In 2011, in what can only be defined as a cost-cutting maneuver, Marvel laid of several staff members at the company — including (though not limited to) Alejandro Arbona, a talented editor who worked on some if not all of your favorite comics. Arbona had worked with Matt Fraction on “Invinicble Iron Man” and Kelly Sue DeConnick on “Osborn,” as well as with Greg Pak on “Red Skull: Incarnate,” a book which lightly attempted to create sympathy for a literal monster and which definitely needed a good editing hand. As such, Arbona has become popular amongst talent and fans for his work, and after being laid off at Marvel went on to work on more critically acclaimed titles like “Sacrifice” with Humphries and Rose as well as continued work on “Casanova,” maybe the best book ever.
And now, Arbona returns to comics at the home of the Next Big Thing: Valiant Entertainment.
It’s very exciting news, because Valiant is certainly firing on all cylinders. Pleasing old fans and new alike, Valiant has gone ahead and made a new name for itself with talented creators working on books like “Archer and Armstrong” and “Shadowman,” and with this week’s “Quantum and Woody” and the upcoming “Eternal Warrior,” things are only looking brighter. Bringing in Arbona to help with all of this only means things are going to get even better.
So, the tl;dr version of this boils down to Valiant + Arbona = even more awesome than before. You probably didn’t think that possible.
But enough out of me. Congrats to Arbona and Valiant on a job well done. For the full press release from Valiant, please see below.
Valiant Press Release
Valiant is proud to announce that veteran editor Alejandro Arbona has been named to the position of Associate Editor. In his new role, Arbona will contribute to Valiant’s growing slate of monthly titles, including Eternal Warrior, Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps, Quantum and Woody, Shadowman, and more. Arbona is just the latest addition to Valiant’s editorial team, joining Assistant Editor Josh Johns, fellow Associate Editor Jody LeHeup, and Executive Editor Warren Simons.
“Alejandro is an exceptionally talented editor,” said Simons. “I was able to work with him at Marvel for a number of years on some amazing titles, and I can’t tell you how happy I am that he’s joining Valiant. He will make a fantastic addition to the team.”
A five-year veteran of Marvel editorial, Arbona edited a host of critically lauded titles during his tenure, including Invincible Iron Man, Osborn: Evil Incarcerated, Red Skull: Incarnate, Legion of Monsters, and more. Most recently, Arbona completed editorial duties on Casanova by Matt Fraction, Gabriel Bá, and Fábio Moon; and Sacrifice, the best-selling, self-published series by Sam Humphries and Dalton Rose.
“Valiant blew me away last year, and I had high expectations to begin with,” said Arbona. “When you combine the familiarity of these characters with such fresh new ideas and approaches, and such a crackerjack team of writers, artists, and editors overseeing it all, the potential really is unlimited. And I’m over the moon I get to re-join forces with my mentor, Warren Simons, and take on an entirely new world of great stories.”
“There has been a tremendous response to our books from all sides, and we’re very fortunate to have strong sales and great reviews across the board. We have several new titles in the works with Quantum and Woody hitting this Wednesday, and Eternal Warrior and more special surprises coming later in the year,” added Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “We plan to expand ever further over the next 12 months and Alejandro was the natural choice to help us grow. He’s an incredibly talented editor with a great body of work behind him, and we’re excited and enthused to welcome him to the Valiant family.”
For more information on Valiant Entertainment, visit ValiantUniverse.com.
