my story of HATING Valiant, hating Apple, and the Badlands
Moderators: Daniel Jackson, greg
- Knob
- Ninjak and Ninjil went up a hill
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:49 am
- Location: Chicago
my story of HATING Valiant, hating Apple, and the Badlands
I've been lurking on and off here for a few years and the rebirth of Valiant via VIE will probably now make me a somewhat regular poster. Here is my Valiant story.
My fiance is an IT manager for a large company in Chicago. I am a graphic artist for a kids clothing company (I do work with character drawings and illustration but nothing I'd say crosses directly with being a comics penciller ). We were the classic person who loves Apple vs. the classic person who loves Microsoft. Slowly over the years she warmed up to Apple to the point where she bought a 17" Mac Book Pro and now she will readily admit that she was dumb for knocking Macs all these years and can't imagine she didn't switch sooner. Windows is just work now, Apple is fun.
I was about the same way with Valiant. I was totally into the Jim Lee/Todd McFarlane Image/Marvel stuff of the late 80s and early 90s. So much so that when Valiant came along with a different look and feel I HATED it. (I was 13 so give me a break). I hated Valiant so much I made fun of my friends who collected it, every week when we'd see the Wizard priceguide or top ten list we'd just totally be disgusted that these crap books were in high demand. We told our local LCS to stop carrying Valiant, we were total tools. I remember buying a Rai #0 purely because I thought it would be worth big bucks to sell and saying that I would never read the crap.
In the summer of '93 I was on a family vacation doing the Mount Rushmore thing. My dad got us lost beyond hope in the badlands. We were in some Native American reservation town and drove 40 miles until we hit the next town (another reservation town) and stopped in some cruddy convenience store for directions. I was bored out of my mind and the store had a rack of comics that were all Valiants (in my hindsight mind there is a bright light like angels behind this comic stand). I picked up Magnus 21, 22, and 23 to read on what turned out to be hours of being lost in the badlands. I LOVED THEM. The minute we got home from vacation I ripped through my long boxes to find the Rai #0 and to this day it is probably my favorite comic book.
I picked up a lot of the '93 and '94 Valiant stuff that was easy and cheap to find but when I headed off to college I pretty much didn't read comics again until about 3-4 years ago. I dabble in other comics but I always end up selling them on eBay to try to further complete my Valiant collection. I'll be happy with my collection when I get a readable set of everything up through Chaos Effect. I don't really care about the collectibility of it, just being able to sit down and read a long run of the titles or read them month by month as they were released. A few times I have founds something extremely collectible that I already have in a more common form so I'll put it on eBay for some extra money and to get it out on the market (found a NM Magnus vs. Predator trade a few years ago for a dollar).
So that's my 180 story, hope it wasn't too long.
My fiance is an IT manager for a large company in Chicago. I am a graphic artist for a kids clothing company (I do work with character drawings and illustration but nothing I'd say crosses directly with being a comics penciller ). We were the classic person who loves Apple vs. the classic person who loves Microsoft. Slowly over the years she warmed up to Apple to the point where she bought a 17" Mac Book Pro and now she will readily admit that she was dumb for knocking Macs all these years and can't imagine she didn't switch sooner. Windows is just work now, Apple is fun.
I was about the same way with Valiant. I was totally into the Jim Lee/Todd McFarlane Image/Marvel stuff of the late 80s and early 90s. So much so that when Valiant came along with a different look and feel I HATED it. (I was 13 so give me a break). I hated Valiant so much I made fun of my friends who collected it, every week when we'd see the Wizard priceguide or top ten list we'd just totally be disgusted that these crap books were in high demand. We told our local LCS to stop carrying Valiant, we were total tools. I remember buying a Rai #0 purely because I thought it would be worth big bucks to sell and saying that I would never read the crap.
