Alien Books and Valiant Comics are relaunching their superhero book series in the “Valiant Beyond” universe. Born out of RESURGENCE OF THE VALIANT UNIVERSE’s game-changing finale event in January of this year, the rebooted line features new additions to iconic Valiant characters including Bloodshot, Shadowman, XO Manowar, Harbinger, and more. version will appear.
The series aims to appeal to new readers in a similar way to Skybound’s Energon, Marvel’s Ultimate, and DC’s Absolute Universe series. It also aims to help new readers jump to the point, including new origins, designs, logos, additional story pages, and cover trade dress to help distinguish this line from its predecessors. .
The RESURGENCE OF THE VALIANT UNIVERSE event sees the heroes and villains of the Valiant Universe switch allegiance when the insane Dr. Silk overturns the rules of life and death on Earth, creating the Valiant Beyond Universe. Masu. New stories begin with BLOODSHOT #1 and TALES OF THE SHADOWMAN #1 in March, followed by XO MANOWAR #1 and ALL-NEW HARBINGER #1 in April.
Shadowman Beyond Concept Art XO Beyond Concept Art
“As we enter our second year of partnership with Valiant Comics, and after the crossover event “RESURGENCE,” we wanted to take a big turn and try something new,” said Alien Books director Matthias Tymarchi. explains. “The success of the Absolute, Ultimate, and Energon universes shows that both retailers and readers are looking for accessible, high-quality storytelling. Our goal is to draw inspiration from these lines. It’s about doing something that’s clearly our own.”
“Valiant has always excelled at using super-powered characters to explore a variety of genres, from horror to comedy to action and everything in between,” said Alien Books Editor-in-Chief Lysa Hawkins adds. “We look at Valiant Beyond as an opportunity to refresh our characters by taking them out of their comfort zones while maintaining the essence and spirit that fans have loved for the past 30 years. RESURGENCE Follow us until the event Don’t worry, the version of the character you’ve always loved will be back as part of the VALIANT ZOMBIES: RESURRECTION event starting with Free Comic Book Day, so keep reading and stay brave!
VALIANT BEYOND: BLOODSHOT #1 hits comic shops on March 5th and boasts an assortment of covers by Rodolfo Migliari, Nahuel Grego, Dennis Carrero, and Fernando Heinz Furukawa. Last order at comic shops is scheduled for February 3rd. VALIANT BEYOND: TALES OF THE SHADOWMAN #1 will be released on March 19th and features Damian Connelly, Vera Rachlin, Dennis Carrero and Andres Ponce on the cover. Final orders will be placed in comic shops on February 17th. XO MANOWAR #1 and ALL-NEW HARBINGER #1 will be released in April, with creative team details revealed in January.
“We aim to publish at least 12 issues for each Valiant Beyond series, split into three- or four-issue arcs that combine to tell a larger story,” says Alien Books Art Director Martin Casanova explains. “We are optimistic that fan and retailer support will help us further expand this line with more miniseries and specials.”
“The first wave of Valiant Beyond’s debut issues are available for return to direct retailers if we reach our very achievable order goals,” adds Manny Castellanos, Sales & Operations Manager at Alien Books. “We want stores to feel confident putting these issues on the shelves for customers, and we’ll be sharing more details about Valiant Beyond and how we plan to support retailers at ComicPRO in February. I look forward to doing so.”
“We think Valiant Beyond is a great opportunity to add to the Valiant lore and build on what came before while doing something new,” concluded Alien Books director Matthias Tymarchi. I attached it. “As we begin a new journey together, we hope that many of our longtime and loyal Valiant fans will join us in welcoming new readers on this journey.”
Here are the details for each line, courtesy of Alien Books.
VALIANT BEYOND: BLOODSHOT #1 Cover by Rodolfo Migliari
The first title to launch as part of Valiant Beyond stars Bloodshot, a fan-favorite nanite-enhanced cyborg with a penchant for ultraviolence. Readers will notice that there’s something very different about this version of Bloodshot, who battles a Japanese underworld obsessed with a new drug with vampiric side effects. Written by rising star Mauro Mantella (Bloodshot Unleashed: Reloaded) with stunning artwork by Fernando Heinz Furukawa (XO MANOWAR: INVICTUS), Bloodshot’s first three-issue series is a crime Combining combat, horror, and ultraviolence, this is a book for mature readers that you won’t want to miss. story.
