New VALIANT Comics

[Ryan]

This is exactly what I wouldn't want!

If the GK characters ever returned to VALIANT it needs to be an event, and not just a one time thing.

The return of Solar would be the perfect time to acknowledge the multiple VALIANT continuities and revolve them once and for all, without using a multiverse.

It boils down to Phil Seleski being a comic book fanboy, and his wish to become a superhero like the fictional Doctor Solar having unintended circumstances on reality as a whole.

His "wish machine", the Edgewater fusion reactor, not only transformed him into a hero, but it also transformed Erica Pierce into a villain (his literal opposite number, much like is the case with the most popular hero and villain pairings in comics) and it fundamentally changed the universe from what it was in Alpha & Omega (OUR worlds) into what the VALIANT Universe, a reality populated by immortals, Harbingers, time travelers, sentient robots, lost lands populated by dinosaurs, etc.

Within that context, it makes sense that it would also cause this new reality to experience sporadic hiccups in continuity, like comic books do.

This is the true root of Erica's anger toward Phil. Not that he messed up time, but that he messed up reality.

He not only flipped HER life upside down, but he did the same with the universe. From her perspective he played dice with the universe and everyone lost.

That's what such an event needs to address. Solar needs to take responsibility for breaking reality and fix it. Not by putting it back the way it was, but by fixing the hiccups.

The way I'd like to see it done is keeping the VEI iterations of the characters and continuity but infusing it with the tone and character arcs of VH 1, such as, for instance, Archer starting his journey to become a spiritual leader, something not present in either the VH 2 or VH 1 versions, and Jack having to deal with his impending death at some time in the future (if such a thing can still matter now). That sort of thing.

This is why Alpha and Omega was such a good story. It worked on a character level and at the same time it was one of the most logical and interesting 'origin stories' for a superhero universe ever made.

[ManofTheAtom]

This is exactly what I wouldn't want!

If the GK characters ever returned to VALIANT it needs to be an event, and not just a one time thing.

The return of Solar would be the perfect time to acknowledge the multiple VALIANT continuities and revolve them once and for all, without using a multiverse.

It boils down to Phil Seleski being a comic book fanboy, and his wish to become a superhero like the fictional Doctor Solar having unintended circumstances on reality as a whole.

His "wish machine", the Edgewater fusion reactor, not only transformed him into a hero, but it also transformed Erica Pierce into a villain (his literal opposite number, much like is the case with the most popular hero and villain pairings in comics) and it fundamentally changed the universe from what it was in Alpha & Omega (OUR worlds) into what the VALIANT Universe, a reality populated by immortals, Harbingers, time travelers, sentient robots, lost lands populated by dinosaurs, etc.

Within that context, it makes sense that it would also cause this new reality to experience sporadic hiccups in continuity, like comic books do.

This is the true root of Erica's anger toward Phil. Not that he messed up time, but that he messed up reality.

He not only flipped HER life upside down, but he did the same with the universe. From her perspective he played dice with the universe and everyone lost.

That's what such an event needs to address. Solar needs to take responsibility for breaking reality and fix it. Not by putting it back the way it was, but by fixing the hiccups.

The way I'd like to see it done is keeping the VEI iterations of the characters and continuity but infusing it with the tone and character arcs of VH 1, such as, for instance, Archer starting his journey to become a spiritual leader, something not present in either the VH 2 or VH 1 versions, and Jack having to deal with his impending death at some time in the future (if such a thing can still matter now). That sort of thing.

This is why Alpha and Omega was such a good story. It worked on a character level and at the same time it was one of the most logical and interesting 'origin stories' for a superhero universe ever made.

Definitely.

[Ryan]

The way I'd like to see it done is keeping the VEI iterations of the characters and continuity but infusing it with the tone and character arcs of VH 1, such as, for instance, Archer starting his journey to become a spiritual leader, something not present in either the VH 2 or VH 1 versions, and Jack having to deal with his impending death at some time in the future (if such a thing can still matter now). That sort of thing.

