Press Release

As revealed today during the #ValiantSummit 2017 event live from Twitch TV’s Hyper RPG studios in Los Angeles, Valiant Entertainment is proud to announce “ICONS” – an all-new wave of ongoing series, prestige format projects and standalone events spanning the Valiant Universe’s greatest heroes and top talents! Out of the record-setting success of X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1 – the year’s best-selling series debut from any independent publisher – “ICONS” will continue throughout 2017 with one major new series launch each month, featuring the publisher’s most enduring heroes:

• X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1 by Matt Kindt & Tomas Giorello in March 
• BRITANNIA: WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE #1 by Peter Milligan & Juan Jose Ryp in April 
• RAPTURE #1 by Matt Kindt & CAFU in May
• SECRET WEAPONS #1 by Eric Heisserer & Raul Allen with Patricia Martin in June
• FAITH AND THE FUTURE FORCE #1 by Jody Houser, Stephen Segovia, Barry Kitson & Special Guests in July
• [CLASSIFIED] #1 by [TOP SECRET] and [TOP SECRET] in August
• BLOODSHOT SALVATION #1 by Jeff Lemire, Lewis LaRosa & Mico Suayan in September
• ETERNITY #1 by Matt Kindt & Trevor Hairsine in October
• NINJA-K #1 by Christos Gage & Tomas Giorello in November
• QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017) #1 by Daniel Kibblesmith & Kano in December

“X-O MANOWAR wasn’t just the launch of a new series, it was a statement of purpose,” said Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “Even before the first issue hit stands, the success of that series has emboldened Valiant and its creators to redouble our efforts and create what might just be our most high-profile roster of titles to date. Over the course of the coming year, Valiant has dedicated itself to bringing the same level of creative vision, formidable storytelling and intensive quality to each of its most important new series and most beloved characters – a process that began with X-O MANOWAR and will soon extend outward into FAITH AND THE FUTURE FORCE, BLOODSHOT SALVATION, NINJA-K, QUANTUM AND WOODY! and some of our most exciting titles yet.”

“Valiant is fortunate to have a team of some of the most dedicated and talented creators anywhere in the industry manning the frontline of our universe, and, together, Valiant’s ‘ICONS’ have a very bright future indeed,” said Valiant Editor-in-Chief Warren Simons. “From FAITH AND THE FUTURE FORCE to BLOODSHOT SALVATION to NINJA-K to QUANTUM AND WOODY!, you’re about to see our biggest and most-demanded characters step into their most memorable adventures yet.”

Rewatch all of today’s #ValiantSummit 2017 announcements on Twitch TV’s Hyper RPG channel or Facebook Live, or find complete details on each series individually below:

X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by TOMÁS GIORELLO
Cover by LEWIS LAROSA

WAR IS COMING!

Born under the oppressive thumb of the Roman Empire, Aric of Dacia learned warfare at an early age. It was amid such violence that he was abducted by an alien race. Forced into slavery, he survived where others perished. His escape would come from bonding with a weapon of immeasurable power: the X-O Manowar armor. With it, he returned to Earth…only to find himself stranded in the modern day.

But that was a lifetime ago.

Now, far from home on a strange and primitive new world, Aric has begun a new life. Liberated from his past, he tends to his crops. Free from war. Free from violence. Free from the armor.

But the machinery of death marches his way once again. Conscripted into an alien army and thrown into an unforgiving conflict, the fury inside him finds voice as he is forced to embrace the armor once more. With it, he will decimate armies, topple empires and incite interplanetary warfare as he rises from SOLDIER to GENERAL to EMPEROR to VISIGOTH. They wanted a weapon. He will give them war!

A stunning new beginning for Valiant’s most enduring icon starts here as New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (DIVINITY, NINJAK, Mind MGMT) and a rotating cast of powerhouse interior artists spanning the series’ first year – including Tomas Giorello (4001 A.D.: WAR MOTHER, BLOODSHOT REBORN), Doug Braithwaite (ARMOR HUNTERS, BLOODSHOT U.S.A.), Clayton Crain (RAI, Carnage), Ryan Bodenheim (The Dying & The Dead), and Mico Suayan (BLOODSHOT REBORN) – present the biggest Valiant debut of all time…and unleash the brutal opening salvo of the ultimate X-O Manowar tale ever told!

ONGOING SERIES | BEGINNING MARCH 2017

BRITANNIA: WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE #1
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by JUAN JOSÉ RYP
Cover by CARY NORD

Valiant’s critically acclaimed, 10-time sold-out magnum opus returns with a brand-new journey into myth and mystery, from comics master Peter Milligan (Shade, The Changing Man) and incendiary artist Juan José Ryp (BRITANNIA)!

