The Valiant universe has been growing exponentially since its return just a few years ago, bringing back fan-favorite characters from the 90s, and creating all new ones with some of the top names in comics. Valiant continues to grab fans’ attention with solid stories, artwork, and characters that push at the boundaries of what makes a superhero comic, and it doesn’t appear they will be stopping in 2016. Valiant has dropped teasers for four new series’ coming next year, and I did some digging for some info about each. In most cases I was able to find the solicitation text or a synopsis to give you an idea of what to expect. Much of this info is available in the bowels of Valiant’s website if you look hard enough.
Valiant is proud to announce DIVINITY II – a new prestige format limited series continuing the critically acclaimed, much demanded debut of Valiant’s first all-new, headlining character from the minds of New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt and blockbuster artist Trevor Hairsine! Set for release in April 2016, DIVINITY II will reunite Kindt and Hairsine with inker Ryan Winn, colorist David Baron, and cover artists Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic and Tom Muller as Valiant’s all-star creative team reconvenes to deliver a breathtaking new vision of humanity’s next epic encounter with the being called DIVINITY!
In 2016, the Valiant Universe continues its first encounter with a god-like being held back by the humanity of a man, only in DIVINITY II – an all-new prestige format limited series from master storytellers Matt Kindt and Trevor Hairsine!
“DIVINITY is different than any character I’ve ever written before. I thought it would be fun to purposely create a character that is so overpowered – so amazing – that he’s practically a god. The fascinating thing is then creating a scenario and a challenge for him. What can stand against a character like that?” said series writer Matt Kindt. “I’ve been blown away by the response that I’ve gotten online and in-person at conventions – I’m always working to create a story that I think would be fun for me to read, so seeing the enthusiasm that DIVINITY has created has been amazing.”
“Now the fun is launching this insane cosmic being into the existing Valiant Universe and seeing what trouble he can cause (or solve) in other books,” he added. “And best of all? We’ve been green lit to do a full-on sequel! I’m super-excited to be joining up with Trevor, Ryan, David, and Jelena for the next chapter — we have an even bigger story in store for next year. DIVINITY is a character that started out as a small idea and blossomed into a character that I have years of ideas for. I’ll be returning for as long as they’ll let me.”
Valiant is proud to announce A&A #1 – AN ALL-NEW ONGOING SERIES for the Valiant Universe’s premier pair of history-smashing adventurers…the amazing ARCHER & ARMSTRONG! Written by rising star Rafer Roberts (Plastic Farm, Carpool Buddies of Doom) with art by superstar artist David Lafuente (Ultimate Spider-Man, New Mutants), Valiant’s next flagship series starts here in March 2016 as Archer & Armstrong begin a senses-shattering trip to unlock the secrets of Armstrong’s bottomless satchel…recover a lost bottle of history’s finest whiskey…and square off with an all-new adversary three millennia in the making!
In anticipation of Archer & Armstrong’s upcoming assault on the Valiant Universe, artist David Lafuente has signed on as Valiant’s next exclusive artist for the launch of A&A #1. A veteran of many high-profile series for Marvel and DC, including a lengthy and crucially acclaimed run on Ultimate Spider-Man with writer Brian Michael Bendis, Lafuente joins a growing and formidable stable of exclusive creators at Valiant that also includes artists Raul Allen (WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR), Doug Braithwaite (NINJAK), Mico Suayan (BLOODSHOT REBORN) and more.
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 can 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.
Earth must rise. Father must fall. Rai! Eternal Warrior! X-O Manowar! Bloodshot! Geomancer! Armstrong! And more! The war for the ultimate fate of humanity begins in 4001 A.D.!
This last one I have no information on except the creative team and a teaser image. Ninjak: The Siege of King’s Castle is being written by Valiant architect Matt Kindt, with fantastically detailed artwork by X-O Manowar‘s Diego Bernard.
King’s Castle most likely refers to Colin King’s base of operations and ancestral home, but who is heading the siege, and why? This series promises a bloody battle that may have major repercussions for Ninjak. Matt Kindt has been using the ongoing Ninjak series as a launching point for many new concepts in the Valiant universe, and Siege will likely continue that tradition in 2016.
From what I’ve been hearing many of these stories debut on Free Comic Book Day the first Saturday in May, so no sleeping in, be in on the ground floor when Valiant debuts these new series’ and continue following Valiant as it innovates and entertains throughout the next year and beyond.