Nearly 25 years ago, “Unity” #0 was published in August of 1992. A groundbreaking company-wide event, it set the stage for what VALIANT’s potential could be and how a small independent publisher could shake up the status quo. In celebration of its silver anniversary, we’re going to reread the entire VALIANT run from the first issue of “Magnus, Robot Fighter” (published May, 1991) up through “Unity” #1 (published September 1992).
The Birth of VALIANT:
VALIANT was the brainchild of Jim Shooter, Steve Massarsky and Winston Fowlkes. After Shooter had mutually parted ways with Marvel (after acting as Editor-in-Chief) in 1987, the group had formed with the intent of buying Marvel Comics when it came up for auction in 1989. Unfortunately they came in second, outbid by Ronald O. Perelman. They then turned their focus on creating a new comic company. Having met Richard Bernstein from Western Publishing a few years before, Shooter had a handshake agreement with him to license their characters, which included Magnus, Robot Fighter, Solar, Man of the Atom, & Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. With a solid selection of intellectual properties, the trio found a venture capital firm to fund the endeavor.
Once funding was acquired, Voyager Communications was created and VALIANT was born. Initially the company leveraged Massarsky’s relationships and paid for the Nintendo and World Wrestling Federation comic licenses. Shooter’s vision, though, was always in creating a proper superhero universe, and would use the Western Publishing characters to jump start it. Bringing over a small selection of creators, and picking up some industry orphans, VALIANT began by publishing “Magnus, Robot Fighter” in 1991. The following two years were a whirlwind. Working on a shoestring budget, VALIANT curated talent internally, producing quality comics with vibrant storytelling and vanguard marketing techniques.
While this period of innovation would be short lived, VALIANT showed that a smaller, 2nd tier company could pressure Marvel & DC. Ultimately the end of this story is one of backstabbing, litigation, and cashing in, but we’re not going to focus on that. Instead, we’re going to focus on the confluence of circumstances that came together to produce one of the most beloved companywide runs a comic book company has ever produced.
Reminiscing:
Depending on how old you are your knowledge of the original VALIANT comics can vary wildly. If, like me, you’re in your mid to late 30’s, then you’ll probably remember seeing those first few VALIANT issues at your local comic shop. Newer readers may associate VALIANT with its short and relatively unsuccessful run as Acclaim Comics, or with its new identity as Valiant Entertainment. While the new, independently owned line has seen significant success since its introduction in 2005, my go to is the original Voyager Communications company run by Jim Shooter.
For my 12-year old self, the thought alone that there could be a separate company outside of Marvel or DC was mind blowing. I had only recently begun visiting comic shops a few months before, as I was a dedicated spinner rack buyer. However, as I began to search for back issues I was quickly directed towards my local shop. Here I would pester the clerk on a weekly basis about giving me a discount on the Wolverine mini-series or their lack of old Hulk issues. One day, I saw a magnificently drawn Spider-Man cover with a wizard hat. Obsessed with everything Todd McFarlane, I picked up Wizard #1. My teenage brain thanked me incessantly every month for the next ten years as I would never skip an issue of Wizard.
About six months into the magazine something amazing happened. Picking up that month’s issue, there was a strange character on the cover. X-O Manowar was on the cover of Wizard #7! I gushed over everything Barry Windsor-Smith after his ‘Weapon X’ storyline in “Marvel Comics Presents,” and here he was drawing this strange new character for a company I never heard about. Inside the magazine there was a one-page review on X-O Manowar, plus interviews with Windsor-Smith and, most importantly, Jim Shooter.
Having recently reread the interview with Shooter, I can see why I gave his comics a try. There is a frankness in his speech that comes across as very authentic. As a relatively intelligent preteen (as much as one can be), I was the prime target for a superhero line that catered to more adult oriented themes. Vertigo was not yet a thing at DC, and I rarely ventured outside of Marvel’s Spider-Man/X-Men/Hulk wheelhouse. When I first picked up Solar and saw the ambiguity in the character’s morality and the almost constant real world consequences, I was hooked.
Continued belowThe interview is an interesting piece of history, as clearly there was some sales speech thrown in that I hadn’t originally picked up on. Shooter himself has admitted that their WWF and Nintendo licenses were bleeding significant money, while in the interview he treats them very positively. Obviously Shooter was still very much involved within VALIANT at the time of the interview, and after his ouster (which most would agree was the moment the VALIANT quality took a precipitous turn downward), he is free to speak about what truly occurred. Nevertheless, the consummate pitchman, I’m sure that 7-page interview drove as many sales that month as any gimmick they might have employed.
Coming up Next:
With the stage set for the ‘Unity’ 25-year anniversary, follow along as we reread the comics that made VALIANT such an up and coming force from 1991-1992. We’ll delve deeper into what made these characters significant, how the market reacted to them, the people who created them as well as my own critiques to these fabulous story lines.
Next week we’ll be reading “Magnus: Robot Fighter” #0 and “Solar: Man of the Atom” #0. Both issues have the distinction of being the result of VALIANT’s first marketing ‘premiums.’ “Magnus” #0 was only available to buyers who collected send away coupons from issues #1-8 (as well as select direct market stores based on purchasing volume), while “Solar” #0 reprints the characters origin story as it was told in 6-page inserts throughout the first 10 issues of the series. With excellent artwork by Paris Cullins & Barry Windsor-Smith, respectively, and written by Jim Shooter, these early issues provide a glimpse into the magnificent universe that was VALIANT.
