Where to Start

[elee79]

In the latest iteration of the Valiant Universe where would one recommend that one start reading?

I'm completely new to this iteration and kind of struggling with where to start taking it in.

[Phoenix8008]

I'd start at the beginning with the 2012 stuff. X-O, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Archer & Armstrong. Best intro to the universe is the intro they gave us at the start. Of course, read what you like, and don't read what you don't like as it suits you, but I always recommend starting at the start.

If a list is what you're searching for, there's one on https://www.reddit.com/r/valiant/wiki/readingorder that lists all the TPB's in approximate release order. Each 'Act' is about one year of releases, with each Act starting with the summer event for that year.

[Summydad1]

Agree with Phoenix. The 2012 titles are great. Harbinger, X-O, Bloodshot, are all solid. There is a member on here called Paradise. He owns a couple comic stores. He is a big Valiant supporter and a nice guy. He will put together TPB sets of all the 2012 books. I have bought a few sets and the deals are good. Enjoy!

[Elveen]

You HAVE to read Dysart’s Harbinger and V-Ditti ‘s X-O. As foundation Then you can get to the rest.

[jmatt]

The nice thing about starting with Valiant is that a comprehensive reading is still possible without taking years and years to accomplish. And welcome to the board!

[otomo]

I over the last year caught up on EVERYTHING. I think the essentials are:

1. XO Manowar 2012
2. Harbinger (including Omegas and Imperium)
3. Ninjak
4. Bloodshot Reborn (honestly the first series doesn't really tie much into this other than sorta introducing the character which you can figure out in reborn) which then ties into Bloodshot USA.

Hopefully the new Shadowman reboots and ignores the previous stuff lol. Unity is good cuz it's team book and features livewire who's getting more action recently, but I don't know about essential.

And then jump into the current XO, Ninja-K and Bloodshot: Salvation fine. These all work pretty well without the backstory (I started with XO 2017 to discover valiant) but those give good background. My favorites for good reads are in order:

1. XO 2017
2. Rai/ 4001
3. Harbinger
4. Divinity
5. XO 2012
6. Bloodshot: Reborn

Some difference from the essential list but these one I love the most.

[Keith]

I’ll toss my support behind the Reddit order that Phoenix posted. That’s the closest to a chronological order you’ll find, and the breaking down into acts works well to give you a tv season feel.

[agent_graves]

Welcome to the boards, and the Valiant Universe!

My

XO-MANOWAR (2012)
HARBINGER (2012)
UNITY (2013)
BLOODSHOT REBORN (2015)
DIVINITY* (2015)
IMPERIUM (2015)
NINJAK (2015)
NINJA•K (2017)
SECRET WEAPONS (2017)
XO-MANOWAR (2017)

Eventually EVERYTHING!!! But seriously, whichever interest you, go with that. Give SHADOWMAN (2018) a shot, if you can.

*This book has a part II & III, which leads us to ETERNITY (2017)...

[WrathOfArmstrong]

I'll offer an alternative...

I started with Dr. Mirage.... then Shadowman because the deadside stuff interested me and the others did not... I really had no intention to try anything else, but both are pretty much contained in their own pocket. But 2017 XO paved the way for 2012 XO catch up and it became an obsession after all of that. So I'd say pick the type of character that interests you the most...and then brace for impact and the ultimate lull once you have read everything and just need that next issue...

Saw on reddit where people rate Mignolaverse with VEI, and while I think both deliver great reads, Mignolaverse tends to be very much the same kind of story told with characters with different powers or unlikely character designs. Valiant has variety that still connects. So you can almost pick a title based on the mood you want. Funny, serious, spooky, sci-fi of hope or apocalyptic. But eventually it does help to read some stuff in order.

[jmatt]

That's a good point, Wrath, and well stated. Valiant titles span a few genres and one may be more interest to a new reader than another.

[kinggirlfriend]

I started with THE VALIANT, BLOODSHOT REBORN and WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR in 2016. Then I back tracked and eventually read everything. Only last week did I finally catch up having read at the very end, DEAD DROP. It was horrible.

But everything else is GREAT!

You can skip around, some titles are more self contained than others but yeah, eventually you'll want to read it all. You can't go wrong starting with the 2012 titles. Harbinger, A&A and X-O are the pillars of the Valiant universe.

You have some great reading ahead of you!

[The Dirt Gang]

You HAVE to read Dysart’s Harbinger and V-Ditti ‘s X-O. As foundation Then you can get to the rest.

+1
These two are the foundation to me.

[ShadowTuga]

You HAVE to read Dysart’s Harbinger and V-Ditti ‘s X-O. As foundation Then you can get to the rest.

+1
These two are the foundation to me.

+2.
And Imperium, you can't forget Imperium.
As long as you stay away from Dead Drop (2016? 4 issue mini by Ales Kot), everything has sort of something for everyone. Dead Drop is terrible and I don't think we have a member here who will seriously defend it.


If you want superstuff with lots of character and awesome story arcs, V-Ditty's X-O. The Valiant superhero book. Imho.

Joshua Dysart has never written a bad or even meh Valiant comic. Go and search everything he did, there's no risk in that advice. The characters you'll meet are "for life".

Also, if you are interested in the mythology of the Universe, Fred Van Lente's got you covered: his Archer & Armstrong and Ivar, Timewalker were some of the best VEI series, imho.

Ninjak is great superhero comics action, likewise Unity, Wrath of the Eternal Warrior and Rai- which has a lot of world-building aswell- are among the best stuff, also IMHO.

Lots of good stuff, enjoy it and Welcome to the here!

[Dallow Spicer1]

You HAVE to read Dysart’s Harbinger and V-Ditti ‘s X-O. As foundation Then you can get to the rest.

+1
These two are the foundation to me.

+1 and Armour Hunters (XO Manowar led event), buy the deluxe edition if you can.

Welcome to the board mate