“In VALIANT BEYOND: BLOODSHOT #1, you’ll literally find Bloodshot like you’ve never seen before!” teases Mantella. “Trapped in Japan’s undead underworld, he will discover that this world is stranger, more complex, and far more dangerous than he ever imagined.” Issue 1 features 24 pages of action , packed with outlandish ideas and certain scenes that I still can’t believe were approved.
Screenplay: Mauro Mantella
Art: Fernand Heinz Furukawa
Main cover: Rodolfo Migliari (A – Reg)
Variation covers: Nahuel Grego (B – Wraparound), Dennis Calero (C – Connecting), Fernando Heinz Furukawa (D – Design), Rodolfo Migliari (E – Virgin), Nahuel Grego (F – Wraparound)・Virgin), Dennis Calero (G – Connecting Virgin)
Final order deadline: February 3, 2025
Release date: 25/3/5
rated mature
28 pages, full color comic
$3.99
Valiant Beyond: Tales of the Shadowman #1 Cover by Damian Connelly
The team behind the critically acclaimed Shadowman: Soul Eater miniseries, writer AJ Ampadu and artist Sergio Monges, reunite to show a completely different side of the fan-favorite antihero in Tales of the Shadowman I will. Set in a utopian version of New Orleans, the magical capital of the world, Tales of the Shadowman follows a voodoo-trained detective who faces an unprecedented threat to the city. In this surprising new take on the character, left with no choice, she must summon a mysterious force known as the Shadowman to save New Orleans from the forces of Deadside.
“A new era has arrived in the world of Valiant, and we are proud to introduce a new version of Shadowman,” Ampadu explains. “Shadowman is an ancient god of unknown origin with no memory of his past. He floats in the shadows of Deadside, a mysterious wasteland surrounding the utopian city of New Orleans. The poor residents call Shadowman As much as we fear him, we rely on him to protect us from the greater evil that lurks on the Deadside. When someone is in need, they can call on the Shadowman, but it comes at a great price.”
“In this new version of Shadowman, instead of designing a suit with belts, seams, and the usual vigilante elements, we went for a more lively silhouette look with white accents for contrast. ” explains Ponce. “I wanted something reminiscent of a classic mask with pointy ends, but not as a material, so I wanted a more ghostly feel. It’s about giving it a more spectral, diffused feel, as if you’re wearing a piece of darkness.”
Screenplay: AJ Ampadu
Art: Sergio Monges
Main cover: Damien Connelly (A – Reg)
Variant covers: Vera Rachlin (B), Dennis Calero (C – Connecting), Andres Ponce (D – Design), Damien Connelly (E – Virgin), Vera Rachlin (F – Wraparound Virgin), Dennis Calero (G – Connecting Virgin)
Final order deadline: February 17, 2025
Release date: 3/19/25
Rating T+
28 pages, full color comic
$3.99
Valiant Beyond: XO Manowar Promotional Art by Ariel Olivetti
The Valiant Beyond line continues to expand with the release of new XO MANOWAR #1 and ALL-NEW HARBINGER #1 in April, with additional series and one-offs in the works. The new designs for Valiant Beyond characters were created by artists Andres Ponce and Fernando Heinz Furukawa, and took inspiration from previous versions of the characters, medieval armor, anime, and science fiction movies.
“My initial concept for the new XO armor was to move away from the organic, muscular look of the classic design, as the new story places it in a more medieval setting,” continues Ponce. “I chose a harder-looking armor with plates and split sections primarily in the torso, kept some of the muscle fibers in the chest, and added the largest possible shoulder pads. While working on this redesign, we had a classic ’90s anime in mind, but we received feedback on different sketches, so we toned it down a bit.
Valiant Beyond: XO Manowar Concept Art by Andres Ponce
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