Valiant Entertainment teams with Alien Books to expand publishing plans

[Man-of-The-Atom]

https://majorspoilers.com/2023/06/27/bu ... yMtr4FvhQo

Prepare for a new dawn in the Valiant Universe!

Valiant Entertainment has entered into an agreement with international comics publisher Alien Books to continue to expand Valiant’s publishing capabilities.




Alien Books and it’s Director Matias Timarchi have built a strong and unique comic book publishing company with over 25 years of experience publishing in the United States as well as overseas and international markets. The expansion of the Valiant line of publishing is a major point of emphasis in this partnership, with eyes towards a vibrant and voluminous 2024 publishing schedule!

On this monumental partnership Timarchi says: “Being able to collaborate on the creation of new stories with Valiant, the third largest connected superhero universe, is truly a dream come true. As a lifelong superhero fan and self-professed geek, the opportunity to work with these incredible characters fills me with boundless enthusiasm. Our goal is to expand the entire Valiant universe by crafting new books that will delight longtime fans while also innovating to engage a new generation of readers interested in webtoons, manga, and digital storytelling experiences. We are immensely proud that Valiant has selected us as their new partners for this thrilling venture, and we are excited to embark on a new chapter in Valiant’s illustrious history.”

Valiant’s President of Consumer Products, Promotions & Ad Sales, Russ Brown, says this of the deal: “We remain fiercely committed to publishing Valiant comics and expanding our publishing line in ways we’ve never seen before. In partnership with Alien Books, we see an opportunity to push the boundaries of comic book publishing to help develop our incredible IP in exciting new ways for a rapidly expanding global audience.”


With all the critical and commercial success it has experienced, X-O MANOWAR UNCONQUERED will be continuing as our new world order takes shape, along with the long-awaited publication of NINJAK SUPERKILLERS this fall. The Valiant team will be working hand in hand with the Alien Books team to shape the Valiant publishing line. More to come very soon on the upcoming 2024 publishing schedule! Until then, continue to #StayValiant!

[GammaJosh]

I'm curious as to whether this means Valiant's in-house publishing department is completely shutting down and all publishing is being outsourced to a 3rd party. That's certainly what it seems like. I guess if you're not making any money and someone else is willing to take on the risk, that makes sense from a business standpoint. If that's the case, I also assume some people are going to lose their jobs.

On the plus side, more titles!

[Man-of-The-Atom]

I'm curious as to whether this means Valiant's in-house publishing department is completely shutting down and all publishing is being outsourced to a 3rd party. That's certainly what it seems like. I guess if you're not making any money and someone else is willing to take on the risk, that makes sense from a business standpoint. If that's the case, I also assume some people are going to lose their jobs.

On the plus side, more titles!

That would be cool.

[slack]

the sky is falling

[ManofTheAtom]

Popverse has confirmed that the terms of the deal mean that Alien Books, a publisher whose current output includes a new series by Howard Chaykin that appears to have flown under the radar, will be licensing the line and taking over all publishing duties from Valiant; a number of Valiant staff will be moving over to Alien in order to smooth the transition, according to sources close to the matter.

The news effectively ends the publishing career of this incarnation of Valiant Entertainment, which formed in 2007 with entrepreneur Dinesh Shamdasani in charge. In May 2012, the company rebooted its comic book universe with four launch titles — X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Bloodshot, and Archer & Armstrong. The company was acquired by DMG Entertainment in early 2018, with Shamdasani and a number of other senior executives — including chairman Peter Cuneo — leaving the company as a result. The acquisition followed a 2015 investment by DMG to adapt Valiant characters for movie and television. Last year, the company was hit by mass layoffs, leaving its future in doubt.

[ManofTheAtom]

the sky is falling

How is this bad news?

[nycjadie]

Fingers crossed

V1 - The beginning.
Acclaim - Multimedia properties. Short lived.
VEI - The best. So many variants.
DMG - Low output, less experienced creators.
Alien Books - ?

Each had a distinct flavor. I’m curious what the next will be.

[slack]

the sky is falling

How is this bad news?

DMG is still in charge. that's it. that equals bad news.

They got rid of people who cared about building the IP in the medium it came from: comic books.

