BREAKING NEWS (04/27/2005)... VALIANT SALE FINALIZED!

John Taddeo · Post by **John Taddeo** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 12:22 am

magnusr wrote:
SolarFan777 wrote:I just spent 20 min. reading this 7 page thread and I still don't know what's going on!

I think a quick summary would be that two parties had rather similar bids and while all the legalities go on, noone can make their official announcements. While we may be biting our nails, I wonder how they feel. We'll see. I think this will turn out very well.

/Magnus

Mag,
Let me tell you how it felt. I called the trustee for 4 months, every business day - no exaggeration there . . .finally I got fed up and flew to NY for the hard assets sale (desks, chairs, etc). I only went to corner the trustee on the characters.

When I got there, they were selling filing cabinets for $10 with contracts in them - Disaster.

Aditionally there were printers films, bound editions and other editorially important stuff being sold as like "Contents of desk - $10" . . .it was ridiculous.

The trustee called me and asked me for a favor, come back and show them what the I P sale would /should include before the buyers pick up their crap . . .So my wife and I flew back to NY (In jan or Feb I forget it was the time of the hard asset sale) and spent the day in a freezing building (no heat). To make matters worse it's totally depressing being around a company that is out of biz. You see people pictures and coffe mugs and personal items. . . .it sucks.

Then I postponed a few major personal events as the trustee changed the auction date 3 times. The third change led to losing 2 more trademarks b/c it put them past the grace period by a week.

Next was the highlight of winning and actually believing that I owned valiant! I was a comic retailer in the late 80's early 90's. I sold tons of Valiants. It was a crazy feeling. I was pretty psyched.

Only to lose it. So I "Feel" pretty lousy over the deal as well as 60k lighter on expenses.

But hopefully it'll work out from here. Hopefully we'll see Valiant back on the stands, my animated short is doing great at fests, two issues of Zoom are in the can, we have an offer from a producer for a live action version of Zoom Suit . . .even my tequila biz received some great news . . .

So I focus on the positive. Not the first time I lost or was disappointed, won't be the last . . .like the Terminator says, I'll be back.

Although when he says it it sounds much more believable.

John Taddeo · Post by **John Taddeo** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 12:35 am

xoken wrote:Did something happen all of a sudden? Why break your silence?

The deal is closed. When I was negotiating I oviously could not post my thoughts because the people on the otherside of the table might be reading which could hurt me in the negotiations.

Then, when I was out and Jason was negotiating I stayed quiet b/c I didn't want to hurt him or interfere in anyway.

Now that it's closed i can post again. I made a lot of friends here and I missed coming by, but it wasn't possible . . .Then it wasn't the "right thing to do".

Now it's closed, so it's ok again.

BTW . . .FYI, the original contract contained a non-disclosure, which I told them I wouldn't sign b/c there was a significant fanbase unjustly left in the dark for quite a while. They reluctantly agreed for it's removal.

I even stepped outside the court building to call Greg to let the board know what was happening. The events that led to my having to lay back for a while were completely legitimate or in the case of waitng for Jason to finish, honorable.

So if anyone were to suggest that I was "Silent" for any reason other than legitimate purpose is completely to the contrary to the facts at hand.

(ps - don't try to be a sh--stirrer.)

(jk)

John Taddeo · Post by **John Taddeo** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 12:40 am

depluto wrote:
John Taddeo wrote:One of the partners is a young man named Dino. I asked him outright at the sale if he was the Dino I knew from the Valiant boards. He flashed a puzzled look and said, "No". I had / have no reason to believe he was lying.

On the upside, they seem very energetic and they do claim to love the Valiant Universe.
So Dino has nothing to do with the Valiant purchase? Who the heck are the people who bought it then?

From what I know from conversation, two young guys (maybe mid twenties) that say they really love the VU.

I'm not the prying type, so I didn't ask questions. I more or less answered Jason's questions, introduced him to a few people and gave him a few ideas of people he may want to call for help.

