Graphic Novels vs Monthlies.

[ManofTheAtom]

What if Alien Books started out by publishing single-story graphic novels with the most important and commercial VALIANT characters (i.e. X-O Manowar, Archer & Armstrong, Eternal Warrior, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, Ninjak, etc) and, based on sales, "graduated" the ones that sell the most to the monthly format?

The graphic novels could be the equivalent of a TV pilot. They set the tone, overreaching arc, characters, world-building, etc.

The ones that don't merit continuing as monthlies due to sales can continue as sporadic graphic novels released as the need of the overall story of the VALIANT Universe dictates.

That might be the perfect compromise between both formats, specially since single issue monthly stories would eventually be collected into graphic novel/trades.

[GammaJosh]

I don't mind that in terms of getting new stories out into the world, but I think they may sacrifice some buzz and sales among the habitual Wednesday Warriors. I assume if we get an OGN that means we are not going to get that character again for several months. I'd rather get to look forward to a monthly hit of any given character. The OGN approach, to me, doesn't really leverage Valiant as being the "3rd largest shared universe" that they like to tout.

[ManofTheAtom]

I don't mind that in terms of getting new stories out into the world, but I think they may sacrifice some buzz and sales among the habitual Wednesday Warriors. I assume if we get an OGN that means we are not going to get that character again for several months. I'd rather get to look forward to a monthly hit of any given character. The OGN approach, to me, doesn't really leverage Valiant as being the "3rd largest shared universe" that they like to tout.

I don't disagree. That said, it could help them give the stories a more cinematic feel in the start.

Graphic novels should be reserved for epic stories, so opening with a handful might be a good thing.

[GammaJosh]

I could get behind some monthly Giant-Size one-shots that still hit comic shops as saddle-stitched comics.

[ManofTheAtom]

I could get behind some monthly Giant-Size one-shots that still hit comic shops as saddle-stitched comics.

Yeah. We need more stuff like that.

[greg]

It may be worth noting that nothing on the Alien Books website is less than $9.99.

They either have to introduce cheaper pricing for monthly comics, or they'll be doing something in the $9.99 or higher category.

[ManofTheAtom]

It may be worth noting that nothing on the Alien Books website is less than $9.99.

They either have to introduce cheaper pricing for monthly comics, or they'll be doing something in the $9.99 or higher category.

$9.99 was the cost of a VALIANT trade that collected four issues worth.

How many pages do Alien Books' comics have for that price?

[greg]

It may be worth noting that nothing on the Alien Books website is less than $9.99.

They either have to introduce cheaper pricing for monthly comics, or they'll be doing something in the $9.99 or higher category.

$9.99 was the cost of a VALIANT trade that collected four issues worth.

How many pages do Alien Books' comics have for that price?

They don't specify: https://www.alienbooks.com/new-releases

[ManofTheAtom]

It may be worth noting that nothing on the Alien Books website is less than $9.99.

They either have to introduce cheaper pricing for monthly comics, or they'll be doing something in the $9.99 or higher category.

$9.99 was the cost of a VALIANT trade that collected four issues worth.

How many pages do Alien Books' comics have for that price?

They don't specify: https://www.alienbooks.com/new-releases

Ah, ok.

[slack]

What if Alien Books started out by publishing single-story graphic novels with the most important and commercial VALIANT characters (i.e. X-O Manowar, Archer & Armstrong, Eternal Warrior, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, Ninjak, etc) and, based on sales, "graduated" the ones that sell the most to the monthly format?

The graphic novels could be the equivalent of a TV pilot. They set the tone, overreaching arc, characters, world-building, etc.

The ones that don't merit continuing as monthlies due to sales can continue as sporadic graphic novels released as the need of the overall story of the VALIANT Universe dictates.

That might be the perfect compromise between both formats, specially since single issue monthly stories would eventually be collected into graphic novel/trades.

That would suck.

Monthly issues of core characters, built up a few books at time the way it was done in 2012-2018.
Focus on the shared universe.
A quarterly(or bimonthly) anthology book with more pages and 2-4 shorter single stories, or serialized storylines, that can be used for some new art/writing talent testing, and new characters, story styles, and team-ups can get tried out.

[ManofTheAtom]

What if Alien Books started out by publishing single-story graphic novels with the most important and commercial VALIANT characters (i.e. X-O Manowar, Archer & Armstrong, Eternal Warrior, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, Ninjak, etc) and, based on sales, "graduated" the ones that sell the most to the monthly format?

The graphic novels could be the equivalent of a TV pilot. They set the tone, overreaching arc, characters, world-building, etc.

The ones that don't merit continuing as monthlies due to sales can continue as sporadic graphic novels released as the need of the overall story of the VALIANT Universe dictates.

That might be the perfect compromise between both formats, specially since single issue monthly stories would eventually be collected into graphic novel/trades.

That would suck.

Monthly issues of core characters, built up a few books at time the way it was done in 2012-2018.
Focus on the shared universe.
A quarterly(or bimonthly) anthology book with more pages and 2-4 shorter single stories, or serialized storylines, that can be used for some new art/writing talent testing, and new characters, story styles, and team-ups can get tried out.

