

However, I basically stopped buying Valiant months a couple years back when initial titles began getting cancelled. I just can't support the mini-series nor constant reboot method of publishing anymore. I still buy the Deluxe editions though, because the uniformity helps keep my interest.

Who knows what will happen to the Deluxe sets now though.

[TheFerg714]

I honestly hate that I even have to think about Valiant changing, but seeing as this is the hand we've been dealt, I've decided to simplify it in my head.

1. I like Valiant because they make good comics.
2. If Valiant stops making good comics, I stop liking Valiant.

[grendeljd]

Thanks for posting this, Ed.

I think it is very important to consider a) all the other creative people still working at Valiant that will continue to make the books as great as they have been at their peak to date, and b) what it would do to the man who dreamed big and brought Valiant back, to see it all go down in flames like this because everyone bails out.

To put some perspective on the general "boycott Valiant" reaction though - personally, I think it's the moral sense of the injustice of what has transpired that is making people react that way. I am still wrestling with it. It feels like a catch-22 situation where no matter what you chose to do in response, you feel that someone will be hurt in some way.

People feel that they don't want to support the mis-treatment of Dinesh. Well what choice do you make to express that? If you continue to buy Valiant comics, it feels like you're supporting the decision to get rid of him - that your personal entertainment is more important than treating a human being fairly.

Conversely, choosing to not support the company and to stop buying your favourite comics will then potentially condemn a ton of good people to losing their jobs. And those people don't deserve that fate either - they're also pouring everything they have into being passionate about making these comics.

This act of corporate greed has just left a stain on it either way you choose. But I'm glad to hear from someone that Dinesh would prefer to see us all continue to support the company over boycotting it. It's still not easy for me to choose to do that, but in this case it's the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the one...

[Brother Darque]

Thanks.

[paradise]

Every organization has to evolve, although I would definitely guess that Dinesh took the payout because the house he built was at it's pinnacle before needing a reinvention beyond his first revitalization. I don't resent that.

THAT right there is what I am talking about when I mention selling out. This statement (obviously from lack of understanding) makes it seem like he was offered money and decided to take it. The reality of the situation is SOOOOOOO Far from that, it's not even the opposite. I won't discuss the details but most people have been able to read between the lines and see that it's not the case. The house he built did not need reinvention, it was doing just fine. 2017 was by FAR the biggest year for VEI's sales and so much of their stuff got signed to media projects. Sorry but stuff like that really puts salt on already a giant wound that a lot of people who know what's up have.

However, I basically stopped buying Valiant months a couple years back when initial titles began getting cancelled. I just can't support the mini-series nor constant reboot method of publishing anymore. I still buy the Deluxe editions though, because the uniformity helps keep my interest.

And THAT right there is the reason DMG was involved with VEI. All the people who quit collecting the books because they could not just enjoy the books, they had made up excuses (interrupted runs, multiple covers, ratio variants....) that it put VEI into a situation where they needed that investment to operate. The wait for the trade, or HC trends have not helped either. What happened later was a different story, but it all started with the fickle fans that did not care to support the publisher that they were all waiting for to come back.

Sorry if I am a bit blunt, but I am in no mood to mince words right now. Just imagine if Dinesh actually sees this post. It's wrong.

[paradise]

If you continue to buy Valiant comics, it feels like you're supporting the decision to get rid of him - that your personal entertainment is more important than treating a human being fairly.

You are also supporting his vision for Valiant Heroes in print and doing well. That is the reason to do it.

[TheFerg714]

If you continue to buy Valiant comics, it feels like you're supporting the decision to get rid of him - that your personal entertainment is more important than treating a human being fairly.

You are also supporting his vision for Valiant Heroes in print and doing well. That is the reason to do it.

Yea, but the problem is that this issue isn't really a 'grey' issue. It's black and white. About as black and white as it gets. Do I still support Valiant or stop supporting Valiant? There isn't a right answer to that question. I get that, by still supporting the company, you're still supporting these heroes, but it's not that simple.

