If you could only have one

[cjv]

Let's say you buy the right to Valiant.

But due to budget costs, you can only print one title.

What do you print?

Do you print one of the existing runs? If so, where do you start off? Ignore previous stuff, as if it never happened? Incorporate previous stuff and continue? If you do incorporate it, how much? Obviously the answers may depend on the title you choose.

*or*

Do you start up a brand new title, that may see crossovers with the character you own? A new character, and new title, a new start? If so, where does this character and plot fall in the Valiant history and continuity?

*or*

Do you start up a new revolving stories title, that may have arcs of three to five issues, and then move to a new character. In which case, where do you start, what characters do you use or not use?

Chris

[Eric Jackson]

I'd use the existing set of characters.. minus psi-lords and probobly pick up after unity or soon thereafter and just continue.

[RyanMcLelland]

I'd publish Harbinger.

Because I love the title, it can be a standalone, introduce some major players in the game, and it would be alot of fun.

Sigh.

[Todd Luck]

Let's say you buy the right to Valiant.

But due to budget costs, you can only print one title.

What do you print?

Do you print one of the existing runs? If so, where do you start off? Ignore previous stuff, as if it never happened? Incorporate previous stuff and continue? If you do incorporate it, how much? Obviously the answers may depend on the title you choose.

*or*

Do you start up a brand new title, that may see crossovers with the character you own? A new character, and new title, a new start? If so, where does this character and plot fall in the Valiant history and continuity?

*or*

Do you start up a new revolving stories title, that may have arcs of three to five issues, and then move to a new character. In which case, where do you start, what characters do you use or not use?

Chris

Definately start fresh to avoid confusion and get rid off all the really wretched stuff that happened to VH-1. If you could only do one I guess I would pick a popular character that would make sense if he met the other heroes and keep everything as close to the Shooter versions as possible. Unless Solar was an option (it wouldn't be at the moment), I would pick either X-O or Bloodshot (I would pick Bloodshot probably and keep some of Vanhook's stuff but actually act on the hints that Rai 0 gave on what the character should've been like)

[DJSpecter]

I'd probably go into some sort of Valiant Digest title. Introducing all the characters more or less as we saw them last in VH1. Starting from 1995ish progressing more and more to present day. I think the first year would more or less be a matter of finding all the characters, if the book takes off, I'd have the money to split the group into different titles.
-Dave

[bamaphilosopher]

Actually, I'm tempted to post on here what I would do if I had the rights to the universe--I may make that another topic on the boards.

But I like your question. If I had only one, I think I would do a Geomancer title (with Geoff McHenry, not the new one), and have all the other characters appear in it. It would be kind of like Unity, in a way, with Geoff being the lynchpin of the universe like he was in Unity.

But actually, like I'll mention when I do the other posts, I would do eight titles if I could, and make them: Magnus, Rai (or Bloodshot), X-O Manowar, Solar, Turok, Harbinger (original team), Eternal Warrior, and Geomancer (Geoff). I would use the Geomancer title to bring in the other characters.

And, I would only use up to Unity as continuity. In fact, though I was going to mention this on a new thread, what the heck, I'll talk about it now. If I had the money, I would start with "flip books" that would reprint the old stories up through Unity on the back of new stories, so that readers could get the old continuity as well as a fresh story. And I would make these additional "flip books" at no extra cost to the comic. In other words, it would cost the same as a regular issue. This would of course go on for months, until the Shooter era was reprinted. It would be like getting a bunch of free comics with your purchases. Titles like Shadowman and Archer and Armstrong I would put on the back of Geomancer, the rest on the back of their respective comics (my new Solar #1, for instance, would have a part of Alpha and Omega on it, #2 would continue it, etc.).

Also, I would try to get Jim Shooter on board to write some stories again, though I wouldn't have him write them all (I'd write some, and ask for fans to submit stories, too--I bet a lot of these fans would come up with great stuff).

