Being first helped Valiant alot...

[Todd Luck]

I was just thinking about how one of the many factors in Valiant's success was that it and Image were the first successful alternatives to the big three comic companies in the 90's. By the time the 90's explosion of companies happened, a large section of comic fans had already had a chance to get hooked on Valiant (and Image) leaving less fans and free cash for the slew of other companies that arose. I know this was definately my case. I stuck with most Valiant titles up til Dr Mirage for eight monthes or so trying them out (I stayed with the 5 ot 6 series that "hooked" me for between 22 to 36 issues each). With most of my money going there, the other companies and imprints starting out at the time didn't fair too well:

Image: Tried a whole two issues from one title of each founding creator. Stayed with WILDCats for 12 issues and Savage Dragon for 6.

Milestone: I got Icon #1 and loved it but that was it. I couldn't get the unpolybagged first issues of the other three launch titles (I didn't buy the more expensive bagged ones on principle) and didn't want to try to start reading another universe without them. (side note: I later got the back issues and it's great stuff, rates up their with Big Jim's companies)

Teknocomics: I got two issues a piece of their 2 launch titles and that was it.

Defiant: I collected the whole line until they went out of business but ONLY because I knew from Shooter's Valiant stuff that I would like Defiant.

Ominious: I tried three comics from them but that's all they put out .

Ultraverse: Two many concepts that were rip offs of something else. I read Prime #1 at Walmart and never bought a single Ultraverse comic in the 90's.

Triumphant: I think I got the name right. I tried a 2 issues but couldn't afford to try any more that late in the 90's boom.

Malibu: The Feral and Arrow one shots impressed me but I really couldn't afford to take on any more titles at that point so I never got the Protectors and it's spin offs.

Comic's Greatest World: I tried two a whole issues before I decided the line wasn't for me.

Legends: I was able to try out and collect three titles of their line but I wish I could've afforded them all at the time (I later went back and got them all in back issues, good stuff)

The other various companies and lines weren't even on my radar at the time, even if I had the spare cash. Even if I hadn't been maxed out on titles at the time, some of the companies still wouldn't have lasted past 3-6 trial issues but several would have. It's a shame all those great (and not so great) comics had to come out at once and drown themselves out.

[Joe Hemmerling]

I tend to think that the massive comics orgasm of the '90s was more of a cynical attempt to capitalize on a growth market than a sincere effort to tell stories using the comic book medium. Most of these universes were speedshots, if I may use the metaphor, designed to hit the ground fast and then explode. Aside from DC's Vertigo line, Valiant was something of an oasis in the creative wasteland that was the 1990s.

[Strannik]

Most of these universes were speedshots, if I may use the metaphor, designed to hit the ground fast and then explode. Aside from DC's Vertigo line, Valiant was something of an oasis in the creative wasteland that was the 1990s.

Milestone's "Dakotaverse" and Defiant Universe were pretty good, too. The more back issues I find, the more I weep for the fact that such great concepts don't exist anymore.

[Todd Luck]

Most of these universes were speedshots, if I may use the metaphor, designed to hit the ground fast and then explode. Aside from DC's Vertigo line, Valiant was something of an oasis in the creative wasteland that was the 1990s.

Milestone's "Dakotaverse" and Defiant Universe were pretty good, too. The more back issues I find, the more I weep for the fact that such great concepts don't exist anymore.

I 100% agree. Don't forget how Dark Horse's Legends and other creator owned lines were putting out outstanding stuff too. I can name you a couple dozen small press/self-published comics at the time that were the best of the best. The 90's boom allowed for some of the best comics ever published to see print. It's a shame they got lost under all crap for most people.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

I was just thinking about how one of the many factors in Valiant's success was that it and Image were the first successful alternatives to the big three comic companies in the 90's. .

Big THREE? Who?

Dark Horse didn't become a major player until they secured exclusivity with LucasFilm... Remember, that lil' ol' Dark Empire series? That was 1991. That was the first. Up until then, Dark Horse REALLY struggled, even WITH the Aliens and Predator franchises.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

The 90's boom allowed for some of the best comics ever published to see print. It's a shame they got lost under all crap for most people.

This is something that's really, REALLY overlooked that was incredibly positive about the boom...

...not only did it provide an AVALANCHE of crap....

....but it also gave opportunities for comics that might otherwise never have seen the light of day.

Think about it...

Bone.

Strangers in Paradise.

