My Valiant Story

[Gregg-K]

Hey guys,

My name is Gregg Katzman and this is my Valiant story.

My love for superheroes started when I was a kid. Shows like X-Men TAS (the theme song is in your head now, isn't it?), Batman TAS, TMNT, and Spider-Man TAS got me hooked. Eventually, I saw a copy of Gambit #1 (1993) in a book store and I had to get it. I would go on to read more and more comics, but it was primarily Marvel, some DC (mostly Batman), and any Star Wars stuff (especially featuring Boba Fett) that I could get my hands on. In fact, I was completely oblivious to Valiant's existence as a kid even though I played Iron Man and X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal and the multiple Turok games on N64.

That would all change in 2012. I was writing for Comic Vine when I learned about the Summer of Valiant. My articles mostly focused on the Big Two with some indie stuff – mostly IDW's TMNT, some Image, and other franchises that I enjoyed like Predator and Alien comics whenever they popped up. But with a new superhero universe arriving, how could I not give some new #1 issues an honest shot? After all, I completely missed out on Valiant during its earlier years, so why not give these different characters a chance? Well, I read X-O MANOWAR #1 the day it dropped and the sci-fi epic had me hooked. From there, I gave every new #1 a shot and enjoyed the fact that Valiant was making a universe that felt a little more grounded and each title offered something completely different. Before I knew it, Valiant's characters were reaching the top of my favorites list.

With a newfound love for the Valiant universe, I would go on to write about it as much as possible. Sure, the article views would never be as good as an article about Batman or Spider-Man, but spreading the word about something you're passionate about is so important. If it motivated even one person to pick up a Valiant comic, I would consider it all worth it. I would highlight some of the cool action scenes in the weekly Best Battles segment, conduct interviews with the creators and staff, write editorials like Valiant is the Publisher to Watch, review comics, and highlight Valiant characters wherever possible like in the Battle of the Week (Ninjak vs Cyclops, Bloodshot vs Daredevil, X-O Manowar vs Colossus). Throughout my career, I would continue doing everything I can to convince people to check out Valiant. Whether it was during one of our weekly videos at Midtown Comics or an editorial about the Bloodshot movie at CBR, I wanted to make people aware of this awesome and new reader-friendly universe that was waiting for them.

Now, I'm lucky enough to work at Valiant. I never thought that would happen, but here I am and I am somehow fortunate enough to have this dream job. I'm part of the Marketing team, and not a single day goes by where I take this opportunity for granted. I won't be able to answer some questions you may have, but please know that I'm always reading and listening to your feedback. I've had the pleasure of getting to know some of you pretty well outside of this forum (still extremely disappointed I couldn't make it to C2E2 this year), but I figured it was time for me to finally make my first post.

Thank you for always being honest in your feedback and giving our comics a chance. Whether it's a glowing review or constructive criticism, I know it's always coming from a place of passion for these characters, so thank you.

There's a lot on the horizon at Valiant, and I look forward to seeing your honest feedback when more is revealed. I hope you're all staying safe!

[Chiclo]

and highlight Valiant characters wherever possible like in the Battle of the Week (Ninjak vs Cyclops, Bloodshot vs Daredevil, X-O Manowar vs Colossus).

I kind of remember some of those. We talked about them on the boards. It was always good to see Valiant characters mentioned in that sort of format, even if some of the match-ups seemed a bit strange to me.

Welcome aboard.

[Gregg-K]

and highlight Valiant characters wherever possible like in the Battle of the Week (Ninjak vs Cyclops, Bloodshot vs Daredevil, X-O Manowar vs Colossus).

I kind of remember some of those. We talked about them on the boards. It was always good to see Valiant characters mentioned in that sort of format, even if some of the match-ups seemed a bit strange to me.

Welcome aboard.

I'm so happy to hear those battles reached this forum. I had such a blast working on those every week and keeping an eye on the debates. Hope you guys had some fun thinking about how the fights would play out.

Thank you very much.

[Dallow Spicer1]

Great to see you make your debut post Gregg. It’s clear you’re a legit comics fan and I’m glad you’ve got a presence on the board.

For other board members who may not have interacted with Gregg before, he’s a cool guy and very patient in listening to fan reaction, he even puts up with rants occasionally via Twitter so you know he’s got the patience of a saint!

[armlessphelan]

Welcome to the boards! Some of us tend to be lurkers, but the regulars are all great people.

[greg]

Welcome to the board!


If you need anything, the admin's name is Greg... if you think you can remember it.

[Blood of Heroes]

Welcome to the board!


If you need anything, the admin's name is Greg... if you think you can remember it.

But he’s a Gregg. Those types aren’t to be trusted.

[greg]

Welcome to the board!


If you need anything, the admin's name is Greg... if you think you can remember it.

But he’s a Gregg. Those types aren’t to be trusted.

When I say my name is "Greg" people always ask "1 G or 2 Gs" and I always answer: "2! One on each end."
Now that you mention it, those 3 G Greggs are pretty weird.

