WC14 EXCLUSIVE: Dysart Closes the Book on "Harbinger"

[lorddunlow]

Did someone say Jenny Frison cover?

[grendeljd]

Did someone say Jenny Frison cover?

+1

[kjjohanson]

Sorry to double post but this needs to be posted. In Bleeding Cools article it has the solicits. http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/04/19/ ... er-omegas/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From Valiant…

Clocking in at a massive 48 pages, HARBINGER #25 will also feature the return of original series artist Khari Evans (Archer & Armstrong) – plus all-new stories and artwork from an incredible cast of talents, including Barry Kitson (Adventures of Superman), Justin Jordan (The Strange Talent of Luther Strode), Lucy Knisley (Relish: My Life in the Kitchen), Riley Rossmo (Bedlam), Ron Wimberly(Prince of Cats), and many, many more.

Then, in August – out of the ashes of HARBINGER #25‘s devastating climax – find out what happens next to the most powerful players in the Harbinger universe as Joshua Dysart and heat-seeking artistRafa Sandoval (Red Hood and the Outlaws) pick up of the pieces with an all-new, three-issue mini-series – HARBINGER: OMEGAS #1 (of 3) – that closes the door on one generation of Harbinger Renegades…and prepares the foundation for another.

HARBINGER #25 (ANNIVERSARY SPECTACULAR)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART with JUSTIN JORDAN, LUCY KNISLEY, and MORE!
Art by KHARI EVANS, BARRY KITSON, LUCY KNISLEY, RILEY ROSSMO, RON WIMBERLY, and MORE!
Covers by MICO SUAYAN and JENNY FRISON
Variant Cover by LUCY KNISLEY
Throwback Cover by SEAN CHEN
Variant Cover by BARRY KITSON
$4.99/T+/48 pgs.
COMING IN JULY!

HARBINGER: OMEGAS #1 (of 3)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by RAFA SANDOVAL
Cover by LEWIS LAROSA
Variant Cover by GLENN FABRY
$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
COMING IN AUGUST!

So Omega is a mini like Shadowman End Times. And much like Shadowman End Times no idea what happens to the title afterwards. So...we might see a number 26

Perhaps, but I'm guessing that we're going to get a Volume 2 #1, or Harbinger: (insert subtitle here) #1

[Aomalle27]

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but seeing a 300 or #400 issue attracts me to a title ALOT more than a #1. My first comic was a Amazing Spiderman 314, the one with Santa on the cover, and Pete and MaryJane thrown out on their SQUEE. It was the cover that attracted me to the book, I figured if it had lasted this long it must be good. Then I started in on the back issues, I wanted to see what had happened prior. It was fun, sometimes addicting, but always a wholesome hobby. Do you really see people digging through bins for " Harbinger vol 2" if they're reading Harbinger vol 6? Now I realize that the business side of things has to say " we're concerned about the newsstand copies, not back issues, but there also has to be reverence to the past, a way too to get new readers to pick up back issues, via digital or trades ( which can live on in 2nd printings, delux printings etc, heck, I think Watchmen is on another printing now, just saw two copies at Barnes & Noble). Comics just can't be about money, you go that route, and it just ruins the whole thing. Look back at the speculator days, and you can see how close this hobby came to literally killing itself. Things like FCBD are certainly less about the business side of things and more about giving that magic of comics to the next generation. I just think a reboot is fine and well, but what about that specialness about a long lived title. Something vibrant and creative enough to boldly proclaim "100" or "200" or better yet "500th issue". Now THAT's something marketing can't buy

[BugsySig]

Sorry to double post but this needs to be posted. In Bleeding Cools article it has the solicits. http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/04/19/ ... er-omegas/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From Valiant…

Clocking in at a massive 48 pages, HARBINGER #25 will also feature the return of original series artist Khari Evans (Archer & Armstrong) – plus all-new stories and artwork from an incredible cast of talents, including Barry Kitson (Adventures of Superman), Justin Jordan (The Strange Talent of Luther Strode), Lucy Knisley (Relish: My Life in the Kitchen), Riley Rossmo (Bedlam), Ron Wimberly(Prince of Cats), and many, many more.

Then, in August – out of the ashes of HARBINGER #25‘s devastating climax – find out what happens next to the most powerful players in the Harbinger universe as Joshua Dysart and heat-seeking artistRafa Sandoval (Red Hood and the Outlaws) pick up of the pieces with an all-new, three-issue mini-series – HARBINGER: OMEGAS #1 (of 3) – that closes the door on one generation of Harbinger Renegades…and prepares the foundation for another.

