Valiant Monthly Anthology, imho the best way to go

Knob · Post by **Knob** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 1:13 pm

I was reading through the hardcovers (and then finishing out their runs up to Chaos Effect) on the three series that have been released so far.

Forgive me if this has been brought up before, but I really think for new material a single monthly (or a large quarterly) anthology is the best way for Valiant to go. At its best Valiant was always about a continuous universe anyway.

If you go with stand alone books and any of them end there is an unjustified sense of failure, with limited series or anthologies it was "just the plan". Dark Horse has always been smart about this. Other than their most financially successful series everything has always been 1 of 4, 1 of 6 or 1 of 12 right out of the gate.

I'd start Valiant Anthology Monthly off with a 10 issue Harbinger story as the front portion of the book, the other half would be a 6 issue X-0 story. As X-0 ends hype a 6 issue A&A story. The next story to take Harbinger's spot would be whatever the 4th hardcover collection is.

Sometimes it could be 3 stories, or even 4 if one was a teaser. It's a way to have a broad universe without the huge overhead of shipping 6-12 books a month. I'd be all over something like this for $4.99-5.99 a month and to be honest if it was good size even $9.99 a month. I'd also be incredibly likely to buy a 12 issue subscription.

As a graphic artist myself, I think the logo for the anthology could be rather small in the corner, with a large logo of lead story's character, and smaller logos for the other one or two along with a cover illustration of the main story or whichever is debuting that month. I was and still am a big fan of Dark Horse Presents over the years. For a long time it was the key to that company developing properties and working licensed material.

Cyberstrike · Post by **Cyberstrike** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 1:22 pm

While I agree that anthologies might be the best way for Valiant to go there is one major drawback: multi-stories anthologies don't sell. I mean think about it how many do you see on the shelves now of days? None. Other than Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (which might be cancelled) there are no major anthologies being published by any of the major publishers and sucessful indy compaines.

IanAlexavier · Post by **IanAlexavier** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:10 pm

Im sure most of us would buy ANYTHING that VIE put out on a consistent basis... but what would the rest of the world buy??

xodacia81 · Post by **xodacia81** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:12 pm

IanAlexavier wrote:Im sure most of us would buy ANYTHING that VIE put out on a consistent basis... but what would the rest of the world buy??

Well, you can have vIe, but I will take VEI

leonmallett · Post by **leonmallett** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:34 pm

Cyberstrike wrote:While I agree that anthologies might be the best way for Valiant to go there is one major drawback: multi-stories anthologies don't sell. I mean think about it how many do you see on the shelves now of days? None. Other than Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (which might be cancelled) there are no major anthologies being published by any of the major publishers and sucessful indy compaines.

Cyberstrike is right. Anthologies are simply not an attractive proposition: a number of stories of varying interest, often with untried creators. Look at the recent iteration of MCP - it only lasted 12 issues. SpiderMan Family may buck the trend, but I doubt it.

geocarr · Post by **geocarr** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:36 pm

The concept appeals to me, but I don't think I fit middle of the comic consumer spectrum that they would be marketing to.

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:42 pm

Interesting idea. Not sure how well it would work though.

Elveen · Post by **Elveen** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:43 pm

I still say a 6 issue Valiant mini is the way to go.

It should have: X-O, Harada, the harby kids(young adults?), Darque, Gilly, Aram, Bloodshot, a Geomancer (Geoff?), Spider Aliens, as main players. It should also intorduce: a Shadowman (Jack?), Hard corps indust., ninjak, and whoever else.

After the 6 issue mini, come out with 2 monthly books, then maybe another 4 issue mini, and then 2 more monthly books.... and so on.

MoonChild · Post by **MoonChild** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:39 pm

Yup, jump start the Universe with a Valiant Universe Mini-Series, then you can spin off single titles from there, that's the smartest way to go.

Elveen wrote:I still say a 6 issue Valiant mini is the way to go.

It should have: X-O, Harada, the harby kids(young adults?), Darque, Gilly, Aram, Bloodshot, a Geomancer (Geoff?), Spider Aliens, as main players. It should also intorduce: a Shadowman (Jack?), Hard corps indust., ninjak, and whoever else.

After the 6 issue mini, come out with 2 monthly books, then maybe another 4 issue mini, and then 2 more monthly books.... and so on.

xodacia81 · Post by **xodacia81** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:56 pm

Comics Greatest World tried something similar to the miniseries take. It didn't work out so great, financially speaking.

MoonChild · Post by **MoonChild** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:06 pm

xodacia81 wrote:Comics Greatest World tried something similar to the miniseries take. It didn't work out so great, financially speaking.

why did the books suck? was it a re-launch?

xodacia81 · Post by **xodacia81** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:41 pm

MoonChild wrote:
xodacia81 wrote:Comics Greatest World tried something similar to the miniseries take. It didn't work out so great, financially speaking.
why did the books suck? was it a re-launch?

