"...Management Team Talks Post-Sale Changes, Future Plans"

[TheFerg714]

https://www.cbr.com/valiant-post-sale-c ... ing-plans/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The only part that kind of rubs me the wrong way is..

The proof of that is, we’ve been doing this for three months and nobody really sees any difference.

Umm.. yes, we have actually. Where's the annual Valiant summit? Where's the future book announcements? What is Eric Heisserer doing? Why is Shadowman/HWII getting significantly less promotion than X-O and Salvation? What happened to the original plan for a double-sized HW2? Where is the nearly constant stream of announcements that we used to have under the previous marketing team?

Bro, we've all noticed changes. Please don't act like we don't exist. As far as I'm concerned, 2018 Valiant does not fee like the same Valiant that we saw in 2017.

I'd love to hear if I'm the only one thinking the same thing, or if you guys feel a little more hopeful/optimistic.

[Sunlight on Snow]

The only two things that are bugging me is the slightly shortened event series and Heisserer's departure but sadly he and the new leadership don't get along (his words on Twitter) and that's the reason why they had to change the way HW2 is written and released. I'm still excited about this event and the next 4+1 issues by Matt Kindt. Also, Heisserer's gone - Dysart will be coming back.

The new team should be given a little more time from our side. Joe & Mel just started working at Valiant a couple of weeks ago (April). For them it's a great opportunity and even greater challenge to follow into Dinesh & Warren's footsteps. They probably want to do the right thing and maintain the level of quality we are used to in story telling, art, and most importantly continuity.

Give Joe & Mel the chance they deserve and trust them to make the right decisions. I wholeheartedly do!

Stay Valiant!

[TheFerg714]

The only two things that are bugging me is the slightly shortened event series and Heisserer's departure but sadly he and the new leadership don't get along (his words on Twitter) and that's the reason why they had to change the way HW2 is written and released. I'm still excited about this event and the next 4+1 issues by Matt Kindt. Also, Heisserer's gone - Dysart will be coming back.

The new team should be given a little more time from our side. Joe & Mel just started working at Valiant a couple of weeks ago (April). For them it's a great opportunity and even greater challenge to follow into Dinesh & Warren's footsteps. They probably want to do the right thing and maintain the level of quality we are used to in story telling, art, and most importantly continuity.

Give Joe & Mel the chance they deserve and trust them to make the right decisions. I wholeheartedly do!

Stay Valiant!

Personally, I just want one interesting announcement. One solid announcement, without any caveats. I'm tired of the, "Hey, Dysart's back! But you're gonna have to wait til 2019..." Or, "Hey, Brittania's back, but it's losing the artist that made it special."

[BugsySig]

https://www.cbr.com/valiant-post-sale-c ... ing-plans/

The only part that kind of rubs me the wrong way is..

The proof of that is, we’ve been doing this for three months and nobody really sees any difference.

Umm.. yes, we have actually. Where's the annual Valiant summit? Where's the future book announcements? What is Eric Heisserer doing? Why is Shadowman/HWII getting significantly less promotion than X-O and Salvation? What happened to the original plan for a double-sized HW2? Where is the nearly constant stream of announcements that we used to have under the previous marketing team?

Bro, we've all noticed changes. Please don't act like we don't exist. As far as I'm concerned, 2018 Valiant does not fee like the same Valiant that we saw in 2017.

I'd love to hear if I'm the only one thinking the same thing, or if you guys feel a little more hopeful/optimistic.

I agree with most of this. It just doesn't feel the same, and the interviews just don't sound the same. If hard pushing the major titles is what DMG does, and what keeps VALIANT in the public eye, especially to tie into films, then OK. Hopefully it will lead to an expansion of publishing beyond that, but somehow I doubt it. I sincerely hope VALIANT survives far into the future, though I may not be on board for it much longer.

[kinggirlfriend]

The only two things that are bugging me is the slightly shortened event series and Heisserer's departure but sadly he and the new leadership don't get along (his words on Twitter) and that's the reason why they had to change the way HW2 is written and released. I'm still excited about this event and the next 4+1 issues by Matt Kindt. Also, Heisserer's gone - Dysart will be coming back.

