Valiant Comics
Encyclopedia
Valiant Comics is a comic book imprint published by various publishers since its inception with Voyager Communications, Inc. in 1989, later Acclaim Comics, Inc. Its assets were purchased from the bankruptcy of the Acclaim Entertaintment (Acclaim Comics' parent company) by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2007.
, former manager of the Allman Brothers Band Steven J. Massarsky, and a group of investors attempted to purchase Marvel Entertainment
. They submitted the second highest bid, with financier Ronald Perelman
submitting the highest bid and acquiring Marvel.
Shooter and Massarsky instead formed Voyager Communications in 1989 with significant venture capital financing from Triumph Capital. After publishing licensed comics with Nintendo
and the World Wrestling Federation, Voyager repositioned itself to focus on its initial plan – creating original superhero comic books under the Valiant Comics imprint.
Valiant recruited numerous writers and artists from Marvel, including industry legend Barry Windsor-Smith
, creator of Wolverine
's acclaimed Weapon X
storyline, and Bob Layton
, architect of many of Iron Man
's key stories.
Shooter, Windsor-Smith, and Layton served at the creative helm of Valiant, and they recruited a diverse group of both veteran and young creators to complete their team. Valiant launched an interconnected line of superhero comics with Western Publishing licensed characters and then turned to creating an original universe of characters.
In 1992, Valiant released original titles, including Harbinger
, X-O Manowar
, Rai
, and Shadowman
, followed by a major crossover event called Unity
, during which Eternal Warrior
and Archer & Armstrong
were introduced. Harbinger #1 was listed on the top ten List of Wizard Magazine, the industry's leading trade magazine, for a record eight consecutive months and was eventually named "Collectible of the Decade," while Rai #0 appeared on Wizards top ten list for a new record nine consecutive months. In 1992, Valiant's Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for co-creating the Valiant Universe.
Valiant also pioneered a number of marketing innovations, such as the zero "origin" issues, the gold logo program, coupons redeemable for original comic books, and chromium covers. Following the popular Unity crossover, Valiant released Bloodshot, Ninjak, H.A.R.D. Corps, Second Life of Dr. Mirage, and Timewalker, among other titles. Valiant's market share reached a level almost identical to DC Comics, a company whose characters were created 50 years earlier, and in 1993 Valiant was named Publisher of the Year ahead of Marvel Comics and DC Comics. In terms of sales, Valiant's comics rivaled those of the industry leaders Marvel, DC, and Image. During this period, comics based on Valiant's characters regularly occupied numerous spots in Wizard Top 10 hottest comics of a given month. Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Rai, Shadowman, Ninjak, Eternal Warrior and others would compete with Batman, Spiderman, Spawn, X-Men and others for the top rankings. A series of highly successful characters cemented Valiant's place as an industry heavyweight, for example — Bloodshot #1 sold 900,000 copies, X-O Manowar #0 sold 850,000, Rai #9 sold 800,000, Secret Weapons #1 sold 650,000, Ninjak #1 sold 500,000, Second Life of Dr. Mirage sold 500,000, etc. At this point, Valiant characters had sold more than 50 million comic books.
. Acclaim later discontinued publishing Valiant comic books and focused on developing Valiant action adventure video games targeting a younger demographic than Valiant comic book readers. From 1996 to 2002, Acclaim created a number of successful multi-platform released Valiant video games, such as the Shadowman franchise and Iron Man X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal (which featured Valiant's X-O Manowar alongside Marvel's Iron Man) with Valiant video game sales exceeded 8 million units and grossed over $300 million.
In 2003, Acclaim Entertainment's video game business was taking significant risks, including limited diversification. After losing a major sports video game license and without any new hits, Acclaim became financially insolvent and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2005.
Legal battles for the rights to Valiant trademarks occurred as a rival group, Valiant Intellectual Properties LLC (VIP), which had made trademark filings for some titles, due to a belief that Acclaim had failed to renew the trademarks correctly. This held up distribution of titles by Diamond Distribution. VE eventual won with Jim Shooter
continuing to write new stories for its hardcover reprints.
In late 2008, Jim Shooter was hired as Editor-In-Chief but only lasted until summer of 2009. In October 2009, Valiant sued Jim Shooter
for breach of contract after accepting a writing contract with Dark Horse
's relaunch of the Gold Key characters considered key to Valiant's publishing plan.
In August 2011, Cuneo & Co.
invested in to Valiant Entertainment with Cuneo and Co.'s principals, Peter and Gavin Cuneo, joined Valiant's board as chairman and director respectively.
The Valiant Universe is the fictional
shared universe
where all comic
stories published by Valiant Comics take place.
with emphasis on science fiction, long-reaching consequences and internal consistency. Valiant was the first company to attempt to follow a real-world timeline, in which events in the comics occurred at a pace similar to their publication schedules. The company writers adhered to real-world science as much as possible. No matter how powerful the characters became, they were still affected by friction
, Newton's Laws of Motion
, Einstein's laws of relativity, etc.
While the Valiant Universe had its share of aliens, the writers never employed such popular science fiction conventions as universal translators or faster-than-light travel. All Valiant Universe superheroes had powers derived from psionic awareness (the "power of the mind"), energy manipulation or technology. Valiant Comics's writers tried to emphasize the human aspect of superpowers, as well as how the actions of various super-powered individuals affected average human beings. Most Valiant heroes were not as moral as average comic book heroes with many having more in common with 1940's pulp adventurers than traditional superheroes. Valiant Comics titles were set in a tight, carefully integrated fictional universe, where events in one title could have indirect effects on other titles. In several cases, major characters debuted in established titles before their own titles were launched.
