In this rather large round-up, we’ll be talking all sorts of happenings that happened during the months of August, September and October for Valiant Comics.

Buckle in, kids! Let’s catch up.



NEW FACES

In the latest addition to the expanding team at Valiant Entertainment, Charlotte Greenbaum was named Associate Editor in the midst of Valiant’s ICONS initiative. Greenbaum received her B.F.A from Washington University in St. Louis and previously worked at Double Take Entertainment. She’s written for Remote (Double Take, 2015) #3-5 and Spring (Double Take, 2015) #3-4, as well as edited for Harbinger Renegade (Valiant, 2016) #5-6, Honor (Valiant, 2015) #1-4 along with a handful of 2017 releases. So, it seems that Charlotte’s got some good experience.

Ariel Olivetti joins NINJA-K to find the lost history of the deadliest MI-6 agents in December. The artist teams up with Christos Gage for the new series. Olivetti and Gage will tell the story of NINJA-A, the Japanese master of deception and weaponry. Olivetti has worked on books like Daredevil, X-Man, Space Ghost and Punisher War Journal, which means his Japanese master of deception is in great hands.

LIMITED EDITION

On November 14th, Valiant will release a limited edition of Secret Weapons Deluxe Edition oversized HC for Local Comic Shop Day 2017. The brand spankin’ new oversized edition will contain 20 bonus-oversized pages of new content including character designs, process art, and so much more.

If you haven’t been keeping up Secret Weapons, there’s no need to feel much shame– just go into your local shop on Nov. 14 to grab issues #1-4 in one neatly packed hardcover edition.

Seriously, Secret Weapons is the best book this year with the word ‘Secret’ in the title.

CROSSOVERS

In September, Valiant announced their first look at the artwork for Shadowman/Rae Sremmurd #1. The comic came out on October 4th

and mapped the success of Rae Sremmurd from insignificance in Mississippi to fame in New Orleans. The duo–Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi–were just a pair of ordinary brothers until they come across the supernatural guardian, Shadowman.

The issue is definitely something to check out, even if you aren’t a Rae Sremmurd fan. It’s fun, unusual, and definitely something totally Valiant. Keep an eye out for an upcoming full review on WWAC!

VANS WARPED TOUR (let’s remember summer in these dreary months!)

Vans Warped Tour is the event of the summer every year, but it was especially hot this year. Valiant sent Megan Hutchison, artist for Rock Stars, to Pomona, CA for the final date of the tour. Exclusive copies of Faith Warped Tour #1 written by Justine Prado where sold and autographed. The money from sales was donated to the Keep A Breast Foundation.

Faith, my most favorite superhero, has saved LA from aliens, common villains and whatever else you can think of–but can she face breast cancer (like the 40,000 women who die from it annual in the United States alone)?

ICONS

At the beginning of October, the fully animated trailer for Valiant’s ICONS initiative dropped. With a medium that feels fully stuck in the past without much room for change, Valiant begins to push the boundaries by releasing this trailer for its fall events. The trailer shows art from Bloodshot Salvation, NINJA-K, and Quantum + Woody.

Check it out if you haven’t already and marvel at the changing digitalization of comics!

REVIEWS

Is the best part of the round-up the reviews, or is it the reviews?

Harbinger Renegade (by Rafer Roberts with art by Darick Robertson) Insidious, completely freakin’ insidious. Much like the movie Insidious, I almost cried while reading these issue. A good thriller with an emotional side. The squad–Faith Herbert, Kris Hathaway, John Torkelson, and Peter Stanchek–discovered their callings but now they’re just discovering victims. In issues #6-8 (from the past three months), kids go missing. Soldiers are lining up to fight a war that no one knows about. And I’m losing my damn mind. We get to see each of the squad members react to what’s happening and that’s really, truly makes these issues so special.

War Mother (by Fred Van Lente with art by Stephen Segovia): In two millennia from now, Earth is not the Earth we know (though I’m guessing this sentence will also work talking about two years from now). In August, War Mother #1 was released in which we encounter The Grove — Earth’s last known source of scientific knowledge. War Mother and her sniper are the sole protectors of this uninhabitable Earth. The question, though, is should the people stay there and die, or find new land. Can War Mother lead her people out of isolation? HECK YEAH SHE CAN. In issue #2, which was released in September, our protector, War Mother, ventures beyond The Grove and I am on the edge of my damn seat worried about War Mother and her sniper. She’s searching for what she assumes is a Citadel, which is something I definitely saw coming (it’s always a citadel) but whatever. But, surprise!, she doesn’t find a Citadel. She finds fear, darkness, and more questions; much like me at the end of issue #3.

X-O Manowar (by Matt Kindt with art by Doug Braithwaite): I am actually unsure about whether I love or hate X-O Manowar. On one hand, he’s a hunk…I mean, quite the skilled warrior but on the other hand, he’s made himself into someone hundreds people are kneeling for. And while I love a good King Arthur-esque story, I don’t know where this one is going. Issue #8 was just released last month, with the new arc continuing on and though I’m wary, I am excited because this relaunch is showing no signs of stopping and after 20 years of X-O Manowar–with the first appearance coming before I was born (February 1992)–I guess they’re old enough to know better than to write something bad.

Now, clearly, this isn’t everything that Valiant put out in the last three months. In my opinion you should also be paying attention to Bloodshot Salvation, Eternity, Faith and the Future Force, and everything else Valiant creates, but hopefully this piqued your interest. Put aside your responsibilities and join me as I re-read every Valiant comic ever created in the history of the universe! (Or just anything involving my girlfriend, Faith.)