Then they nearly stopped supporting the IP, and wondered why their IP wasn't making money like they wanted.

Now they're letting someone else help them figure out how to squeeze money out of owning comic book IP.

So far, I'm not really impressed with DMG management of Valiant... that's why I assume this is just another mistake.

[greg]

This looks like it's a 100% "business timeline decision" to me based on DMG taking over in early 2018. We've just passed the 5 year mark.
Are things going how they want at the 5 year point? No? Then do something else.

[ManofTheAtom]

the sky is falling

How is this bad news?

DMG is still in charge. that's it. that equals bad news.

They got rid of people who cared about building the IP in the medium it came from: comic books.

Then they nearly stopped supporting the IP, and wondered why their IP wasn't making money like they wanted.

Now they're letting someone else help them figure out how to squeeze money out of owning comic book IP.

So far, I'm not really impressed with DMG management of Valiant... that's why I assume this is just another mistake.

I see it as coming full circle for VALIANT.

Voyager Communications started out by publishing comics based on licensed IP from Nintendo, the WWF, and Gold Key before they produced their own original content like X-O Manowar, Rai, and Harbinger.

Now, DMG is licensing those properties to a new publisher.

It could work out for Alien Books and the fans provided they do it right.

[ManofTheAtom]

Fingers crossed

V1 - The beginning.
Acclaim - Multimedia properties. Short lived.
VEI - The best. So many variants.
DMG - Low output, less experienced creators.
Alien Books - ?

Each had a distinct flavor. I’m curious what the next will be.

The worst we've seen was iBooks' Magnus graphic novel followed probably by Dynamite's Gold Key comics. It can't be as bad as that, right?

[Chiclo]

Fingers crossed

V1 - The beginning.
Acclaim - Multimedia properties. Short lived.
VEI - The best. So many variants.
DMG - Low output, less experienced creators.
Alien Books - ?

Each had a distinct flavor. I’m curious what the next will be.

The worst we've seen was iBooks' Magnus graphic novel followed probably by Dynamite's Gold Key comics. It can't be as bad as that, right?

It can always be worse.

[ManofTheAtom]

Fingers crossed

V1 - The beginning.
Acclaim - Multimedia properties. Short lived.
VEI - The best. So many variants.
DMG - Low output, less experienced creators.
Alien Books - ?

Each had a distinct flavor. I’m curious what the next will be.

The worst we've seen was iBooks' Magnus graphic novel followed probably by Dynamite's Gold Key comics. It can't be as bad as that, right?

It can always be worse.

Well, so far we know it won't be a reboot as stated by Alien Books on Facebook, which is good.

[Ryan]

Fingers crossed

V1 - The beginning.
Acclaim - Multimedia properties. Short lived.
VEI - The best. So many variants.
DMG - Low output, less experienced creators.
Alien Books - ?

Each had a distinct flavor. I’m curious what the next will be.

The worst we've seen was iBooks' Magnus graphic novel followed probably by Dynamite's Gold Key comics. It can't be as bad as that, right?

I hope people's expectations are higher than 'hopefully better than iBooks Magnus'. The current X-O book is light years better than iBooks Magnus but still not good in my eyes and feels nothing like a VALIANT book. However I acknowledge that my taste is narrow and at this point who's to say what a VALIANT book should be, they've tried about everything.

I'll withhold any judgements on Alien Books since there doesn't seem to be much of previous work to look at (correct me if I'm wrong). They obviously have some funding so they can take it in whatever direction they want.

[ManofTheAtom]

Fingers crossed

V1 - The beginning.
Acclaim - Multimedia properties. Short lived.
VEI - The best. So many variants.
DMG - Low output, less experienced creators.
Alien Books - ?

Each had a distinct flavor. I’m curious what the next will be.

The worst we've seen was iBooks' Magnus graphic novel followed probably by Dynamite's Gold Key comics. It can't be as bad as that, right?

I hope people's expectations are higher than 'hopefully better than iBooks Magnus'. The current X-O book is light years better than iBooks Magnus but still not good in my eyes and feels nothing like a VALIANT book. However I acknowledge that my taste is narrow and at this point who's to say what a VALIANT book should be, they've tried about everything.