At some point it's not about what Dinesh wants, it's about buying things that you enjoy. With Dino gone, it has thrown the promise of quality storytelling into flux. Even during Dino's "reign," I still dropped books because I didn't like them. A+A, Harbinger Renegade, and Gen. Zero weren't dropped from my pull list because I stopped caring about the company's well being. They were dropped because I didn't like them.

Bottom line: I'm not going to support crap books, and the stories that come after HWII have a very high chance of being crap.

However, I basically stopped buying Valiant months a couple years back when initial titles began getting cancelled. I just can't support the mini-series nor constant reboot method of publishing anymore.

Why not? X-O Manowar is still a good read, even with a new writer and a new #1. Bloodshot USA was still a fitting conclusion to Reborn even though it had a different name. Divinity was still a great story, even though it was split into three mini-series'.

[Shadowman99]

However, I basically stopped buying Valiant months a couple years back when initial titles began getting cancelled. I just can't support the mini-series nor constant reboot method of publishing anymore. I still buy the Deluxe editions though, because the uniformity helps keep my interest.

And THAT right there is the reason DMG was involved with VEI. All the people who quit collecting the books because they could not just enjoy the books, they had made up excuses (interrupted runs, multiple covers, ratio variants....) that it put VEI into a situation where they needed that investment to operate. The wait for the trade, or HC trends have not helped either. What happened later was a different story, but it all started with the fickle fans that did not care to support the publisher that they were all waiting for to come back.

Sorry if I am a bit blunt, but I am in no mood to mince words right now. Just imagine if Dinesh actually sees this post. It's wrong.

Sorry if what I'm about to write ends up getting a few backs up because it's contrary to other opinions, but blaming consumers for purchasing products or NOT purchasing products in a way that best works for them seems a little crass to me. At the end of the day we all know that consumers have certain limitations in which they can or are willing to purchase product, and telling them that they're wrong for doing so because their ultimate goal isn't total altruistic support of a company just appears a little removed from sense.

Moving on, total honesty now: I've loved Valiant comics and the company in a general sense since I picked up my first issue of Shadowman back in December '12. Since then I've supported the company by purchasing a single copy of every floppy they've put out, to achieve two purposes:
- To further my enjoyment of the Valiant Universe
- To support the company and aid further publishing of creative endeavours as a small part of a wider socio-economic endeavour
Buying all floppies monthly is about as far as my spending power toward VEI is able to stretch, generally speaking, so in that respect I belive it's fair to say that I've done about all I can to support the company, not to mention taking the time to review a load of trades across three Amazon domains and Barnes & Noble websites. So, whilst I understand some folks' notions of supporting 'the other people of Valiant' (not just Dinesh) by spending on Valiant comics, I care less about this now that DMG, with their abundant cash reserves, have taken over the company. It won't be the hardcore fan that supports the company in the near future, it'll be the wider audience on the recieving end of non-household name films that will be responsible.

On the other hand, it's also been suggested that we should continue buying Valiant comics to support the 'original vision' (in part, for the benefit of others)... Sure, that'd be wonderful if the comics remain within some idiosyncratically-defined parameters of 'quality', so how long should a consumer continue doing that before they decide that they can't support the company any more by buying comics that they're no longer enjoying? Some of us here have already wrestled with that question in the past and made purchasing decisions based on their feelings, but now we're back to square one where it's suggested that those people are 'to blame' for driving the eventual DMG acquisition, so is this option really acceptable if that's the case? Of course it is. You're the consumer, you do what works for you on a personal level.

I'm currently feeling that my current stance on Quitting Valiant is this:
- Buy comics whilst I'm enjoying them
- Stop buying comics when I'm no longer enjoying them
- Stop buying comics if/when reboots occur

At the end of the day, I love Valiant comics and want to continue enjoying them as far into the future as I can, but at the end of the day the world is a big place, full of all manner of weird and wonderful things to experience, become involved with and enjoy, and should I one day stop buying Valiant or the company goes under, I'll simply occupy my time with other pursuits. Life goes on and the presence of Valiant comics in my life, with regard to the grand reality of it all, simply isn't vital.

Anyway, apologies if that irriates a few folk. I'm just trying to put the whole affair into the perspective of how Valiant fits into my life, both now and in the future.