Both say that Valiant was their favorite universe, and as you guys all know I'm a Marvel guy first . . .so maybe it's for the best. I'm certainly rooting for them!

John Taddeo · Post by **John Taddeo** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 1:02 am

I think I got to everything. If not PM me or post and I'll check back Saturday night.

If anyone wants to send me an e-mail instead of a pm you can reach me at JT@superverse.com

I really wanted to pay you guys back for keeping the flame burning so long - sorry about that not working out as planned.

Also, I thanked Greg a million times for helping me over the Valiant rough spots and trading dozens of e-mails, but he was so great through this I want to thank him publicly. Greg, your assistance was above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks!

Finally the PMs, posts and e-mails that the members of this group have shared with me have been fantastic. The positivity and maturity that I regularly find here is an absolute pleasure. It's good to be back. Thanks guys!

(excepting of course that director comment earlier. ) . . .jk (and sorry about that burger joke too)

Thankfully, now I can be a fan again.

magnusr · Post by **magnusr** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 2:13 am

John Taddeo wrote:Mag,
Let me tell you how it felt.

John, thanks for spelling it out. That's exactly what I was hoping for. You and the other group were/are the ones going through an ordeal. Not us sitting here behind our keyboards.

When I got there, they were selling filing cabinets for $10 with contracts in them - Disaster.

First company I ever worked at went bankrupt, after seven great years. An enormous waste of talanted people and built-up customer trust. The trustees completely mishandled everything. The ones buying the furniture threw everything all over the floor, including source code and contracts. Seing the mess afterwards was one of the worst experiences of my life. Bankrupties are disasters.

To make matters worse it's totally depressing being around a company that is out of biz. You see people pictures and coffe mugs and personal items. . . .it sucks.

Exactly, it's not just the company, it's the people.

So I focus on the positive. Not the first time I lost or was disappointed, won't be the last . . .like the Terminator says, I'll be back.

Although when he says it it sounds much more believable.

And he was crushed..., guess that makes you more believable...

Thanks for filling in. It felt good to hear that you're still going strong and to get a reminder of the real stakes involved.

/Magnus

k_c_collectibles · Post by **k_c_collectibles** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:31 am

JT,

It is GREAT to see that you are posting here again! Thanks for sharing the details that you can about the auction. I hope that things go well for Zoom Suit and whatever other books you are going to put out. I think you are a hell of a nice guy and wish you the best.

Chris

depluto · Post by **depluto** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:46 am

So who is the Dino who was buying Valiant? If it isn't our Dino, then who is it?

Vault-Keeper · Post by **Vault-Keeper** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:50 am

Great to hear from you again, John! It's a shame that your efforts cost you so much money. Hopefully you'll be able to recoup your loss through some sort of future Good Karma for your troubles.

I wish I could have been at that auction! It sounds like there was alot of interesting stuff left behind.---Steve

Vault-Keeper · Post by **Vault-Keeper** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:55 am

depluto wrote:So who is the Dino who was buying Valiant? If it isn't our Dino, then who is it?

Why....it's DINO MARTIN!

And he's replaced the Harbinger Kids with The Rat Pack. Gives new meaning to the song "Come Fly With Me...."

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 10:13 am

Nice to hear from you again John, sorry things did not work out. Thanks for answering some of our questions. The information you've given us is much appreciated. I think your idea for the endings for Valiant using the original creators is very interesting. I wish we could have seen this come to fruition.

Will · Post by **Will** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 10:42 am

It might just be me, but this idea sounded freaking amazing. I would have been right there, buying a zillion copies of the Shooter/BWS books. Life is rough.

John Taddeo wrote:
ZephyrWasHOT!! wrote:Wellllllllll....I hate to say this publically, cause I like John, but...his vision of only publishing one book a year wasn't going to fly.

