You may know Valiant as the publisher of titles like X-O Manowar and Ninjak, among many others. But last year, the publisher inked a deal with Alien Books for a slate of new titles, including a massive line-wide event called Resurgence.
The Alien-Valiant deal was first inked in summer 2023, and sees Valiant’s entire line of superhero titles released and managed by the international publishing house. At the time of the deal’s announcement, Alien Books director Matias Timarchi released a statement saying that he was “[filled] with boundless enthusiasm” as Alien seeks to “expand the entire Valiant universe by crafting new books that will delight longtime fans while also innovating to engage a new generation of readers interested in webtoons, manga, and digital storytelling experiences.”
Already the newly-revitalized Valiant has released several books, with many a part of the Resurgence event, including The Darques #1, a Ninjak vs. Roku series, The Valiants, and X-O Manowar: Invictus. There’s also several more titles planned for the remainder of 2024, including a Black, White & Bloodshot four-issues that’s currently being crowdfunded via Kickstarter. Head here for a full list of existing and upcoming titles. Or, head here for even more about the ongoing build surrounding the Resurgence event.
To get a better idea of the “new” Valiant, we spoke recently with Timarchi via email. There, we discussed the lineage and value of the Valiant name/line, their larger plans for the future, the Bloodshot Kickstarter, and some other important odds and ends.
The Black, White & Bloodshot Kickstarter runs through August 16. For more info and/or to contribute, head here.
Courtesy of Alien Books.
AIPT: What does the Valiant line represent to you? What makes it unique in the various universes across other publishers?
Matias Timarchi: Valiant is a vibrant world with a vast shared history of dynamic characters and concepts. It’s a line of comics for readers who enjoy seeing characters grow and change and engage with one another in meaningful ways and not just getting slammed together for throwaway events or shocking moments.
What makes Valiant unique is how deliberate the decisions have been with how characters interact, the impact of death, and the connectivity between the various genres of sci-fi, horror, and superhero action, all existing alongside one another seamlessly. It’s a shared world that feels lived in but still fresh, without 80 years of baggage or endless reboots dragging it down.
AIPT: Similarly, how does this help or support the work of Alien Books in general?
MT: We have a small but dedicated team at Alien Books working on original comics, manga, and art books for the U.S. market. Since acquiring the license, we’ve added the Valiant line to our plate which has meant some shuffling of schedules and reorganization but overall it’s meant an increase in awareness of our titles and being able to utilize our existing relationships with artists and printers to produce the Valiant books.
AIPT: How will this “era” of Valiant ultimately be different to long-time readers? How will it be the same to these dedicated fans?
MT: I think the difference is that we are fully focused on comics, on the storytelling, on delivering for the readers and growing the audience. We don’t have to split our attention because of television or movies or video game projects, we can stay focused 100% on delivering comic books that people will want to read. We are completely devoted to this medium and we hope that comes across in the stories we’ve been telling this year. We also love experimentation, so there are some new formats that we will explore like anthologies, scrolling comics, manga, and more.
Courtesy of Alien Books.
AIPT: There’s already a few projects in works/having been released, including new issues of X-O Manowar and Ninjak Superkillers. Why those specifically?
MT: When we acquired the Valiant license, we took a look at where the stories had left off and where the characters were and planned from there. We knew it was important to provide the readers who have been following Valiant with the next chapter of those stories and give them either closure or the next adventure to read. We didn’t want to just throw away what came before and we don’t think anyone wants that. So that’s where you have seen some of our series start, which is basically picking up where the previous arcs had ended.
With that said, we have also been looking to the future and planning wholly original storytelling as we move the characters towards a big crossover event, Resurgence of the Valiant Universe, which will allow us to play with a bigger cast in one story and shake the status quo up a bit. We are not calling it a reboot, because it’s not, it’s truly meant to feel like we are powering these books and characters up to their full potential, hence the title Resurgence.
AIPT: There’s also been talk of X-O trades and some reprints for the ’90s Eternal Warrior (if not announced or out by now). Why those as well, and can we expect even more such goodies deep from the Valiant catalog?
MT: We kicked off the year with several Valiant Classics releases, these thick paperback collections of the ’90s comics with titles like Archer & Armstrong, Ninjak, and Bloodshot. The Eternal Warrior release was an omnibus edition, a massive hardcover, and we’re very proud of that book. If fans want to see more of these and they continue to sell, we will continue to make more of them!
