Valiant makes a comeback!!!

PeteCole333 · Post by **PeteCole333** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 9:20 pm

Hey everyone,

Obviously we're all still interested in Valiant comics. We probably all remember when they were the rage of the comic collecting world. Oh how the proud have fallen.

What I wanted to ask, was if anyone feels (knows??!!) that valiant comics/characters will make a comeback. I understand that there are some legal disputes over copyrights, etc. Is it possible that once those legal disputes are resolved, that new issues may be produced, perhaps revitalizing interests in our favorite comic universe.

-Pete

childres · Post by **childres** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 11:10 pm

soundoftheuniverse · Post by **soundoftheuniverse** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 2:48 pm

Makes me laugh every time I hear about the Valiant comeback. Some would argue the comeback's already happened and the best "price" times are behind us. So from the consumer perspective the "Comeback's" already come and gone. Prices on alot of books are double and even triple what I was paying only a few years ago. And I was late to get Re acquainted with Valiants.

Many Moons ago we had threads talking about the impossible to find Harbinger 1 9.8 and if it would ever come to auction and if so how much would it go for. Lots of guesses the most expensive was wishful thinking at $1,000. Kinda eerie how accurate the fans were.

In just a few years our little community's grown by leaps as more of us buy and trade and word gets out as we proliferated the shops across the country. By both conventional and non-conventional (email) means.

That period for me felt like the comeback. Funny thing, the prices I paid for lets say a Unity Red in 2003 were alot higher than Greg who was buying them in 1999.

Don't we all wish we had the epiphany to RE Collect our Valiants a little sooner? I do, lol. Point being It's kinda like the stock market I guess. There will be ups and downs, which really are Seasonal. The Anual trends seem to have a slightly upward angle.

So to me the comeback is whenever I see new members in the board buying and looking for books or a new ebay ID buying. Sure there are dupicates but there is also alot of NEW blood.

Anyway, thought I'd share my 2 cents on the topic.

Heath · Post by **Heath** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 3:50 pm

I really wouldn't consider an increase in back issue prices alone a "comeback." A comeback to me will be when Valiant comics are once again on the "New Issue" stands. I'm hopeful it will happen. I'm confident it will happen. But I worry about the quality of those books once it does happen.

soundoftheuniverse · Post by **soundoftheuniverse** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 4:58 pm

I fear the new books if they're ever released won't have the fans best interest in mind and the stories will suffer. Just a feeling with all the legal woes atm.

The idea of our books ultimately being redone with the respect they deserve is what worries me. My gut tells me the material quality of the paper and printing will be top notch but the material that really matters will be sup par.

Sure it's a comeback it just doesn't feel like one to me. Even if and when the new books are released unless they're done the right way it's gonna feel like a kick in the nuts to me.

So here's hoping along with the rest of you that our books get a fair shake and some long overdue respect.

PeteCole333 · Post by **PeteCole333** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 4:59 pm

Oh, I definately think that if (once) new issues come out, if they're good... people will buy them, and it will rekindle a wider interest in the back issues.

The comeback NEEDS to involve new issues. With new issues, the comeback WILL involve an increase in price for all the rare and/or important books.

That's my take anyway.

Now, the only trouble is ... when are we going to get new issues!

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 5:18 pm

PeteCole333 wrote: Now, the only trouble is ... when are we going to get new issues!

That's the big question on everyone's mind around here.

hulk181man · Post by **hulk181man** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 5:33 pm

soundoftheuniverse wrote:I fear the new books if they're ever released won't have the fans best interest in mind and the stories will suffer. Just a feeling with all the legal woes atm.

The idea of our books ultimately being redone with the respect they deserve is what worries me. My gut tells me the material quality of the paper and printing will be top notch but the material that really matters will be sup par.

Sure it's a comeback it just doesn't feel like one to me. Even if and when the new books are released unless they're done the right way it's gonna feel like a kick in the nuts to me.

So here's hoping along with the rest of you that our books get a fair shake and some long overdue respect.

This is very true. Stop and think about it. The books and characters can't simply be released into new stories ala some (definitely not all) of Acclaim's efforts.

Serious storytelling and effort is going to be required to make it work. I just hope when we get a relaunch things aren't second tier from a creative perspective. Otherwise we'll all be pining for 1992 again.....and the relaunch won't last.