I'll withhold any judgements on Alien Books since there doesn't seem to be much of previous work to look at (correct me if I'm wrong). They obviously have some funding so they can take it in whatever direction they want.

I just flipped through Unconquered and it looks good. Yes, not much of a VALIANT book given it takes place in space, but it's still not bad.

[Ryan]

I just flipped through Unconquered and it looks good. Yes, not much of a VALIANT book given it takes place in space, but it's still not bad.

I don't think flipping through is enough to determine that. I read issue 1 and it's pure Marvel style space fantasy. New alien races out of nowhere, traveling across galaxies with little explanation, etc. That's not to say it's all bad, I like some space fantasy, it's just not what VALIANT is to me and it also seems to have little to do with previous VEI versions. That doesn't mean it can't be good, I just found myself not interested in it for that and other reasons.

One thing the VEI era has never lacked is professional presentation. They've always looked great on a flip-through.

[ManofTheAtom]

I just flipped through Unconquered and it looks good. Yes, not much of a VALIANT book given it takes place in space, but it's still not bad.

I don't think flipping through is enough to determine that. I read issue 1 and it's pure Marvel style space fantasy. New alien races out of nowhere, traveling across galaxies with little explanation, etc. That's not to say it's all bad, I like some space fantasy, it's just not what VALIANT is to me and it also seems to have little to do with previous VEI versions. That doesn't mean it can't be good, I just found myself not interested in it for that and other reasons.

One thing the VEI era has never lacked is professional presentation. They've always looked great on a flip-through.

Well, it does seem better than that arc from VH 1 in which Aric got lost in space.

[Ryan]

I just flipped through Unconquered and it looks good. Yes, not much of a VALIANT book given it takes place in space, but it's still not bad.

I don't think flipping through is enough to determine that. I read issue 1 and it's pure Marvel style space fantasy. New alien races out of nowhere, traveling across galaxies with little explanation, etc. That's not to say it's all bad, I like some space fantasy, it's just not what VALIANT is to me and it also seems to have little to do with previous VEI versions. That doesn't mean it can't be good, I just found myself not interested in it for that and other reasons.

One thing the VEI era has never lacked is professional presentation. They've always looked great on a flip-through.

Well, it does seem better than that arc from VH 1 in which Aric got lost in space.

Not even remembering which issues that was X-O fell off a cliff quality-wise after Unity worse than most of the books IMO. The writing was generally bad, and with the exception of the early Bart Sears work (which was good in an Imagey way) the art was pretty poor too. I think you could grab just about any issue of VEI X-O (except the Hopeless stuff) and it would look a lot better than most of the Post-Unity X-O issues.

To get back on topic, I'll be cautiously optimistic for any new Valiant comics

[ManofTheAtom]

I just flipped through Unconquered and it looks good. Yes, not much of a VALIANT book given it takes place in space, but it's still not bad.

I don't think flipping through is enough to determine that. I read issue 1 and it's pure Marvel style space fantasy. New alien races out of nowhere, traveling across galaxies with little explanation, etc. That's not to say it's all bad, I like some space fantasy, it's just not what VALIANT is to me and it also seems to have little to do with previous VEI versions. That doesn't mean it can't be good, I just found myself not interested in it for that and other reasons.

One thing the VEI era has never lacked is professional presentation. They've always looked great on a flip-through.

Well, it does seem better than that arc from VH 1 in which Aric got lost in space.

Not even remembering which issues that was X-O fell off a cliff quality-wise after Unity worse than most of the books IMO. The writing was generally bad, and with the exception of the early Bart Sears work (which was good in an Imagey way) the art was pretty poor too. I think you could grab just about any issue of VEI X-O (except the Hopeless stuff) and it would look a lot better than most of the Post-Unity X-O issues.

To get back on topic, I'll be cautiously optimistic for any new Valiant comics

Interesting. I didn't dislike the post Unity comics (indeed, they're what made me a fan). I think there were a lot of good issues of X-O after it.

As for the art, it was their house style, heh.

[Ryan]

I just flipped through Unconquered and it looks good. Yes, not much of a VALIANT book given it takes place in space, but it's still not bad.