We'll see.
I like you too but . . .I never said one book a year. It was one limited series in the first year.

My opinion stands that trying to resurrect a 6-8 issue a month "Line" in the current marketplace is suicide. I get e-mails filled with comic company pitches about twice a month. I've yet to see one plan with even a REMOTE degree of realism.

My exact plan was either a 4 issue x-o LS that tied in some other characters . . .

OR . . .my favorite idea was kind of like a Rai #0 set of books called - THE END. I played with the idea of getting Jim Shooter and Barry Windsorsmith to do 2 48 page books - solid black covers, the words THE END in white

and

Bob Layton and David Michieline to do 2 as well solid white covers The words THE END in black

Each team has 100% total freedom and autonomy to use the 96 pages anyway they want to tell the last valiant story . . .

I figured let's settle this from jump Shooter and Layton together, but not . . .if you guys can make nice great. If you can't, well then lets settle this once and for all for the undisputed Championship.

You both get the co-creator of your choice, total freedom for ANYTHING . . .and the fans decide with their dollars. Team A gets a third, Team b gets a third and the last third I give to a "No Kill" shelter (just so they know it's only about the books)

The book with the better sales is the true END . . .the other was just an elseworlds type.

We even mocked up a few ads that said,
"The New Beginning of the Valiant Universe Starts with THE END."
SHOOTER LAYTON
THE END

lol . . .too bad the only thing that ended was me

Final note on this, not to upset anyone, but the trustee asked me if we cam come to an agreement would close "Right Now"?

My answer back was "F%$#K yeah right now, I got a door to knock on while I'm up here".

Greg - don't erase that F%$#k, it's an industry term.

John Taddeo · Post by **John Taddeo** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 11:14 am

Vault-Keeper wrote:Great to hear from you again, John! It's a shame that your efforts cost you so much money. Hopefully you'll be able to recoup your loss through some sort of future Good Karma for your troubles.

I wish I could have been at that auction! It sounds like there was alot of interesting stuff left behind.---Steve

As you guys are mentioning stuff it's jogging my memory . . .I think you mean the hard asset auction, but this is from the IP auction. I thought it was funny under the circumstances . . .maybe you had to be there, you decide . . .

At the acution, the groups were (Fishback, his son and a few attorneys), (Khatari Group and a few Attorneys) and finally (me and my wife Donna) . . .and she was playing tetris on her PDA.

So . . .Here I am bidding nearly a million bucks in this rich looking courtroom with all expensive looking wood trim and I hear that Tetris music in my right ear. You know that hyper tune as you really get going in the game?

Now what's really funny about these bankruptcy sales is that for some reason there is like 5 minutes to as much as an hour between bids. Don't ask my why, but everyone whispers in their group when the bidding comes back to them.

This is strange to me b/c I know walking in what I'll pay, so I'm basically already nodding my head before the other guy finishes their bid, but after I bid they all huddle up and chat. This is the second time this happened to me at these sales . . .Disney was chatting it up at the CG sale and the Classic guys were even blocking there lips while they whispered ! I don't know what the hell they're saying, but obviously it must be very valuable and secret.

Next auction I think I'm bringing a crew so I can huddle up too. If anyone's interested in chatting between bids let me know.
As Peter David would say, "But I digress . . ."

So . . .anyway . . . I have tetris in my ear while the other groups are all huddled up chating after every bid.

So I say, "babe, shut that S%$t off. The music is freaking me out. I can't pay attention I have shapes flying through my head.

She says, "Can I play minesweeper?"

Now . . . at the time, I never played minesweepr, but obviously as the name infers it involves mines, so I'm thinking explosions.

"So you're giving me a choice between bombs and Tetris music? uh . . .I'll stick with the Tetris. "

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 11:18 am

John Taddeo wrote:"So you're giving me a choice between bombs and Tetris music? uh . . .I'll stick with the Tetris. "

Ha,ha,ha,ha...... good choice.

