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Post by hondobrode on Sept 11, 2017 18:33:30 GMT -5
They just did a wildly successful soft reboot on X-O Manowar, and have said they're going to continue doing that every spring with another character. The same artist they had there, Thomas Giorello, is doing Ninja-K. You mean Ninjak ? No, Ninja-K, like the eleventh super ninja in the Ninja Programme, sort of like James Bond meets Weapon X. We'll see Ninja-K's A-J predecessors. This looks so cool. Seriously, Valiant has some awesome stuff.  |
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Valiant
Sept 11, 2017 19:25:37 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2017 19:25:37 GMT -5
Are they still publishing comics?  <tease> -M |
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Valiant
Sept 11, 2017 20:02:04 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Warmonger on Sept 11, 2017 20:02:04 GMT -5
Awesome artwork
May have to check it out
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Valiant
Sept 11, 2017 22:36:19 GMT -5
Post by hondobrode on Sept 11, 2017 22:36:19 GMT -5
Are they still publishing comics? <tease> -M With their little 1% of the market, yes, but they have some tv and movie deals coming together to help get them noticed.  Looking forward to more than a couple people digging their stuff. They're introducing more villains, which will help. |
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Post by Warmonger on Sept 11, 2017 22:51:59 GMT -5
If I have no prior knowledge of the Ninjak series, will I be totally lost diving into this?
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Valiant
Sept 11, 2017 22:54:02 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2017 22:54:02 GMT -5
Are they still publishing comics? <tease> -M With their little 1% of the market, yes, but they have some tv and movie deals coming together to help get them noticed. Looking forward to more than a couple people digging their stuff. They're introducing more villains, which will help. You mean their 1% of a market that shrunk 20% from last year's sales and this past August's sales were over 25% lower than August of last year (trades only down 9%)? It tough to grow readership when the market shrinks by a fifth in a year. More details here Oh yeah, those August numbers included a book that moved over 250K units, so the rest of the market outside that had to have shrunk even more for it to be down 25% overall with that kind of book at the top of the chart. Valiant was not in the top 10 publishers for market share. #10 was Oni that had 1.28% of the market. All publishers outside the top 10 combined for just 9.91% of the market, so I doubt Valiant is even pulling 1% market share at this point. And all those Valiant projects are going to have to compete against the full slate of Marvel & DC films being pumped out to take up every key tentpole position for releases for the next 5-6 years, and box office is overall way down this year too, with not much outside the Marvel and DC movies doing much int he way of box office for genre films. Unfortunately for Valiant, the window to make hay in the movie market was 3 years ago, by the time they get to market they will be as crowded out of the box office market as their comics are out of the direct market. It's good stuff, I know, but that's not enough to get recognized or to achieve growth in this overcrowded and shrinking market. There's really zero growth potential in the direct market at this point for anybody, let alone someone like Valiant operating outside the top 10. Most customers who are looking for something outside of big 2 super-heroes are actually looking for something outside super-heroes in general and people who want super-hero or super-hero like stuff gravitate towards the big 2 not alternatives. It's a regressive shrinking market, and Valiant is caught between a rock and a hard place as what they are offering is not what the majority of customers are looking for no matter how good it is. -M |
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Post by hondobrode on Sept 12, 2017 8:12:32 GMT -5
You're not wrong.
I'm still a fan, always have been, and until someone buys it and wrecks it, will always be a fan.
I predict one of the Big Two will end up buying them.
Frankly, I hope that doesn't happen but it probably will.
I wrote DC years ago and implored them to buy out Valiant on the cheap and incorporate the characters.
Of the Big Two, that's who I'd prefer to see buy them, if it ever comes to that.
I'm glad they're hanging in there.
You're right; they're probably < 1 %, and that's why I shill for them now and again, as I really believe in the company and what they've been putting out.
OTOH, I don't think you're factoring in DMG.
Here's an article going into China filmmaker DMG's 9 figure investment in Valiant's line of characters :
Valiant comics movie universe
Before Marvel Studios was part of Disney, Marvel established a method of developing and packaging its own films in order to retain some control over the characters. Now Valiant Entertainment seems to be trying to do the same thing, by scoring a huge amount of investment capital from DMG Entertainment to develop a Valiant comics movie universe.
DMG has put eight figures worth of funding into Valiant “to further its efforts in international publishing, film, television, licensing and beyond.” But that’s not all. The press release announcing the deal also trumpets an additional nine-figure investment towards development of film and TV projects featuring Valiant characters such as Bloodshot, Shadowman, and Archer & Armstrong. The goal of the partnership between Valiant and DMG is significant, and they’re not hiding it, as the announcement proclaims the creation of the “largest independent superhero universe.”
Some of these have already been in development, as the press release notes:
BLOODSHOT from Sony Pictures in partnership with Original Film
SHADOWMAN in partnership with the Sean Daniel Company from a script by J. Michael Straczynski
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, also with the Sean Daniel Company from a script by BenDavid Grabinski
In addition to all this development funding and an upcoming push for Valiant characters in the US, DMG, which is based in China, plans a huge Valiant-based licensing push in China to develop the market there for these characters.
