Valiant High, is a clever new digital only series.
It takes Valiants biggest characters and plops them into stereotypical High School archetypes to great affect! Aric “X-O Manowar” Dacia is the star running back, Colin “Ninjak” King is the foreign exchange student, and totally unhinged Coach Bloodshot is the reason dodgeball is now banned from schools! Faith “Zephyr” Herbert is of course the “new girl in school”…as you follow their trails and tribulations throughout high school be prepared to be thoroughly entertained! It’s just as awesome as you’d think it would be!
The non-canonical series is pitch perfectly written by Daniel Kibblesmith (The Late Show With Stephen Colbert) with art by Derek Charm (Jughead) and David Baron (Bloodshot Reborn). I’ve devoured the first two issues and I’m here to tell you, Though it’s readily accessible to newer, younger fans, this is really a love letter with deep cuts the Valiant faithful will also appreciate. I hope to interview Daniel about this series after issue four.
Some of the characters are teachers and administrators, others are students. Without rhyme or reason but Writer Daniel Kibblesmith does a remarkable job of letting you know who these characters are heart and soul and how they interact satisfyingly within the familiar high school strata we all remember. The staff is the overbearing staff we all grew up with and the students? Well, we all went to school with people you will recognize,only with super powers.
Amanda Mckee (a.k.a. Livewire) is the narrator and goes through all the typical high school drama and Derek Charms loving re-imaginings of each character as teens, supported by colorist David Baron they are a terrific paring! You don’t have to be a Valiant fan to get what’s going on but the clever references to past (well technically future) events and exploring how the characters related to each other ( I won’t spoil anything here but fans are well taken care of) was genuinely intriguing for me, it’s a terrifically scripted book and at times made me giggle!
It’s a truly satisfying read for all ages that takes nothing away from the more adult or harder edges of these established characters. I highly recommend you check it out!
“Valiant has one of the deepest and most diverse libraries of characters in the history of comics. From action-adventure to historical fiction and even comedy, our heroes lend themselves to an incredible array of settings and genres, and we’re always looking to challenge the notion of what kind of stories we can tell,” said Valiant Chief Operating Officer Gavin Cuneo. “Now, in tandem with comiXology Originals, we’re proud to break new ground yet again with Valiant High and reinvent the Valiant Universe from the ground up in a hilarious new world that’s a perfect introduction to all of our most renowned superhero icons… From Archer & Armstrong to Faith to X-O Manowar and everyone in between.”
“With Valiant High, readers everywhere will have fun seeing established Valiant characters like Faith, Ninjak, and X-O Manowar face the trials and tribulations of high school,” said Chip Mosher, comiXology’s Head of Content & Senior Director of Communications, “The creative team of Kibblesmith, Charm and Baron deliver a hilarious story that new readers will love, while also giving core Valiant fans a fresh way to enjoy their favorite characters.”
In addition to this exciting launch, comiXology is having a 50% off sale on all Valiant Entertainment collections released prior to 1/1/2017. Readers new and old can stock up, save and discover the heroes behind Valiant High with first appearances and seminal storylines from series including Bloodshot Reborn, Divinity, Faith, Rai, Unity, The Valiant, Wrath of the Eternal Warrior, and many more. Exclusively through comiXology and Kindle.
Bringing exclusive comic content to comiXology and Kindle, the comiXology Originals lineup not only includes this release from Valiant Entertainment, but also BOOM! Studios and the upcoming Marley’s Ghost by the legendary Harvey Kurtzman, which is available for pre-order. ComiXology Originals are digital only and exclusively available for comiXology and Kindle customers.
For more information visit comixology.com and follow the company on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.
Valiant consistently produces some of the most critically acclaimed comics in the industry and has received numerous industry awards and accolades, including a Diamond Gem Award for Comic Book Publisher of the Year. In 2015, Valiant announced a multi-picture deal to bring Bloodshot and Harbinger to the big screen as feature films. For more information, visit Valiant on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and ValiantUniverse.com. For Valiant merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com.
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