The Valiant Universe was created by Solar
as the result of his attempt to recreate his universe after he accidentally destroyed it. As a result, a universe similar to his own emerged. Solar's psychological tendencies manifested themselves in his recreation of the universe. It was eventually discovered that several times during Valiant Universe's history, Earth was attacked by a race of spider-like aliens, who sought to use the human race for slave labor and food. Their efforts were indirectly responsible for the creation of several heroes, most notably X-O Manowar
and Shadowman
.
The early 1990s saw the rise of psionically empowered humans called Harbingers
. They were led by Toyo Harada
, a powerful psionic businessman with a Messiah complex
. While on the surface he operated in a manner similar to Professor X
avier of the X-Men
, he actually sought to use Harbingers to take over Earth, in order to "save the world from itself", with himself as leader. The history of the Valiant Universe's super-powered community was greatly influenced by Geomancers
, human beings who had an ability to listen to psychic impressions left on most everyday objects.
From the beginning, all Valiant Comics titles were divided into two groups:
Heroes from the present were not aware of heroes in the future until the Unity crossover. Four heroes from the present - Solar
, Gilad the Eternal Warrior
and his two brothers, Ivar ("Timewalker
") and Aram (Armstrong from Archer & Armstrong
) - survived into the 41st century, but their experiences through the centuries had made them different from their contemporary counterparts.
and Kevin VanHook
. In 1994, Valiant trimmed their comics line while moving to a two-issues-per-month schedule for their more popular titles (Bloodshot
, Harbinger
, Ninjak
, Shadowman
, X-O Manowar
etc.). Soon after, Acclaim Entertainment
, who had bought Valiant several months before, restarted the comics line with new versions of the heroes which could be used as video game properties.
comic books, based on the popular collectible card game
.
Windjammer was established as Acclaim's creator-owned line, for comic book writers and artists to publish their own material without giving up the copyrights to their creations. Titles published under Windjammer included Neal Adams
' creator owned Knighthawk, Samuree, Valeria the She-Bat, and Mike Grell
's creator owned Starslayer
and Bar Sinister.
bought Valiant Comics, the universe was completely restarted. In 1996, with all previous Valiant Universe (VH1) titles canceled, Fabian Nicieza
, a former editor and writer from Marvel Comics
, was hired as senior vice-president and editor-in-chief and given the task of revamping Valiant Comics properties.
As editor, Nicieza oversaw the new version, dubbed VH2 by the company, which re-imagined all of the Valiant characters such as Shadowman
, X-O Manowar
and Ninjak
, using the top comic book writers of the period including Warren Ellis
, Mark Waid
, Kurt Busiek
and Garth Ennis
. The line also introduced new titles such as Troublemakers
, Trinity Angels and the hit comedy Quantum and Woody
.
The most successful titles during this period were the re-imagined Turok
and Shadowman
, which sold well. The characters were later developed into successful video game properties by Acclaim's parent company, Acclaim Entertainment
.
Originally, this new universe appeared to have little to do with the original Valiant Universe, or VH-1. However, later crossovers revealed that the Acclaim Universe was the result of a time paradox caused by Solar.
The Acclaim Universe was similar to other superhero-based universes, but wasn't as interconnected as the Valiant Universe that preceded it. Writers began to experiment with the scientific aspects of Valiant Universe and moved away from scientific fact and theory, towards science fiction.
Acclaim Comics met with initial success but by early 1999 most of the line had been cancelled. Acclaim Entertainment suffered huge losses on a number of video game titles and were cutting costs on their non-core businesses. Nicieza eventually left and staff levels were cut. The next year Acclaim attempted to merge the two universes with Unity 2000
.
crossover, writer Jim Shooter
introduced yet another alternate universe, unofficially called VH-0 by fans. In essence, it was his vision of what the Valiant Universe would have been if he had stayed with the company. According to Jim Shooter's plot, at the end of the crossover the VH-0 universe was destroyed and most of its characters killed; VH-1 and VH-2 were fused together into a new universe. However, Acclaim continued to suffer losses on their video games while the series suffered a number of administrative problems (art return and payment issues) and were forced to cancel the series after only the third issue.
In 2005, the rights to the Valiant and Acclaim original characters (such as Archer and Armstrong, Rai
, Quantum and Woody
etc.) were auctioned off. The rights to the three licensed characters (Solar, Magnus and Turok) reverted to Random House
, which currently owns Western Publishing
and Gold Key Comics
properties.
Valiant updated its logo, changing the typeface from a fancy script to a thick bold script, in November 1992, this change occurred only two months after the end of the successful Unity crossover and following the departure of Jim Shooter.
Immediately after the Chaos Effect crossover the logo was updated again: the type face was kept but the wording was changed to "Valiant Presents". The compass logo was diminished in size and moved from below the text.
After the sale to Acclaim Entertainment Inc. for $65 million, the logo was completely revamped. The compass logo was replaced by a large letter "V" that appeared above the wording "Valiant", which appeared in a new type face (the same went with both the Armada and Windjammer imprints).
To coincide with the Acclaim Comics relaunch in 1996, another completely revamped logo was created. This logo signified the synergy between Acclaim and Valiant, merging the letters "A" and "V" into one logo with the wording "Acclaim Comics Valiant Heroes".
