Jim Shooter has died

[The Harbinger]

Jim’s the reason I’m here as a comic fan at all and read all the comics that I have.

My grandpa was a pharmacist, and my dad worked in the store as a kid. They would receive a rack of comics each month, Shooter’s Adventures Comics with the Legion of Super Heroes got my dad’s attention on the rack (along with Fly Man of Archie Comics).

My dad’s love for comics started there, and he passed that love onto me reading those same Legion comics from that drug store to me as a kid. An important story to show how comics can bring a family together.

Rest easy Shooter, and thanks for the memories.

[GJB2]

Hi Guys,

This is GJB from way back. Forgot my password so GJB2 it is. I'm not sure who from the old guard is still on the board, but I hope everyone, old and new is well.

I found out earlier today that Jim Shooter passed and as with some of you, it hit with saddness. The first thing I thought to do was check this site, reregister, and post something.

I have a lot of incredible memories from my time here and for that I thank Greg. Finding this site and having a place to go to discuss Valiant comics and other topics was a fun and welcomed eacape. From the sign ups for the limited signed and numbered valiant fan projects, to the many passionate board member discussions. Is SOTU or ZWH still around? We had amazing fundraisers for CF and best of all I met some really good people on this site, unfortunately losing one of those friends way too soon.

Jim Shooter was a Titan. Without him and his adventure with Valiant Comics, I never would have experienced this site and my life would have been a little less full. For that I thank him.

[ManofTheAtom]

Hi Guys,

This is GJB from way back. Forgot my password so GJB2 it is. I'm not sure who from the old guard is still on the board, but I hope everyone, old and new is well.

I found out earlier today that Jim Shooter passed and as with some of you, it hit with saddness. The first thing I thought to do was check this site, reregister, and post something.

I have a lot of incredible memories from my time here and for that I thank Greg. Finding this site and having a place to go to discuss Valiant comics and other topics was a fun and welcomed eacape. From the sign ups for the limited signed and numbered valiant fan projects, to the many passionate board member discussions. Is SOTU or ZWH still around? We had amazing fundraisers for CF and best of all I met some really good people on this site, unfortunately losing one of those friends way too soon.

Jim Shooter was a Titan. Without him and his adventure with Valiant Comics, I never would have experienced this site and my life would have been a little less full. For that I thank him.

Welcome back.

[Juki]

Wow. I’m in shock. Thank you Mr. Shooter for your comic creations. You will be sorely missed.

[The Chosen 1]

Not many people can claim to have been such an influential figure as Jim Shooter. It's a sad day for the comics industry.

[aj583]

I finally got to meet Jim for the first time at Super Jersey Expo at the end of April. Very glad I got to meet the legend that helped establish this wonderful universe that I was amazed with in the 90s and that I rediscovered in 2012. As as I expected, he was a great guy and was happy to delve into Valiant stories from the early days. He had some handler that was trying to speed up my signing, but Jim just kept talking with me about Valiant and his early days at Marvel. I am so happy I got to meet him and thank him for his work. RIP Jim.


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[Juki]

In my mind, I’ve always thought that Jim Shooter is to Valiant comics what Stan Lee is to Marvel comics (even though Jim had a great run at Marvel as well). I kind of consider Jim Shooter to be the Godfather of Valiant.

If Valiant would have made the leap to a Cinematic Universe I imagined Jim Shooter to eventually have cameos in the movies (like Stan Lee did with Marvel).

[Juki]

I’m glad I got this sketch of the “Bleeding Monk” from Shooter in 2023. I thought it would be nice to have him draw the new VEI character (Bleeding Monk) that followed and was developed because of his VH1 run with Valiant.


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[lorddunlow]

Came by to digitally pour one out for the real one.

I met him in 2023 at Megacon.

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[Rai-fan]

The same day I heard he died, I received a package in the mail.

It was Doctor Solar # 27 (the last Silver Age issue) in CGC 9.4.

I first learned who Shooter was through Valiant when I was 14.

And I first learned who Solar was from reading Valiant's Solar # 11 a few weeks before Unity 0 came out.

Fast forward to 2025 and I now have the # 1 CGC registry set for the Gold Key Magnus Robot Fighter run (# 1 - 46 in average 9.6).