The new team should be given a little more time from our side. Joe & Mel just started working at Valiant a couple of weeks ago (April). For them it's a great opportunity and even greater challenge to follow into Dinesh & Warren's footsteps. They probably want to do the right thing and maintain the level of quality we are used to in story telling, art, and most importantly continuity.

Give Joe & Mel the chance they deserve and trust them to make the right decisions. I wholeheartedly do!

Stay Valiant!

Personally, I just want one interesting announcement. One solid announcement, without any caveats. I'm tired of the, "Hey, Dysart's back! But you're gonna have to wait til 2019..." Or, "Hey, Brittania's back, but it's losing the artist that made it special."

Yeah, everything's been very ho-hum. And the announcements they have had have been, kinda not very exciting. Nothing on the horizon sounds fresh. Didn't someone mention that the Britannia story has been in the can for a while? Essentially an inventory story? Dysart's Harada story, too. Printing Valiant High is another also-ran. Bloodshot currently seems aimless. No Secret Weapons. No Harbinger. Just really not much to get excited about. Such a shame. I'VE GOT MONEY VALIANT! DO YOU WANT TO PUBLISH COMIC BOOKS IN EXCHANGE FOR MY MONEY?!

[jmatt]

The article made me feel pretty positive about things in general. I can't speak for others, but in my opinion the quality has remained the same.

I can definitely see that these guys care about these characters, and about expanding the awareness of them through other mediums, like film and TV. There are other types of businesses that they have invested in that I can’t speak about yet. They are looking at ways in which Valiant and those other businesses can partner up.

It’s all about helping Valiant reach new audiences, reach a bigger audience; at the same time, allow the publishing side do what they’ve been doing, and hopefully do a little bit more — and giving them the resources to do so.

I like the sound of that.

You’re going to see some new characters spinning out of Harbinger Wars 2.

Some were worried that the company was just interested in farming existing IPs. I think this says otherwise.

At the end of Harbinger Wars 2, a good part of the universe will reset.

Okay, that makes me nervous. We'll see what that means.

[TheFerg714]

At the end of Harbinger Wars 2, a good part of the universe will reset.

Okay, that makes me nervous. We'll see what that means.

I'm sure that just means the psiot side of the universe will get a revamp with new writers and creative directions. ...I hope...

[TheFerg714]

Yeah, everything's been very ho-hum. And the announcements they have had have been, kinda not very exciting. Nothing on the horizon sounds fresh. Didn't someone mention that the Britannia story has been in the can for a while? Essentially an inventory story? Dysart's Harada story, too. Printing Valiant High is another also-ran. Bloodshot currently seems aimless. No Secret Weapons. No Harbinger. Just really not much to get excited about. Such a shame. I'VE GOT MONEY VALIANT! DO YOU WANT TO PUBLISH COMIC BOOKS IN EXCHANGE FOR MY MONEY?!

Totally agree. I would also add that X-O's looking a little rusty and aimless as well now that he's back on Earth. Kindt usually f***s up when his ongoings run past a certain number, so I'm kind of just crossing my fingers. Ninja-K is pretty fantastic, but Shadowman (I know this isn't the majority opinion) is kind of boring. What's left? Q&W is... okay? I mean, I'm enjoying it, but it doesn't go much farther than that. I really don't know if it's going to be able to capture my attention once Eliot Rahal takes over.

And HWII... what is there to say? I sure do hope it's good!

[Jrosen]

At the end of Harbinger Wars 2, a good part of the universe will reset.

Okay, that makes me nervous. We'll see what that means.

That was the line that made me a little nervous as well. I'm hoping that the reset is like the new normal (e.g., relationship changes) that would likely occur after a big conflict and not a change in direction/retcon of the characters.

[nonplayer]

At the end of Harbinger Wars 2, a good part of the universe will reset.

Okay, that makes me nervous. We'll see what that means.

I'm sure that just means the psiot side of the universe will get a revamp with new writers and creative directions. ...I hope...

A soft reboot are we even the least bit supised

[jmatt]

At the end of Harbinger Wars 2, a good part of the universe will reset.

Okay, that makes me nervous. We'll see what that means.