More recently, following the formation of Valiant Entertainment, the compass logo has reappeared along with a variation of the original type face. The only major change is the addition of the wording "Entertainment".
On August 15, 2007 Valiant Entertainment unveiled the new Valiant logo, designed by corporate identity consultant Henry Steiner
; the logo to be used in all media made its debut on the Harbinger: The Beginning hardcover.
Voyager Communications
In 1988, former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics Jim ShooterJim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
, former manager of the Allman Brothers Band Steven J. Massarsky, and a group of investors attempted to purchase Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC , formerly Marvel Enterprises and Toy Biz, Inc., is an American entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and Toy Biz, Inc....
. They submitted the second highest bid, with financier Ronald Perelman
Ronald Perelman
Ronald Owen Perelman is an American business magnate. Through his company MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., he has invested in various companies in grocery, cigar, licorice, makeup, car, photography, television, camping, security, lottery, jewelry, banks, and comic book industries.-Early...
submitting the highest bid and acquiring Marvel.
Shooter and Massarsky instead formed Voyager Communications in 1989 with significant venture capital financing from Triumph Capital. After publishing licensed comics with Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and the World Wrestling Federation, Voyager repositioned itself to focus on its initial plan – creating original superhero comic books under the Valiant Comics imprint.
Valiant recruited numerous writers and artists from Marvel, including industry legend Barry Windsor-Smith
Barry Windsor-Smith
Barry Windsor-Smith, born Barry Smith is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States....
, creator of Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
's acclaimed Weapon X
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...
storyline, and Bob Layton
Bob Layton
Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...
, architect of many of Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
's key stories.
In 1992, Valiant released original titles, including Harbinger
Harbinger (comics)
Harbinger was a comic book series published by Valiant Comics about a group of teenage super-powered outcasts known as Harbingers. Harbinger initially featured writing and art by Jim Shooter and David Lapham...
, X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar is a fictional superhero co-created by writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, artist Bob Layton, and Jon Hartz. Current Marvel Comics Chief Creative Officier Joe Quesada was a key creator in the origin of X-O Manowar as seen in X-O Manowar #0...
, Rai
Rai (comics)
Rai is a fictional superhero that appeared in books published by Valiant Comics. Rai was the first original hero created by Valiant and had its beginning as a flipbook back-up feature in Magnus Robot Fighter issues #5-8. The popularity of the flipbook back-up story later led to an ongoing series...
, and Shadowman
Shadowman (comics)
Shadowman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The character debuted in Shadowman #1 , and was created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, artist David Lapham and inker Bob Layton...
, followed by a major crossover event called Unity
Unity (Comics)
Unity is a company-wide crossover story published by Valiant Comics in the summer of 1992.-Overview:The Unity story comprises eighteen issues and nine comic book series, published by Valiant during August and September 1992. It tells of Erica Pierce, the Mothergod, trying to rewrite reality and...
, during which Eternal Warrior
Eternal Warrior
Gilad Anni-Padda aka the Eternal Warrior is the title character of a 50-issue comic book series by Valiant Comics that ran from 1992 to 1996. Eternal Warrior was relaunched with the other Valiant characters under the banner of Acclaim Comics in 1996 . Valiant Entertainment, Inc...
and Archer & Armstrong
Archer & Armstrong
Archer & Armstrong are the title characters of the popular comic book series published by Valiant Comics. Among the most commercially and critically acclaimed buddy comedies in comics, Archer & Armstrong features writing and art by comic legend Barry Windsor-Smith...
were introduced. Harbinger #1 was listed on the top ten List of Wizard Magazine, the industry's leading trade magazine, for a record eight consecutive months and was eventually named "Collectible of the Decade," while Rai #0 appeared on Wizards top ten list for a new record nine consecutive months. In 1992, Valiant's Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for co-creating the Valiant Universe.
Valiant also pioneered a number of marketing innovations, such as the zero "origin" issues, the gold logo program, coupons redeemable for original comic books, and chromium covers. Following the popular Unity crossover, Valiant released Bloodshot, Ninjak, H.A.R.D. Corps, Second Life of Dr. Mirage, and Timewalker, among other titles. Valiant's market share reached a level almost identical to DC Comics, a company whose characters were created 50 years earlier, and in 1993 Valiant was named Publisher of the Year ahead of Marvel Comics and DC Comics. In terms of sales, Valiant's comics rivaled those of the industry leaders Marvel, DC, and Image. During this period, comics based on Valiant's characters regularly occupied numerous spots in Wizard Top 10 hottest comics of a given month. Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Rai, Shadowman, Ninjak, Eternal Warrior and others would compete with Batman, Spiderman, Spawn, X-Men and others for the top rankings. A series of highly successful characters cemented Valiant's place as an industry heavyweight, for example — Bloodshot #1 sold 900,000 copies, X-O Manowar #0 sold 850,000, Rai #9 sold 800,000, Secret Weapons #1 sold 650,000, Ninjak #1 sold 500,000, Second Life of Dr. Mirage sold 500,000, etc. At this point, Valiant characters had sold more than 50 million comic books.
Acclaim Comics
In 1994, Triumph Capital decided to exit their investment, and Valiant was sold to video game publisher Acclaim EntertainmentAcclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
. Acclaim later discontinued publishing Valiant comic books and focused on developing Valiant action adventure video games targeting a younger demographic than Valiant comic book readers. From 1996 to 2002, Acclaim created a number of successful multi-platform released Valiant video games, such as the Shadowman franchise and Iron Man X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal (which featured Valiant's X-O Manowar alongside Marvel's Iron Man) with Valiant video game sales exceeded 8 million units and grossed over $300 million.
