VIP ASHCAN AT SDCC! Prepare to be SHOCKED.

RyanMcLelland · Post by **RyanMcLelland** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:47 pm

Not a rumor...not a dream...
I've been at the airport in San Diego for the past 2 and 1/2 hours working on my article that will be up tomorrow on Newsarama.
But for a sneak peek for what you are in for...

Here is what a few ValiantFans.com people have already known...but haven't been talking about much yet...

PREPARE YOURSELF...YOU ARE IN FOR A SHOCK...

VIP has put out an ashcan with all new characters with some...familiar names.

Won't be back into Jersey until tomorrow afternoon EST...will be back to talk more on it soon.

Ryan

[[EDITED BY GREG - ALL USE OF IMAGES FROM THIS VIP "PUBLICATION" ON THIS WEBSITE ARE FOR SATIRIC PURPOSES]]

[[LONG LIVE VEI, LONG LIVE VALIANT]]

greg · Post by **greg** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:55 pm

Weak.

Sad.

Pathetic.

VIP should RIP (rest in pieces).

Obviously a hastily-thrown-together piece of crap that shows their "intent to publish".

However, if they were really legitimate, they would say who they are,
when to expect the books, who to contact, how to order, etc.

They don't say anything about anything... just some crappy drawings with
labels that don't belong to them now, and hopefully, never will.

Here's hoping the US Patent & Trademark Office realizes how much these guys suck.

P.S. I hope they didn't pay that 12 year old artist very much.

cobra_commander · Post by **cobra_commander** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:06 pm

Oh noooooo.

chainnball · Post by **chainnball** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:06 pm

More like VIP trashcan...

StarBrand · Post by **StarBrand** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:10 pm

Can someone please clarify what's up? Are these the guys who didn't bid on the Valiant characters and are claiming they own them anyway?
Thanks.

greg · Post by **greg** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:14 pm

comicmark wrote:Can someone please clarify what's up? Are these the guys who didn't bid on the Valiant characters and are claiming they own them anyway?
Thanks.

Yes.

They didn't show up at the auction.

They didn't bid on the rights to any characters.

They filed for trademarks which they could only use if they associate Valiant words
with images that look nothing like Valiant images.
(Legally, if they look anything like real Valiant stuff, they've broken the law.)

So instead they want to put Valiant labels on this kind of crap and pass it off as a "fair use" of trademark.

They are the absolute scum of the industry... who would possibly support this?
Professionals? No way... they know what's happening and they're not happy.
Customers? No way... you put a Valiant label on something, it better BE Valiant.
Dealers? No way... this crap looks like it was drawn by a 7th grader in study hall.

...and if VIP is so "legitimate", why not tell all us "potential customers" who they are?

Because they are AFRAID. (...and they should be... NOW more than ever.)

hulk181man · Post by **hulk181man** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:15 pm

WTF? That really *SQUEE* me off....can they even use VALIANT? I thought that belonged to VEI.

Chiclo · Post by **Chiclo** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:17 pm

Oh man, that's a laugh right there.

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:18 pm

greg wrote:Weak.

Sad.

Pathetic.

VIP should RIP (rest in pieces).

Obviously a hastily-thrown-together piece of crap that shows their "intent to publish".

However, if they were really legitimate, they would say who they are,
when to expect the books, who to contact, how to order, etc.

They don't say anything about anything... just some crappy drawings with
labels that don't belong to them now, and hopefully, never will.

Here's hoping the US Patent & Trademark Office realizes how much these guys suck.

P.S. I hope they didn't pay that 12 year old artist very much.

I'm sure VEI won't let them get very far

greg · Post by **greg** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:19 pm

hulk181man wrote:WTF? That really *SQUEE* me off....can they even use VALIANT? I thought that belonged to VEI.

Hopefully, they just sealed the nail in their coffin.

If this isn't damaging to the Valiant brand, legitimately owned by VEI, then nothing is.

This makes Valiant fans look like complete idiots.

The morons don't even know how to spell "PEEK"!

(Peak - the top of a mountain... Peek - to look quickly)

Chiclo · Post by **Chiclo** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:20 pm

greg wrote:
hulk181man wrote:WTF? That really *SQUEE* me off....can they even use VALIANT? I thought that belonged to VEI.

Hopefully, they just sealed the nail in their coffin.

If this isn't damaging to the Valiant brand, legitimately owned by VEI, then nothing is.

This makes Valiant fans look like complete idiots.

The morons don't even know how to spell "PEEK"!

(Peak - the top of a mountain... Peek - to look quickly)

They snuck in the "peak" of their activity with those trademarks. It's not going any further.

Brother J · Post by **Brother J** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:27 pm

Any info on how these were distributed? Did VIP have a booth of some kind?

I can tell Greg's pretty fired up about it!

greg · Post by **greg** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 12:48 am

Brother J wrote:Any info on how these were distributed? Did VIP have a booth of some kind?

No booth. VIP still doesn't exist. They are a paper corporation only.
Michael Lovitz is the only known person, and the "company" is just a Delaware registration.

The book doesn't say when, where, how, who, or why about the "future publication".

It would be like putting up a flyer for your band that says
"We SUCK, so we don't want to tell you who we are or where we're playing!"

