If it wasn’t for Valiant Comics, I would only be reading one monthly issue. It’s not too late for you to join the cool kids and starting reading the best stories I’ve read in over two decades. While many of these titles have sold out, some before even hitting the shelves, you can still contact your local comic book or hobby shop and ask for the trade paperbacks to be ordered. In an industry over saturated with spandex, join me in supporting the titles that put the amazing back in comic books!
Here’s your list of the best titles Valiant Comics released in 2016!
FAITH
Written by JODY HOUSER
Art by FRANCIS PORTELA (mini-series), PERE PEREZ (ongoing) and MARGUERITE SAUVAGE (mini-series/ongoing)
Synopsis:
Orphaned at a young age, Faith Herbert – a psionically gifted “psiot” discovered by the Harbinger Foundation – has always aspired to greatness. But now this once ordinary teenager is taking control of her destiny and becoming the hard-hitting hero she’s always known she can be – complete with a mild-mannered secret identity, unsuspecting colleagues, and a day job as a reporter that routinely throws into her harms way! Well, at least she thought it would… When she’s not typing up listicles about cat videos, Faith makes a secret transformation to patrol the night as the City of Angels’ own leading superhero – the sky-soaring Zephyr!
But flying solo is going to be tougher than she ever thought when Zephyr uncovers a deep-rooted alien conspiracy. Two-bit burglars and car thieves are one thing, but when the world needs a hero to stave off a full-blown extraterrestrial invasion, will Faith find herself in over her head…or ready for her biggest challenge yet?
Rising star Jody Houser (Orphan Black) and explosive artists Francis Portela (Green Lantern) and Marguerite Sauvage (DC Comics Bombshells) pilot a new chapter for Valiant’s high-flying hero right here in Faith’s first-ever limited series!
Notable Mentions:
“✮✮✮✮✮… Truly stunning… This is a superhero done right, folks…” – Nerdist
“The Valiant superhero comic book fans deserve.” – The Atlantic
“Exuberant, bodacious and just plain awesome, Faith owns the sky.” – NPR
“Finally, a female superhero who’s just like us.” – The Huffington Post
“This comic does amazing things… a fabulously fun read.” –Vice
“She’s smart, gregarious and an unapologetic nerd – the essential components for true badassery.” – MTV.com
BLOODSHOT REBORN
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by LEWIS LAROSA (#10-#13), MICO SUAYAN (#14-#17) and TOMAS GIORELLO (#18)
Synopsis
Many years from now, Los Angeles has become a post-apocalyptic wasteland and the once unstoppable killing machine known as BLOODSHOT has become THE ANALOG MAN. Hopelessly outdated, Bloodshot’s taken on a new role as the protector of a small town, eking out a subsistence existence with the great love of his life – Magic – and protecting a group of stragglers who’ve weathered the storm. But when a gang of marauders arrives, the settlement’s survival is threatened, and Bloodshot is forced to bring justice to the distorted and disjointed badlands of the Valiant Universe!
Then: Jeff Lemire and Mico Suayan (BLOODSHOT REBORN) send Bloodshot screaming into his most action-packed adventure yet as “BLOODSHOT ISLAND” ups the ante for the Valiant Universe’s most formidable soldier!
Stranded on a mysterious desert island, Bloodshot is running for his life! But as he tries to make sense of his surroundings, he’s quickly discovering that this is no ordinary tropical getaway… Surrounded by decommissioned relics of the same bloodstained project that created him – World War II Bloodshot, Cold War Bloodshot, Vietnam Bloodshot, and other antiquated experiments – Bloodshot is about to find out where Project Rising Spirit sends it old soldiers to die. Can this seasoned band of killers trust each other long enough to survive the threats that lie in the jungle around them…and unlock the secret at the heart of the island’s existence before they’re each permanently retired? And who or what is the sinister force called DEATHMATE that now hunts them at every turn?
Blockbuster artist Lewis LaRosa (Punisher) joins New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (Extraordinary X-Men) for a gasoline-soaked storyline two years in the making right here for “THE ANALOG MAN”!