In 2003, Acclaim Entertainment's video game business was taking significant risks, including limited diversification. After losing a major sports video game license and without any new hits, Acclaim became financially insolvent and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2005.
Valiant Entertainment
In 2007, a group of investment professionals and media executives led by entrepreneurs Dinesh Shamdasani and Jason Kothari acquired all the rights to the Valiant Comics library from Acclaim Entertainment's estate and formed Valiant Entertainment (VE).Legal battles for the rights to Valiant trademarks occurred as a rival group, Valiant Intellectual Properties LLC (VIP), which had made trademark filings for some titles, due to a belief that Acclaim had failed to renew the trademarks correctly. This held up distribution of titles by Diamond Distribution. VE eventual won with Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
continuing to write new stories for its hardcover reprints.
In late 2008, Jim Shooter was hired as Editor-In-Chief but only lasted until summer of 2009. In October 2009, Valiant sued Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
for breach of contract after accepting a writing contract with Dark Horse
Dark horse
Dark horse is a term used to describe a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort.-Origin:The term began as horse racing parlance...
's relaunch of the Gold Key characters considered key to Valiant's publishing plan.
In August 2011, Cuneo & Co.
Peter Cuneo
Peter Cuneo was born during WWII at Alameda Naval Air Station in California where his father was a Navy pilot. His family followed his father through numerous military assignments associated with World War II and the Korean War...
invested in to Valiant Entertainment with Cuneo and Co.'s principals, Peter and Gavin Cuneo, joined Valiant's board as chairman and director respectively.
Universes
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
where all comic
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
stories published by Valiant Comics take place.
Pre-Unity
In the beginning, the Valiant Universe was a reflection of Jim Shooter's vision for an ideal comic book universe: character-driven, strong continuityContinuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
with emphasis on science fiction, long-reaching consequences and internal consistency. Valiant was the first company to attempt to follow a real-world timeline, in which events in the comics occurred at a pace similar to their publication schedules. The company writers adhered to real-world science as much as possible. No matter how powerful the characters became, they were still affected by friction
Friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...
, Newton's Laws of Motion
Newton's laws of motion
Newton's laws of motion are three physical laws that form the basis for classical mechanics. They describe the relationship between the forces acting on a body and its motion due to those forces...
, Einstein's laws of relativity, etc.
While the Valiant Universe had its share of aliens, the writers never employed such popular science fiction conventions as universal translators or faster-than-light travel. All Valiant Universe superheroes had powers derived from psionic awareness (the "power of the mind"), energy manipulation or technology. Valiant Comics's writers tried to emphasize the human aspect of superpowers, as well as how the actions of various super-powered individuals affected average human beings. Most Valiant heroes were not as moral as average comic book heroes with many having more in common with 1940's pulp adventurers than traditional superheroes. Valiant Comics titles were set in a tight, carefully integrated fictional universe, where events in one title could have indirect effects on other titles. In several cases, major characters debuted in established titles before their own titles were launched.
The Valiant Universe was created by Solar
Solar (comics)
Solar is an American fictional comic book character. Originally known as Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, he first appeared in a comic book published by Gold Key Comics in the 1960s. He has since appeared in other incarnations in books published by Valiant Comics in the 1990s, and Dark Horse Comics...
as the result of his attempt to recreate his universe after he accidentally destroyed it. As a result, a universe similar to his own emerged. Solar's psychological tendencies manifested themselves in his recreation of the universe. It was eventually discovered that several times during Valiant Universe's history, Earth was attacked by a race of spider-like aliens, who sought to use the human race for slave labor and food. Their efforts were indirectly responsible for the creation of several heroes, most notably X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar is a fictional superhero co-created by writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, artist Bob Layton, and Jon Hartz. Current Marvel Comics Chief Creative Officier Joe Quesada was a key creator in the origin of X-O Manowar as seen in X-O Manowar #0...
and Shadowman
Shadowman (comics)
Shadowman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The character debuted in Shadowman #1 , and was created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, artist David Lapham and inker Bob Layton...
.
The early 1990s saw the rise of psionically empowered humans called Harbingers
Harbingers (comics)
Harbingers are fictional characters with superhuman powers who appeared in every Valiant Comics title. Two different groups of Harbingers appeared in the comic book series Harbinger.- History :...
. They were led by Toyo Harada
Toyo Harada
Toyo Harada is a comic book character, who has appeared in various series published by Valiant Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter.-Fictional character biography:He is the most powerful psionic on Earth...
, a powerful psionic businessman with a Messiah complex
Messiah complex
A messiah complex is a state of mind in which an individual holds a belief they are, or are destined to become, a savior. The messiah complex does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ....
. While on the surface he operated in a manner similar to Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
avier of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, he actually sought to use Harbingers to take over Earth, in order to "save the world from itself", with himself as leader. The history of the Valiant Universe's super-powered community was greatly influenced by Geomancers
Geomancers (comics)
Geomancers are a group of fictional comic book characters that appeared in every major title published by Valiant Comics. The Earth has only one Geomancer at a time. When the line was rebooted by Acclaim Entertainment, they, unlike many other characters, didn't reappear in any...
, human beings who had an ability to listen to psychic impressions left on most everyday objects.
