My Valiant Story, or "What is this Archer & Armstrong?"

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:34 pm

Greetings, all!

Longtime lurker, finally first time poster.

My Valiant Story begins back in that fabled year of 1992. A sophomore in college, I was mainly collecting the various X-Comics. Amazing artwork from this Jim Lee character, but as the months went on I found myself looking more at the artwork and less reading the story... and that bugged the heck out of me. Even in subsequent attempts to re-read an issue were for naught, as the mind would wander and the comic would eventually be placed back on the stack. Something was just wrong. What good is a comic if the story is crap??

The month in particular escapes me, but during a visit to my LCS I noticed a new comic standing solitary in a taped-together display next to the cash register - Archer & Armstrong #0. A hastily scrawled note taped to the display remarked that this was their highest recommendation, that Barry Windsor-Smith was the creator, and it was from a new company called Valiant. I inquired with the owner on if it was worth checking out, and he hartily endorsed A&A as well as the other comics Valiant had put out? Taking a copy from the display, I asked for another recommendation, and he suggested I try Shadowman #1, pointing to the one remaining copy on the racks. Done.

Racing back to the fraternity house, I wasted no time in reading A&A. Woah. What the... that was a damn fine story!!! STORY!!! HALLELUJAH!!! Quickly I moved to Shadowman... sweet sassy molassey!! I didn't know comics could be that amazing!

It must've been a small shock to the guys at my LCS when I returned back to the store about 30 minutes later, pulling every issue of X-O, Harbinger, and Solar I could get my hands on from the racks. I was an instant convert. Overtime, the X-Comics were removed from my pull list, and Valiant became the sole company I would collect.

I stuck with Valiant the rest of the time they published. I continued on with the Valiant Heroes line from Acclaim, which i liked, but never really felt captured the magic of the original incarnations (thought Bloodshot and Turok were damn fine).

While I drifted in and out of comics - reading Marvel for Civil War, and collecting DC titles starting around Infinite Crisis and into the New 52 - I have always longed for that same experience Valiant gave... the cohesive universe, the scope and breath of Unity and Rai #0, etc. I'd see it here and there, but never quite what it was like back in 1992. All the while, keeping an eye out for any news about the Valiant auction and inevitable return of my favorite comics universe and characters.

Probably went on longer than I should, but let me end with saying that I am absolutely thrilled with the new VEI, and have once more dropped all other comics I had been reading to devote my money to Valiant. Dare say I'm proving annoying to my friends as I send them the monthly solicitations in a "Your Monthly Valiant Minute" email. They now consider me a Valiant comics pimp as I relentlessly preach the gospel of all things Valiant... they best get used to it, and best get to reading Valiant, for I have no plans on stopping.

Thanks for reading!

grendeljd · Post by **grendeljd** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:41 pm

Good story, welcome!

T'is a silly place. I'm relatively new here, but I'm thoroughly hooked on hanging out.

KXXX · Post by **KXXX** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:43 pm

Welcome, brother!

As long as you never say...

Keith wrote:sweet sassy molassey!!

...again, we're good.

FormerReader · Post by **FormerReader** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:49 pm

Welcome! Always good to have new members!

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 3:31 pm

Welcome. I agree with you about Acclaim Bloodshot and Turok (except for the 4 issue mini series). Shadowman was also well done toward the end of the second run and on into the third.

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 3:40 pm

KXXX wrote:Welcome, brother!

As long as you never say...

Keith wrote:sweet sassy molassey!!
...again, we're good.

Think I can swing that!

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 3:42 pm

Daniel Jackson wrote:Welcome. I agree with you about Acclaim Bloodshot and Turok (except for the 4 issue mini series). Shadowman was also well done toward the end of the second run and on into the third.

I also want to add Man of the Atom and Revelations to those. I thought those were two examples of Acclaim that felt close to the original Valiant.

KXXX · Post by **KXXX** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 3:45 pm

Keith wrote:
KXXX wrote:Welcome, brother!

As long as you never say...

Keith wrote:sweet sassy molassey!!
...again, we're good.
Think I can swing that!

Awesome!

...

...

...damnit!

We need a high-five smiley. I keep telling you guys. Come on.