That'd be cool.

[slack]

Dinesh always argued with me about the anthology book. He just could not see a value in it.

[ManofTheAtom]

Dinesh always argued with me about the anthology book. He just could not see a value in it.

Well, in terms of narrative they really don't serve one. They really only exist to showcase the IP in one off stories that don't really/necessarily contribute much value to the overall universe.

It's the kind of thing that would be nice to have if for no other reason than to see said one-off stories about characters that might otherwise not merit a one-shot or mini-series, but, ultimately, they're not really worth the expense for the same reason that they are one-offs with no real intrinsic value with characters that don't merit the spotlight.

Acclaim was going to do an anthology toward the end, but that never happened.

[slack]

Dinesh always argued with me about the anthology book. He just could not see a value in it.

Well, in terms of narrative they really don't serve one. They really only exist to showcase the IP in one off stories that don't really/necessarily contribute much value to the overall universe.

It's the kind of thing that would be nice to have if for no other reason than to see said one-off stories about characters that might otherwise not merit a one-shot or mini-series, but, ultimately, they're not really worth the expense for the same reason that they are one-offs with no real intrinsic value with characters that don't merit the spotlight.

Acclaim was going to do an anthology toward the end, but that never happened.

Could be a first appearance of new character that gains spotlight, could have stories there that help do inbetween world-building, could use the anthology to kick off crossovers, or to tie together crossovers. They don't have to be throwaway one-offs... they can easily have "key" issues, and won't necessarily be tied down by needing to be a story that needs to fit in a GN format later.

I think it could work great, but Dinesh never hired me. Look at Valiant now... just sayin.

[ManofTheAtom]

Dinesh always argued with me about the anthology book. He just could not see a value in it.

Well, in terms of narrative they really don't serve one. They really only exist to showcase the IP in one off stories that don't really/necessarily contribute much value to the overall universe.

It's the kind of thing that would be nice to have if for no other reason than to see said one-off stories about characters that might otherwise not merit a one-shot or mini-series, but, ultimately, they're not really worth the expense for the same reason that they are one-offs with no real intrinsic value with characters that don't merit the spotlight.

Acclaim was going to do an anthology toward the end, but that never happened.

Could be a first appearance of new character that gains spotlight, could have stories there that help do inbetween world-building, could use the anthology to kick off crossovers, or to tie together crossovers. They don't have to be throwaway one-offs... they can easily have "key" issues, and won't necessarily be tied down by needing to be a story that needs to fit in a GN format later.

I think it could work great, but Dinesh never hired me. Look at Valiant now... just sayin.

They never hired me either, though some of the first VEI issues do have suggestions I made, heh.

Yes, they could have all of that, but the cool thing about the original VALIANT is that such things happened organically without much fanfare. Such as Jack Boniface's cameo in X-O Manowar Vol 1. #4.

[slack]

I also told them all that Vin Diesel only plays one character over and over, and the Bloodshot movie will suck with him. Again, I say... look at Valiant now. (covid can take some blame, but that movie sucks)

Either way, DMG won't hire me either. They were content to steal my Kickstarter money, to further prove to me that they know what they're doing.

[ManofTheAtom]

I also told them all that Vin Diesel only plays one character over and over, and the Bloodshot movie will suck with him. Again, I say... look at Valiant now. (covid can take some blame, but that movie sucks)

Either way, DMG won't hire me either. They were content to steal my Kickstarter money, to further prove to me that they know what they're doing.

I thought Bloodshot was okay. I've watched it twice now.

My point of contention with it is that I wish it had been about the Angelo Mortalli version instead of the Raymond Garrison version.

[leonmallett]

I also told them all that Vin Diesel only plays one character over and over, and the Bloodshot movie will suck with him. Again, I say... look at Valiant now. (covid can take some blame, but that movie sucks)

Either way, DMG won't hire me either. They were content to steal my Kickstarter money, to further prove to me that they know what they're doing.

I thought Bloodshot was okay. I've watched it twice now.

My point of contention with it is that I wish it had been about the Angelo Mortalli version instead of the Raymond Garrison version.

For me it was a modern B movie, with the best cast being Pearce, Morris and Gonzalez in their respective roles.

But that aside, given that comics and movie synergy would be desirable, why would they deliver a Bloodshot from twenty-plus years earlier rather than the current iteration?

[ManofTheAtom]

I also told them all that Vin Diesel only plays one character over and over, and the Bloodshot movie will suck with him. Again, I say... look at Valiant now. (covid can take some blame, but that movie sucks)

Either way, DMG won't hire me either. They were content to steal my Kickstarter money, to further prove to me that they know what they're doing.

I thought Bloodshot was okay. I've watched it twice now.

My point of contention with it is that I wish it had been about the Angelo Mortalli version instead of the Raymond Garrison version.

For me it was a modern B movie, with the best cast being Pearce, Morris and Gonzalez in their respective roles.

But that aside, given that comics and movie synergy would be desirable, why would they deliver a Bloodshot from twenty-plus years earlier rather than the current iteration?