From the beginning, all Valiant Comics titles were divided into two groups:
- titles in the 20th century (the present)
- titles set in the 41st century (beginning with 4000 A.D.).
Heroes from the present were not aware of heroes in the future until the Unity crossover. Four heroes from the present - Solar
Solar (comics)
Solar is an American fictional comic book character. Originally known as Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, he first appeared in a comic book published by Gold Key Comics in the 1960s. He has since appeared in other incarnations in books published by Valiant Comics in the 1990s, and Dark Horse Comics...
, Gilad the Eternal Warrior
Eternal Warrior
Gilad Anni-Padda aka the Eternal Warrior is the title character of a 50-issue comic book series by Valiant Comics that ran from 1992 to 1996. Eternal Warrior was relaunched with the other Valiant characters under the banner of Acclaim Comics in 1996 . Valiant Entertainment, Inc...
and his two brothers, Ivar ("Timewalker
Timewalker
Ivar the Timewalker is a character in the Valiant Comics universe. Created by artist and writer Barry Windsor-Smith, he first appeared in Archer and Armstrong #8 which was a flip book with Eternal Warrior #8....
") and Aram (Armstrong from Archer & Armstrong
Archer & Armstrong
Archer & Armstrong are the title characters of the popular comic book series published by Valiant Comics. Among the most commercially and critically acclaimed buddy comedies in comics, Archer & Armstrong features writing and art by comic legend Barry Windsor-Smith...
) - survived into the 41st century, but their experiences through the centuries had made them different from their contemporary counterparts.
Post-Unity
Following Jim Shooter's departure, the Valiant Universe changed under the creative direction of Bob LaytonBob Layton
Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...
and Kevin VanHook
Kevin VanHook
Kevin VanHook is an American filmmaker who began his career in storytelling as a comic book artist and writer. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.-Biography:...
. In 1994, Valiant trimmed their comics line while moving to a two-issues-per-month schedule for their more popular titles (Bloodshot
Bloodshot (comics)
Bloodshot is the title character of the American comic book series published by Valiant Comics.-Publication history:Bloodshot was launched in the mid 1990s on the back of a wave of popularity for the Valiant Universe. Bloodshot became an immediate hit with readers, as the first issue has sold...
, Harbinger
Harbinger (comics)
Harbinger was a comic book series published by Valiant Comics about a group of teenage super-powered outcasts known as Harbingers. Harbinger initially featured writing and art by Jim Shooter and David Lapham...
, Ninjak
Ninjak
Ninjak is a fictional comic book character that originally appeared in eponymous books by Valiant Comics, and later by Acclaim Comics. Co-created by writer Mark Moretti and artist Joe Quesada, the character first appeared in Bloodshot #6 as Colin King and quickly gained his own series...
, Shadowman
Shadowman (comics)
Shadowman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The character debuted in Shadowman #1 , and was created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, artist David Lapham and inker Bob Layton...
, X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar is a fictional superhero co-created by writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, artist Bob Layton, and Jon Hartz. Current Marvel Comics Chief Creative Officier Joe Quesada was a key creator in the origin of X-O Manowar as seen in X-O Manowar #0...
etc.). Soon after, Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
, who had bought Valiant several months before, restarted the comics line with new versions of the heroes which could be used as video game properties.
Armada and Windjammer divisions
In 1995, Valiant Comics created two new division imprints, Armada and Windjammer. Armada focused on the publisher's line to publish licensed properties. Properties licensed to the Armada imprint included a series of various original Magic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
comic books, based on the popular collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
.
Windjammer was established as Acclaim's creator-owned line, for comic book writers and artists to publish their own material without giving up the copyrights to their creations. Titles published under Windjammer included Neal Adams
Neal Adams
Neal Adams is an American comic book and commercial artist known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; as the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates; and as a creators-rights advocate who...
' creator owned Knighthawk, Samuree, Valeria the She-Bat, and Mike Grell
Mike Grell
Mike Grell is a comic book writer and artist, known for his work on books such as Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Jon Sable Freelance.-Early life:...
's creator owned Starslayer
Starslayer
Starslayer: The Log of the Jolly Roger was an American comic book series created by Mike Grell.-Publication history:Grell originally created Starslayer for DC Comics, but plans to publish it were halted after the mass cancellation of titles known as the DC Implosion. Instead, he offered it to...
and Bar Sinister.
Acclaim Universe (VH2)
When Acclaim EntertainmentAcclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
bought Valiant Comics, the universe was completely restarted. In 1996, with all previous Valiant Universe (VH1) titles canceled, Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza is an American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable and Deadpool, and Thunderbolts, for all of which he helped create numerous characters.-Early life:The son of Omar and Irma Riguetti Nicieza, Fabian...
, a former editor and writer from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, was hired as senior vice-president and editor-in-chief and given the task of revamping Valiant Comics properties.
As editor, Nicieza oversaw the new version, dubbed VH2 by the company, which re-imagined all of the Valiant characters such as Shadowman
Shadowman (comics)
Shadowman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The character debuted in Shadowman #1 , and was created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, artist David Lapham and inker Bob Layton...
, X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar is a fictional superhero co-created by writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, artist Bob Layton, and Jon Hartz. Current Marvel Comics Chief Creative Officier Joe Quesada was a key creator in the origin of X-O Manowar as seen in X-O Manowar #0...
and Ninjak
Ninjak
Ninjak is a fictional comic book character that originally appeared in eponymous books by Valiant Comics, and later by Acclaim Comics. Co-created by writer Mark Moretti and artist Joe Quesada, the character first appeared in Bloodshot #6 as Colin King and quickly gained his own series...