HARBINGER #25 (ANNIVERSARY SPECTACULAR)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART with JUSTIN JORDAN, LUCY KNISLEY, and MORE!
Art by KHARI EVANS, BARRY KITSON, LUCY KNISLEY, RILEY ROSSMO, RON WIMBERLY, and MORE!
Covers by MICO SUAYAN and JENNY FRISON
Variant Cover by LUCY KNISLEY
Throwback Cover by SEAN CHEN
Variant Cover by BARRY KITSON
$4.99/T+/48 pgs.
COMING IN JULY!

HARBINGER: OMEGAS #1 (of 3)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by RAFA SANDOVAL
Cover by LEWIS LAROSA
Variant Cover by GLENN FABRY
$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
COMING IN AUGUST!

So Omega is a mini like Shadowman End Times. And much like Shadowman End Times no idea what happens to the title afterwards. So...we might see a number 26

Perhaps, but I'm guessing that we're going to get a Volume 2 #1, or Harbinger: (insert subtitle here) #1

If you think about it, after Armor Hunters is over only XO, Unity and Rai are known to be continuing, with Doctor Mirage launching in the Fall.

Thats only 4 titles.

We know VEI wants to publish 8-10 titles monthly.

I have little doubt that Harbinger, Shadowman, Eternal Warrior, A&A, Q&W and/or Bloodshot will be returning in some form after this Summer.

[Dr. Solar]

I talked to Dino about this quite a bit at Wondercon.

He said that issue 25 is very much the end of the chapter, for reasons hew couldn't say more about without completely spoiling the next 4 issues of Harbinger.

He said this is very much NOT the end of the story though, and that we can expect a lot more as we move forward.

I do think this - we are in for big, important story events. They will have a big impact on the larger story being told, and we will get plenty more story.

This is a good thing. I think this is going to end up being a VERY good thing.

[Phoenix8008]

Sorry to double post but this needs to be posted. In Bleeding Cools article it has the solicits. http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/04/19/ ... er-omegas/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From Valiant…

Clocking in at a massive 48 pages, HARBINGER #25 will also feature the return of original series artist Khari Evans (Archer & Armstrong) – plus all-new stories and artwork from an incredible cast of talents, including Barry Kitson (Adventures of Superman), Justin Jordan (The Strange Talent of Luther Strode), Lucy Knisley (Relish: My Life in the Kitchen), Riley Rossmo (Bedlam), Ron Wimberly(Prince of Cats), and many, many more.

Then, in August – out of the ashes of HARBINGER #25‘s devastating climax – find out what happens next to the most powerful players in the Harbinger universe as Joshua Dysart and heat-seeking artistRafa Sandoval (Red Hood and the Outlaws) pick up of the pieces with an all-new, three-issue mini-series – HARBINGER: OMEGAS #1 (of 3) – that closes the door on one generation of Harbinger Renegades…and prepares the foundation for another.

HARBINGER #25 (ANNIVERSARY SPECTACULAR)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART with JUSTIN JORDAN, LUCY KNISLEY, and MORE!
Art by KHARI EVANS, BARRY KITSON, LUCY KNISLEY, RILEY ROSSMO, RON WIMBERLY, and MORE!
Covers by MICO SUAYAN and JENNY FRISON
Variant Cover by LUCY KNISLEY
Throwback Cover by SEAN CHEN
Variant Cover by BARRY KITSON
$4.99/T+/48 pgs.
COMING IN JULY!

HARBINGER: OMEGAS #1 (of 3)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by RAFA SANDOVAL
Cover by LEWIS LAROSA
Variant Cover by GLENN FABRY
$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
COMING IN AUGUST!

So Omega is a mini like Shadowman End Times. And much like Shadowman End Times no idea what happens to the title afterwards. So...we might see a number 26

Yep, this is the problem with everything being announced 3 months in advance. Now we need to wait 3 months to find out what's happening 3 months after that. But I was glad to get definitive word on when issue #25 was coming out. I added that and Omegas to my thread on 'Speculation on which titles were continuing and how'. We should have other July solicitis coming out very soon now, shouldn't we? It was March 18th that June's solicits were released.

