Valiant Entertainment Breakthrough Lineup For 2019

[agent_graves]

Looks like we're getting bumped up to 7 books a month!
March: X-O, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion, Forgotten Queen (6)
April: X-O (probably final issue), BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion, Forgotten Queen, Punk Mambo (7)
May: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion (final issue), Forgotten Queen (final issue), Punk Mambo (7)
June: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Punko Mambo (5)
July: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Punko Mambo, Killers (6)

There is most definitely something cool happening in June that we don't know about yet.

It’ll be interesting to see what they have planned for FCBD, that could/should be the launching point, for any Summer Event or New Ongoing debuting in June...

[Jrosen]

Looks like we're getting bumped up to 7 books a month!
March: X-O, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion, Forgotten Queen (6)
April: X-O (probably final issue), BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion, Forgotten Queen, Punk Mambo (7)
May: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion (final issue), Forgotten Queen (final issue), Punk Mambo (7)
June: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Punko Mambo (5)
July: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Punko Mambo, Killers (6)

There is most definitely something cool happening in June that we don't know about yet.

It’ll be interesting to see what they have planned for FCBD, that could/should be the launching point, for any Summer Event or New Ongoing debuting in June...

I just hope that it includes new pages. I was very disappointed in last year's Shadowman FCBD.

[agent_graves]

Looks like we're getting bumped up to 7 books a month!
March: X-O, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion, Forgotten Queen (6)
April: X-O (probably final issue), BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion, Forgotten Queen, Punk Mambo (7)
May: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion (final issue), Forgotten Queen (final issue), Punk Mambo (7)
June: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Punko Mambo (5)
July: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Punko Mambo, Killers (6)

There is most definitely something cool happening in June that we don't know about yet.

It’ll be interesting to see what they have planned for FCBD, that could/should be the launching point, for any Summer Event or New Ongoing debuting in June...

I just hope that it includes new pages. I was very disappointed in last year's Shadowman FCBD.

Ditto! That was shameful.

[Bl00dsh0t]

Looks like we're getting bumped up to 7 books a month!
March: X-O, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion, Forgotten Queen (6)
April: X-O (probably final issue), BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion, Forgotten Queen, Punk Mambo (7)
May: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Incursion (final issue), Forgotten Queen (final issue), Punk Mambo (7)
June: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Punko Mambo (5)
July: Fallen World, BRS, LaDoTH, Livewire, Punko Mambo, Killers (6)

There is most definitely something cool happening in June that we don't know about yet.

Bloodshot will finish at #8 (June) so July might be light on... but it's great to see some months hitting 7 books on the shelf

[TheFerg714]

Bloodshot will finish at #8 (June) so July might be light on... but it's great to see some months hitting 7 books on the shelf

Well supposedly we're getting a new #1 every month, and it would be crazy to not do anything big during the summer, so I wouldn't be surprised to see something else announced for July as well. Maybe I'm just getting my hopes up.

[nycjadie]

Why are they referring to Punk Mambo 0 as a digital exclusive comic? There are at least 2 covers for this book in physical form.

Looking forward to these, but cautious on the "humor" in Punk Mambo.

[nycjadie]

PS - I'm guessing these are the last of the books that Illidge planned?

[TheFerg714]

I would just like to add that I absolutely love the design of LaDoTH's cover. It's big, bold, and colorful. In fact, all of these covers are significantly better than the covers for Beyond Valiant.

PS - I'm guessing these are the last of the books that Illidge planned?

This is quite the mystery to me... Obviously he had a hand in it, but this lineup doesn't feel at all like what he's been doing since he took over. Maybe he was just waiting for the necessary funding? I really have no idea, but it also interesting that this announcement came out the day after Illidge got canned.

Why are they referring to Punk Mambo 0 as a digital exclusive comic? There are at least 2 covers for this book in physical form.

Yea, some of that information was wrong. It also states that Mambo debuted in the #0 issue, which is obviously not true.

Looking forward to these, but cautious on the "humor" in Punk Mambo.

