#ValiantSummit2016 Launches Seven New Series

#ValiantSummit2016 previews seven new series, including fan favorite characters like Faith and Bloodshot and high-profile creators like Fred Van Lente and Peter Milligan.

Faith

"Written by JODY HOUSERArt by PERE PEREZ and MARGUERITE SAUVAGECover by KEVIN WADAIn a city under siege by robots, aliens, monsters and even worse… celebrities, there is only one woman the people of Los Angeles can count on: the stratospheric superhero called Faith! Aspiring reporter by day and dedicated crime-fighter by night, Faith has tackled every obstacle in her path with confidence – like those crushing deadlines at work, the long-distance boyfriend half a world away, and the missing back issues that plague her comics collection! But, unbeknownst to her, Faith is about to collide with the one force she never saw coming: an up-and-coming super-villain bent on snuffing her out once and for all! But who is lurking behind the mask of her new foe…and could they just be the one person capable of rendering Faith powerless?Jump on board now to find out why Valiant’s one-of-a-kind hero is inspiring a whole new generation! Be here as FAITH moves from her sold-out mini-series…and into the history-making debut of her first-ever ongoing series!"

This one is definitely going on our pull lists here at Bam Smack Pow. Her limited series had rave reviews (which you can check out here and here) for the depiction of body diversity and the infallible charm of the title character, and with the same writer attached, there is no way this project can lose.

Generation Zero

"Written by FRED VAN LENTEArt by FRANCIS PORTELACover by STEPHEN MOONEYYears ago, the children of the experimental strike team known as Generation Zero were taken from their families by Project Rising Spirit, a private weapons contractor, and raised to be psychic soldiers. After years of taking orders, they have fought for and won their freedom. Now, the world’s most wanted teenagers have pledged to protect each other tooth and claw, while using their extraordinary abilities to right wrongs for a generation without a future… To fight for kids, just like them.One of those kids is Keisha Sherman, whose boyfriend just turned up dead after a suspicious car crash in Rook, Michigan – a newly booming tech town that sprang from rags to super-riches seemingly overnight. When Keisha makes a desperate plea into her webcam, the local high school suddenly finds itself with several unusual new students… But as word of Generation Zero’s presence spreads rapidly through the halls, this volatile band of teenage upstarts is about to discover that they’re far from the most extraordinary thing lurking behind Rook’s stainless-steel facade.."

Fred Van Lente wrote the stellar satire of Archer And Armstrong‘s first volume and will be introducing War Mother in her 4001 A.D. tie-in this summer, so any of his books is sure to be one to watch. The Generation Zero kids have been interesting enough since their introduction in Harbinger Wars, but they’re characters you don’t really miss when they’re gone, so Van Lente has his work cut out in giving them their own book. With the premise of a superpowered Jump Street, he may have found the way to make these misfits into icons.

Brittania

"Written by PETER MILLIGANArt by JUAN JOSE RYPCover by CARY NORDRuled by the Fates. Manipulated by the Gods. Commanded by Caesar. In the year 65 A.D., one’s destiny was not his own. At the height of Nero’s reign, a veteran of Rome’s imperial war machine has been dispatched to the farthest reaches of the colonies to investigate unnatural happenings… In the remote outpost of Britannia, Antonius Axia – the First Detective – will become Rome’s only hope to reassert control over the empire’s most barbaric frontier…and keep the monsters that bridge the line between myth and mystery at bay…From comics mastermind Peter Milligan (X-Statix, Shade the Changing Man) and incendiary artist Juan Jose Ryp (NINJAK, Clone) comes a psychological journey into terror, temptation, and bloodshed – presented in an all-new prestige format limited series!"

Milligan’s Shadowman was a mixed bag – fantastic ideas, but weirdly dull execution. But the promise of a historical mystery limited series is a great grab, and Cary Nord covers are usually worth the cost of the book on their own. Count us in.

Bloodshot U.S.A.