[mateo107]

We should have other July solicitis coming out very soon now, shouldn't we? It was March 18th that June's solicits were released.

yeah, I assumed the July solicits would have been released sometime during WonderCon...

[icefan13]

I have thought this over and thought I remembered Dino saying something that intrigued me in the Comic Vine interview. So I went back and read it again today and in response to a question about the $3.99 price point being a barrier to new readers he says that with the second wave of Valiant First announcements we will see some different price points. So I believe we may be headed for 48 page anthologies.

I may be wrong but that is my theory at this point.

[Aram]

I'm in the camp that I prefer ongoing numbering.

That being said.. I can think of no better time to end a "Chapter" and even relaunch a series..

Than if a major character DIES.. and stays dead.

[jmatt]

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but seeing a 300 or #400 issue attracts me to a title ALOT more than a #1.

I don't disagree but if we examine the evidence, it's apparent that the publishers have concluded that #1 issues present a better starting point for potential new readers.

I would hope it all stays volume 1 with continuous issue numbers counting up in the masthead.

[Phoenix8008]

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but seeing a 300 or #400 issue attracts me to a title ALOT more than a #1.

I don't disagree but if we examine the evidence, it's apparent that the publishers have concluded that #1 issues present a better starting point for potential new readers.

I would hope it all stays volume 1 with continuous issue numbers counting up in the masthead.

Warning... ahead...

But isn't all that 'evidence' (which I've never seen presented anywhere) from the 'Big 2'?? I mean, when we're saying 'the industry doesn't support long ongoing series anymore'. Isn't it just saying that Marvel & DC have decided to not do it anymore because they can bilk or gouge people out of more money that way? I can't say this is 100% fact or anything, but it just feels like it's maybe the case. It still might make it true if they've convinced enough people to lean that direction and agree with them over time that it's just the way 'the industry' is now. But I see more and more people saying how they also used to (and would again) see a high numbered series as a mark of excellence. What if the Emperor just has no clothes and nobody else is saying it? Damn I wanna see an X-O Manowar #50, or 75, or 100! Where is the actual evidence that not rebooting a series every 3 years kills it? How can there be any evidence of it when nobody has done it in forever? And if it's been that long ago, is it still relevant data?

Great comics are an infectious disease. You may pick up one character because of a cool #1 issue and see another character in a crossover that has a book with issues in the 40's or 50's or 100's. You may pick up some of that title (even if it's in trades instead of floppies) to check them out more and fall in love. Sure, some may be scared off by the high numbering, but others will continue regardless. And the better your characters, stories, and universe is, the more infectious the craving will be to get more of it and expand your readership through the line. Even if you don't expect to ever get them all, you can want more. And collecting back issues is a fun and challenging hobby. There's nothing like making those lists of the issues your hunting and the joy of finding one or more of them. Heck, it's even easier today than in the past. With online comic sellers and ebay, there's no shortage of places to buy back issues from. Or even better for the company itself (because back issues generate revenue for retailers but not for VEI) the thriving trade market directly benefits the parent company and shows them interest in the already published works. Or if you can put up with digital comics (not my thing, but to each their own), you can collect the whole universe of Valiant and carry it around in a tablet with about the same mass as a single trade paperback!

So in many ways it would be even easier now than it was decades ago to be hunting for back issues and catching up on a high numbered series, but now that the people who control the industry have done it and moved away from it, they spread the word that 'it's just impossible to do that kind of thing NOW'. Maybe I'm just wishing for what I can't have and nostalgia has slipped some rose tinted shades on me while I wasn't looking. Am I insane to think that maybe, just maybe, VEI could keep a series going for 5 or 10 years and not have it dwindle away to 6,000... 5,000... or 4,000 copies sold a month before giving up the ghost and calling it quits or giving in and rebooting? I've been called crazy before and if I'm crazy now, then so be it. Maybe I just don't know the comics business well enough. I'd love to be able to ask Dinesh or Fred Pierce or Hunter Gorinson or Atom! Freeman this kind of thing face to face and see what they say. Is it really just impossible? More impossible than a couple college kids buying up the rights and reincarnating the company with a dream team to bring Valiant comics blazing back like a Phoenix from the ashes? Maybe it is. But could they at least TRY it with a few titles out of the universe? See where you are and how the sales of issue #50 compare to the sales of whatever #1 issue they put out near that time are. How does issue #75 compare with some other new launch a couple years later? How does #100 sell compared to some new series at that time?

