Why I Went All-In On Valiant

Coast City Comics introduced me to Valiant. The first time I went to Coast City was to find something new to read. I went in, told Tristan what I was reading, and told him I wanted something different. I was fairly new to comics and hadn’t expanded beyond Batman, X-Men, and Spider-Man. Tristan casually threw out that “everything Valiant is doing is good” among listing other possibilities. I ended up leaving with the first couple of issues of Archer & Armstrong and Bloodshot. The next day I was back to get the rest of the issues that were available.

At that point, the relaunch of Valiant was about six months in, so it wasn’t too hard to get caught up. I was buying comics on a budget, though, and was slow about picking up on more titles. A few months later, when Harbinger Wars was on the horizon, I decided to pick up on Harbinger so I’d be familiar with both titles involved in the crossover (the other being Bloodshot). A year after I purchased my first Valiant comic, Unity #1 came out, and after seeing Aric of Dacia kill two bad guys by blowing one of their heads through the other guy, I had to check out X-O Manowar. It was then that I decided to go in on Valiant and have never looked back. Here are the reasons why I’ve never had to regret that decision.

I’ve almost never read an issue that left me disappointed

Every writer at Valiant is extremely talented and make every effort to write the best stories they can every single issue. My only disappointment is with the Shadowman ongoing which is no longer being published. Justin Jordan wrote from 1-10, then 11 and 12 were filling the gap between Jordan and latest series writer Peter Milligan. I wasn’t impressed with the stories, which weren’t connected with the previous or following arcs, and I felt they hurt the momentum of the series. Aside from this one title, every book is solid, and the recent releases of The Valiant and Ivar, Timewalker prove that there is so much new territory that can still be explored.

Not only are the artist and writers amazing, but they’re also approachable

I haven’t had the good fortune to meet any at a convention, but I’ve had conversations with many of them on Facebook and Twitter. Matt Kindt was even a member of one of the fantasy football league I put together with some fans this year. How many fans can say they have that level of interaction with their favorite writers?

They keep the number of monthly titles limited

This is done so the focus on quality doesn’t slide for the sake of quantity. Currently, Valiant publishes nine titles a month. This makes it completely affordable to keep up with everything they’re publishing if you so choose!

The first volume of each trade is only $9.99

It makes it easy to try out something new, or share something you liked with somebody else.

Valiant rewards its fans!

I’ve won a Gold #1 of Archer & Armstrong from participating in a Facebook contest, but they also give them out to reward people for supporting Valiant and being involved in many different ways. They also have constant opportunities to check out titles for free on Comixology and other digital apps, let alone great sales on digital comics. There was even recently a Humble Bundle offer that boasted over $500 in digital comics for a mere $15 donation! The Valiant bundle even outsold the Star Trek bundle!

Finally, the fan community is amazingly supportive!

Since becoming a Valiant fan, I’ve gotten to know many other fans online. This has lead to many new friends, beginning to write for a Valiant Central, and our recent work on the podcast. I’ve also met many people who are eager and willing to help other fans complete their collections, whether it be finding rare covers or filling the gaps in their 90’s Valiant collection. I’ve never met a group of people who are so accepting and positive.
Valiant has changed everything about the way I pursue my comic collecting hobby. I only get a few other titles a month because that’s all that time and money allow at this stage in my life. If I could, there are plenty of other comics I would love to get on a monthly basis. Since I can’t, I’m grateful to have become a fan of a publisher that has provided me with entertainment and engagement on so many levels, and I thank Tristan and Coast City Comics for being there to introduce me to my first Valiant comic.

Originally from ValiantCentral.com