While Valiant had had some middling success up to this point, it was really HARBINGER #1 that put the company on the map in terms of being a presence in the field. HARBINGER was the first fully-original super hero concept that was put forward by Valiant, and it shared enough of its DNA with X-MEN … Continue reading Brand Echh: HARBINGER #1
The first original super hero character to debut from the growing Valiant line of titles was introduced as a flip-book feature in the fifth issue of MAGNIUS, ROBOT FIGHTER. And with good reason, as this new champion would exist in the same future time frame and milieu as that robot-smashing hero. This was Rai (pronounced … Continue reading Brand Echh: MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER #5/RAI #1
The second super hero title in Valiant's new line of books was SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM #1. Like MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER, the series was a revival of a property that had been published in the 1960s and 1970s by Gold Key: DOCTOR SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM. But unlike MAGNUS, SOLAR wasn't set up … Continue reading Brand Echh: SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM #1
The VALIANT line of interconnected super hero titles were really the successors to Marvel's New Universe efforts. They evidenced a similarity of ethos, though they were both better conceived and better produced for the most part--and thus were a lot more successful. Whether this was due to Valiant EIC and lead writer Jim Shooter having … Continue reading Brand Echh: MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER #1
There were other concepts that were originated with the intention that they would be a part of the New Universe initiative but were left by the wayside as the parameters of that concept changed and evolved. One of them went on to become one of the lesser lights of the Marvel Universe. This was Speedball, … Continue reading Brand Echh: SPEEDBALL #1
Not every title originally conceived for the New Universe initiative wound up being released under its auspices. Certain titles fell out as the parameters of the new line shifted during the development process. One such series was STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI, a super hero war series set in the future. As pitched by writer Peter B. Gillis … Continue reading Brand Echh: STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI #1
And finally we come to the most consistent and stable of the eight New Universe launch titles, D.P.7. I sampled all eight first issues when they first came out, and D.P.7 was the only book that I continued to follow--though even there, I dropped it after five issues. D.P. 7 was the creation of writer … Continue reading Brand Echh: D.P.7 #1
This next New Universe release was a bit of an outlier, as it didn't truly have anything to do with the overarching concept of the New Universe at all. It featured no super-powers, no White Event, nothing at all extraordinary or beyond the realm of believability. What it was instead was an attempt to do … Continue reading Brand Echh: MARK HAZZARD: MERC #1
The New Universe was a bit of a confounding launch in that it is clear that all of the titles that were a part of it were terribly rushed and under the gun, to the point where none of them were bale to keep a steady creative team for more than a couple of issues. … Continue reading Brand Echh: NIGHTMASK #1
Among the assorted titles launched as a part of the New Universe in 1986, PSI-FORCE was one of the more consistent and popular, though as with the other series in the group, it went through a bit of a creative shakeup due to having been started so far under the gun. It also suffered from … Continue reading Brand Echh: PSI-FORCE #1
The Tom Brevoort Experience 