We ran across this press release over on CBR which indicates that there is a going concern known as “Valiant Entertainment” and they are publishing a collection of HARBINGER, and former Valiant E-i-C Jim Shooter is writing a new story for it (Later to become much better known David Lapham was the artist.) We know little as to context — Valiant was one of the premiere publishers of the “Chromium Age” but parent Acclaim went bankrupt several years ago, and this Valiant Entertainment acquired the rights to their comics library. The website is a placeholder but it looks like more is coming. Anyone know anything more about this?

Comics legend and co-architect of the original Valiant Comics universe, Jim Shooter, has written a new Harbinger story for the upcoming Valiant hardcover collection, HARBINGER: THE BEGINNING. The deluxe hardcover by Valiant Entertainment collects the full Harbinger origin story ( Harbinger #0-7) for the first time ever, and includes an all-new “Origin of Harada” story by Jim Shooter that features the first appearance of a new key Valiant character!

Harbinger #0-7 has been digitally recolored and remastered using state-of-the-art computer techniques, and the all-new “Origin of Harada” story features art by former Valiant creator Bob Hall ( Shadowman ).


Harbinger reinvented the superhero team genre and became one of the most successful comic series of the 1990s, selling over 5 million comic books. The classic story of Sting’s band of renegade teenagers with extraordinary powers of the mind and their battle against Japanese tycoon Toyo Harada took the comics industry by storm in 1992. Harbinger ‘s first issue was named “Collectible of the Decade” by Wizard Magazine, appeared in the #1 position of Wizard Magazine’s Top Ten list for a then-record eight consecutive months, and in 2006 was named the 1990s “Comic Book of the Decade” by Sequart. It features Eisner Award-winner David Lapham’s ( Stray Bullets ) very first work as a talented teenager and one of Jim Shooter’s greatest stories ever .

Creator Jim Shooter has had a long and storied career in the industry. He began his professional writing career at age 13, a world record, crafting some of the seminal Legion of Super Heroes stories for DC Comics. At the age of 28, he became Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics. During his nine-year tenure, he oversaw some of Marvel’s most influential creations and storylines, such as Spider-Man’s black costume and the creation of Venom, the X-Men’s Dark Phoenix Saga, and Frank Miller’s run on Wolverine and Daredevil . In 1990, Shooter co-founded Valiant Comics, where he co-wrote and co-created some of the most popular and critically acclaimed characters since Marvel’s heyday in the 1960s, including Harbinger, X-O Manowar, Shadowman, and Archer and Armstrong, among others.

Jason Kothari, CEO of Valiant Entertainment said, “We are very excited to be collecting this classic story and giving readers the opportunity to experience it like never before, utilizing all that the latest in digital coloring has to offer and including Jim Shooter’s fascinating new story that expands the rich Valiant mythology.”

HARBINGER: THE BEGINNING (JUN073932), published by Valiant Entertainment, is solicited in the June Previews (Volume XVII #6) and scheduled to arrive in comic book stores nationwide on August 29 th , 2007. The book marks the milestone return of comics legend Jim Shooter and is a full-color 192 page hardcover with a suggested retail price of $24.95.

1 COMMENT

  1. Glad to see Jim Shooter getting the work! Comics Legend is right – the man began writing professionally at what, 13?

    I’ll be interested to see if he’s involved in any other extent with the company.

  2. I recall Shooter was heavily promoting some comic at the NY Comic-Con… It was called The Seven or something… Not sure if that has anything to do with anything.

  3. With the trade market growing, it seems like a great idea to come back and start releasing collected editions of old material.

  4. “I recall Shooter was heavily promoting some comic at the NY Comic-Con… It was called The Seven or something… Not sure if that has anything to do with anything.”

    It was called “The Seven”, but the logo really looked like it said “The Semen.”

    -Steve!

  5. Does anybody actually want “deluxe hardcover” collections of comics that can be found in any 25 cent bin?

  6. I know it’s definitely not fair but I blame Valiant for the mid 90’s collapse of comics. It’s just that I remember them more than any other publisher putting out multiple covers, hard to find #0’s, and so on. The biggest impression I have of them was seeing a handful of Valiant books at the baseball card shop, one of which was selling for over $500.

    Again, not their fault entirely, but they left the worst impression on me and hence: I blame *you*, Valiant!

  7. I really loved the first issues of Valiant’s MAGNUS, DR. SOLAR, TUROK and NINJAK, but I really thought the company went down with silly titles like ARCHER & ARMSTRONG (reminds me of an 80’s Stephen J. Cannell TV show), HARBINGER, BLOODSHOT and SHADOWMAN.

    Collect the good stuff and ditch the rest…

  10. This is great news. I’m a big fan and can not wait to get one of my fave stories in a nice collection, and with a new story by Jim Shooter no less.

    You guys have some interesting notions about Valiant that I can not help but correct:)

    1 – Rodney, Harbinger #1 alone sells for $30 on ebay and collections are usually bought because the reader wants everything in one nicely produced book that they can put up on the shelf (I know I can’t wait to do just that).

    2 – Jonathan, actually Valiant has NEVER published a multiple or variant cover. They did gold logo books that they gave away free to fans for promoting Valiant and about 4 books had chromium covers which were marketing ploys to get people excited but they kept the covers for big event books and I always felt it worked with the characters since they were metal based characters (X-O Manowar #0, Bloodshot #0 and #1 and Turok #1). Valiant books were worth hundreds of dollars (never $500 as for any one book as far as I remember, that shop was trying to rip you off) because they were great stories that people wanted to read, were unavailable in a cheaper format at the time and had small print runs….simple supply and demand. Once they started producing soft cover trades the prices dropped because people could read the stories in a cheap format.

    Bill – I always thought ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, HARBINGER, BLOODSHOT and SHADOWMAN were some of the best titles in comics but that’s just me. NINJAK was damn cool too but I was never into Turok or Magnus.

  11. Interresting comments about the twentyfive cent bin, especially since most pre unity books go for six bucks or more sirs. This is great news, and fans of comics that have never read Valiant stuff should pick this up as Harbinger was an amazing read.

  12. Interresting comments about the twentyfive cent bin, especially since most pre unity books go for six bucks or more sirs. This is great news, and fans of comics that have never read Valiant stuff should pick this up as Harbinger was an amazing read.

  13. This is good news for John Byrne. If a no talent asshole like Shooter can be welcomed back to comics with open arms, the return of Byrne is right around the corner!

  14. Wow, and to think, Shooter is the man. He has done alot for comics, why is he untalented now? Byrne is awesome too, but damn man, a little over the top there.