, using the top comic book writers of the period including Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
, Mark Waid
Mark Waid
Mark Waid is an American comic book writer. He is well known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America...
, Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...
and Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
. The line also introduced new titles such as Troublemakers
Troublemakers (comics)
Troublemakers is the title of a comic book published by Valiant Comics. Troublemakers was created by famed writer Fabian Nicieza and penciller Kenny Martinez...
, Trinity Angels and the hit comedy Quantum and Woody
Quantum and Woody
Quantum and Woody are the title characters of the award-winning popular comic book series published by Valiant Comics. To date Quantum and Woody has sold almost one million comic books in a variety of languages. Among the most critically acclaimed comedies in comics, Quantum and Woody is written by...
.
The most successful titles during this period were the re-imagined Turok
Turok
Turok is a fictional American comic book character initially in comics from Western Publishing published through licensee Dell Comics. He first appeared in Four Color Comics #596 , then graduated to his own title, Turok, Son of Stone...
and Shadowman
Shadowman (comics)
Shadowman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The character debuted in Shadowman #1 , and was created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, artist David Lapham and inker Bob Layton...
, which sold well. The characters were later developed into successful video game properties by Acclaim's parent company, Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
.
Originally, this new universe appeared to have little to do with the original Valiant Universe, or VH-1. However, later crossovers revealed that the Acclaim Universe was the result of a time paradox caused by Solar.
The Acclaim Universe was similar to other superhero-based universes, but wasn't as interconnected as the Valiant Universe that preceded it. Writers began to experiment with the scientific aspects of Valiant Universe and moved away from scientific fact and theory, towards science fiction.
Acclaim Comics met with initial success but by early 1999 most of the line had been cancelled. Acclaim Entertainment suffered huge losses on a number of video game titles and were cutting costs on their non-core businesses. Nicieza eventually left and staff levels were cut. The next year Acclaim attempted to merge the two universes with Unity 2000
Unity (Comics)
Unity is a company-wide crossover story published by Valiant Comics in the summer of 1992.-Overview:The Unity story comprises eighteen issues and nine comic book series, published by Valiant during August and September 1992. It tells of Erica Pierce, the Mothergod, trying to rewrite reality and...
.
Jim Shooter's Valiant Universe (VH-0)
In 2000, during Acclaim's Unity 2000Unity (Comics)
Unity is a company-wide crossover story published by Valiant Comics in the summer of 1992.-Overview:The Unity story comprises eighteen issues and nine comic book series, published by Valiant during August and September 1992. It tells of Erica Pierce, the Mothergod, trying to rewrite reality and...
crossover, writer Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
introduced yet another alternate universe, unofficially called VH-0 by fans. In essence, it was his vision of what the Valiant Universe would have been if he had stayed with the company. According to Jim Shooter's plot, at the end of the crossover the VH-0 universe was destroyed and most of its characters killed; VH-1 and VH-2 were fused together into a new universe. However, Acclaim continued to suffer losses on their video games while the series suffered a number of administrative problems (art return and payment issues) and were forced to cancel the series after only the third issue.
In 2005, the rights to the Valiant and Acclaim original characters (such as Archer and Armstrong, Rai
Rai (comics)
Rai is a fictional superhero that appeared in books published by Valiant Comics. Rai was the first original hero created by Valiant and had its beginning as a flipbook back-up feature in Magnus Robot Fighter issues #5-8. The popularity of the flipbook back-up story later led to an ongoing series...
, Quantum and Woody
Quantum and Woody
Quantum and Woody are the title characters of the award-winning popular comic book series published by Valiant Comics. To date Quantum and Woody has sold almost one million comic books in a variety of languages. Among the most critically acclaimed comedies in comics, Quantum and Woody is written by...
etc.) were auctioned off. The rights to the three licensed characters (Solar, Magnus and Turok) reverted to Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, which currently owns Western Publishing
Western Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company was a Racine, Wisconsin firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Western Publishing also produced children's books and family-related entertainment products as Golden Books Family Entertainment...
and Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
properties.
Valiant Universe
- Archer & ArmstrongArcher & ArmstrongArcher & Armstrong are the title characters of the popular comic book series published by Valiant Comics. Among the most commercially and critically acclaimed buddy comedies in comics, Archer & Armstrong features writing and art by comic legend Barry Windsor-Smith...
- ArmorinesArmorinesArmorines is a superhero comic book from Valiant Comics about armored marines who, in the name of freedom, do the United States government's dirty work...
- BloodshotBloodshot (comics)Bloodshot is the title character of the American comic book series published by Valiant Comics.-Publication history:Bloodshot was launched in the mid 1990s on the back of a wave of popularity for the Valiant Universe. Bloodshot became an immediate hit with readers, as the first issue has sold...
- Eternal WarriorEternal WarriorGilad Anni-Padda aka the Eternal Warrior is the title character of a 50-issue comic book series by Valiant Comics that ran from 1992 to 1996. Eternal Warrior was relaunched with the other Valiant characters under the banner of Acclaim Comics in 1996 . Valiant Entertainment, Inc...