I don't know, I've always seen Punk Mambo as sort of darkly comedic.

[Shadowman99]

This is the first time in quite a while that I've read *any* news about Valiant and felt any excitement about it. Not as much as I'd have liked if I'm honest, given that we all knew LADOTH and Killers were coming, but the other announcements feel fresh to me somehow, and I'm keen to see how Punk Mambo plays out in her own book, and I'm really pleased to return to 4001 with Rai, I'll be looking forward to that one.

Finally, to feel the same excitement as I did back in the early days of (2012) Valiant again... great stuff. This is like a ray of light in an otherwise bleak landscape

[AnarchoMambo]

My guess for writer hires and acceptance of ORIGINAL pitches and which editor/executive contributed:

Dysart: Dinesh/Simons, of course (but maybe the upcoming Harada project ensured through at-the-time junior editor Meyers?)

Diggle: Dinesh/Simons (originally)

Thompson & Nadler: Illidge (firing: Minz)

Ayala: Illidge

Paknadel: Illidge (Incursion story rearranged because with Bunn’s Punk Mambo there may be too much Shadowman stuff going on at once—perhaps an executive decision?)

Grevioux: Minz (executive decision)

Bunn: Illidge, or perhaps Meyers? (key acquisition! I am dying to know how this came about!!!)

Abnett: Meyers

Moore: Meyers (Dinesh/Simons originally, of course)

My assumptions: when Minz told Illidge he wants his movie guy on Bloodshot, Illidge said “over my dead body” and left, leaving the executive vision unopposed to replace Thompson and Nadler with Grevioux.

The hiring of young writers fits Illidge’s mission statement and editorial history perfectly, and Valiant not following through with the Illidge vision is very much a mistake, in my opinion.

But Meyers will bring back a much-needed dependability and consistency, perhaps saving the company’s publishing arm given this year’s tremendous upheaval.

I believe that Meyers has been acting as lead editor for some time, and that Illidge took off early after he experienced his first executive hamstringing. Valiant asked Illidge to be quiet about it until they could come up with a new plan (Breakthrough!) and Illidge complied (severance package), preparing a mission statement to be released the day after.

I know the common perception is that somehow Illidge is complicit with the Grevioux hiring, but I believe that connection is completely false. Illidge disappears from all press announcements as soon as the Grevioux inclusion on Bloodshot is announced (likewise with editorial presence on what I hear is a poorly-edited Rising Spirit—this is the only Valiant title ever which I will not be buying)

It is my opinion that we lost a great person in Illidge, but outside of Livewire, there will be scant lasting evidence for it. Oh, and thank divinity for Meyers,

[grendeljd]

I’m looking forward to each of these titles to varying degrees, but they all look like they will be really good stories to get excited about.

It’s been far too long of a wait for the rumoured-then-promised Dysart/CAFU LadoTH comic - we went from a time years back when we all thought that Harada was becoming over-used to a very long time where he has been utterly absent, which feels worse. This is the kind of Valiant comic I want to read every month, in spades... really excited for it!!

Punk Mambo (to me) has been a fun new VEI-era character & I like her, but she has also been potentially guilty of being over-used (especially in recent years where we’re getting more & more ham-fisted stories that are forcing a bunch of random characters together for an “adventure” in a mini-series). Having said that, THIS mini-series looks to have tremendous potential & I’m hopeful it will be a real gem - I’ve never read a Cullen Bunn comic, but have always heard good things about his work, and Adam Gorham has done nothing but improve on his already great art since Dead Drop (I read the New Mutants Dead Souls series earlier this year, his art is really excellent in that). Looking forward to it.

I’m really hoping Fallen World is going to be good, I’m not overly familiar with anything the creative team talents have done elsewhere. Excited to finally see a new story set in the Valiant future with RAI. Long overdue.

Killers is probably the one title in this batch that I’m not especially excited for, despite being a fan of what Gage did in the Ninja-K series, and also a fan of B Clay Moore’s writing (glad he’s back for a Valiant series). I don’t have anything negative to say here, just feeling ambivalent towards this one.