In a lot of ways, the holidays are about tradition. Everyone’s got ’em. It might be a family latke recipe, or getting together to watch Die Hard, or arranging the Christmas tree ornaments so the cats don’t knock them off the lowest branches. Here at Multiversity, we have an annual tradition of looking at shared comic book universes and politely ask them to do something differently. It’s one part new years resolution, one part gift giving — to us, every one!
This year, we asked some of our staff to focus on a shared universe outside of the ‘Big 2,’ and three of our writers each selected comic corners to focus on. First up, Michael Mazzacane talks Valiant.
Diversify
This is a big overarching wish meant to encompass both the businesses and creative side of Valiant Entertainment. A perennial complaint I’ve had with Valiant is how much of its limited publishing output is generally built around white-guys-named-Chris. Their diversity in creating the page has fluctuated over the years with the litany of editorial turn over. Improving both the diversity of the creators and characters they publish will go a long way in getting Valiant out of the doldrums ever since DMG took over.
Keep Using Kickstarter
The Direct Market is inherently small ‘c’ conservative it might be relatively stable on a macro level, but that stability was carried by a single distributor and two publishers primarily. This year they finally did a Kickstarter, “Eternal Warrior: Scorched Earth” an OGN centered on the fist and steel for Earth. They raised $55,027 of a goal of $25,000, which is a good success and gives them experience of using Kickstarter as an alternative more direct-to-consumer distribution method. Valiant should continue using crowdfunding the way Top Cow, Iron Circus, and other popular indie creators-publishers, in building out an alternative distribution system that also allows them to experiment with content.
Focus more on the Book Market
The single-issue market isn’t where the business is at right now. Valiant has enough of a library from both of its iterations that republishing its library content should be a greater focus. Collections provide a greater reading experience and alternative one outside the Wednesday Warrior crowd. The 90s content will certainly need to be packaged as more collectors’ items given its age and relative rarity. Outside of their speculator boom over printing the original Valiant is missing in good quality print. They’ve already digitally remastered the images given the 90s era of Valiant is for sale in pretty much its entirety on Comixology.
Stop Publishing Bloodshot or X-O Manowar, at least for a little while
The pandemic, and supply chain constraints have instituted pauses in publication, but those haven’t been planned. Valiant needs to let one of these properties rest, more Bloodshot after several attempts to make something after the excellent Lemire run. They keep pushing out content when it isn’t quality storytelling and just hurts the brand value of these properties both by weakening the brand image and confusing potential new readers with where to start.