- GeomancerClay McHenry (Valiant Comics)Clay McHenry is a character from the Valiant Comics universe. He first appeared in his own series "Geomancer", where he began as a blind, dead-beat, ex-police officer who was expected to take on the role of a Geomancer, a role that his great-uncle , and until recently, his nephew had filled.Though...
- H.A.R.D. CorpsH.A.R.D. CorpsH.A.R.D. Corps was a Valiant Comics title which ran from 1992 - 1996. The acronym stands for Harbinger Active Resistance Division. The title's focus was a corporate strike team dealing with Toyo Harada, a character from the Harbinger title, and his goal of controlling all Harbingers...
- HarbingerHarbinger (comics)Harbinger was a comic book series published by Valiant Comics about a group of teenage super-powered outcasts known as Harbingers. Harbinger initially featured writing and art by Jim Shooter and David Lapham...
- Magnus, Robot FighterMagnus, Robot FighterMagnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional comic book superhero created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963, based primarily on Tarzan. Magnus first appeared in Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1, published by Gold Key Comics in February 1963...
- NinjakNinjakNinjak is a fictional comic book character that originally appeared in eponymous books by Valiant Comics, and later by Acclaim Comics. Co-created by writer Mark Moretti and artist Joe Quesada, the character first appeared in Bloodshot #6 as Colin King and quickly gained his own series...
- Outcast
- Psi LordsPsi LordsThe PSI-Lords are a fictional team of superbeings from the Valiant Comics universe. The characters first appearing in Rai and the Future Force #21 after a cameo in Magnus #36 and was featured in a short-lived, eponymous series of ten issues between 1994 and 1995...
- PunX
- RaiRai (comics)Rai is a fictional superhero that appeared in books published by Valiant Comics. Rai was the first original hero created by Valiant and had its beginning as a flipbook back-up feature in Magnus Robot Fighter issues #5-8. The popularity of the flipbook back-up story later led to an ongoing series...
- The Second Life of Dr. Mirage
- Secret Weapons
- ShadowmanShadowman (comics)Shadowman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The character debuted in Shadowman #1 , and was created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, artist David Lapham and inker Bob Layton...
- SolarSolar (comics)Solar is an American fictional comic book character. Originally known as Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, he first appeared in a comic book published by Gold Key Comics in the 1960s. He has since appeared in other incarnations in books published by Valiant Comics in the 1990s, and Dark Horse Comics...
- TimewalkerTimewalkerIvar the Timewalker is a character in the Valiant Comics universe. Created by artist and writer Barry Windsor-Smith, he first appeared in Archer and Armstrong #8 which was a flip book with Eternal Warrior #8....
- TurokTurokTurok is a fictional American comic book character initially in comics from Western Publishing published through licensee Dell Comics. He first appeared in Four Color Comics #596 , then graduated to his own title, Turok, Son of Stone...
- UnityUnity (Comics)Unity is a company-wide crossover story published by Valiant Comics in the summer of 1992.-Overview:The Unity story comprises eighteen issues and nine comic book series, published by Valiant during August and September 1992. It tells of Erica Pierce, the Mothergod, trying to rewrite reality and...
- The Visitor
- X-O ManowarX-O ManowarX-O Manowar is a fictional superhero co-created by writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, artist Bob Layton, and Jon Hartz. Current Marvel Comics Chief Creative Officier Joe Quesada was a key creator in the origin of X-O Manowar as seen in X-O Manowar #0...
Characters
There are approximately 1500 characters in the Valiant universe.Acclaim Universe
While most characters that appeared in Acclaim Comics were altered versions of previous characters, some were created specifically for Acclaim.- Armed and DangerousArmed and Dangerous (comics)Armed and Dangerous is the title of a cult favourite comic book published by Valiant Comics. The book revolves around a group of Irish mafioso in New York city and their acquaintances...
- ArmorinesArmorinesArmorines is a superhero comic book from Valiant Comics about armored marines who, in the name of freedom, do the United States government's dirty work...
- Bad Eggs
- BloodshotBloodshot (comics)Bloodshot is the title character of the American comic book series published by Valiant Comics.-Publication history:Bloodshot was launched in the mid 1990s on the back of a wave of popularity for the Valiant Universe. Bloodshot became an immediate hit with readers, as the first issue has sold...
- Concrete Jungle
- Darque Passages
- Deadside
- Doctor TomorrowDoctor TomorrowDoctor Tomorrow was a twelve-issue limited series published by Acclaim Comics , with the first issue dated September 1997.The story and art were by Bob Layton and Don Perlin and other artists....
- Eternal WarriorEternal WarriorGilad Anni-Padda aka the Eternal Warrior is the title character of a 50-issue comic book series by Valiant Comics that ran from 1992 to 1996. Eternal Warrior was relaunched with the other Valiant characters under the banner of Acclaim Comics in 1996 . Valiant Entertainment, Inc...
s - Grackle
- Gravediggers
- HarbingerHarbinger (comics)Harbinger was a comic book series published by Valiant Comics about a group of teenage super-powered outcasts known as Harbingers. Harbinger initially featured writing and art by Jim Shooter and David Lapham...
- Magnus, Robot FighterMagnus, Robot FighterMagnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional comic book superhero created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963, based primarily on Tarzan. Magnus first appeared in Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1, published by Gold Key Comics in February 1963...
- SolarSolar (comics)Solar is an American fictional comic book character. Originally known as Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, he first appeared in a comic book published by Gold Key Comics in the 1960s. He has since appeared in other incarnations in books published by Valiant Comics in the 1990s, and Dark Horse Comics...