That would be cool.

Was there ever an explanation for why there were super powered people in VEI? I never saw one, but I also didn't read everything.

[ManofTheAtom]

The way I'd like to see it done is keeping the VEI iterations of the characters and continuity but infusing it with the tone and character arcs of VH 1, such as, for instance, Archer starting his journey to become a spiritual leader, something not present in either the VH 2 or VH 1 versions, and Jack having to deal with his impending death at some time in the future (if such a thing can still matter now). That sort of thing.

That would be cool.

Was there ever an explanation for why there were super powered people in VEI? I never saw one, but I also didn't read everything.

I didn't keep up with VEI as much as I'd like to, so I'm not aware of one.

[Ryan]

The way I'd like to see it done is keeping the VEI iterations of the characters and continuity but infusing it with the tone and character arcs of VH 1, such as, for instance, Archer starting his journey to become a spiritual leader, something not present in either the VH 2 or VH 1 versions, and Jack having to deal with his impending death at some time in the future (if such a thing can still matter now). That sort of thing.

That would be cool.

Was there ever an explanation for why there were super powered people in VEI? I never saw one, but I also didn't read everything.

I didn't keep up with VEI as much as I'd like to, so I'm not aware of one.

That alone wouldn't make anything good or bad. It's just a difference. There are definitely other things that VEI did different that were probably better than Classic Valiant.

But having an 'origin story' makes the universe more credible, more sci-fi, and more unified. Not having an origin story makes it more fantasy and more Marvel-like. There's a larger 'suspension of disbelief' that a reader has to swallow to get into the story.

Supe-Universe origin stories off the top of my head. New Universe - White Event. Wild Cards - Wild Card virus. The Boys - Compound V. Wildstorm - Daemonite aliens infiltrating humanity (I think that was it). There's many others.

On the flip side, I think some would say a single origin story for the whole universe is limiting and stifles creativity.

In a recent Bob Hall interview, he sort of scoffed at Shadowman's original origin story having 'something to do with space aliens' because they wanted 'to tie everything together'. I still like tying Shadowman to the Spider aliens, but I also love Bob's different take as well.

Bob was originally hired to write Shadowman by Shooter, it would've been interesting to see how different his run would have been had Shooter stayed and had more stringent demands to connect things.

[ManofTheAtom]

Test

[ManofTheAtom]

JMS' reboot of Squadron Supreme used Hyperion's ship as such unifying factor.

VALIANT had Solar. Now, not sure what they have.

[Ryan]

JMS' reboot of Squadron Supreme used Hyperion's ship as such unifying factor.

VALIANT had Solar. Now, not sure what they have.

Ahh nice, I did read that but its been a long time. It's easier to pull off when the universe is contained to a single series.

There's also a difference between some universes that retcon on an origin story years into the universe vs. how VALIANT made the origin story one of the main storylines at the beginning, so everything sprung out of it.

On one level, all of early VALIANT up through Unity can all be read as a single story about a person (Phil) gaining god-like powers and then dealing with the guilt and repercussions of destroying the universe and re-creating it imperfectly, his comic book loving adolescent subconscious adding in anomalies and fantastical possibilities.

Just like all great fiction those early stories work on multiple levels, which makes them so re-readable.

[ManofTheAtom]

JMS' reboot of Squadron Supreme used Hyperion's ship as such unifying factor.

VALIANT had Solar. Now, not sure what they have.

Ahh nice, I did read that but its been a long time. It's easier to pull off when the universe is contained to a single series.

There's also a difference between some universes that retcon on an origin story years into the universe vs. how VALIANT made the origin story one of the main storylines at the beginning, so everything sprung out of it.

On one level, all of early VALIANT up through Unity can all be read as a single story about a person (Phil) gaining god-like powers and then dealing with the guilt and repercussions of destroying the universe and re-creating it imperfectly, his comic book loving adolescent subconscious adding in anomalies and fantastical possibilities.

