Alien making the same mistake as DMG

[magnus20009]

I was just flipping though the new Previews magazine 428 (March for books shipping in May) to see what Alien would be releasing. And it looks like it is falling into the same bad habits that ended up hurting DMG. Lots of small mini-series and a focus more on releasing multiple covers as opposed to more issues:

THE VALIANTS #1 (of 4) - 5 covers
FAITH RETURNS #1 (of 2) - 5 covers
RAI: THE BOOK OF THE DARQUE #1 (of 2) - 5 covers
X-O MANOWAR: INVICTUS #1 (of 4) - 5 covers

Only one "continuing" series
BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED: RELOADED #3 (of 4)

Bloodshot was originally supposed to be in prestige format but got split into multiple issues so excluding that as a one off there are 4 different comics but they have a total of 20 different covers.

A bit disappointed that much like the old Valiant it looks like Alien is going the route of pumping out covers to generate their revenue. A long way from the shared universe of VH1 that challenged the big two with a combined universe.

[Ryan]

Never been a fan of the variants either. I know it's more or less common practice for every company now, but not doing variants would be a cool way to differentiate themselves.

Mini-series don't bother me, but it would be cool to see dual numbering to acknowledge the ongoing series. Like X-O Invictus #1 would also be #5 on the inside cover if it continues from Unconquered or #89 or whatever it is from the start of the vei reboot.

[IanAlexavier]

See, I like this idea! The Superman comics did this in the 90s and it worked really well across the 4 different Superman titles. Their numbering was on the cover page though. Either way, Im good..

[ManofTheAtom]

See, I like this idea! The Superman comics did this in the 90s and it worked really well across the 4 different Superman titles. Their numbering was on the cover page though. Either way, Im good..

I miss the triangle era.

[ManofTheAtom]

See, I like this idea! The Superman comics did this in the 90s and it worked really well across the 4 different Superman titles. Their numbering was on the cover page though. Either way, Im good..

I miss the triangle era.

[magnus20009]

See, I like this idea! The Superman comics did this in the 90s and it worked really well across the 4 different Superman titles. Their numbering was on the cover page though. Either way, Im good..

This is totally different. This is 5 separate covers per book, just like DMG did with multiple covers. The Superman titles put a number on each titles books so you knew what order to read the various superman comics. Apples to Oranges.

[syzhang28]

I was just flipping though the new Previews magazine 428 (March for books shipping in May) to see what Alien would be releasing. And it looks like it is falling into the same bad habits that ended up hurting DMG. Lots of small mini-series and a focus more on releasing multiple covers as opposed to more issues:

THE VALIANTS #1 (of 4) - 5 covers
FAITH RETURNS #1 (of 2) - 5 covers
RAI: THE BOOK OF THE DARQUE #1 (of 2) - 5 covers
X-O MANOWAR: INVICTUS #1 (of 4) - 5 covers

Only one "continuing" series
BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED: RELOADED #3 (of 4)

Bloodshot was originally supposed to be in prestige format but got split into multiple issues so excluding that as a one off there are 4 different comics but they have a total of 20 different covers.

A bit disappointed that much like the old Valiant it looks like Alien is going the route of pumping out covers to generate their revenue. A long way from the shared universe of VH1 that challenged the big two with a combined universe.

Looks to me like throwing spaghetti at the wall. Hoping some sticks so they can get some quick cash. Very disappointing. Look, Alien, you're clearly not going to last. Do something interesting in the short time you have. Don't do this. Take a swing. A big one. Something that will be remembered. Something that will make this all worth it. Don't be DMG.

[TheFerg714]

Eh, I think you're just splitting hairs at this point. While the Bloodshot, X-O, Rai, Faith, and Britannia mini's are technically new mini-series', they're really continuations of what came before. Does it really matter what number is on the cover? I'm personally *SQUEE* psyched to get more of Abnett's Rai, and having a flashy new #1 doesn't change that. It might end up getting a few new readers to boot, so this seems like a non-issue to me.

On the topic of variant covers, again, who gives a *SQUEE*? Some people feel the need to buy them, some don't. If having variant covers allows Alien to obtain a bit more money, so we can get more Valiant comics, idgaf.