Notable Mentions:
“Great character work, explosive action and some truly wrenching heartache…” – IGN
“Thrilling, clever…and a smart twist on the typical superhero story.” – Uproxx
“Entertaining and visually engrossing…” – Newsarama
“Jeff Lemire is killing it on this book… Bloodshot Reborn is amazing and deserving of all the praise heaped upon it.” – Nerdist
“Exhilarating… The action is a complete joy.” – Hulking Reviewer
BRITANNIA
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by JUAN JOSE RYP
Synopsis:
On the fringes of civilization, the world’s first detective is about to make an unholy discovery…
Ruled by the Fates. Manipulated by the Gods. Commanded by Caesar. In the year 65 A.D., one’s destiny was not his own. At the height of Nero’s reign, a veteran of Rome’s imperial war machine has been dispatched to the farthest reaches of the colonies to investigate unnatural happenings… In the remote outpost of Britannia, Antonius Axia – the First Detective – will become Rome’s only hope to reassert control over the empire’s most barbaric frontier…and keep the monsters that bridge the line between myth
and mystery at bay…
From comics mastermind Peter Milligan (X-Statix, Shade the Changing Man) and incendiary artist Juan Jose Ryp (NINJAK, Clone) comes a psychological journey into terror, temptation, and bloodshed – presented in an all-new prestige format limited series!
Notable Mentions:
“✮✮✮✮✮… A unique and engrossing tale.” – All-Comic
“✮✮✮✮½… Wildly Entertaining… You will be begging for more.” – Newsarama
“✮✮✮✮½… Fantastic… A truly enjoyable read.” –AiPT!
“✮✮✮✮½… Visceral… Bloody fantastic.” –Graphic Policy
“An immersive entry to grander designs… Expect the narrative, and blood, to fly.” – IGN
“Incredible — the characters, the setting, the storytelling, the violence all shine.” – Nerdist
DIVINITY II
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Synopsis:
The much-anticipated follow-up to the five-time sold-out series that The Onion/A.V. Club calls the “Best New Superhero of 2015” is here! The acclaimed creative team returns for a perfect new jumping-on point into the expansive sci-fi saga that shook the world!
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union – determined to win the Space Race at any cost – green lit a dangerously advanced mission. They sent three cosmonauts farther into space than anyone has gone before or since. Handpicked orphans with no connections to Earth, trained as devout Communists, and restricted from having families, they became lost in the stars and encountered something unknown… Something that changed them.
Long thought lost and erased from the history books, Abram Adams was the first to return, crash-landing in the Australian Outback. The few that have been able to reach him believe him to be a deity. They say he can bend matter, space, and even time to his will. But, even with seemingly limitless power at his fingertips, he is concerned only with the secret love he hid away from his superiors and the unborn child he never had a chance to meet.
Now, Miska, the female co-pilot of the group, has also returned to Earth…but, unlike Abram she had no secret family. Unlike Abram, she still believes in the Communist ideal. And, unlike Abram, she intends to play a very real role in the return of Soviet glory.
Earth is about to meet a new god. And she’s a Communist. How long can it be before the nations of Earth bend before DIVINITY?
Notable Mentions:
“Startlingly original… A must for dans of speculative fiction.” – Paste Magazine
“A fascinating premise…'” – NPR
“A compelling character study…[with] depth, style and detail.” – Uproxx
“A grounded, cinematic feel… [and] mind-bending, universe-spanning wonder.” – Mental Floss
“[A] real can’t-miss event… DIVINITY II stands above them all with grace, energy and heart.” – Newsarama
HARBINGER RENEGADE #1
Written by RAFER ROBERTS
Art by DARICK ROBERTSON with JUAN JOSE RYP and RAUL ALLEN
Synopsis:
Anyone you know could become a psionically powered “harbinger” with the potential to reshape the course of human history. Your neighbor. Your boss. Your best friend. Your kids.
Six months ago, a secret team of renegade whistleblowers leaked the existence of these extraordinarily dangerous individuals to a stunned world. Today, all across the country, crude, DIY psiot activation attempts have left hundreds brain damaged…or worse. The emergence of a new psiot in a community often leads to riots and mass violence. Gun sales are through the roof.