Fifty thousand Romans stand on their feet, watching from the rafters of the coliseum with captured breath as Achillia, a gladiator unlike any that Rome has seen before, faces incredible odds – one lone warrior against five of Rome’s greatest. Such is the tradition, when a female gladiator enters the fray. When the carnage is complete, the coliseum roars its approval as Achillia stands victorious. Now, only one match away from winning her freedom, she has begun to gain renown. The women of Rome, suppressed by their husbands and fathers, have noticed. The men of Rome, husbands and fathers to a growing horde of women entertaining ideas of independence, have noticed as well.

On the other side of Rome, a strange mystery swirls through the Palatine Hill. In the dead of night, down winding alleys, Rome’s elite swear that they see visions of a blood-soaked Apollo walking the city…visions that are driving them mad. Even more are becoming sick with weird fever god-dreams. Panic ensues in the city. The Chief Vestal, Rubria, is arrested by Emperor Nero and threatened with crucifixion unless the deadly curse that’s fallen on Rome is lifted. She asks Antonius Axia, hero of Britannia and Rome’s only detective, for help. She offers only one clue…the gladiator Achillia.

LIMITED SERIES | BEGINNING APRIL 2017

RAPTURE #1
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by CAFU
Cover by MICO SUAYAN

On a scarred landscape, two otherworldly armies prepare to battle one last time, vying for control of a massive tower named from an ancient language no longer permitted to be spoken.

One army is led by a primeval force named Babel, whose goal is singular: to breach “heaven” no matter the cost. The only thing standing in his way is a gray-haired barbaric warrior, filled with rage and regret – a man who sees this battle as his last chance for redemption. But he knows his depleted forces have little chance of victory unless aid comes soon.

Enter Tama: A 12-year old girl on the crest of a hill overlooking the battle, who has just become humanity’s only hope. The last in an ancient line of mystics who protect the Earth, she has foreseen this battle and knows millions will perish if she’s unable to stop it. Now Tama and her ragtag team of malcontents – Ninjak, Shadowman and Punk Mambo – must somehow defeat an elder god hell bent on piercing the heavens.

This summer, New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (X-O MANOWAR) and artistic sensation CAFU (RAI) lead a Tolkien-esque journey into the space between life and death…through the Deadside…and into the many worlds that lie beyond right here with a spellbinding and horrific standalone event!

LIMITED SERIES | BEGINNING MAY 2017

SECRET WEAPONS #1
Written by ERIC HEISSERER
Art by RAÚL ALLÉN with PATRICIA MARTIN
Cover by RAÚL ALLÉN

Eric Heisserer – the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of ARRIVAL and Valiant’s upcoming HARBINGER and BLOODSHOT feature films – joins Harvey Award-nominated visionary Raúl Allén (WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR) for an all-new Valiant Prestige-format adventure…launching Livewire and an extraordinary new team of heroes into the fight of their lives!

The government has dispatched Amanda McKee – the technopath codenamed Livewire – to investigate the ruins of a secret facility formerly run by Toyo Harada, the most powerful telepath on Earth and her former mentor. In his quest for world betterment at any cost, Harada sought out and activated many potential psiots like himself. Those who survived, but whose powers he deemed to have no value to his cause, were hidden away at this installation. But Livewire, having studied Harada’s greatest strengths and learned his deepest weaknesses, senses opportunity where he once saw failure. A young girl who can talk to birds… A boy who can make inanimate objects gently glow… To others, these are expensive disappointments. But, to Livewire, they are secret weapons…in need of a leader. Now, as a mechanized killer called Rex-O seeks to draw them out, Livewire and her new team of cadets will be forced to put their powers into action…in ways they never could have imagined…

PRESTIGE FORMAT LIMITED SERIES | BEGINNING JUNE 2017

FAITH AND THE FUTURE FORCE #1
Written by JODY HOUSER
Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and BARRY KITSON
Cover by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC

A SPECTACULAR SUMMER EVENT! Every second counts when acclaimed writer Jody Houser (Mother Panic, Star Wars: Rogue One), explosive artist Stephen Segovia (NINJAK, Action Comics), comics legend Barry Kitson (Fantastic Four), and special surprise guests push Faith into a centuries-spanning fight for existence alongside the greatest heroes of the Valiant Universe…past, present, and future!

Faith “Zephyr” Herbert – former member of Unity, current Harbinger Renegade, and Los Angeles’ #1 superhero – is the universe’s last, best chance at survival! Centuries from today, a devious artificial intelligence has unleashed a blistering attack on the very foundations of time…one that is unwriting history from beginning to end! Now, with her options exhausted, Neela Sethi, Timewalker – the self-appointed protector of what is and will be – has returned to the 21st century to recruit Earth’s greatest champions of today and tomorrow to oppose this existential threat…and she needs Faith to lead them! But why Faith? And why now?