Now if we could just abduct a Johns, Millar, Rucka or Bendis and chain them to a desk we're all set

TimeWillTell · Post by **TimeWillTell** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 6:09 pm

Here's my 2 cents...

I think if Valiant relaunches, it MUST have the fans best interests at heart. It makes no sense any other way than to return to its roots. Without a solid base in the current comic book market, failure is guaranteed. It's hard enough to even attempt to make a profit off publication of comics books without other ancillary sources of income from the properties.

That said, any relaunch will be a some time away in my opinion. I've seen it too many times before. There just hasn't been enough direct copy sales to turn profits on books such as those invisioned at the moment.

-TimeWillTell

dave · Post by **dave** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 6:44 pm

you mean you guys didn't receive any of the new customer review issues???

steverino · Post by **steverino** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 9:24 am

I've read some of the revamped valiant titles like XO manowar written by mark waid and Ninjak by kurt busiuk (don't know if I spelled that right), but they were far insuperior to the originals. If you do a XO comic, put the frigging viking in the suit and not some jumpy, nerdy scientist.

At least, that's what I think.

Mozz · Post by **Mozz** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 10:27 am

I hope that the relaunch will be successful and that we'll see theese characters back and done well. The stories should be unique yet still remain true to the core of the characters. I think that with that kind of writing, along with spectacular art, the books have the potential to be successful again.

IMissValiant · Post by **IMissValiant** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 6:52 pm

I think the rise in back issue prices is not because of low print runs or scarcity, but due to the fact that dealers don't want to waste their table space (and time putting on eBay) old Valiants that in their minds are worthless. I can't tell you how many comic dealers and shop owners harbor some sort of resentment towards the old Valiant hype, when they bought 50-100 copies of an issue, hoping to make money, but the high print runs nixed the value.

I just went to a comic convention a few weeks ago in L.A. Not a single Valiant, and there were at least 50-60 dealers. I checked three times.

Therefore, I believe the rising prices are due to few Valiants showing up, be it on eBay or in conventions, even though they're out there, collecting dust in some dealer's basement.

Make any sense?

steverino · Post by **steverino** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 7:48 pm

Actually, it kinda does. Many dealers were made to believe that books like Bloodshot 1 and Turok 1 were going to be huge books with a high demand and low print run. One dealer I know paid almost $100 a copy for the first Bloodshot (he had about 100 of them).
Maybe the reason they're not putting them out on the tables is because they feel cheated by that whole deal.

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 9:35 pm

steverino wrote: One dealer I know paid almost $100 a copy for the first Bloodshot (he had about 100 of them).

Yowch!! A hundred bucks for Bloodshot #1?

John Taddeo · Post by **John Taddeo** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 10:11 pm

steverino wrote:Actually, it kinda does. Many dealers were made to believe that books like Bloodshot 1 and Turok 1 were going to be huge books with a high demand and low print run. One dealer I know paid almost $100 a copy for the first Bloodshot (he had about 100 of them).
Maybe the reason they're not putting them out on the tables is because they feel cheated by that whole deal.

Actually, Bloodshot 1 initially made retailers some serious wood. As I recall it came out the same week as the Death of Superman (or there abouts) and as a:
New Storyline / jump on point
Hot Cover
Collectors in the store buying DOS
3.50 cover (large profit. same margin, but more actual money)

It was a frickin windfall. I think the Marvel masterpieces and DOS cards came out that same month as well . . .

If you want to know what really helped kill Valiant in the "Over Order" scenario, there were a few companies that were ordering massive, massive quantities of books for over retail bulk sales.

Kingpin comes to mind.

I'm talking books in the thousands / tens of thousands waiting to be absorbed over cover by a growing collector market. These companies could do more damage with an order like that than the bottom 1500 retailers combined. (at the time there was probably 4000 - 5000 retailers

Now . . .I think, I'm not sure - but the same guy that owned Kingpin opened Bulldog. He made a direct deal with Crossgen . . .again ordering books in the thousands. At the time of CG's demise Bulldog owed them allotta escarole.

Turok on the other hand was a disaster.

IMissValiant · Post by **IMissValiant** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 9:06 pm

I think we should put together a Valiant-only convention. Now THAT would be awesome.

I actually live a few hours from San Diego but was in NY during the time of the con