In the summer of '93 I was on a family vacation doing the Mount Rushmore thing. My dad got us lost beyond hope in the badlands. We were in some Native American reservation town and drove 40 miles until we hit the next town (another reservation town) and stopped in some cruddy convenience store for directions. I was bored out of my mind and the store had a rack of comics that were all Valiants (in my hindsight mind there is a bright light like angels behind this comic stand). I picked up Magnus 21, 22, and 23 to read on what turned out to be hours of being lost in the badlands. I LOVED THEM. The minute we got home from vacation I ripped through my long boxes to find the Rai #0 and to this day it is probably my favorite comic book.
I picked up a lot of the '93 and '94 Valiant stuff that was easy and cheap to find but when I headed off to college I pretty much didn't read comics again until about 3-4 years ago. I dabble in other comics but I always end up selling them on eBay to try to further complete my Valiant collection. I'll be happy with my collection when I get a readable set of everything up through Chaos Effect. I don't really care about the collectibility of it, just being able to sit down and read a long run of the titles or read them month by month as they were released. A few times I have founds something extremely collectible that I already have in a more common form so I'll put it on eBay for some extra money and to get it out on the market (found a NM Magnus vs. Predator trade a few years ago for a dollar).
So that's my 180 story, hope it wasn't too long.
- Jrdawg
- I thought that would be harder
- Posts: 3223
- Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2007 8:30 am
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Re: my story of HATING Valiant, hating Apple, and the Badlan
Hello neighbor. Welcome to the board!
You already have your custom title ready
You already have your custom title ready

Knob wrote:I hated Valiant so much I made fun of my friends who collected it.
- Draco
- Well I think I talked enough poop...
- Posts: 10178
- Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 3:44 pm
- Valiant fan since: preordered vh1 from start
- Favorite character: X-O from vh1
- Favorite title: X-O vh1
- Favorite writer: Good question?
- Favorite artist: ooooh another good question
- Location: Dead Universe Comics, Buckinghamshire, England
- Elveen
- I sell comics, I collect Valiant.
- Posts: 25252
- Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 2:44 am
- Location: Educating the future of America, or something like that
Knob wrote:Kuch: "I aint even an Indian, I made all that up"Elveen wrote:Hola Comapdre.
You had a Valiant Vision Quest, cool. I'm just gald you didn't have to wrestle Shoot.
Louden: "A lot of people aren't Indians man"
and now I'll be playing Lunatic Fringe on my stereo...
Just watch the nose bleeds.
- JustCallMeAric
- ...remember that they are just paper.
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- Knob
- Ninjak and Ninjil went up a hill
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:49 am
- Location: Chicago
Even in my Image days I always thought Rob Liefeld's work was pretty weak. At least I can take pride in my 13-year-old-self for that.Dr. Solar wrote:Welcome to the bored!
You were like my best buddy back in junior high. He loved Image, and thought Valiant was dumb. Luckily, I was the opposite.
How much are your Youngbloods worth now, Victor!!!
I sold all my 90s Image and the Marvel that was style over substance a few years back... worse less than Valiant even 3 years ago.
- Knob
- Ninjak and Ninjil went up a hill
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:49 am
- Location: Chicago
Wicker Park
Wicker Park in the city, sometimes I'm out in Downer's Grove closer to you because my fiance's cousins live out there. I've been meaning to stop at the Graham Crackers comics on Odgen out there sometime.Jrdawg wrote:Where in Chicago? I'm 20 miles west.
- TKWill
- Don't squeeze the Deathmate!
- Posts: 4644
- Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2007 12:42 am
- Location: Richardson, TX
I edited that for you.Elveen wrote:Hola Comapdre.
You had a CBVETTSNBN Quest, cool. I'm just gald you didn't have to wrestle Shoot.

Great story, knob!
viewtopic.php?t=40&start=25
- Daniel Jackson
- A toast to the return of Valiant!
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- betterthanezra
- Wanna see an unpublished Shadowman page?
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- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 12:18 am
- Valiant fan since: 1991
- Favorite writer: Josh Dysart
- Location: Scoot over, I have to get in behind you.
- 96Valiantfan
- You gotta have Faith!
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- Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:06 am
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- Lightning Strike
- Silent from '04 to '07, then he strikes!
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