This July, fly to the farthest edges of the future in a death-defying race to save time itself, as Faith leads the charge alongside Valiant’s greatest heroes…and becomes a new legend for the ages!

LIMITED SERIES | BEGINNING JULY 2017

CLASSIFIED
Written by [TOP SECRET]
Art by [TOP SECRET]
Cover by [TOP SECRET]

BEGINNING AUGUST 2017

BLOODSHOT SALVATION #1
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by LEWIS LAROSA & MICO SUAYAN
Cover by RYAN BODENHEIM

A BLOCKBUSTER NEW ONGOING SERIES! From New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (BLOODSHOT REBORN, Moon Knight) and extraordinary artists Lewis LaRosa (BLOODSHOT REBORN) & Mico Suayan (BLOODSHOT REBORN),  a bloody and vengeful new era for Bloodshot begins this September as Ray Garrison escapes his violent past to build the one thing he never thought he’d earn: a family. But when a hateful secret from his true love’s past threatens their fragile peace, Bloodshot will be forced to run headlong into a barrage of blood, bullets, and broken bones for a revenge-fueled assault that will have crushing consequences for those he holds most dear…

Now: In the arms of his beloved girlfriend Magic, Bloodshot has finally found hope for the future…in the form of the couple’s unborn child. But when Magic’s estranged family – a cruel and sadistic clan of homegrown criminals – re-emerge to lay claim to their lost daughter, Bloodshot will be pushed back to the brink of madness, mayhem, and warfare…

Soon: Eight years from today, Bloodshot’s daughter has inherited her father’s incredible abilities. Hunted by a high-tech kill squad called Omen, Jessie must hone her powers…and learn how to survive before the world is swallowed whole by the darkness that now pervades America…

ONGOING SERIES | BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 2017

ETERNITY #1
Written by MATT KINDT
Art & Cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE

A VISIONARY NEW SERIES! From the minds of New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt and blockbuster artist Trevor Hairsine comes an expedition into the Unknown. Beyond time... Beyond space… Beyond reality itself… ETERNITY awaits!

This October, Valiant unveils a new plane of existence beyond our own and unleashes a universe of new worlds, new beings, and new myths…

LIMITED SERIES | BEGINNING OCTOBER 2017

NINJA-K #1
Written by CHRISTOS GAGE
Art by TOMAS GIORELLO
Cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE

A NEW CAN'T-MISS ONGOING SERIES! From acclaimed writer Christos Gage (Netflix’s Daredevil) and superstar artist Tomas Giorello (X-O MANOWAR), the United Kingdom’s most dreaded intelligence operative delves into the cold, calculating world of espionage and international intrigue! 

For nearly a century, MI-6, the most elite branch of Britain’s clandestine intelligence service, has honed a ruthlessly effective, top-secret division – THE NINJA PROGRAMME – into one of its nation’s most finely wielded weapons. Tasked as the first and last line of defense for queen and country, this small shadow army of agents and assassins has produced a succession of notable assets, including NINJA-A, the Queen’s silent weapon of World War I; NINJA-E, the globetrotting secret agent that pulled the Cold War back from the brink of armageddon;  and, most recently, NINJA-K, aka Colin King, a brash but fearless instrument of lethality that has saved the world from madmen and terror at every turn. 

But now…an unknown enemy is hunting and killing members of THE NINJA PROGRAMME one by one – and NINJAK is next on the list.

ONGOING SERIES | BEGINNING NOVEMBER 2017

QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017) #1
Written by DANIEL KIBBLESMITH
Art by KANO
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO

THE WORLD'S WORST SUPERHERO TEAM RETURNS IN AN EXPLOSIVE NEW ONGOING SERIES! This December, four-time-offending writer Daniel Kibblesmith (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and taser-proof artist Kano (Daredevil) give the Valiant Universe the adjective-worthy superheroes it deserves: QUANTUM AND WOODY!

Sometimes…you embrace your destiny. And sometimes…you and your trouble-making adopted brother find yourselves trapped in a scientific lab explosion that grants you $@&%ing awesome super-powers. As a result of their accident, Eric and Woody Henderson – aka Quantum and Woody – must “klang” their wristbands together every 24 hours or both dissipate into nothingness. Which makes superhero-ing pretty awkward when you’re not on speaking terms at the moment. See, Eric has been keeping a pretty big secret: He knows who Woody’s birth father really is…and where he’s been hiding all these years. 

With great power comes great sibling rivalry! This winter, you’ll believe two men and one goat can split a one-bedroom apartment and still be a credible threat to evil and injustice everywhere when QUANTUM AND WOODY make headlines and take names!

ONGOING SERIES | BEGINNING DECEMBER 2017

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