Great Valiant Article of Newsarama

[dam60]

I don't believe that this isn't posted already

 

DAM

[joe_collector]

"I think Valiant showed and proved what many thought was impossible. That you could start a new Universe of characters and go head to head with Marvel and DC.”

 

 

Yeah, for a few years, but obvious scams like this always come back to haunt you.

[dam60]

"I think Valiant showed and proved what many thought was impossible. That you could start a new Universe of characters and go head to head with Marvel and DC.”

 

 

Yeah, for a few years, but obvious scams like this always come back to haunt you.

 

Funny you shoud say that - right now I am reading a lengthy yet incredibly interesting article about Cross Gen and there problems! Looks like you can't compete with the big two.

 

link

 

DAM

[kimik]

What killed Valiant was the exit of Shooter and a good chunk of their talent. Had he stayed on, I am certain that the company would be around today. I still think the early issues were some of the best reads ever.

[Dave_Hennen]

Was Valiant making a profit around the end of the Unity macro series? That would have been around '93 or so

 

dave h

[kimik]

Not yet, but the Unity x-over is what generated the excitement that put the company on the map and took them to profitability. The quality of the books and tight storylines are what attracted readers to them, and although print runs were not at break even the Unity x-over provided the springboard that launched the company. Starting a comic company is like any other business venture - it takes a while to generate a following and Unity was this catalyst for Valiant. I would argue that the company was basically living off of everything that Shooter et. al. put into place after their departure. Had they stayed on, the books would not have drifted as much as they did during the following "middle" issues and who knows what could have happened. Heck, if they had continued to grow with Shooter at the helm he might have been able to pick up Marvel in the end as well when they had their problems a couple of years ago.

[joe_collector]

What killed Valiant was the exit of Shooter and a good chunk of their talent. Had he stayed on, I am certain that the company would be around today. I still think the early issues were some of the best reads ever.

 

Ah, fantasy is great, ain't it?

 

Being in bed with Wizard and fudging print runs are what led to the Valiant fad and that was ultimately their undoing. I bought the Valiant early runs, liked them well enough, but then got ticked off at all the Unity speculation, limited editions, gold-foil enhanced covers, continual reference to :low print runs" and basically an erosion in the reason people bought these comics.

 

So I sold them off, and let the speculators take over and let the Wizard hype really drive sales skyward. It was a sad time for comics really, and virtually none of the "new readers" actually read the comics.

 

If Shamus and Wizard had never run with the Valiant ball, Valiant would have remained marginal players and likely folded. That Shamus was working behind the scenes to orchestrate an illusionary level of "low print run demand" made the whole scam possible, and leads us to believe Valiant would still be here, if only...

[valiantman]

Maybe Valiant is the "Delorean of comics"...

 

It really doesn't matter what happened to them in the end...

the fact that they "once had" the ultimate appeal and the household name

especially in the early "glory days" is enough to allow nostalgia

to overlook the more negative aspects of the product.

 

I still get excited when I see that Delorean rise into the air at the end of

Back To The Future... which is on TBS about every other Saturday.

It doesn't matter to me if Deloreans aren't made anymore, or if they were

a waste of money for those who bought them "back then"...

I like those gullwing doors and the thought of what happens at "88 miles per hour".

...so you can keep your "Ford" and "GM" comics.

 

[dam60]

Valiantman - I got your back! This great article should be on the site!

 

DAM

[joe_collector]

Maybe Valiant is the "Delorean of comics".. ...so you can keep your "Ford" and "GM" comics.

 

Yes, a Valiant is the "Deloreon" of comic books, while something like Amazing Fantasy 15, would be referred to as a Chevy Cavalier? What's a Action Comics #1, a Pinto?

 

You need to get out more.

[silvermine]

If Shamus and Wizard had never run with the Valiant ball, Valiant would have remained marginal players and likely folded. That Shamus was working behind the scenes to orchestrate an illusionary level of "low print run demand" made the whole scam possible, and leads us to believe Valiant would still be here, if only...

 

While Wizard played a role in driving up the prices, they were not the reason that Valiant was successful early on. The quality of the product was the key. The collectors I know who was there for the dawn of Marvel say that they had the same feeling about Valiant, even up to the early post-Unity phase. Some of them even paid top dollar during the bubble for the rarer issues and consider the money well spent even today. I know I picked up my first few Valiants based on word of mouth from one of them. How many others did the same?

 

Limited print runs are one thing, but if you look at the auction activity today there are more readers coming back to/being introduced to Valiants and liking them. Most of the Valiants I sell now are going to collectors who have started to revisit their childhoods or have just read their first few Valiants and are hooked. In fact, some of the local stores have started to pull out their Valiant backstock and reprice it in the bins (Valiantman - how does $34.95 sound for Dr. Mirage #1 Gold or $15.00 for Bloodshot #1?). I guess there are a few people besides me who are trying to track them down now.........

 

 

[kimik]

In fact, some of the local stores have started to pull out their Valiant backstock and reprice it in the bins (Valiantman - how does $34.95 sound for Dr. Mirage #1 Gold or $15.00 for Bloodshot #1?). I guess there are a few people besides me who are trying to track them down now.........