Except for Gregg Jefferies... I pulled his rookie card from 1988 Fleer on my first try and was sooooo excited. Valiant wasn't a thing then, so I got excited by really nerdy stuff before Valiant made it cool.

[IMJ]

Welcome aboard!

[Blood of Heroes]

Welcome to the board!


If you need anything, the admin's name is Greg... if you think you can remember it.

But he’s a Gregg. Those types aren’t to be trusted.

When I say my name is "Greg" people always ask "1 G or 2 Gs" and I always answer: "2! One on each end."

I do the same thing!

I’m sure Gregg Katzman is on the level. But I’ll keep my eye on him.

[geocarr]

Welcome Gregg with three G's!!

[syzhang28]

Welcome. Great story. Wish you had got your dream job while Valiant was still Valiant. Hope you get high enough on the totem poll to make the comics good again.

[lorddunlow]

Welcome to the board!


If you need anything, the admin's name is Greg... if you think you can remember it.

But he’s a Gregg. Those types aren’t to be trusted.

When I say my name is "Greg" people always ask "1 G or 2 Gs" and I always answer: "2! One on each end."

I do the same thing!

I’m sure Gregg Katzman is on the level. But I’ll keep my eye on him.

Blood has zero Gs in it. You're crazy.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

[Blood of Heroes]

Welcome to the board!


If you need anything, the admin's name is Greg... if you think you can remember it.

But he’s a Gregg. Those types aren’t to be trusted.

When I say my name is "Greg" people always ask "1 G or 2 Gs" and I always answer: "2! One on each end."

I do the same thing!

I’m sure Gregg Katzman is on the level. But I’ll keep my eye on him.

Blood has zero Gs in it. You're crazy.

[Sunlight on Snow]

K4tzm4n's finally found his way here. Welcome, Gregg!

You did well rooting for Valiant on comicvine back in 2012/13. If nobody else had mentioned Valiant back then I wouldn't have heard about the relaunch. I was only there because of the New 52, some Walking Dead and Saga. #LC

[depluto]

You all are getting ahead of yourselves arguing about the meaning of all the Gs in his name. We don't even know what his middle name is yet, so there is no way to be sure about the guy,

[depluto]

Blood has zero Gs in it.

Hemoglobin?

[depluto]

Oh, welcome to the boards, Gregg!

[Blood of Heroes]

Blood has zero Gs in it.

Hemoglobin?

Despite there being two Os in Blood, I'm actually O-.


And welcome to the board, Gregg!

[Gregg-K]

Thank you so much for welcoming me to the board, guys.

Sunlight on Snow, you're a fellow Viner?! If you were on the forums, what was your name over there? Thank you very much for checking out my Valiant coverage back then.

depluto, my middle name is Georgge. (Okay, it's really Jonathan.)

[Chiclo]

Welcome to the board!


If you need anything, the admin's name is Greg... if you think you can remember it.

But he’s a Gregg. Those types aren’t to be trusted.

When I say my name is "Greg" people always ask "1 G or 2 Gs" and I always answer: "2! One on each end."

I do the same thing!

I’m sure Gregg Katzman is on the level. But I’ll keep my eye on him.

Blood has zero Gs in it. You're crazy.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

Are you saying that he is an astronaut?

[Chiclo]

Thank you so much for welcoming me to the board, guys.

Sunlight on Snow, you're a fellow Viner?! If you were on the forums, what was your name over there? Thank you very much for checking out my Valiant coverage back then.

depluto, my middle name is Georgge. (Okay, it's really Jonathan.)

Bright/vigilant gift from the Lord righteous priest. That's a pretty good name.

[Sunlight on Snow]

Thank you so much for welcoming me to the board, guys.

Sunlight on Snow, you're a fellow Viner?! If you were on the forums, what was your name over there? Thank you very much for checking out my Valiant coverage back then.

The one with the #LC avatar who's still taking care of the Valiant publisher page as well as valiant.fandom.com (because nobody else does).

[Gregg-K]

Thank you so much for welcoming me to the board, guys.

Sunlight on Snow, you're a fellow Viner?! If you were on the forums, what was your name over there? Thank you very much for checking out my Valiant coverage back then.

The one with the #LC avatar who's still taking care of the Valiant publisher page as well as valiant.fandom.com (because nobody else does).

Don, right? Thanks for putting in all that effort to keep those Valiant pages updated. It's massively appreciated.

[Sunlight on Snow]

Thank you so much for welcoming me to the board, guys.

Sunlight on Snow, you're a fellow Viner?! If you were on the forums, what was your name over there? Thank you very much for checking out my Valiant coverage back then.

The one with the #LC avatar who's still taking care of the Valiant publisher page as well as valiant.fandom.com (because nobody else does).

Don, right? Thanks for putting in all that effort to keep those Valiant pages updated. It's massively appreciated.

Yes, that's me.

Contributing to that fandom had been like an addiction for quite some time.