MarkRoseHFX · Post by **MarkRoseHFX** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 4:43 pm

Welcome Keith!

caniac · Post by **caniac** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:00 pm

KXXX wrote:
Keith wrote:
KXXX wrote:Welcome, brother!

As long as you never say...

Keith wrote:sweet sassy molassey!!
...again, we're good.
Think I can swing that!
Awesome! ... ...

...damnit!

We need a high-five smiley. I keep telling you guys. Come on.

This is the best I've got...

caniac · Post by **caniac** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:00 pm

Oh, welcome to the boards Keith

greg · Post by **greg** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:16 pm

KXXX wrote: Awesome! ... ...

...damnit!

We need a high-five smiley. I keep telling you guys. Come on.

KXXX · Post by **KXXX** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:47 pm

Oh well *SQUEE* yes!

MarkRoseHFX · Post by **MarkRoseHFX** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 12:32 am

I had nothing else to add I just wanted to do the high five smiley

caniac · Post by **caniac** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 10:24 am

Wow Keith, your thread spawned the high five smiley.

For that:

KXXX · Post by **KXXX** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 10:32 am

caniac wrote:Wow Keith, your thread spawned the high five smiley.

For that:

Just remember I was the one begging for it and Greg was a merciful forum god. So stoked Keith helped me make it happen. Me and this guy are gonna get *SQUEE* done in the future, and high the *SQUEE* out of each other the whole time. Someone send this man a Deathmate Gold!

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 10:39 am

KXXX wrote:
caniac wrote:Wow Keith, your thread spawned the high five smiley.

For that:

Just remember I was the one begging for it and Greg was a merciful forum god. So stoked Keith helped me make it happen. Me and this guy are gonna get *SQUEE* done in the future, and high the *SQUEE* out of each other the whole time. Someone send this man a Deathmate Gold!

So honored to already be contributing and just a few posts in! Thinking I should pull a Costanza and bow out of the forums on a high note!!

Beware Cyclops · Post by **Beware Cyclops** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:14 am

I knew I wasn't the only person to subscribe to the Book of Costanza!!

Beware Cyclops wrote:
Cyberstrike wrote:
Beware Cyclops wrote:A group of Godzillas would be called a great time to get the heck out of town real quick!!!!
Or time to bend over and kiss your rear end good bye.

Or a google of Godzilla?
I'd prefer to take the George Costanza approach. Knock every child, elderly person with a walker and birthday clown out of my way at the slightest sign of smoke.

betterthanezra · Post by **betterthanezra** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:37 pm

Welcome thanks for sharing this

-Brian

caxiotis · Post by **caxiotis** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 9:03 pm

Welcome

lorddunlow · Post by **lorddunlow** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 4:13 pm

So, I just realized I never welcomed Keith to the fold...

Better late than never, I guess...

Welcome to the boards, Keith. It's fun here as long as you avoid the Canadians. They talk to FVL on Twitter about iCarly. If that ain't evil, I don't know what is...

Oh, and thanks for the

creating thread!

MarkRoseHFX · Post by **MarkRoseHFX** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 4:17 pm

lorddunlow wrote: They talk to FVL on Twitter about iCarly. If that ain't evil, I don't know what is...

I agree. I'm going to have to double check grendeljd's citizenship.

mkb28 · Post by **mkb28** » Sun Jul 20, 2014 2:17 pm

Keith:

Welcome to the Boards and I am looking forward to meeting you on my next trip to St. Louis.

Michal
Mkb28

ShadowTuga · Post by **ShadowTuga** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:01 am

lorddunlow wrote:So, I just realized I never welcomed Keith to the fold...

Better late than never, I guess...

Welcome to the boards, Keith. It's fun here as long as you avoid the Canadians. They talk to FVL on Twitter about iCarly. If that ain't evil, I don't know what is...

Oh, and thanks for the creating thread!

Except for the canadian bashing, I underline dunlow's words.
Seriously, Belated welcome, mate!

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:39 pm

Just seeing these now... thanks for the belated welcome, guys!

ValiantFans.com Board - Since 2004

My Valiant Story, or "What is this Archer & Armstrong?"

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