Using Raymond Garrison as Bloodshot was a continued point of contention between me and Dinesh whenever we discussed the comics, heh. I kept pushing him for using Angelo, arguing that Angelo Mortalli is to Bloodshot what Clark Kent is to Superman.

I still stand by that today. I've never really liked the Raymond Garrison version. I thought that compared to Mortalli (whose name is considerably more interesting) he was really boring. The VEI series didn't change that opinion.

I still think there is a lot more that can be mined from Angelo Mortalli than there could be from Raymond. Indeed, Raymond's background is still considerably sparce, whereas Angelo being a mobster has a lot of prefabricated world-building behind it.

I also prefer it when Project Rising Spirit is a Japanese company founded by a man obsessed with becoming immortal. PRS (which name doesn't really make sense in the context of being a weapons manufacturer) wasn't as unique as that.

[Chiclo]

PRS (which name doesn't really make sense in the context of being a weapons manufacturer)

In the last ~20 years, a lot of firearms manufacturers making specific AR-platform rifle variations have sprung up like weeds. Project Rising Spirit could get lost in the crowd with them.

[ManofTheAtom]

PRS (which name doesn't really make sense in the context of being a weapons manufacturer)

In the last ~20 years, a lot of firearms manufacturers making specific AR-platform rifle variations have sprung up like weeds. Project Rising Spirit could get lost in the crowd with them.

Yeah, but the name, Project Rising Spirit, doesn't really go with that. It's a weird name for a weapons' manufacturer.

[Ryan]

Dinesh always argued with me about the anthology book. He just could not see a value in it.

Well, in terms of narrative they really don't serve one. They really only exist to showcase the IP in one off stories that don't really/necessarily contribute much value to the overall universe.

It's the kind of thing that would be nice to have if for no other reason than to see said one-off stories about characters that might otherwise not merit a one-shot or mini-series, but, ultimately, they're not really worth the expense for the same reason that they are one-offs with no real intrinsic value with characters that don't merit the spotlight.

Acclaim was going to do an anthology toward the end, but that never happened.

Could be a first appearance of new character that gains spotlight, could have stories there that help do inbetween world-building, could use the anthology to kick off crossovers, or to tie together crossovers. They don't have to be throwaway one-offs... they can easily have "key" issues, and won't necessarily be tied down by needing to be a story that needs to fit in a GN format later.

I think it could work great, but Dinesh never hired me. Look at Valiant now... just sayin.

They never hired me either, though some of the first VEI issues do have suggestions I made, heh.

Yes, they could have all of that, but the cool thing about the original VALIANT is that such things happened organically without much fanfare. Such as Jack Boniface's cameo in X-O Manowar Vol 1. #4.

Is there anyone on this board who's NOT a VEI insider? lol

I've said many times I was never a fan of how overpowered VEI Bloodshot's was. If he can get blown to red mist and still not die, what can possibly threaten him? This takes the suspense out of the action.

The whole false memory/who am I really? plot has been done a lot but can be fun. There wasn't enough straight action-adventure for my taste though.

The VH1 BS has the problem of being even more cliche. The amnesiac super-soldier who used to be a mobster but now (for some reason?) is an altruistic hero is like every action movie from the 80s/90s. However, VH1 BS was fun.

One of the best things about VH1 was how they took concepts that weren't very original and made them feel fresh by giving them more depth, and put them in a tight shared universe where there were real consequences for their actions.

[slack]

I'm no insider. Dinesh was just good at responding to people on social media. I chatted with him at a con for a bit once also.

I did get Rafer Roberts to name a HARDcorps troop after me... a character codenamed Hayseed is as close as it gets to me being an insider. I did bribe him with a Snickers bar.

[Ryan]

I'm no insider. Dinesh was just good at responding to people on social media. I chatted with him at a con for a bit once also.

I did get Rafer Roberts to name a HARDcorps troop after me... a character codenamed Hayseed is as close as it gets to me being an insider. I did bribe him with a Snickers bar.

Nice, I guess I was exaggerating a bit heh. Seriously though one of the coolest things about Dino-era VEI is that they seemed to be very open and accessible with the fans.

[slack]

I'm no insider. Dinesh was just good at responding to people on social media. I chatted with him at a con for a bit once also.

I did get Rafer Roberts to name a HARDcorps troop after me... a character codenamed Hayseed is as close as it gets to me being an insider. I did bribe him with a Snickers bar.

Nice, I guess I was exaggerating a bit heh. Seriously though one of the coolest things about Dino-era VEI is that they seemed to be very open and accessible with the fans.

Dinesh being so open to engaging in non-spoiler conversation directly with anyone willing to hit him up... that was a big part of the Dinesh-era "special sauce".

"The company" was people... and many of them engaged us directly when we asked them to. They became personalities that we looked for at cons... not just writers and artists, but execs and sales managers were stars!

post DMG takeover, a few of the replacements have tried to do it that way... some succeeded, and others ended up fighting fans online and hurling insults.

Dinesh would take a fan's vicious insulting rant, and respond by saying something like, "trust me, check out the arc we have coming up next though... hit me back up after you've read that!"


Currently, I think Dani Ward may be the only person from the company willing to engage, props to her for trying at such a terrible time.