We’re continuing the spotlight on previously released titles with the upcoming Valiant Hero Universe Origins collections, a set of 12 paperback collections that reprint many of the stories published in the past decade. We heard from retailers that many of the Valiant collections were out of print and it was hard for new readers to dive into the universe. We’re making these collections into ideal jumping on points for the characters as well as something long-time fans will want to have on their shelves.
Courtesy of Alien Books.
AIPT: Are all of these books going to be released in Prestige format? Do you think that’s the way things stay competitive and help really distinguish Valiant?
MT: The prestige format is something that we tried early on while we’ve moved away from it for now, we’re open to returning to it in the future depending on the project. We’re always looking at how we can deliver quality comics into readers’ hands in a unique way and if it makes sense to do a comic in prestige format, we’ll explore that.
AIPT: Some of these heroes haven’t been published in a few years. Was there worry about them “collecting dust,” as it were, and do you have to do anything to update the line for the opportunities and challenges of 2024?
MT: I wouldn’t say there’s any worry, but we did take a look at the roster of characters available and asked, who should be brought back into the spotlight? And on that same thinking, who has maybe been around a bit too much and needs to rest for a minute before they appear again? The Valiant Universe has so many exciting characters and figuring out how we balance the attention on them is a big part of our discussions.
With all that said, we’re looking to the Resurgence event and its fallout to put a fresh set of eyes on these characters and provide us with a launching pad for new, exciting stories and series that our readers maybe haven’t seen before but featuring the characters they know and love.
AIPT: What can you tell us about the Black, White, and Bloodshot project/Kickstarter — what does it represent for the bulk of the Valiant-Alien collaboration?
MT: It’s a big moment for us! It’s a very ambitious project and we want to make sure that we have the most eyes on it as possible, which is why we went the Kickstarter route. We know there is something special about feeling directly involved in the creation of a project and we want to deliver that to our fans so we’re starting with Bloodshot. It’s definitely a departure from some of the more typical superhero storytelling people might expect from the Valiant characters, with the anthology and limited color palette format, but we know there’s a desire for this type of storytelling in the marketplace and we want to use this as a launching pad for where we go next with the characters.
Courtesy of Alien Books.
AIPT: Similarly, is Kickstarter a vital part of the ongoing Valiant-related campaign?
MT: Well, first, we have a lot of work ahead of us with the Black, White & Bloodshot campaign and making sure we deliver on expectations, which I know we will. We do envision using crowdfunding more in the future as it’s no secret that established publishers are finding success on the platform and fans are showing up in a big way for these projects. We won’t rush to just put anything on the platform, it has to be the right fit and the timing has to be right too.
AIPT: What other projects from Valiant/Alien can we expect beyond this fall “rush”? Is there a project/title that you’d love to get off the ground right away?
MT: While Resurgence and Black, White & Bloodshot are our big focus in September and through the end of the year, we’ve got some surprises in store for October and beyond, of course! Fans can expect to see X-O Manowar return along with another favorite character from the world of horror. We’ll let you figure that one out…
Beyond that, we’re in talks with a few different license partners on fun things that are way too early to discuss while also planning out what a post-Resurgence Valiant Universe looks like. We’re really just scratching the surface at what these characters are capable of and can’t wait to share more news as soon as we can.
AIPT: What are some of the biggest lessons or insights that you’ve learned about Valiant and its place in comics as you’ve undertaken this effort?
MT: There is a very loyal fanbase for Valiant and they are extremely dedicated. They follow all the storylines, they see how everything connects, and they want to support the titles. The feedback we’ve received from these readers has been so important and has helped us through the first year while we solidify our place in the market. There’s also a great untapped number of readers out there who may have heard of Valiant in the ‘90s or in recent decades but have not given any of the books a shot yet. We need to continue to find ways to tell them about what we’re doing and open the doors so they can feel welcomed into our community.
AIPT: Anything else we should know about Valiant, Alien Books, etc.?
MT: We are not just a superhero publisher. We’ve got experience in manga, translated editions, art books, horror, and more. So if you are a reader looking to go beyond the world of superhero stories, Alien Books has something for you. And if you are into superheroes, we’re putting a lot of effort into making the Valiant Comics line vibrant again. We want to hear from the fans on how we’re doing and are looking forward to seeing everyone at San Diego Comic-Con in just [a week] so they can tell us in person.
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