From Hell (granted, this began in '89, but the boom allowed Kitchen Sink to keep publishing)

Hellboy

Kingdom Come

Marvels

I, Lusiphur/Poison Elves

Cry For Dawn/Dawn (again, an 89 start, but the boom CERTAINLY allowed Linsner a LOT more freedom to do as he pleased)

Vampirella (which has been VERY good to mediocre, but MOSTLY good...who otherwise wouldn't have been as popular as she was.)

The entire Vertigo line/concept

Next Men (which, taken as a whole, is really quite good. Too bad Byrne's lazy.)

Preacher (!!!!)

Hitman

Starman (Robinson's series)

Spectre (Ostrander's series, which is QUITE good...#2 is ESPECIALLY good!)

The Golden Age

Ruins

Keown's Hulk

Ellis' Doom 2099 (you HAVE to read these!)

Wandering Star

TWO Death mini-series, both FANTASTIC.

Heck, even Lady Death isn't BAD.

And lest we forget...Valiant itself!

And, a lot of the 'better' Image stuff, which, sadly, has gotten lost in the dreck, like...

Maxx

Ellis' Stormwatch (which, granted, started off slow, but turned out some of the best damn comics I have EVER read in Authority.)

A Touch of Silver (VERY good stuff)

Witchblade (again, granted, post boom stuff, but honed Turner into one of the prettiest artists in the biz, and definitely the most popular at the moment.)

Wildcats (you have to admit..even if the writing was horrid, the art was damn pretty.)

Astro City (the very TIP TOP of everything that Image has EVER put out, in my opinion. Busiek is NEVER, EVER better than when he's writing the book.)

A lot of which, conceivably wouldn't have happened at ALL without the boom, or, if they did, would have been seriously curtailed.

So keep in mind, even thought a lot of dreck came out, it also provided an INCREDIBLE opportunity for more quality stuff to come out in the entire HISTORY of comics, before OR since! AND...the incredibly large printruns ensures that folks in the future will be able to enjoy these as they originally came out, without having to spend a fortune on them!

The quality from the time period is THERE...you just have to look harder to find it.

The beauty of a BUST period, however, is that it tends to make the quality much more concentrated on much fewer titles...obviously, in the last 5 years, the quality is FARRRR greater, proportionately, than in 90-95....but still...the quality was there, too.

[Strannik]

To expland on your list.

War Dancer, Charlemagne, Dark Dominion and Good Guys from Defiant Comics.

Icon, Static and Xombi, as well as the brilliant Shadow Wars, Worlds Collide and Long Hot Summer crossovers from Milestone Media.

[Todd Luck]

I was just thinking about how one of the many factors in Valiant's success was that it and Image were the first successful alternatives to the big three comic companies in the 90's. .

Big THREE? Who?

Dark Horse didn't become a major player until they secured exclusivity with LucasFilm... Remember, that lil' ol' Dark Empire series? That was 1991. That was the first. Up until then, Dark Horse REALLY struggled, even WITH the Aliens and Predator franchises.

They were still considered a player by most people I knew. They'ld been around long enough and sold enough comics to be. If the comic press wasn't covering DC or Marvel it was almost always Dark Horse (Aliens, Predator, Terminator, etc). Star Wars just confirmed that role further, cemented further by their Legends line.

[Todd Luck]

The 90's boom allowed for some of the best comics ever published to see print. It's a shame they got lost under all crap for most people.

This is something that's really, REALLY overlooked that was incredibly positive about the boom...

...not only did it provide an AVALANCHE of crap....

....but it also gave opportunities for comics that might otherwise never have seen the light of day.

Think about it...

Really, really good lists guys . I knew you all had good taste .

The problem of the 90's was with all the good guys going to do all those comics (most were creator owned or indi), the big companies putting out the mainstream comics that covered most of the shelf were left with creators of lesser talent.

It's so funny, the minute the market collapse nearly every title I dropped started to have vastly better art and writing on it because all those guys who left to do creator owned stuff came back looking for that steady paycheck. Ofcourse, by then it was too late and I didn't have the money to try out all those titles again.

[shaxper]

From my perspective as a comic book collector in the early '90s, I was aware of Dark Horse first (though I was wary of a publisher that wasn't one of the big two), Image second (they launched with such hype), and became aware of Valiant (which had been quietly brewing in the background) only after Unity hit. For me and, I believe, for most collectors, Valiant was the third independent title to get noticed. Plus, Dark Horse had Star Wars, Predator and Aliens, Image had well known artists, and Valiant didn't seem to have anyone. As an ignorant mainstreamer back in the day, I had no idea who Jim Shooter was, I'd never heard of Bob Layton or Barry Windsor Smith, and I didn't even realize Frank Miller had done some of the Unity covers until last year.