Just like all great fiction those early stories work on multiple levels, which makes them so re-readable.

Indeed.

[ManofTheAtom]

And that's the thing about VALIANT; Shooter made it Phil's story, which is why without him there something feels missing.

Making the protagonist of his comic book universe a fan of comic books made him a stand-in for the audience, someone readers could very easily identify and connect with.

[Ryan]

And that's the thing about VALIANT; Shooter made it Phil's story, which is why without him there something feels missing.

Making the protagonist of his comic book universe a fan of comic books made him a stand-in for the audience, someone readers could very easily identify and connect with.

For sure.

[Sunlight on Snow]

Greg Rucka

[Sunlight on Snow]

Oops. Wrong thread! LOL

[ManofTheAtom]

Oops. Wrong thread! LOL

[syzhang28]

And that's the thing about VALIANT; Shooter made it Phil's story, which is why without him there something feels missing.

Making the protagonist of his comic book universe a fan of comic books made him a stand-in for the audience, someone readers could very easily identify and connect with.

VEI did this better with Faith and then added a whole new dimension with Divinity. Solar is amazing but I prefer what VEI did. Made the universe feel bigger and broader. Also, just less straight, white male.

[ManofTheAtom]

And that's the thing about VALIANT; Shooter made it Phil's story, which is why without him there something feels missing.

Making the protagonist of his comic book universe a fan of comic books made him a stand-in for the audience, someone readers could very easily identify and connect with.

VEI did this better with Faith and then added a whole new dimension with Divinity. Solar is amazing but I prefer what VEI did. Made the universe feel bigger and broader. Also, just less straight, white male.

I didn't get to keep up with VEI Faith. Did she read real comic books or knock-offs? The original Faith, for instance, read ElfQuest and name-dropped Star Trek: The Next Generation.

[leonmallett]

And that's the thing about VALIANT; Shooter made it Phil's story, which is why without him there something feels missing.

Making the protagonist of his comic book universe a fan of comic books made him a stand-in for the audience, someone readers could very easily identify and connect with.

VEI did this better with Faith and then added a whole new dimension with Divinity. Solar is amazing but I prefer what VEI did. Made the universe feel bigger and broader. Also, just less straight, white male.

[syzhang28]

And that's the thing about VALIANT; Shooter made it Phil's story, which is why without him there something feels missing.

Making the protagonist of his comic book universe a fan of comic books made him a stand-in for the audience, someone readers could very easily identify and connect with.

VEI did this better with Faith and then added a whole new dimension with Divinity. Solar is amazing but I prefer what VEI did. Made the universe feel bigger and broader. Also, just less straight, white male.

I didn't get to keep up with VEI Faith. Did she read real comic books or knock-offs? The original Faith, for instance, read ElfQuest and name-dropped Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Comics and so so so much more. That book was amazing. VEI did everything OG Valiant was trying with faith and executed but also added so much more. The book was a huge hit when VEI was not DMG

[ManofTheAtom]

And that's the thing about VALIANT; Shooter made it Phil's story, which is why without him there something feels missing.

Making the protagonist of his comic book universe a fan of comic books made him a stand-in for the audience, someone readers could very easily identify and connect with.

VEI did this better with Faith and then added a whole new dimension with Divinity. Solar is amazing but I prefer what VEI did. Made the universe feel bigger and broader. Also, just less straight, white male.

I didn't get to keep up with VEI Faith. Did she read real comic books or knock-offs? The original Faith, for instance, read ElfQuest and name-dropped Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Comics and so so so much more. That book was amazing. VEI did everything OG Valiant was trying with faith and executed but also added so much more. The book was a huge hit when VEI was not DMG

Cool.

[buff-beardo]

My dream team for a VEI universe soft reboot planned and executed in 3 years. 12 issues/crossover event/12 issues/End event.