America is terrified of what could happen next.
With this revolutionary upheaval now in motion, Kris Hathaway, John “Torque” Torkelson, Faith “Zephyr” Herbert, and Peter Stanchek are about to discover their calling. Together, the Harbinger Renegades are moving from town to town, building their ranks, and subverting authority one mind at a time…and setting out to prove once and for all that behind their power, there has always been a purpose.
This November, the most fearless superteam in comics is going underground for AN ALL-NEW ONGOING SERIES from Harvey Award nominated writer Rafer Roberts (Plastic Farm) and superstar artist Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan,The Boys)!
Notable Mentions:
“✮✮✮✮✮… Great storytelling and art. A perfect place to jump on and enjoy the ride.” – Outright Geekery
“✮✮✮✮✮… The perfect entry point into the Valiant Universe and a well-executed stunner of a story.” – Spartantown
“✮✮✮✮✮… A flagship title and beacon of hope for comic book excellence in the Valiant Universe; as well as the entire comic book genre.” – All-Comic
“✮✮✮✮ ½… Stunning… HARBINGER RENEGADE is an easy recommendation.” – Comics Bulletin
“✮✮✮✮… Excellent… Harbinger’s return is one worth watching.” – IGN
“HARBINGER RENEGADE only strengthens an already impressive Valiant line up.” – Paste Magazine
“A superhero story unlike any other…” – Wired
X-O MANOWAR
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI (#47-#50), with JODY HOUSER (#50), FRED VAN LETE (#50), and MATT KINDT (#50)
Art by JOE BENNET (#47-#50), and ROBERTO DE LA TORRE (#47-#48, #50), with CARY NORD (#50), DOUG BRAITHWAITE (#50), DIEGO BERNARD (#50), RAFA SANDOVAL (#50), ROBERT GILL (#50), JAVIER PULIDO (#50), and TOMAS GIORELLO (#50)
Synopsis:
It’s here! The greatest Valiant milestone of all time!
For centuries, the sacred X-O Manowar armor has stood unrivaled as the universe’s most powerful weapon. Today, will it equal Earth’s doom? An unthinkable alien race known only as The Torment has come to our world in search of the armor’s secrets. Now, they stand opposed by Aric of Dacia – former slave, noble warrior, resolute king, and current master of the armor’s near-limitless capabilities. But is one man…and one weapon…enough to repel a force capable of leveling a thousand civilizations?
A whole new era for X-O Manowar begins here…and you won’t believe what’s coming next!
From all corners, the Valiant Universe assembles to salute X-O Manowar’s unparalleled 56-issue run as Robert Venditti, Joe Bennett, and Roberto de la Torre declare “LONG LIVE THE KING” with an oversized series finale for the ages! Plus: all-new, never-before-seen X-O Manowar tales and tributes from Fred Van Lente & Clayton Henry, Jody Houser & Javier Pulido, Matt Kindt & Tomas Giorello, and special guest appearances from X-O Manowar’s own Cary Nord, Diego Bernard, Rafa Sandoval, Robert Gill, and more!
Notable Mentions:
“✮✮✮✮✮… Wonderful… A well-deserved ending…” – Multiversity Comics
“✮✮✮✮✮… One of the most rewarding, and satisfying, conclusions to a comic…” – Graphic Policy
“Robert Venditti’s epic saga is just getting bigger and bigger… It’s amazing…” – Nerdist
“An astonishing feat…” – IGN
“[X-O MANOWAR] will undoubtedly be considered as a hallmark in the history of comics.” –Blastr
SAVAGE
Written by B. CLAY MOORE
Art by CLAYTON HENRY and LEWIS LAROSA
Synopsis:
Fifteen years ago, the world’s most famous soccer star and his former supermodel wife –pregnant with their unborn child – disappeared without a trace. The world believes they are dead… But, in reality, their private jet crash-landed on a mysterious, unknown island ruled by prehistoric creatures from another time…
This is the story of how they lost their humanity.