I don't think flipping through is enough to determine that. I read issue 1 and it's pure Marvel style space fantasy. New alien races out of nowhere, traveling across galaxies with little explanation, etc. That's not to say it's all bad, I like some space fantasy, it's just not what VALIANT is to me and it also seems to have little to do with previous VEI versions. That doesn't mean it can't be good, I just found myself not interested in it for that and other reasons.

One thing the VEI era has never lacked is professional presentation. They've always looked great on a flip-through.

Well, it does seem better than that arc from VH 1 in which Aric got lost in space.

Not even remembering which issues that was X-O fell off a cliff quality-wise after Unity worse than most of the books IMO. The writing was generally bad, and with the exception of the early Bart Sears work (which was good in an Imagey way) the art was pretty poor too. I think you could grab just about any issue of VEI X-O (except the Hopeless stuff) and it would look a lot better than most of the Post-Unity X-O issues.

To get back on topic, I'll be cautiously optimistic for any new Valiant comics

Interesting. I didn't dislike the post Unity comics (indeed, they're what made me a fan). I think there were a lot of good issues of X-O after it.

As for the art, it was their house style, heh.

That's cool, quality of art and fiction is certainly subjective. I was obviously a fan all through Vh1 and read as much as I could afford at the time. To me, the quality and attention to detail deteriorated quickly after Unity. Doesn't mean there aren't still good issues or fun stories. Some would say the art gets better as Layton seemed to embrace a more illustrative approach (Sears, Quesada, etc.). I would argue that a lot of the 'house style' post-Unity issues get worse though as more of the duties fell to interns.

[ManofTheAtom]

I just flipped through Unconquered and it looks good. Yes, not much of a VALIANT book given it takes place in space, but it's still not bad.

I don't think flipping through is enough to determine that. I read issue 1 and it's pure Marvel style space fantasy. New alien races out of nowhere, traveling across galaxies with little explanation, etc. That's not to say it's all bad, I like some space fantasy, it's just not what VALIANT is to me and it also seems to have little to do with previous VEI versions. That doesn't mean it can't be good, I just found myself not interested in it for that and other reasons.

One thing the VEI era has never lacked is professional presentation. They've always looked great on a flip-through.

Well, it does seem better than that arc from VH 1 in which Aric got lost in space.

Not even remembering which issues that was X-O fell off a cliff quality-wise after Unity worse than most of the books IMO. The writing was generally bad, and with the exception of the early Bart Sears work (which was good in an Imagey way) the art was pretty poor too. I think you could grab just about any issue of VEI X-O (except the Hopeless stuff) and it would look a lot better than most of the Post-Unity X-O issues.

To get back on topic, I'll be cautiously optimistic for any new Valiant comics

Interesting. I didn't dislike the post Unity comics (indeed, they're what made me a fan). I think there were a lot of good issues of X-O after it.

As for the art, it was their house style, heh.

That's cool, quality of art and fiction is certainly subjective. I was obviously a fan all through Vh1 and read as much as I could afford at the time. To me, the quality and attention to detail deteriorated quickly after Unity. Doesn't mean there aren't still good issues or fun stories. Some would say the art gets better as Layton seemed to embrace a more illustrative approach (Sears, Quesada, etc.). I would argue that a lot of the 'house style' post-Unity issues get worse though as more of the duties fell to interns.

Interesting.

[GammaJosh]

the sky is falling

How is this bad news?

DMG is still in charge. that's it. that equals bad news.

They got rid of people who cared about building the IP in the medium it came from: comic books.

Then they nearly stopped supporting the IP, and wondered why their IP wasn't making money like they wanted.

Now they're letting someone else help them figure out how to squeeze money out of owning comic book IP.

So far, I'm not really impressed with DMG management of Valiant... that's why I assume this is just another mistake.

You're looking at this wrong. No, DMG did not and does not give a *SQUEE* about comic books. But Alien Books had to actively reach out and license this IP. That means they *want* to publish these comics and believe they can do so successfully. People who want to make comic books are handling Valiant characters again.

[ManofTheAtom]

the sky is falling

How is this bad news?

DMG is still in charge. that's it. that equals bad news.

They got rid of people who cared about building the IP in the medium it came from: comic books.