Nope. Very good books, mostly. It's just that the launch and the followup became confusing and the "momentum" of the launch was never able to be matched. That, among other things-including internal politics and a declining market-killed the line. Ghost and X were great, "long" lived titles. (X lasted 25 issues, Ghost had 36 and 22 issues in two series) Motorhead and Agents of Law were the "second tier" and neither had a shot. (6 issues each)

Chiclo · Post by **Chiclo** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:00 pm

xodacia81 wrote:
MoonChild wrote:
xodacia81 wrote:Comics Greatest World tried something similar to the miniseries take. It didn't work out so great, financially speaking.
why did the books suck? was it a re-launch?
Nope. Very good books, mostly. It's just that the launch and the followup became confusing and the "momentum" of the launch was never able to be matched. That, among other things-including internal politics and a declining market-killed the line. Ghost and X were great, "long" lived titles. (X lasted 25 issues, Ghost had 36 and 22 issues in two series) Motorhead and Agents of Law were the "second tier" and neither had a shot. (6 issues each)

CGW did the mini-series thing twice. The second was the 12 issue Will to Power mini-series that came out weekly during the summer months and that was what they did instead of annuals.

Interesting idea, commercially unsuccessful. Not a bad story, but goes better with the Titan one-shot preceding the reading of it.

slym2none · Post by **slym2none** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:39 pm

Maybe something like CrossGen's Edge and Forge TPB's, just with new material instead of reprints???

-slym

xodacia81 · Post by **xodacia81** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:16 pm

Chiclo wrote:
xodacia81 wrote:
MoonChild wrote:
xodacia81 wrote:Comics Greatest World tried something similar to the miniseries take. It didn't work out so great, financially speaking.
why did the books suck? was it a re-launch?
Nope. Very good books, mostly. It's just that the launch and the followup became confusing and the "momentum" of the launch was never able to be matched. That, among other things-including internal politics and a declining market-killed the line. Ghost and X were great, "long" lived titles. (X lasted 25 issues, Ghost had 36 and 22 issues in two series) Motorhead and Agents of Law were the "second tier" and neither had a shot. (6 issues each)
CGW did the mini-series thing twice. The second was the 12 issue Will to Power mini-series that came out weekly during the summer months and that was what they did instead of annuals.

Interesting idea, commercially unsuccessful. Not a bad story, but goes better with the Titan one-shot preceding the reading of it.

Yep. I think that whole line had potential. It just wasn't given a chance and it came out in 93, meaning that it had to try to find footing right when the bubble was bursting. Very unfortunate.

turborip · Post by **turborip** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:18 pm

slym2none wrote:Maybe something like CrossGen's Edge and Forge TPB's, just with new material instead of reprints???

-slym

Interesting idea, but I seem to recall those were somewhat of a failure too.

Odd, when you consider manga anthologies are the bread and butter of the Japanese readership, but we can't seem to get the idea to work in the States.

slym2none · Post by **slym2none** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:22 pm

turborip wrote:
slym2none wrote:Maybe something like CrossGen's Edge and Forge TPB's, just with new material instead of reprints???

-slym
Interesting idea, but I seem to recall those were somewhat of a failure too.

Odd, when you consider manga anthologies are the bread and butter of the Japanese readership, but we can't seem to get the idea to work in the States.

Well, I would think that if there was new material and not reprints, then it would be a different story.

I'd like to think, anyways...

-slym

dellamorte · Post by **dellamorte** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:38 pm

With the amount of characters in the VALIANT U I think a anthology book is key, but I think the big guns should have ongoing books.

slym2none · Post by **slym2none** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:52 am

dellamorte wrote:With the amount of characters in the VALIANT U I think a anthology book is key, but I think the big guns should have ongoing books.

Do a year's worth of bi-monthly anthologies, and find out which character is ringing most popular with the fans. There's your ongoing books.

-slym

dave · Post by **dave** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:00 am

i don't really like the idea of the anthology, unless it were done like the forge or edge tpb's as was mentioned.

perhaps you could combine to reprint 2 or 3 ongoing titles and then thrown in some smaller stories that you could only get there-kinda like in the new HC's.

to me, a monthly anthology "pamphlet" would seem to indicate an overall lack of direction and instability. but again, that's just my opinion.

Draco · Post by **Draco** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:24 am

dave wrote:i don't really like the idea of the anthology, unless it were done like the forge or edge tpb's as was mentioned.

perhaps you could combine to reprint 2 or 3 ongoing titles and then thrown in some smaller stories that you could only get there-kinda like in the new HC's.

to me, a monthly anthology "pamphlet" would seem to indicate an overall lack of direction and instability. but again, that's just my opinion.

In times of financial restraint ( although with all the talk over here im sure i or anyone i really know has yet to feel any kind of effect ) maybe it woud simply make more sense to try something a little different.

dave · Post by **dave** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:28 am

and now for something completely different...

slym2none · Post by **slym2none** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:32 pm

-slym

robb77 · Post by **robb77** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:26 pm

Elveen wrote:I still say a 6 issue Valiant mini is the way to go.

It should have: X-O, Harada, the harby kids(young adults?), Darque, Gilly, Aram, Bloodshot, a Geomancer (Geoff?), Spider Aliens, as main players. It should also intorduce: a Shadowman (Jack?), Hard corps indust., ninjak, and whoever else.

After the 6 issue mini, come out with 2 monthly books, then maybe another 4 issue mini, and then 2 more monthly books.... and so on.

good idea could start off with the main characters harby x0 and introduce and branch off the other characters from these

comicsyte95 · Post by **comicsyte95** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:40 pm

i just hope VEI does a few more HC's before they go monthly,i'd like to see what they have planed to add to Unity(they can lead off from there into monthly),if they do a few minis to test which character work,would go for me,as long as it doesn't stick like that forever,too many times minis don't work as well as planned..look at um um Deathmate,and Marvels Infinity Wars and Crusade,Death of supes ,ect...great hype but didn't work.