Titles/Writer:
- Divinity: Jonathan Hickman
- Harbinger: Rick Remender
- X-0: Jason Aaron
- Shadowman: Scott Snyder
- Archer, Armstrong & Ivar: John Layman
- Eternal Warrior: Kieron Gillen
- Bloodshot: Ed Brubaker
- 40001 AD: Brian K. Vaughan

[ManofTheAtom]

My dream team for a VEI universe soft reboot planned and executed in 3 years. 12 issues/crossover event/12 issues/End event.

Titles/Writer:
- Divinity: Jonathan Hickman
- Harbinger: Rick Remender
- X-0: Jason Aaron
- Shadowman: Scott Snyder
- Archer, Armstrong & Ivar: John Layman
- Eternal Warrior: Kieron Gillen
- Bloodshot: Ed Brubaker
- 40001 AD: Brian K. Vaughan

Nice.

[buff-beardo]

My dream team for an old school VALIANT universe closure event . One year. First 6 months for the reunion. Final six months for the end.

Titles/Writer:
- Solar: Jim Shooter
- Harbinger: Jim Shooter
- X-0: Bob Layton
- Shadowman: Bob Hall
- Archer & Armstrong: BWS
- Eternal Warrior: Kevin VanHook
- Bloodshot: Kevin VanHook
- Magnus: Jim Shooter
- (Janet Jackson and Don Perlin must be there too!!!
Lol! It’s nice to dream.

[buff-beardo]

I'd like to see a maxi series that expands on the events from Rai #0, with each individual issue showing the end of each character's story as detailed in that single issue.

Layton could write the X-O Manowar issue, Hall could write and, potentially, draw the Shadowman issue. Vanhook could write the Bloodshot and Eternal Warrior issues. BWS doing the Archer & Armstrong issue would be nice, but I'm not sure it's likely.

We saw several of these plot points expanded in other comics, like the Harbinger Wars trilogy in Timewalker showed the death of Aric, Deathmate showed Solar ending Gayle's life, and the Bad Penny two-parter showed parts of the death of Bloodshot, but there are still many plot points we haven't seen, like the death of Shadowman (Unity 2000 does not count...) and Archer and the HARD Corps leaving Earth (we saw bits of that in Psi-Lords).

It could be the final ever arc of the original VALIANT Universe.

Great idea! Cool way to end VH1

[ManofTheAtom]

My dream team for an old school VALIANT universe closure event . One year. First 6 months for the reunion. Final six months for the end.

Titles/Writer:
- Solar: Jim Shooter
- Harbinger: Jim Shooter
- X-0: Bob Layton
- Shadowman: Bob Hall
- Archer & Armstrong: BWS
- Eternal Warrior: Kevin VanHook
- Bloodshot: Kevin VanHook
- Magnus: Jim Shooter
- (Janet Jackson and Don Perlin must be there too!!!
Lol! It’s nice to dream.

Indeed it is.

[ManofTheAtom]

I'd like to see a maxi series that expands on the events from Rai #0, with each individual issue showing the end of each character's story as detailed in that single issue.

Layton could write the X-O Manowar issue, Hall could write and, potentially, draw the Shadowman issue. Vanhook could write the Bloodshot and Eternal Warrior issues. BWS doing the Archer & Armstrong issue would be nice, but I'm not sure it's likely.

We saw several of these plot points expanded in other comics, like the Harbinger Wars trilogy in Timewalker showed the death of Aric, Deathmate showed Solar ending Gayle's life, and the Bad Penny two-parter showed parts of the death of Bloodshot, but there are still many plot points we haven't seen, like the death of Shadowman (Unity 2000 does not count...) and Archer and the HARD Corps leaving Earth (we saw bits of that in Psi-Lords).

It could be the final ever arc of the original VALIANT Universe.

Great idea! Cool way to end VH1

Thanks. Hope springs eternal that we can see something like this someday.