Word is that Michael Lovitz brought a couple copies (supposedly all numbered out of 100)
to different booths around the convention, asking if dealers would put them on their tables
and sell them for $40 each.

I'm guessing he only attempted this with people who knew him...
so I don't know how many "locations" had a copy in the convention.

Brother J wrote:I can tell Greg's pretty fired up about it!

As a Valiant fan (of the highest order

), I'm quite *SQUEE* that this trash
has the word 'Valiant' on it, and Valiant labels in it.

It's like putting the Rolls Royce emblem on a rusted Ford Pinto.

I'm EMBARRASSED to know that people at the convention could have picked
one of these up and thumbed through it.

Imagine telling someone that you're a Valiant fan, and then having something
like that sitting there with the word "Valiant" on the cover.

Imagine comic collectors seeing that... and thinking...
"That's what Valiant looks like now?!? Puke!"

It was one thing when VIP was just an electronic shell in the US Patent & Trademark database...
but having them put out this piece of crap with Valiant on it is completely new hatred.

Crap in hand is always stinkier than electronic crap in a database...
and VIP just took a dump at the largest convention on the planet.

magnusr · Post by **magnusr** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:08 am

greg wrote:Word is that Michael Lovitz brought a couple copies (supposedly all numbered out of 100) to different booths around the convention, asking if dealers would put them on their tables and sell them for $40 each.

If true it would make sure they stay displayed in the booths all through the con, as noone would buy them. Lots of exposure, no risk?

/Magnus

betterthanezra · Post by **betterthanezra** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:09 am

I didn't notice the peak thing untill you pointed that out though...

-Brian

betterthanezra · Post by **betterthanezra** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:12 am

There is much more artwork in this then the few pages shown by Ryan..The Bloodshot one and Eternal Warrior are both

Yes there are even images for Outcast, Punx & Deathmate...

All of the art is by ONE artist thing is like Greg pointed out NO ONES name is listed from VIP or even an art credit.

-Brian

*SQUEE* · Post by ***SQUEE*** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:12 am

So Sad...

betterthanezra · Post by **betterthanezra** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:14 am

magnusr wrote:
greg wrote:Word is that Michael Lovitz brought a couple copies (supposedly all numbered out of 100) to different booths around the convention, asking if dealers would put them on their tables and sell them for $40 each.
If true it would make sure they stay displayed in the booths all through the con, as noone would buy them. Lots of exposure, no risk?

/Magnus

This was only at ONE dealers booth....NOT one other dealer even had one or even nows it was at the show...I know because I asked.

Oh and the dealer was "selling it for a friend"....

-Brian

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:43 am

betterthanezra wrote:
This was only at ONE dealers booth....NOT one other dealer even had one or even nows it was at the show...I know because I asked.

Oh and the dealer was "selling it for a friend"....

-Brian

But for 40 bucks...
did any sell
SCAM

leonmallett · Post by **leonmallett** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:47 am

Chuck wrote:
betterthanezra wrote:
This was only at ONE dealers booth....NOT one other dealer even had one or even nows it was at the show...I know because I asked.

Oh and the dealer was "selling it for a friend"....

-Brian
But for 40 bucks...
did any sell
SCAM

$40 for a montage of character designs. Damn, that is the business to get into....

*SQUEE* · Post by ***SQUEE*** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:56 am

leonmallett wrote:
Chuck wrote:
betterthanezra wrote:
This was only at ONE dealers booth....NOT one other dealer even had one or even nows it was at the show...I know because I asked.

Oh and the dealer was "selling it for a friend"....

-Brian
But for 40 bucks...
did any sell
SCAM
$40 for a montage of character designs. Damn, that is the business to get into....

I thought it was an inkblot test. I just see *SQUEE*.

leonmallett · Post by **leonmallett** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:58 am

*SQUEE* wrote:
leonmallett wrote:
Chuck wrote:
betterthanezra wrote:
This was only at ONE dealers booth....NOT one other dealer even had one or even nows it was at the show...I know because I asked.

Oh and the dealer was "selling it for a friend"....

-Brian
But for 40 bucks...
did any sell
SCAM
$40 for a montage of character designs. Damn, that is the business to get into....
I thought it was an inkblot test. I just see *SQUEE*.

You see...yourself...?

Curiouser and curiouser...

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:29 am

It's unbelievable this mess is still going on. And these piranha think they sell these ripped off characters? Hahahaha hopefully they'll fold quicker than the Ibooks did with that silly Magnus trade.

leonmallett · Post by **leonmallett** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:31 am

Daniel Jackson wrote:It's unbelievable this mess is still going on. And these piranha think they sell these ripped off characters? Hahahaha hopefully they'll fold quicker than the Ibooks did with that silly Magnus trade.

Weren't some of ibooks' problems also connected to the death of the head guy (I'm thinking Byron Preiss, but I am probably wrong)?

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:33 am

leonmallett wrote:
Daniel Jackson wrote:It's unbelievable this mess is still going on. And these piranha think they sell these ripped off characters? Hahahaha hopefully they'll fold quicker than the Ibooks did with that silly Magnus trade.

Weren't some of ibooks' problems also connected to the death of the head guy (I'm thinking Byron Preiss, but I am probably wrong)?

Not sure about that, but the story and artwork were horrible, so I don't think that would have mattered much.