Looks to me like throwing spaghetti at the wall. Hoping some sticks so they can get some quick cash. Very disappointing. Look, Alien, you're clearly not going to last. Do something interesting in the short time you have. Don't do this. Take a swing. A big one. Something that will be remembered. Something that will make this all worth it. Don't be DMG.

Really? It looks to me like they're making good decisions so far.

Continuations for the well-received major tentpoles, X-O Unconquered and Bloodshot Unleashed?
Continuations for lost fan-favorites like Britannia, Rai, and Secret Weapons?
A new team-up book, along with an FCBD teaser?
Bringing back writers like Abnett, Milligan, Van Lente, and Houser?
Releasing a new issue every week?
High-quality print?
New forays into the magic side of the Valiant U with Darques and Punk Mambo?

Of course, the hypothetical magic "big swing" you described sounds wonderful, but jfc, give them a chance to show us what they got first. They clearly have plans going forward.

[Ryan]

Really? It looks to me like they're making good decisions so far.

Continuations for the well-received major tentpoles, X-O and Bloodshot?
Continuations for lost fan-favorites like Britannia, Rai, and Secret Weapons?
A new team-up book, along with an FCBD teaser?
Bringing back writers like Abnett, Milligan, Van Lente, and Houser?
Releasing a new issue every week?
High-quality print?
New forays into the magic side of the Valiant U with Darques and Punk Mambo?

Of course, the hypothetical magic "big swing" you described sounds wonderful, but jfc, give them a chance to show us what they got first. They clearly have plans going forward.

Yeah I was saying it looks like they're really going for the lapsed VEI readers. Which is why I'm surprised there's so little excitement from all the VEI fans on here. Or is it just that the VEI fans all went to reddit and facebook?

[TheFerg714]

Mini-series don't bother me, but it would be cool to see dual numbering to acknowledge the ongoing series. Like X-O Invictus #1 would also be #5 on the inside cover if it continues from Unconquered or #89 or whatever it is from the start of the vei reboot.

This seems like an elegant solution to the renumbering issue. It'd be really neat to see X-O at #89 or even at #178, including VH1 and VH2.

Yeah I was saying it looks like they're really going for the lapsed VEI readers. Which is why I'm surprised there's so little excitement from all the VEI fans on here. Or is it just that the VEI fans all went to reddit and facebook?

Well this board is made up of some VEI fans, but also some OG fans. Where VEI fans may see some reasons for optimism, OG fans might see more of the same *SQUEE* that drove them away years ago.

[aj583]

For those who loved the VEI relaunch books, how could you not get a little bit excited about the slew of books for pre-order!! It was so cool this week to be able to go to my online comic shop and order multiple, recognizable Valiant books. The Valiants, Rai, X-O Invictus! I got the Foil versions and a Virgin reader copy for each. So looking forward to getting them and seeing if Alien can pull this off!


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[nycjadie]

BPRD still does the miniseries numbering but puts the overall number inside the book. Mignola had to recognize the marketplace realities. People buy #1 issues, but fans like the longer narrative.

I don’t love a million variants, but as a OA cover collector, it gives me more opportunities!

[Ryan]

BPRD still does the miniseries numbering but puts the overall number inside the book. Mignola had to recognize the marketplace realities. People buy #1 issues, but fans like the longer narrative.

Exactly, it would be nice to see something like that if they're going the mini-series route.

[Shaggy]

Is Alien Books already falling behind schedule? It's hard to find release dates for the books now that they're no longer on Amazon (any info on that?) but according to The Forbidden Planet both Britannia: The Great Fire of Rome and Livewire & the Secret Weapons one-shots have been delayed to April. Also, while it seems that Bloodshot Unleashed: Reloaded #1 did come out this week, it's not available on any digital platform (not even over at DriveThruComics).

[TheFerg714]

Is Alien Books already falling behind schedule? It's hard to find release dates for the books now that they're no longer on Amazon (any info on that?) but according to The Forbidden Planet both Britannia: The Great Fire of Rome and Livewire & the Secret Weapons one-shots have been delayed to April. Also, while it seems that Bloodshot Unleashed: Reloaded #1 did come out this week, it's not available on any digital platform (not even over at DriveThruComics).

They're having printing issues I think. Bloodshot comes out this week, and Livewire and Britannia come out the first week of April.