Of course, this would take a LOT of money and I'm sure you'd lose money at first. But that's what I would do. You would also have to pick just the right time, and launch a huge advertizing blitz. It's too bad Western Publishing hasn't thought of buying up the rights to the rest of the Valiant characters, since they already own Magnus, Turok, and Solar, and I wouldn't give up these, if I were them.

[cjv]

So a little more detail

If you are doing a reboot, is it a complete reboot, completely forgetting what happened before, as if you are starting with a new universe? Or is it partial, keeping some stuff that happened before? In which case, how do you explain the stuff that didn't happen. Just ignore it, or try to explain it someway?

If you are picking up the title at some point midway through the run, are you keeping all the history? Are ALL characters going to be picked up at the same point (ie, whatever was happening in Bloodshot at the time of Harbinger 24, that is what is happening to Bloodshot now, if you pick up at Harbinger 24)

Chris

[ManofTheAtom]

I publish Solar 2004 and start off from there

[jordan silo]

I would restart the comic series Timewalker! I would start with the retelling of his origin! Then bring out the his brothers! Have some guess appearances! Have the top writer of Marvel haha to write it! Have the top artist from DC to draw it! Sell quality written and drawn books! Increasing the revenue, then having more money to upstart more of the original VALIANT characters minus Magnus, Solar and Turok!

[Daniel Jackson]

I would like to see a do over with the original Rai. Go back to what it started out to be. I loved the whole Dragon in the sky thing with Japan. That story line could go on forever as far as I'm concerned.

[soundoftheuniverse]

Great post Chris and I didn't read anyone elses posts before sharing. I think it will be more interesting to see what we say if we don't read what everyone else thinks first.

Did Valiant ever do an origin story of how Tokyo came to orbit the planet?

I always was curious what it would look like to see how Tokyo became an orbiting metallic dragon with this super cool nerve web complete with cultural guardian. Maybe some Valiant Characters played a roll in the dragons creation?

I think it might appeal to a Japanese reader to read something so interesting and personal. Also in keeping with Valiant's style of using real streets in real towns across the country and around the world. I always thought it would be a cool story Valiant never got around to doing.

[soundoftheuniverse]

OMFG, OK I SWEAR ON EVERYTHING THAT I DIDN"T READ DAN'S POST BEFOREHAND. I SWEAR. .... sorry I'm yelling

[soundoftheuniverse]

I publish Solar 2004 and start off from there

AMEN! This book will tell the tale of our quality skills and launch everything else we might want to create.

I'm really looking forward to seeing a finished page.... any page...*hint*

[ManofTheAtom]

AMEN! This book will tell the tale of our quality skills and launch everything else we might want to create.

I'm really looking forward to seeing a finished page.... any page...*hint*

Heh.

We're up to 12 penciled pages out of 48 (urgh ) and six are being inked by XO Matic (I'm gonna check them out when I'm there, heh).

Re: Floating Tokio.

In the Rai flipbook, Grandmother rose Japan into space to defend the Earth from the Spider-Alien invasion.

Because part of it (a leg) had been left on Earth and because of the damage caused by the Spider-Alien attack, Japan couldn't go back to Earth, so Grandmother left it there.

Later, Erica made it crash back on Earth during Unity.

You can check the first story in Magnus 4-8 (Magnus: Invasion TP), and what Erica did in Unity.

Unless you meant that you want to know how Japan became a vast circuit in the first place.

I'd love to see how that happened.

[tbrezz]

Eternal Warrior Because it has the broadest scope. He's not restricted to a strait continuaty. You can tell tales of the past, present (with the modern characters) and future (with all those guys). So that way you have the entire Valiant universe to play with (even the dead characters with would be cool to see again).

[rai4ever]

I would choose Rai. The original Rai.

[x-omatic]

Eternal Warrior Because it has the broadest scope. He's not restricted to a strait continuaty. You can tell tales of the past, present (with the modern characters) and future (with all those guys). So that way you have the entire Valiant universe to play with (even the dead characters with would be cool to see again).

That was going to be my answer. Although I liked X-O the best. I think EW offers the best ability to tell the most stories.

