In 1989, a legendary group of comic book creators—including Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, Barry Windsor-Smith, David Lapham, and more—set out to create a new kind of comic book publisher… A publisher whose characters reflected the diversity and outlook of its readership, whose stories embraced the moral ambiguity of real life, and whose comics would pioneer the character-focused storytelling of today… A publisher that would soon make comic history as VALIANT.
With a story-first approach to comic books, VALIANT quickly became one of the most recognized publishers in the world. VALIANT’s now classic characters – X-O MANOWAR, BLOODSHOT, HARBINGER, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, RAI, and dozens more – became a pivotal force in comics fandom, helping to reshape the landscape of the comic industry, and creating what would eventually grow to become the largest and best-selling independent universe in comics.
In 2012, that legend was born anew when a new generation of creators reignited the VALIANT Universe with the release of X-O MANOWAR #1. Setting records as the biggest debut by a new publisher in more than a decade, the all-new X-O MANOWAR by New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti and Eisner Award-winning artist Cary Nord proved that, even after two decades, VALIANT’s character-first philosophy and dedication to story above all else continues to resonate with fans. More hit series continued to follow with successful revivals of HARBINGER, BLOODSHOT, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, SHADOWMAN, and QUANTUM AND WOODY. Valiant soon became the publisher to beat, winning the Diamond Gem Award for Publisher of the Year faster than any publisher in history and garnering 14 nominations at the 2014 Harvey Awards, including the most nominations for a single title with QUANTUM AND WOODY.
In 2018, Valiant was acquired by DMG Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based leader in global entertainment with diverse holdings and operations. Under the DMG umbrella, Valiant’s characters continue to be forged and brought to life in publishing, licensing, film, video games, and beyond. That same year, Sony Pictures Entertainment began filming on the BLOODSHOT motion picture starring Vin Diesel (Fast and the Furious films), Sam Heughan (Outlander), Eiza González (Baby Driver), and Toby Kebbell (Kong: Skull Island) for release in the first quarter of 2020.
With a cutting-edge stable of creative talent at the helm of its biggest series, some of the best reviewed titles anywhere, and one of the most active and committed groups of fans in comics, VALIANT has continued to make waves with the same upstart approach and stalwart dedication to making the best comic books possible that informed the very first VALIANT releases back in 1989.