If they kept releasing books on schedule (and it's Valiant, so I can feel very comfortable speculating on that future at least), we could have issue #50 of X-O Manowar in June of 2016. Issue #75 in July of 2018. And Issue #100 in August of 2020! Think about that for a minute. That's only 6 years and 4 months away! VEI has already been putting out comics for a solid two years now with years of other background work getting the company up and running beyond that. They're working from a 5 year plan. I'm pretty damn sure the company is still gonna be around. Why can't at least a few of their titles last that long?

Arrrrgh! Why does it bother me so much!?

Thanks for listening and letting me get that off my chest.

[jmatt]

Arrrrgh! Why does it bother me so much!?

Thanks for listening and letting me get that off my chest.

In my heart of hearts, I agree. I am a traditionalist. I would love to see issue numbers reaching into the stratosphere. But it's not 1975 and I don't blame VEI for addressing the market as it is, not how I wish it to be.

Look at the publish figures; 20k issues is considered a great print run for an issue. I cannot blame them for trying to create easier points of entry for new readers.

[Phoenix8008]

Arrrrgh! Why does it bother me so much!?

Thanks for listening and letting me get that off my chest.

In my heart of hearts, I agree. I am a traditionalist. I would love to see issue numbers reaching into the stratosphere. But it's not 1975 and I don't blame VEI for addressing the market as it is, not how I wish it to be.

Look at the publish figures; 20k issues is considered a great print run for an issue. I cannot blame them for trying to create easier points of entry for new readers.

I agree that there should be some easy points for new readers. I understand that the monthly numbers sold can't be held to the standards of previous decades. My point I guess is - how do we know that's actually how the market is if nobody has tried it recently. I mean Marvel just rebooted Daredevil to a new #1 in March after ending #36 in February... with the same creative team and everything?! Yes, they sold 31,494 issues in February and 76,006 issues in March. But is that actually new readers or just speculators grabbing up a new #1? Won't their sales just drop to where they were again in 6 months? They'll have made more money but have they gained more readers? Isn't a growing number of readers more important? Couldn't Valiant making headlines as the only shared superhero universe of comics with a title at or above 50 issues in June of 2016 bring in more readership as well? I think it could. It would be another reason to look at Marvel and DC and wonder why they can't keep their books going. Is that crazy?

[jmatt]

My point I guess is - how do we know that's actually how the market is if nobody has tried it recently.

Because if it worked, Marvel and DC wouldn't have to resort reboots. Readers would say "Issue #687? That's gotta be a great title" and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

But it would appear that's not enough. Sadly.

[Phoenix8008]

My point I guess is - how do we know that's actually how the market is if nobody has tried it recently.

Because if it worked, Marvel and DC wouldn't have to resort reboots. Readers would say "Issue #687? That's gotta be a great title" and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

But it would appear that's not enough. Sadly.

Unless they've gotten stuck in a dwindling spiral of settling for a temporary bump of more money instead of more readers. Also, comparing issue 687 to issue 500 to issue 700 like it was back in the day isn't the same as it would be now seeing a smaller scale company these days having a title that has been around longer than any other Marvel or DC book at the time.

[jmatt]

... isn't the same as it would be now seeing a smaller scale company these days having a title that has been around longer than any other Marvel or DC book at the time.

I'll grant you that. VEI is young enough that the woes that beset the Big 2 might not be a problem for them.

[lorddunlow]

jmatt stole my posts, so I guess +1 to all that he did just now.

(but not anything he says about the bet after this post or from any other thread)

[Shadowman99]

I think all the discussion between Jmatt and Phoenix has been really good.

[Phoenix8008]

I think all the discussion between Jmatt and Phoenix has been really good.

I thought so too. A great debate can be appreciated even if you don't come to a complete agreement in the end.

[magnusr]

I like the homage cover by Sean Chen

Totally agree. Was too slow to ask him about it. Just learned that both this cover and his Magnus cover for Dynamite sold recently. Is there anyone here I should congratulate (and discuss tradeing with)?

/Magnus

[AnthonyF]

Totally agree. Was too slow to ask him about it. Just learned that both this cover and his Magnus cover for Dynamite sold recently. Is there anyone here I should congratulate (and discuss tradeing with)?

/Magnus

Not me, but I also love that #25 homage cover! Good luck.