Breaking this morning out of the ComicsPRO conference in Memphis, TN, Valiant has just announced via Entertainment Weekly that the award-winning publisher is partnering with the 2017 Vans Warped Tour for a first-of-its-kind artwork and branding collaboration spanning the festival's upcoming summer season.

Not only has Valiant artist Kano designed the lead artwork and design materials for the 2017 tour – all of which will feature Valiant's own X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Liveware, Ninjak, and Punk Mambo front and center in dozens of cities throughout America – the publisher will also going on the road with the tour with "a mobile comic book art installation and appearances by major comics creators" at select dates across the summer.

Now in its 23rd year, the Vans Warped Tour is the longest running touring music festival in the United States, known for an electic roster of bands that has previously included No Doubt, Eminem, Rancid, Pennywise, Ice-T, NOFX, Less Than Jake, and hundreds more. Valiant is the first comics publisher in more than a decade to appear on the tour and the first to design artwork for the seminal festival.

Says Van Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman:

"For 23 years, the Vans Warped Tour has been such a great platform for bands, brands, and creative minds. It's always fun to be able to do collaborations, and this partnership with Valiant Entertainment is very special from a creative standpoint."

Additionally, Valiant will be using its appearances on the tour to benefit the publisher's ongoing charitable partnership with Keep A Breast – a leading breast cancer awareness non-profit that adopted Valiant's Faith as its comic book ambassador last year.

The 41-date tour begins on June 16 in Seattle, WA and concludes on August 6 in Southern California. The 2017 band line-up will be released on Wednesday, March 22nd – the same date that tickets go on sale.

Expect more on the Warped Tour collaboration to follow with Valiant's ComicsPRO presentation later today.