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:11 am

jedimarley on Apr 25, 2005 wrote:I don't know?

I think we are getting our hopes up. There's more to this then meets the eye.

I think it's going to be a LONG time before we see ANY Valiant comics.

Guess you were right.

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:16 am

John Taddeo wrote:
tssgery wrote:The name "Shamdasani" sounds familiar...

Dino?

Any connection?
One of the partners is a young man named Dino. I asked him outright at the sale if he was the Dino I knew from the Valiant boards. He flashed a puzzled look and said, "No". I had / have no reason to believe he was lying.

On the upside, they seem very energetic and they do claim to love the Valiant Universe.

Shysterous.

Sorry for bumping this old stuff, but I ran across an "xoken" post and started looking back. This stuff all just *SQUEE* me off. I'll get over it.

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:18 am

John Taddeo wrote:
Eric Jackson wrote:I assume the issue still remains for the copyright or trademark or whatever of the names? Or is this the valiant group?
Yes. THESE considerable issueS remain.

I use the plural because VIP created a domino effect of sorts where quite a few people began laying claim to characters that were ignored for years.

It was like, "Oh Really! You mean we could do that?!?!?" . . .and the bandwagon started filling up fast. In some cases I guess I agree. In others . . .shadey.

Personally the CREATORS issues were not a major hurdle for me b/c as a creative guy I'm obviously a big believer in creator rights. First TPB off the presses would have paid royalties to the creative teams. I also would have paid on films and television based upon previous written works.

Same went for crossgen, IN FACT - the CG deal was even more strange b/c technically Disney was too late with their depsoit. The bidding list was closed Friday at 5:00. I spent the weekend online with a CG expert breaking down royalties on Trade Paperbacks. I hadn't even closed yet and we were already figuring out how to pay the creators. (although those guys really needed the cash. Some hadn't been paid in months, so we were really stepping on it for them)

So maybe I'm naive, but I think the creators would have been happy to be treated well. Keep in mind it's never been about money, so I could have been generous.

Funny, I just spoke to Mark Bright this afternoon and Quantum and Woody came up.

<sigh>

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:21 am

xoken wrote:
John Taddeo wrote:
Daniel Jackson wrote:Wow, this is all very strange. I thought all John had to do was wait for a few details to be worked out. What an odd turn of events.
The death is in the details. It just wasn't going anywhere . . .and besides, I didn't want to get into a legal quagmire (SP?). I just want to write comics, direct some films and have fun. The idea of 2 years of legal wasn't appealing.
I don't mean to offend but I saw the zoot suit short and I have to ask, please don't direct anything every again. Sorry if that offends you.

I don't mean to offend but I see the lack of work that you've put out through VEI and I have to ask, please don't buy any more comic characters every again. Sorry if that offends you.

jedimarley · Post by **jedimarley** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:22 am

Get'm Fo!

Unblessed · Post by **Unblessed** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:35 pm

May I offer you some salt and lemon juice for your wounds, sir?

depluto · Post by **depluto** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:59 pm

Zoot suit ...

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:55 pm

depluto wrote:Zoot suit ...

I call it Poop Shoot, but at least Taddeo got 5 or so issues out. That's more than can be said for....... ah who gives a *SQUEE* anymore.

Unblessed · Post by **Unblessed** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:28 pm

Which is why I am happy to live in the past.

slym2none · Post by **slym2none** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:44 pm

Unblessed wrote:

May I offer you some salt and lemon juice for your wounds, sir?

I'll give you a $20 bill for them - I keep them at the bottom of this jar of lye and barbed wire.

-slym

jedimarley · Post by **jedimarley** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:08 am

depluto wrote:Zoot suit ...

It sucked.

Except issue #3.

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 12:08 pm

jedimarley wrote:
depluto wrote:Zoot suit ...

It sucked.

Except issue #3.

Nah, that one was the worst......especially the part where they mention a guy named Frank....