"Written by JEFF LEMIREArt by DOUG BRAITHWAITECover by KANOProject Rising Spirit – America’s greatest exporter of classified weapons technology – has achieved a breakthrough: a contagious, airborne nanite dispersion prototype that can turn the population of any city into an army of indestructible soldiers. A doomsday virus capable of destroying an enemy nation from the inside out. A machine-made pathogen that can completely rewrite human physiology…and hardcode every man, woman, and child with the same cutting-edge technology that created their greatest weapon: Bloodshot.But now…Project Rising Spirit’s top-secret contagion has been released onto the streets of America’s greatest metropolis: New York City. As mayhem engulfs Manhattan, Bloodshot must lead the most dangerous invasion ever waged on American soil and keep a runaway pandemic from toppling armies and governments…and threatening to destroy humanity itself.In the tradition of THE VALIANT, the Big Apple turns blood red in pivotal new standalone comics event from New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (BLOODSHOT REBORN, Extraordinary X-Men) and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite (ARMOR HUNTERS, Justice)!"

In. One hundred percent in. Jeff Lemire’s Bloodshot Reborn series has pumped up our heart rates with the action sequences and torn us in half with the romance and loss. His current Analog Man arc is a near-perfect limited series in itself, so the thought of him getting another four issues to craft another thinking-man’s action movie, now with one of comics’ most talented superhero artists, is enough to merit a pre-order today.

Harbinger Renegades

"Written by RAFER ROBERTSArt & Cover by DARICK ROBERTSONSix months ago, a secret team of renegade whistleblowers leaked the existence of these extraordinarily dangerous individuals to a stunned world. Today, all across the country, crude, DIY psiot activation attempts have left hundreds brain damaged…or worse. The emergence of a new psiot in a community often leads to riots and mass violence. Gun sales are through the roof.America is terrified of what could happen next.With this revolutionary upheaval now in motion, Kris Hathaway, John “Torque” Torkelson, Faith “Zephyr” Herbert, and Peter Stanchek are about to discover their calling. Together, the HARBINGER RENEGADES are moving from town to town, building their ranks, and subverting authority one mind at a time…and setting out to prove once and for all that behind their power, there has always been a purpose.This November, the most fearless superteam in comics is going underground for AN ALL-NEW ONGOING SERIES from rising star Rafer Roberts (A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG) and superstar artist Darick Robertson (Happy!, The Boys)!"

This one makes us nervous, no lie. Darick Robertson defined the 1990s New Warriors for Marvel, a series that left indelible marks on teen readers who are the main market for these books today. His talent made series like Transmetropolitan and The Boys into works of academic discussion despite the graphic subject matter. And this book is getting Valiant’s original X-Men-but-not-X-Men team back together, including universal favorite Faith and adding in a girlfriend for Kris to make her Valiant’s most prominent gay character. But Rafer Roberts’s take on Archer And Armstrong has led to the first book out of Valiant’s five years of publication we feel comfortable calling “terrible.” Let’s hope that’s just a mismatch between Roberts’s skills and the source material, because these psychic runaways have been through enough.

Savage

"Written by B. CLAY MOOREArt by CLAYTON HENRY and LEWIS LAROSACover by LEWIS LAROSA Fifteen years ago, the world’s most famous soccer star and his former supermodel wife – pregnant with their unborn child – disappeared without a trace. The world believes they are dead… But, in reality, their private jet crash-landed on a mysterious, unknown island ruled by by prehistoric creatures from another time…This is the story of how they lost their humanity.This November, acclaimed writer B. Clay Moore (Hawaiian Dick) and explosive artists Clayton Henry (HARBINGER WARS) and Lewis LaRosa (BLOODSHOT REBORN) present a relentless epic of survival in a cold-blooded land ruled by instinct alone as SAVAGE makes his brutal entrance into the Valiant Universe!"

The art team comes with a pedigree that could elevate this miniseries beyond the Green-Arrow-meets-Turok-meets-Iron-Fist-meets-Kamandi smoothie the solicit copy promises, but we’re not holding our breaths.

Divinity III: Stalinverse

"Written by MATT KINDTArt by TREVOR HAIRSINECover by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC Earth has a new god. The world you know is gone. Welcome to the Stalinverse, comrade."

Divinity is Valiant’s most successful original property, with dozens of reprints and prominent award nominations, and the second series has started off strong, so the third chapter of the story of Cosmonauts-turned-space-gods is sure to be worth the attention. And a closer look at the teaser image suggests Stalinverse as an alternate reality with Communist versions of Shadowman, X-O Manowar, and Bloodshot. Valiant’s first Elseworlds book? Da. We are ready.

Keep watching BamSmackPow.com for more coverage of Valiant’s new books for 2016 and advance reviews as they get closer to print!

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