Interview with new Executive Editor Rob Levin

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Coffee
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Interview with new Executive Editor Rob Levin

Post by Coffee »

Just thought folks here might find this interesting. :)

https://tripwiremagazine.co.uk/headline ... bCVek7iuUQ

Thoughts?

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greg
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
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Re: Interview with new Executive Editor Rob Levin

Post by greg »

Coffee wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:12:43 pm Just thought folks here might find this interesting. :)

https://tripwiremagazine.co.uk/headline ... bCVek7iuUQ
Thanks for posting this.
Coffee wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:12:43 pm Thoughts?
I'm not sure about other Valiant fans at this point, but being the administrator of this site (and 25 years online with Valiant fans) it seems pretty easy for people-in-charge to say the right things at the start of their tenure with Valiant.

Valiant fans don't agree on everything, but there are pretty clear concepts of "feels like Valiant" and "doesn't feel like Valiant".
Believe it or not, there is no reason to make good comics that don't feel like Valiant.

My advice would be:
1) Make good comics that feel like Valiant.
Since #1 isn't always possible, the 2nd best option is:
2) Make bad comics that feel like Valiant.
There is no 3rd option.
Good comics that don't feel like Valiant aren't a valid option.
"Professionals" and "critics" might love them, but Valiant fans won't.
Valiant fans don't just want good comics... they want Valiant comics.

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nycjadie
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Re: Interview with new Executive Editor Rob Levin

Post by nycjadie »

In the past, editors talked about how Valiant comics matter. When a character dies, they die. I didn’t see any of that in this interview. Ah well. Option 3 it is.

Coffee
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Re: Interview with new Executive Editor Rob Levin

Post by Coffee »

I only started reading Valiant pretty recently, but I've heard that there have been a few editors since DMG's acquisition that have said similar things and come and gone within months. That said, this quote gives me some hope that things may be looking up within a year from now:
Having worked for a number of A-list publishers, what was it about Valiant – one of today’s most dynamic comic book companies – that attracted him to become the company’s executive editor?

“It was a combination of factors,” Levin said, “but it really came down to the team that’s in place, from Dan Mintz and Fred Pierce on down, not to mention my longtime friend and colleague David Wohl being the one who initially reached out. What sold me was the opportunity to help steer a shared universe that’s inhabited by some of the best characters in comics. It’s one thing to do that somewhere like DC or Marvel where you’re talking about dozens of titles every month, but at the size of Valiant you can actually plan and execute with a level of precision that the larger scale simply doesn’t allow. The original Valiant run in the ‘90s did this incredibly, and it was one of the hallmarks when Valiant Entertainment began publishing in 2012. I’m looking to take what’s already been done and push it in new and thrilling directions. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible here at Valiant.”
I guess time will tell.

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Re: Interview with new Executive Editor Rob Levin

Post by jmatt »

“The original UNITY essentially revolutionised massive crossovers, and it’s been imitated countless times since then."

Actually, Unity was a complete rip-off of Secret Wars, which was written by ... what was that guy's name?

Sorry, but I hadn't actually thought about that until I read that quote. :D

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Re: Interview with new Executive Editor Rob Levin

Post by Chiclo »

Coffee wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:39:57 pm I only started reading Valiant pretty recently, but I've heard that there have been a few editors since DMG's acquisition that have said similar things and come and gone within months. That said, this quote gives me some hope that things may be looking up within a year from now:
Having worked for a number of A-list publishers, what was it about Valiant – one of today’s most dynamic comic book companies – that attracted him to become the company’s executive editor?

“It was a combination of factors,” Levin said, “but it really came down to the team that’s in place, from Dan Mintz and Fred Pierce on down, not to mention my longtime friend and colleague David Wohl being the one who initially reached out. What sold me was the opportunity to help steer a shared universe that’s inhabited by some of the best characters in comics. It’s one thing to do that somewhere like DC or Marvel where you’re talking about dozens of titles every month, but at the size of Valiant you can actually plan and execute with a level of precision that the larger scale simply doesn’t allow. The original Valiant run in the ‘90s did this incredibly, and it was one of the hallmarks when Valiant Entertainment began publishing in 2012. I’m looking to take what’s already been done and push it in new and thrilling directions. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible here at Valiant.”
I guess time will tell.
Wait, Walter is back?


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