That was the line that made me a little nervous as well. I'm hoping that the reset is like the new normal (e.g., relationship changes) that would likely occur after a big conflict and not a change in direction/retcon of the characters.

A modest change in direction, I don't mind so much if it makes sense. I mean, where's Peter?

A retcon would be unwelcome. A think they're smart enough to be ginger about such things.

[valiantdude]

I have mentioned several times that they are going to do a universe reboot..I know they will, with less than 10k average buyers they have nothing to lose, any people that drop off will be replaced by new people and more perhaps, at least they hope.
is fred pierce still working there?

[betterthanezra]

is fred pierce still working there?

Yes if you read the link shared it was mainly talking to Fred directly about the changes at VEI

-Brian

[valiantdude]

they bought the ips, all the content before the purchase was guided with a plan by someone they didnt agree with..that content doesn't mesh with what they will decide where they should go and how they should be shaped, they are going to reset with a different plan

[valiantdude]

oops....read the article, interesting, I guess the chances of shooter coming back there are slim with pierce still around, hmm, might be awhil for that prediction

[TheFerg714]

I have mentioned several times that they are going to do a universe reboot..I know they will, with less than 10k average buyers they have nothing to lose, any people that drop off will be replaced by new people and more perhaps, at least they hope.
is fred pierce still working there?

I think your logic is faulty. The only thing that's keeping Valiant around right now is the core fans. Do you really think there's some huge market for a brand new superhero universe? I'm sure it would do fine at first, but it would be a huge gamble to abandon everything VEI has built for the last six years.

[Jrosen]

During my conversations with Atom! and Mel at C2E2, it didn't seem like they were on a path to retcon the universe. But, it wouldn't shock me to see them retcon individual characters to fit into the film/TV path. That said, the new Shadowman sure feels like they have blanked out all of the story arcs from after Shadowman 10 from the first ongoing, and I'm very happy that they are moving along that path!

[Zhuge1]

With respect to ret-conning, it's not as if Valiant hasn't ignored other things that didn't fit continuity before (for example, the first two arcs of Eternal Warrior).

[Sunlight on Snow]

During my conversations with Atom! and Mel at C2E2, it didn't seem like they were on a path to retcon the universe. But, it wouldn't shock me to see them retcon individual characters to fit into the film/TV path. That said, the new Shadowman sure feels like they have blanked out all of the story arcs from after Shadowman 10 from the first ongoing, and I'm very happy that they are moving along that path!

Not really. In issue #1 Jack says he made some really bad mistakes and there's blood on his hands.

[Phoenix8008]

During my conversations with Atom! and Mel at C2E2, it didn't seem like they were on a path to retcon the universe. But, it wouldn't shock me to see them retcon individual characters to fit into the film/TV path. That said, the new Shadowman sure feels like they have blanked out all of the story arcs from after Shadowman 10 from the first ongoing, and I'm very happy that they are moving along that path!

Not really. In issue #1 Jack says he made some really bad mistakes and there's blood on his hands.

And in issue #2, he told Alyssa that he had literally seen Heaven, referencing Rapture.

[jmatt]

During my conversations with Atom! and Mel at C2E2, it didn't seem like they were on a path to retcon the universe. But, it wouldn't shock me to see them retcon individual characters to fit into the film/TV path. That said, the new Shadowman sure feels like they have blanked out all of the story arcs from after Shadowman 10 from the first ongoing, and I'm very happy that they are moving along that path!

Not really. In issue #1 Jack says he made some really bad mistakes and there's blood on his hands.

I agree. It seems to me as if they've abandoned nothing, so far.

[Phoenix8008]

Pierce: I have to tell you, it has been smoother than anyone would believe. We’ve been told all along that they want us to keep running the publishing division as it’s been run. The proof of that is, we’ve been doing this for three months and nobody really sees any difference.

My response to that would be: "All the comics are solicited 3 months in advance, so not seeing any change during that first 3 months doesn't really mean anything. Everything during that first 3 months after the transition was already in the pipeline and wouldn't have been changed anyway. It's the 3-6 months AFTER that where you would potentially see any rough spots starting to occur."