 

AHA!!!! So you are one of the other culprits who has been trying to scoop up the Valiants here in Edmonton. No wonder the prices have been upped at a couple of the stores. Stick to the older books and leave the Valiants to me!

 

BTW, who else have you sold Valiants to besides me in the last little while? I thought you were all out?

 

 

[valiantman]

Maybe Valiant is the "Delorean of comics".. ...so you can keep your "Ford" and "GM" comics.

 

Yes, a Valiant is the "Deloreon" of comic books, while something like Amazing Fantasy 15, would be referred to as a Chevy Cavalier? What's a Action Comics #1, a Pinto?

 

You need to get out more.

 

Geez, you'd think Delorean was the best car ever made.

 

Amazing Fantasy 15 can be a '62 Corvette (GM).

Action Comics #1? Why not the Ford Model T?

 

It's not that hard a metaphor.

[valiantman]

In fact, some of the local stores have started to pull out their Valiant backstock and reprice it in the bins (Valiantman - how does $34.95 sound for Dr. Mirage #1 Gold or $15.00 for Bloodshot #1?). I guess there are a few people besides me who are trying to track them down now.........

Unfortunately, it's inevitable that some sellers will try to "outpace" even the Ebay prices.

Dr. Mirage #1 Gold for $15 is a possibility. $34.95 is a bit much.

And anything over $1.50 for Bloodshot #1 is a rip-off... $0.15 is more like it.

[awe4one]

Unfortunately, it's inevitable that some will try to "outpace" even the Ebay prices.

Dr. Mirage #1 Gold for $15 is a possibility. $34.95 is a bit much.

And anything over $1.50 for Bloodshot #1 is a rip-off... $0.15 is more like it.

 

Not trying to argue...we've gone over similar territory before....

 

Doesn't it bother you that some of the higher prices being paid for Valiants are not the great "reader" copies but the speculation variants that were put on the market?

 

I wouldn't call it Valiant "Nostagia" buying but speculators rebuying the issues because of their supposed scarcity.

 

 

Jim

[valiantman]

Not trying to argue...we've gone over similar territory before....

 

Doesn't it bother you that some of the higher prices being paid for Valiants are not the great "reader" copies but the speculation variants that were put on the market?

 

I wouldn't call it Valiant "Nostagia" buying but speculators rebuying the issues because of their supposed scarcity.

The "first time around" for Valiant, there's no doubt that speculators drove the market.

The danger, of course, was that the speculation was on brand new and very common issues.

 

This time, (if there is a discernable current movement toward Valiant),

I think buyers are looking back at what happened "last time".

You won't see anyone buying Bloodshot #1 or Turok #1... the culprits of the demise.

 

With only 800 issues in the Valiant universe, it's easy to become a completionist.

The variant issues truly are only "out there" in quantities of 5,000.

So, if you want to own it all, you'll have to track down those variants sooner or later.

For about $10 to $15 each, those are probably good prices to fill those gaps.

 

If they started selling consistently for more than $25 each...

I think the flood of copies onto Ebay would quickly calm the storm.

 

The good news is... Ebay will probably keep people honest this time.

There's no doubt that Wolverine: Origin #1 would have been $100 in Wizard

without the "invention" of Ebay. Ebay kept everything in reality-check...

and "new book trends" are easy to spot now and just buy a cheaper copy later.

 

Back issue trends have a life of their own, and will move where the market takes them.

Too many copies will lower the price... too few will call the extras out of hiding.

Somewhere, over time, you get to a stable, repeatable price, regardless of the motivations.

[kimik]

Unfortunately, it's inevitable that some will try to "outpace" even the Ebay prices.

Dr. Mirage #1 Gold for $15 is a possibility. $34.95 is a bit much.

And anything over $1.50 for Bloodshot #1 is a rip-off... $0.15 is more like it.

 

Not trying to argue...we've gone over similar territory before....

 

Doesn't it bother you that some of the higher prices being paid for Valiants are not the great "reader" copies but the speculation variants that were put on the market?

 

I wouldn't call it Valiant "Nostagia" buying but speculators rebuying the issues because of their supposed scarcity.

 

Jim

 

Actually, I think Mel (Silvermine) will agree that this store overprices (and overgrades) most of their books. At least that is my opinion. They use the old 2 or 3 price tag trick on GD to VG Gold/Silver/Bronze books starting with a NM price and working down to somewhere around FN. Kind of fun to look through their back issues to see how high they have some books priced. It's too bad they have started doing this with Valiants now as I picked up quite a few of the rare variants from them over the past two years. Oh well, I guess enough people have been asking for them and they were smart enought to realize something was up.

[valiantman]

Valiantman - I got your back! This great article should be on the site!

It is now:

 

http://www.valiantcomics.com/valiant/valiantdays.asp

 

The author, Ryan McLelland, will probably be supplying me the texts of his

interviews with the artists at some point. Kind of like "DVD extras"...

[dam60]

Valiantman - I got your back! This great article should be on the site!

It is now:

 

http://www.valiantcomics.com/valiant/valiantdays.asp

 

The author, Ryan McLelland, will probably be supplying me the texts of his

interviews with the artists at some point. Kind of like "DVD extras"...

 

That's so cool!

[supapimp]

from article: Liefeld’s Deathmate Red would eventually be released to a non-caring audience.

 

why am inot suprised?