So, we’re getting a Bloodshot movie. If Vin Diesel delivers on what he is known for, we will have an action packed movie with lots of visual spectacle. Like him or not, the Fast and Furious and Riddick have had several movies made and have built quite a franchise.
Could this film mark the beginning of a Valiant Cinematic Universe at Sony? If so, what titles do we want to own before they are too hot to touch? But first, a little about Valiant…
The History of Valiant, from 1989 to Today
Where do we begin? Here is the fast version: after a failed attempt to purchase Marvel Entertainment (when the company fell on hard times financially), former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and lawyer/businessman Steven Massarsky founded Valiant Comics in 1989. In 1992, Valiant’s Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for co-creating the Valiant Universe, However, Shooter left Valiant by the end of 1992. According to Massarsky, “Jim had a different idea as to the direction of the company, and he was asked to leave.”
In 1994, American video game developer and publisher Acclaim Entertainment (based in Glen Cove, New York) purchased the company. But after some poor financial returns, they filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2004.
In 2005, a group of entrepreneurs led by Dinesh Shamdasani and Jason Kothari raised financing and acquired the rights to the Valiant Comics library from Acclaim Entertainment’s estate, forming Valiant Entertainment. In 2007, Valiant hired former Valiant Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter to write new short stories that would accompany hardcover reprints of classic Valiant Universe stories. Two of the three collections were named among “The Ten Best Collected Editions” of their respective years of publications.
In an event dubbed “The Summer of Valiant” in March 2012, Valiant Entertainment launched the Valiant Comics universe with four ongoing titles: X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Bloodshot, and Archer & Armstrong. Each one launched each month for four months. X-O Manowar premiered May 2, 2012, with the creative team of writer Robert Venditti and artist Cary Nord. The first issue of X-O Manowar received over 42,000 preorders, making Valiant the largest new publisher launch in over a decade.
In 2015, Valiant announced they had partnered with Sony Pictures to produce five films based on the Bloodshot and Harbinger comic books.
For the Summer of 2015, Valiant announced the event miniseries Book of Death, accompanied by one-shots Book of Death: The Fall of Bloodshot, Book of Death: The Fall of Ninjak, Book of Death: The Fall of Harbinger and Book of Death: The Fall of X-O Manowar and the miniseries Book of Death: Legends of the Geomancer. Book of Death was one of the best-reviewed comics of the year and the biggest selling independent crossover event of the decade. Spinning out from Book of Death, the ongoing series Wrath of the Eternal Warrior launched in November 2015.
DMG Entertainment made a huge investment in Valiant Comics in an effort to support their desire to build a cinematic universe based on their own comic book characters. It seemed like Sony Pictures would become the home for this cinematic universe since they picked up the rights to Harbinger and Bloodshot, and those two movies would eventually lead into a crossover event movie called Harbinger Wars. But unfortunately, it sounds like Sony has dealt a blow to yet another cinematic comic book universe.
What’s the Deal with Sony and Valiant?
While Sony Pictures still has a Bloodshot movie on the way in February 2020 with Vin Diesel in the lead role, they are selling off the rights to make a Harbinger movie to Paramount Pictures, and the key talent involved behind the scenes will follow.
There is still a possibility for a Valiant Universe without Bloodshot or possible character-sharing options — similar to what we see between Sony and Marvel with Spider-Man and the MCU. Regardless, this definitely feels like another stumble for the Valiant Universe.
Speculate on these Valiant Titles
As the publisher heats up again, here is a list of first appearances and mentionable books from the Valiant Universe for you to speculate on.
We want to focus on first appearances. If you have faith in Paramount, then the characters they have movie plans for are a good bet. Here are a few options:
RAI No. 0
Fun Fact: RAI #0 had a print run of 150,000 copies. Of those, 3,829 have been CGC graded and slabbed, and of those ONLY ONE “PERFECT 10” has ever been found!
Harbinger No. 1
Harbinger #1 was listed on the top ten list of Wizard Magazine for a record eight consecutive months and was eventually named “Collectible of the Decade” while Rai No. 0 appeared on Wizard’s top ten list for a new record nine consecutive months.
Harbinger #1 in CGC 9.8’s had 51 copies sold in 2019 with a High of $1,100 and a Low of $698. Current trending sales are around $700 this is the First appearance of Harbinger. This is a book that you want in 9.8. Also, make sure the mail away coupon is still intact.
Bloodshot No. 0, 6, and 7
Rai No. 0 is the first appearance of Bloodshot. We know this character is tied up with Sony, but if the first movie does well and we have millions of new Bloodshot fans, there is still potential for this book. I would only invest in this book in 9.8 condition, either the glossy or matte cover variation. There has been 292 CGC 9.8 sales in 2019 with a High of $400 and a Low of $75. This book has current sales in CGC 9.8 around $120.
Bloodshot #6 and #7 are the First appearance of Colin King and as Ninjak in costume. This is another book for investment purpose. Due to print run and availability, we want to focus on 9.8 condition. Issue #6 in CGC 9.8 condition has 82 sales in 2019 with a High of $90 and a Low of $30 with current sales at between $40 and $50. Issue #7 in CGC 9.8 has 35 sales in 2019 with a High of $188 and a Low of $40 with current sales averaging between $40 to $60.
Archer & Armstrong No. 0
Archer & Armstrong’s first appearance is in issue #0 of their own self-titled book. This is rumored to be in development, and you can still grab 9.8 copies for a reasonable price. In 2019 there has been 28 sales of this book in CGC 9.8 with a High of $125 and a Low of $32 current sales are trending at $40 – $50
Only Time Will Tell What Happens with Valiant
The valiant Universe has even more characters to offer like Shadowman, Ivar Timewalker, and X-O Manowar. The question is will they ever get out in front of the world to really have the opportunity to be exposed to millions of viewers and acquire a new fan base? It would be amazing to see these characters back from the pages of 1990s comic books break into a new time and medium of story telling.