And the # 3 CGC registry set for Gold Key Dr. Solar (1 - 31 in average 9.4).

[buff-beardo]

The creative genius is gone. Pre-Unity. The apex. The mastermind has gone away now. The reason we all old timers came here originally.

A long time ago, before VEI or DMG or Alien.
Gregg created this place and we gathered in unison over a shared passion. Strangers all of us from various parts of the Earth. The one link between all of us was our passion for the writing of Jim Shooter in the early days. Solar. Magnus. Harbinger. Etc.
The dreams of what could have been after he was fired. The steady decline in VALIANT comics quality after his expulsion.
Pre-Unity/Unity is the apex of VALIANT Comics because it had Jim at the wheel. Pre-Unity is the apex of a creator taking the wheel and going with it.
Then, $ and greed destroyed it all.

[geocarr]

I was born in 1973 and mom would buy me one or two comics every Saturday morning from the spinner rack at Gaddy's Pharmacy in Clinton, NC as she picked up my grandmother's medications and exchanged gossip with my Aunt Nancy who worked there. One of my earliest books was Avengers #170 written and colored by Jim Shooter and drawn by George Perez in 1978 at the age of 5. Comics taught me to read and I loved and re-read that book so many times I can still see the panels where Captain America strains to shoulder press a heavy barbell only for Beast to walk by afterwards and effortlessly lift it with one hand and return it to where it belonged. I remember the panels where Wonder Man is trying to break through an adamantium door and another Avenger offers to try their power set on it and Wonder Man yells at them, "No! It's a grudge match now!" and then shatters the door open with his next punch. I kept begging my mom to buy me more comics because the characters and stories were interesting, compelling, and exciting, and I labored what seemed like forever at the spinner rack to pick the one or two books I was going to ask for while sitting on the floor reading as many of the other ones as quickly as possible hoping she had a lot to talk about with Aunt Nancy.

I read as many Marvel comics as I could get from that spinner rack into my teenage years while Jim Shooter served brilliantly as Marvel's EIC and I soaked up every story and character and always wanted more.

I worked at Capitol Comics in Raleigh, NC from about 1992 to 1995 during my first few years at college from my late teenage years into my early 20's. I grew up so deep and isolated in the country that I didn't realize comic book stores existed before 1991. I quickly heard customers talk about how good the VALIANT Magnus and Solar stories were and scrambled to get the issues I had missed and became a devoted fan to the work and efforts of Jim Shooter and the others who made those first years of stories magical. I met Jim Shooter at a HeroesCon convention in Charlotte in the mid-1990's and thanked him profusely and he was gracious, humble, and kind to me despite the very long line of fans waiting behind me.

I lurked here at Greg's message board site in 2007 and joined in 2008 in my 30's, gathering a greater appreciation for Jim Shooter through the posts of others, and filled in missing VALIANT issues and re-read everything Pre-Unity and Unity, appreciating it even more amongst you all.

In my 40's, I collected a near complete set of Broadway Comics and Jim Shooter once again compelled me to care about and be intrigued by another set of characters.

Jim Shooter entertained comic fans for 60 of his 73 years of life, and 47 of 52 years of my life and I am better for it and humbly grateful. Jim's work in the comic books I love so much had a positive impact in every decade of my life. I worked with a man named Russ at Capitol Comics who was probably 25-30 years older than me, and I remember his sadness when Jack Kirby died in 1994. I think I understand it better now because Jim Shooter, George Perez, Peter David, Neal Adams, Jackson Guice, and many others are to me what Jack Kirby was to him, but especially Jim, and I don't think anyone in comics will ever be moreso than Jim.

My sincere condolences to JayJay Jackson who has consistently talked about how good of a friend Jim was to her for decades and who has been gracious and kind to many members here over the years.

Again, thank you Greg for creating and maintaining this space for myself and others to share these stories and thoughts.

[reddog]

For anyone wondering about funeral.....Hannemann Funeral Home in Nyack, NY provided a private service.

[mkb28]

I met Jim Shooter at a Kansas City ComiCon but I don’t recall what year it was. When I saw he was there signing books, I went and purchased a nice copy of Magnus Robot Fighter #1 and he signed it for me. He was a legend that will be missed.

Michael
Mkb28