[shaxper]

A long time ago, someone on this board suggested telling the story of the earlier Rais, prior to Magnus #5. I think that would be my title. I love the Rai premise, but was never too fond of the title's direction. A more self-assured Rai in a more stable Japan might make for a fascinating premise. Or else I could tell the story of the first Rai (not Bloodshot), defending Grandmother against distrustful citizens, after they first learn about her existence.

[depluto]

I'd probably go into some sort of Valiant Digest title. Introducing all the characters more or less as we saw them last in VH1. Starting from 1995ish progressing more and more to present day. I think the first year would more or less be a matter of finding all the characters, if the book takes off, I'd have the money to split the group into different titles.
-Dave

This sounds good to me. Like Astro City, but actually coming out every month.

[FunkiTron]

Psi-Lords. It would be written by Mike Baron. And drawn by a chimpanzee.

[cjv]

Thought I would answer my own question.

Truthfully, my answer depends on what my overall goals are. The way I see it, if I were to buy the rights to Valiant comics, I would have a variety of possible goals.

1) To make the most money I could
2) To rebuild the universe that I knew and loved
3) To build a sustaining, long term comic book universe

Please note, the goals are not mutually exclusive.

If my goal is to simply make as much money as I can (assuming short term profit), I would probably hype up the "Return of Valiant" as much as possible, most likely by issuing some sort of continuity shaking, inaugral issue. Sting vs Harada, for example. One survives, one doesn't. That conflict is probably the most intergral to the "modern" Valiant continuity. And in fact, it could be a Harada vs. everyone, since Solar, XO, HARDCorp, and evne possibly Gilad could have a grudge against Harada. However, imo, Sting vs. Harada would be the quintissential conflict, so I would probably print a Harbinger-like title. The actual battle might not occur in the first issue, but it would occur shortly thereafter. Since I am still reading late Valiant issues (for the first time) I can not comment on the continuity of the later stuff. But it would probably occur in "real time", so starting in 2004, and be based on what happened in the past.

In my primary goal were to simply resurrent the characters and stories that I enjoyed, I would probably plan on a sort of anthology title, that would print short story arcs of different characters. It would probably be based on post-Chaos effect stuff, and would explain the lapses in continuity after that and up to the end of Valiant. IMO, it was sort of up to the Chaos effect that I felt the character could still be "saved". Of course, I have no idea HOW I would explain it, but I would really stick closely to the Rai 0 "script", and try to keep it similar to the early Valiants.

If my primary goal was to build a long lasting, expanding universe, I would probably start with the character that started it all - Solar. After all, according to history in Valiantverse, he is the cause of everything. So it would be possible to rebuild a universe using his title as the central starting point. It could start off with something similar to Unity 2000, which would "erase" the various spin off universerses, and end with one universe - maybe not exactly the same as the pre-Unity (or pre-Chaos Effect) VH1, but with a similar tight continuity, focus on "real world" characters, and similar plot lines (ie, more realistic). It could have some of the same "quintissential" characters, with the idea that some personalities/powers are powerful enough that they will appear in all variations of the universes (Harada, Sting, Shadowman, Magnus, etc), but other characters could be subtly changed, be removed, or be created. So, for example, perhaps the "Harbingers" here would include Sting and a few others, but have some new people as well. Perhaps ARic is still XO, but he is not on earth because the ship he was being used as food on was taken somewhere else. Who knows, but there are a number of options.

Chris

[depluto]

I still think you could make the Universe the star, and tell stories about the people who live there. It would be a great way to tie continuity into a nice knot, and you have the largest possible pool of potential stories.

[myron]

I'd probably go into some sort of Valiant Digest title. Introducing all the characters more or less as we saw them last in VH1. Starting from 1995ish progressing more and more to present day. I think the first year would more or less be a matter of finding all the characters, if the book takes off, I'd have the money to split the group into different titles.
-Dave

Good idea...I would combine this idea with the EW idea a few posts back. Gil was around so long you could touch on just about every possible subject...