Then they nearly stopped supporting the IP, and wondered why their IP wasn't making money like they wanted.

Now they're letting someone else help them figure out how to squeeze money out of owning comic book IP.

So far, I'm not really impressed with DMG management of Valiant... that's why I assume this is just another mistake.

You're looking at this wrong. No, DMG did not and does not give a *SQUEE* about comic books. But Alien Books had to actively reach out and license this IP. That means they *want* to publish these comics and believe they can do so successfully. People who want to make comic books are handling Valiant characters again.

Definitely. I'm hopeful.

[grendeljd]

the sky is falling

How is this bad news?

DMG is still in charge. that's it. that equals bad news.

They got rid of people who cared about building the IP in the medium it came from: comic books.

Then they nearly stopped supporting the IP, and wondered why their IP wasn't making money like they wanted.

Now they're letting someone else help them figure out how to squeeze money out of owning comic book IP.

So far, I'm not really impressed with DMG management of Valiant... that's why I assume this is just another mistake.

You're looking at this wrong. No, DMG did not and does not give a *SQUEE* about comic books. But Alien Books had to actively reach out and license this IP. That means they *want* to publish these comics and believe they can do so successfully. People who want to make comic books are handling Valiant characters again.

Definitely. I'm hopeful.

As discussed over on the FB Valiant fan page, I’m with Gamma Josh in terms of staying positive about the fact that a publisher that wants to publish comics is going to take on the Valiant U again. Hopefully it works out and we get some great new stuff.

However I do simultaneously feel that it is a terrible shame that DMG has actually dismantled VEI to the point where they only barely exist as a marketing group trying to farm out the Valiant IP for cash opportunities with almost zero Valiant involvement (aka, minimal overhead expenses - like employees!). I do not hold any negative feelings towards anyone who works or worked at Valiant since DMG took over, in fact I sympathize with their plight generally.

I think all this mismanagement comes from the parent company, of course - and I just wish that they would part ways with Valiant to allow Valiant itself to become a proper publisher again under new ownership, rather than engaging in this newer, somehow more terrible wrinkle of bottom feeding parasitic business practice.

Sorry for that last negative tangent too, lol - I really am trying to stay positive about the possibilities for the line in the hands of the new licensee company!

[ManofTheAtom]

the sky is falling

How is this bad news?

DMG is still in charge. that's it. that equals bad news.

They got rid of people who cared about building the IP in the medium it came from: comic books.

Then they nearly stopped supporting the IP, and wondered why their IP wasn't making money like they wanted.

Now they're letting someone else help them figure out how to squeeze money out of owning comic book IP.

So far, I'm not really impressed with DMG management of Valiant... that's why I assume this is just another mistake.

You're looking at this wrong. No, DMG did not and does not give a *SQUEE* about comic books. But Alien Books had to actively reach out and license this IP. That means they *want* to publish these comics and believe they can do so successfully. People who want to make comic books are handling Valiant characters again.

Definitely. I'm hopeful.

As discussed over on the FB Valiant fan page, I’m with Gamma Josh in terms of staying positive about the fact that a publisher that wants to publish comics is going to take on the Valiant U again. Hopefully it works out and we get some great new stuff.

However I do simultaneously feel that it is a terrible shame that DMG has actually dismantled VEI to the point where they only barely exist as a marketing group trying to farm out the Valiant IP for cash opportunities with almost zero Valiant involvement (aka, minimal overhead expenses - like employees!). I do not hold any negative feelings towards anyone who works or worked at Valiant since DMG took over, in fact I sympathize with their plight generally.

I think all this mismanagement comes from the parent company, of course - and I just wish that they would part ways with Valiant to allow Valiant itself to become a proper publisher again under new ownership, rather than engaging in this newer, somehow more terrible wrinkle of bottom feeding parasitic business practice.

Sorry for that last negative tangent too, lol - I really am trying to stay positive about the possibilities for the line in the hands of the new licensee company!

Just replace DMG with Acclaim in what you said and we're back to where we started.

Hopefully DMG will be as hands off with Alien Books as Random House was with Voyager Communications, and Alien Books will work out better than iBooks and Dynamite did with Magnus, Solar, and Turok.