This November, acclaimed writer B. Clay Moore (Hawaiian Dick) and explosive artists Clayton Henry (HARBINGER WARS) and Lewis LaRosa (BLOODSHOT REBORN) present a relentless epic of survival in a cold-blooded land ruled by instinct alone as SAVAGE makes his brutal entrance into the Valiant Universe!
Notable Mentions:
“✮✮✮✮✮…SAVAGE delivers on every level with a compelling story and world-class artistic team.” – All Comic
“✮✮✮✮✮… Efficient storytelling that’ll make you care and want more.” – AiPT!
“✮✮✮✮✮… SAVAGE is a splendor of art and writing.” – The Broken Infinite
“✮✮✮✮ ½… Beautiful… Valiant has another hit on their hands.” – Graphic Policy
“✮✮✮✮ ½… B. Clay Moore, Clayton Henry, Lewis LaRosa, and Brian Reber deliver bloody action and riveting drama in equal measure rendered with an eye for visual flair.” – Newsarama
NINJAK
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by DIEGO BERNARD (#14-17) and KHARI EVANS (#18-21) with KHOI PHAM (#14-#15) and ANDRES GUINALDO (#16-#17)
Synopsis:
“THE SIEGE OF KING’S CASTLE” starts here as New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (DIVINITY) and rising star Diego Bernard (X-O MANOWAR) charge into a four-issue blockbuster that will leave no one unscathed!
Colin King, the elite MI-6 intelligence operative codenamed Ninjak, has confronted his past. He’s survived the gauntlet of the Shadow Seven. He’s walked into the Deadside and returned a changed man. Now his greatest trial yet will come to pass as the ruthless assassin called Roku returns to lay siege to Ninjak’s present and future by destroying his life from the inside out – and only the death of Colin King will stop her.
Notable Mentions:
“✮✮✮✮✮… Phenomenal…” – Word of the Nerd
“✮✮✮✮✮… Kindt blows readers away…” – The Broken Infinite
“Unquestionably the single greatest character in the entire Valiant roster…” – ComicsAlliance
“Explosive… A breakneck tale of Colin King, weaponless and alone…” – Newsarama
4001 A.D.
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by CLAYTON CRAIN with DAVID MACK
Synopsis:
In the tradition of BOOK OF DEATH, ARMOR HUNTERS, and HARBINGER WARS, Valiant’s most ambitious crossover event yet starts here! At the dawn of the 41st century, the future of Earth will be decided in the stars!
One hundred years from today, Father – the benevolent artificial intelligence that governs the island nation of Japan – will gain sentience. To defend its borders, Father will take drastic action by launching Japan into space…where its people will thrive in isolation, away from the overpopulated and resource-deprived planet below. Over the centuries, as New Japan orbits our increasingly unstable world, it will become a model society – one built on peace, prosperity… and Father’s control.
A thousand years from today, Father will create the first Rai, founding a lineage of technologically enhanced heroes engineered to defend New Japan and sworn to protect it from all enemies. For hundreds of years into the future, the Rai will single-handedly enforce New Japan’s justice well…and serve Father without question.
Now, at the dawn of 4001 A.D., the latest Rai is about to inherit the dark truth behind the origin of his kind…and discover the sinister secret at the heart of Father’s existence. For New Japan to live, Earth must die…and as Rai challenges his former master for the first time in more than a millennium, the lone guardian of New Japan will be cast out of his own Father’s kingdom…
Exiled from the only realm he’s ever known, Rai now walks the ravaged world of 4001 A.D. in search of forgotten heroes like himself… on a mission to collect the last surviving legends of a broken planet…and to forge a rebellion with the power to bring the most advanced civilization in history crashing back down to Earth.
Notable Mentions:
“✮✮✮✮✮… About as perfect as a comic could get.” – Outright Geekery
“✮✮✮✮✮… 4001 A.D. #1 is as smart as it is stunning… Gorgeous depictions and an exciting story make this book a sure winner.” – All-Comic
“✮✮✮✮½… Gorgeous… The action is fierce, the science fiction fun, and the art spectacular.” – AiPT!
“An interesting twist on the genre… Like a superhero comic from tomorrow.” – Wired
“Another Valiant storytelling masterpiece.” – ComicsVerse