I really don't see them doing an actual 'reset'(reboot) of the universe, in whole, or in part. ("What do they have to lose?" some might ask. Oh, I dunno. Maybe a big chunk of the thousands of devoted fans that have followed this universe for 5 years+. And many of those that have been Valiant fans since the 90's who would see that kind of a reboot as the final proof that the cycle of Valiant failing was repeating itself once more. I think they've got much more to lose from such an action than they have to gain.)

I'm guessing like everybody else here (except for the person that KNOWS that they're gonna do a full universe reboot), but my takeaway from that statement about a 'reset' after HW2 probably means a big status quo change. I wouldn't be surprised to see a big change among all the psiot related titles. They also talked about new series spawning out of what happens in HW2 and this could be part of that. Reset doesn't have to mean reboot. It could just mean reshaping what's already there.

[jmatt]

I really don't see them doing an actual 'reset'(reboot) of the universe, in whole, or in part. ("What do they have to lose?" some might ask. Oh, I dunno. Maybe a big chunk of the thousands of devoted fans that have followed this universe for 5 years+. And many of those that have been Valiant fans since the 90's who would see that kind of a reboot as the final proof that the cycle of Valiant failing was repeating itself once more. I think they've got much more to lose from such an action than they have to gain.)

Amen to that. I think readers would be more put off by the idea that Valiant was becoming more like the Big 2 with reboots than anything else. Many came to Valiant to escape that cycle.

[tanord]

I really don't see them doing an actual 'reset'(reboot) of the universe, in whole, or in part. ("What do they have to lose?" some might ask. Oh, I dunno. Maybe a big chunk of the thousands of devoted fans that have followed this universe for 5 years+. And many of those that have been Valiant fans since the 90's who would see that kind of a reboot as the final proof that the cycle of Valiant failing was repeating itself once more. I think they've got much more to lose from such an action than they have to gain.)

Amen to that. I think readers would be more put off by the idea that Valiant was becoming more like the Big 2 with reboots than anything else. Many came to Valiant to escape that cycle.

I really think that they are going to do a company wide reboot though. If they are not selling enough copies to turn a profit then I could see them resetting everything.

[Phoenix8008]

I really don't see them doing an actual 'reset'(reboot) of the universe, in whole, or in part. ("What do they have to lose?" some might ask. Oh, I dunno. Maybe a big chunk of the thousands of devoted fans that have followed this universe for 5 years+. And many of those that have been Valiant fans since the 90's who would see that kind of a reboot as the final proof that the cycle of Valiant failing was repeating itself once more. I think they've got much more to lose from such an action than they have to gain.)

Amen to that. I think readers would be more put off by the idea that Valiant was becoming more like the Big 2 with reboots than anything else. Many came to Valiant to escape that cycle.

I really think that they are going to do a company wide reboot though. If they are not selling enough copies to turn a profit then I could see them resetting everything.

1. You "really think that they are going to do a company wide reboot". Based on what? Where did you read something or hear something that indicates this is a plan or even a possibility?

2. Who says that they're not selling enough to turn a profit though? Do you think they've been running the company at a loss for 5-6 years? I'd guess that they have been making a profit, because it's tough to stay in business without doing so. They've been pretty consistently at around/just under 1% of total market share for awhile. They've stayed fairly constant in the number of titles monthly. If what they've been doing hasn't been making them a profit enough to pay the bills, then how have they kept going? And if they have kept going this far while not making a profit (somehow), then why would they need to do something as extreme as a universal reboot in the hopes of making it better?

3. While not scientific, every time I remember the subject of a big reboot coming up on these boards, there's usually an easy majority of folks commenting that they'd be opposed to such a reboot. Since this site has long been home to the most hardcore of Valiant fans (being interested enough in the characters and stories to keep talking about them in this community for the many years when there were no comics being published), I'd say that's a fairly valid measuring stick showing that more would be opposed than would be supportive of such a reboot. If they're only selling 5-10 thousand copies per month, and you take away at least half of those, what makes you think enough people that weren't interested in Valiant before are suddenly going to fill that gap and all stay past the first few issues of a reboot to make it better/more profitable than it was?

Edit: I put up a poll to get more accurate info on support for a hypothetical reboot, instead of relying on the hearsay of my memory of past conversations.