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Valiant Comics is killing off its entire universe, to reboot the whole thing, Bloodshot, Shadowman, Harbinger, X-O Manowar, and all
Valiant Comics is pausing their entire superhero universe, to reboot the whole thing, Bloodshot, Shadowman, Harbinger, X-O Manowar, and all
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There's a growing trend for big superhero universes to give fans a fresh start, with all their heroes (and villains) rebooted to square one. Hasbro did it with Skybound's Energon Universe, and then Marvel followed with the new Ultimate Universe, and then DC with its Absolute line. And now following in that trend (and saying the trend was the reason), Valiant is hitting 'pause' on its current comics universe to create something new: Valiant Beyond.
The entire Valiant Comics universe is being rebooted in favor of a fresh start for its heroes such as Bloodshot, Shadowman, Harbinger, and X-O Manowar. This new universe, dubbed the 'Vaiiant Beyond' universe, will kick off in March 2025 with two new limited series - Bloodshot and Tales of the Shadowman. They will be followed one month later with new series, All-New Harbinger and The X-O Manowar, with the plan for each to be three-to-four issues each, with a plan to a total of 12 issues for each franchise. It's being billed with the tagline "New Origin. New Universe. New Starting Point."
"As we enter into the second year of our partnership with Valiant Comics and come out of the Resurgence crossover event, we wanted to take a big swing and try something new,” says Alien Books director Matias Timarchi.
These new versions of Bloodshot, Shadowman, Harbinger, and X-O Manowar are being designed by Andres Ponce and Fernando Heinz Furukawa.
"The success of the Absolute, Ultimate and Energon universes has shown that there is an appetite from both retailers and readers for accessible and high-quality storytelling. Our goal is to take inspiration from those lines while doing something that is distinctly our own."
So what happens to the current Valiant Comics universe? Well, the current Valiant Universe - which relaunched in 2012 - will culminate with January 2025's final issue of The Resurgence of the Valiant Universe before disappearing from the new issue pile. They aren't dead and forgotten though; Valiant says they will be a part of May 2025's Valiant Zombies: Resurrection one-shot to be released on Free Comic Book Day, and could possibly return for more if Valiant things fans want it. Their plans for the Valiant U you know from the past decad
“Valiant has always been great at using superpowered characters to explore different genres, from horror to comedy to action and everything in between,” adds Alien Books editor-in-chief Lysa Hawkins. “We’re looking at Valiant Beyond as an opportunity to refresh these characters by taking them out of their comfort zones while still retaining the essence and spirit that fans have adored over the past 30 years."
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the current Valiant Universe was ending. The publisher has claried that its being put on hold, with an appearance in a future issue.
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