- N.I.O.
- NinjakNinjakNinjak is a fictional comic book character that originally appeared in eponymous books by Valiant Comics, and later by Acclaim Comics. Co-created by writer Mark Moretti and artist Joe Quesada, the character first appeared in Bloodshot #6 as Colin King and quickly gained his own series...
- Quantum & WoodyQuantum and WoodyQuantum and Woody are the title characters of the award-winning popular comic book series published by Valiant Comics. To date Quantum and Woody has sold almost one million comic books in a variety of languages. Among the most critically acclaimed comedies in comics, Quantum and Woody is written by...
- ShadowmanShadowman (comics)Shadowman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The character debuted in Shadowman #1 , and was created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, artist David Lapham and inker Bob Layton...
- Trinity Angels
- TroublemakersTroublemakers (comics)Troublemakers is the title of a comic book published by Valiant Comics. Troublemakers was created by famed writer Fabian Nicieza and penciller Kenny Martinez...
- Unity 2000Unity (Comics)Unity is a company-wide crossover story published by Valiant Comics in the summer of 1992.-Overview:The Unity story comprises eighteen issues and nine comic book series, published by Valiant during August and September 1992. It tells of Erica Pierce, the Mothergod, trying to rewrite reality and...
- X-O ManowarX-O ManowarX-O Manowar is a fictional superhero co-created by writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, artist Bob Layton, and Jon Hartz. Current Marvel Comics Chief Creative Officier Joe Quesada was a key creator in the origin of X-O Manowar as seen in X-O Manowar #0...
Trading cards
During the trading card boom of the early 90s, Valiant Comics, through licenses with the major trading card manufacturers, produced a number of trading card sets and promotional cards to highlight the comics and characters of the Valiant Universe. The major trading card sets include:| Title | Year | Producer | No. of Basic cards | No. of Chase cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unity Unity (Comics) Unity is a company-wide crossover story published by Valiant Comics in the summer of 1992.-Overview:The Unity story comprises eighteen issues and nine comic book series, published by Valiant during August and September 1992. It tells of Erica Pierce, the Mothergod, trying to rewrite reality and... card set |
1992 | Comic Images | 90 | 6 |
| Valiant Era series 1 | 1993 | Upper Deck Upper deck Upper deck may refer to :* The Upper Deck Company, an American trading card business* The upper deck is the highest level internal deck on a ship, i.e. just below the superstructure and open deck.... |
120 | 20 |
| Deathmate Deathmate Deathmate was a six-part comic book crossover between Valiant Comics and Image Comics published in 1993 and 1994. Designated by color rather than issue numbers plus two book-end issues, Deathmate Prologue and Deathmate Epilogue,as well as Preview issues collected with comic products, the four main... |
1993 | Upper Deck Upper deck Upper deck may refer to :* The Upper Deck Company, an American trading card business* The upper deck is the highest level internal deck on a ship, i.e. just below the superstructure and open deck.... |
110 | 16 |
| Valiant Era series 2 | 1994 | Upper Deck Upper deck Upper deck may refer to :* The Upper Deck Company, an American trading card business* The upper deck is the highest level internal deck on a ship, i.e. just below the superstructure and open deck.... |
140 | 27 |
| Harbinger Harbinger (comics) Harbinger was a comic book series published by Valiant Comics about a group of teenage super-powered outcasts known as Harbingers. Harbinger initially featured writing and art by Jim Shooter and David Lapham... Files |
Unproduced |
Logo
Valiant's first logo appeared on its licensed products, Nintendo and Wrestling comics, before appearing on its superhero line. The logo made its first appearance on a superhero comic in May 1991, on Magnus Robot Fighter #1 (but without a comic box). The logo first appeared in a comic box on in May 1991, on Solar #5 and Magnus #8.Valiant updated its logo, changing the typeface from a fancy script to a thick bold script, in November 1992, this change occurred only two months after the end of the successful Unity crossover and following the departure of Jim Shooter.
Immediately after the Chaos Effect crossover the logo was updated again: the type face was kept but the wording was changed to "Valiant Presents". The compass logo was diminished in size and moved from below the text.
After the sale to Acclaim Entertainment Inc. for $65 million, the logo was completely revamped. The compass logo was replaced by a large letter "V" that appeared above the wording "Valiant", which appeared in a new type face (the same went with both the Armada and Windjammer imprints).
To coincide with the Acclaim Comics relaunch in 1996, another completely revamped logo was created. This logo signified the synergy between Acclaim and Valiant, merging the letters "A" and "V" into one logo with the wording "Acclaim Comics Valiant Heroes".
More recently, following the formation of Valiant Entertainment, the compass logo has reappeared along with a variation of the original type face. The only major change is the addition of the wording "Entertainment".
On August 15, 2007 Valiant Entertainment unveiled the new Valiant logo, designed by corporate identity consultant Henry Steiner
Henry Steiner
Henry Steiner is an Austrian graphic designer, best known for his corporate identity designs. He has created designs for some of the most identifiable brands, such as IBM, Hyatt Regency, Hilton Hotels, Dow Jones, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Unilever, and was commissioned to design the city's bank...
; the logo to be used in all media made its debut on the Harbinger: The Beginning hardcover.
External links
- Valiant Entertainment official website
- Valiant Entertainment official Facebook fan page
- Valiant Entertainment official Twitter feed
- Valiant readies its comics comeback, press release, VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, June 2, 2011