Granted, we know nothing about how this will all work out — it depends in the end on the scripts, and the other creatives brought on board to help turn them into movies and TV. But money helps with that, and Valiant has a lot of it right now. The fact that these projects could end up at different studios might be an issue, but if Sony already has Bloodshot, perhaps it wants all of Valiant’s stable.
Here’s the release:
(New York, NY and Beijing, China, March 9, 2015) – Valiant Entertainment – the award-winning comic book publisher with a library of more than 2,000 characters, including X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, Archer & Armstrong, and more – and DMG Entertainment, the Beijing-based leader in global entertainment, today announced a new partnership to span motion pictures, television, publishing, and licensing that will culminate in the big screen debut of Valiant’s universe of characters in theaters around the world.
In conjunction with this new partnership, DMG has made an eight-figure (USD) series C round of equity investment into Valiant, which the company will use to further its efforts in international publishing, film, television, licensing and beyond. DMG has dedicated an additional nine-figures (USD) of film financing capital toward the production of theatrical films and television programs based on Valiant’s library of iconic superhero characters.
In total, the new agreement is the first deal of its kind brokered between an internationally based entertainment company and a leading independent publisher of comic books and graphic novels. Utilizing DMG’s expertise in international film development, production, and distribution, Valiant will begin to establish its cinematic universe in the United States, China and beyond. Current Valiant feature films in development include the previously announced BLOODSHOT from Sony Pictures in partnership with Original Film; SHADOWMAN in partnership with the Sean Daniel Company from a script by J. Michael Straczynski; and ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, also with the Sean Daniel Company from a script by BenDavid Grabinski; among others. Valiant has also already begun development on several television projects.
The unprecedented partnership between Valiant and DMG offers both companies the ability to develop and co-produce tent-pole theatrical films for distribution and release simultaneously in the United States, China – the world’s fastest growing film market with more than $4.8 billion in box office receipts in 2014 – and the rest of the world.
“Global markets, like China, offer the greatest opportunities for monetization from merchandising, licensing, as well as revenues from film and television properties. Comic superheroes are the most lucrative and sought after IP for movie franchises, so taking a stake in the last independent massive comic universe is a strategic investment for DMG that will produce movies and TV that are both appealing and relevant to a global audience,” said DMG CEO Dan Mintz. “We are excited by the opportunity to bring these incredibly engaging characters and their stories to the big screen.”
Beyond film alone, DMG and Valiant will work in concert to form China-focused licensing partnerships for Valiant’s stable of characters in areas such as Chinese language publishing, animation, online gaming, toys, apparel, live events, theme parks, and more, with a focus on bringing Valiant’s iconic heroes to new audiences in China and Asia-Pacific.
DMG Entertainment has a proven track record of introducing celebrated superheroes to the Chinese/international marketplace. In 2013, the Beijing-based studio and production company co-produced and co-financed Marvel Studios’ IRON MAN 3 – the highest grossing foreign film of 2013 and sixth highest of all time in China. DMG is currently co-producing high-octane thriller AUTOBAHN, starring Anthony Hopkins, Ben Kingsley, Felicity Jones and Nicholas Hoult; and the extreme actioner POINT BREAK, directed by Ericson Core; both films will hit screens worldwide in 2015.
“Valiant’s iconic stable of intellectual property and world class management team coupled with DMG’s unmatched skill with entertainment brand building in China make a formidable partnership,” said Valiant Chairman Peter Cuneo. “We will look forward to introducing some of the most popular superheroes of all time to the world’s fastest growing market across all media forms.”
“Audiences in China and the rest of the world are hungry for heroic stories that they can more easily relate to…and with the international box office accounting for the biggest piece of the total gross, the time is right for a truly international superhero franchise. DMG will bring its unique global perspective to the task of transforming the Valiant Universe into the first international comic-movie universe,” said DMG President Wu Bing.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2015, Valiant is one of the most successful comic book publishing companies in the history of the medium with more than 81 million comics sold and a library of more than 2,000 distinct characters. Established by a brain trust of legendary comics creators – including former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter; seminal Iron Man writer and artist, Bob Layton; and the visionary writer and illustrator of Wolverine: Weapon X, Barry Windsor-Smith – Valiant’s heroes and villains inhabit the largest independently owned superhero universe anywhere in comics.
Re-established in 2005 as Valiant Entertainment with a best-in-class management team that includes Chairman Peter Cuneo, CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani, COO & CFO Gavin Cuneo, President of Licensing, Promotions & Ad Sales Russell A. Brown, Publisher Fred Pierce and Vice Chairman Jason Kothari, the company returned to great commercial and critical success in 2012, winning a Diamond Gem Award for Publisher of the Year and numerous industry awards and accolades. To date, Valiant’s titles consistently rate among the best reviewed in comics.
“Today marks one of Valiant’s biggest milestones yet with a huge step towards bringing the Valiant characters to the big screen and forging the foundation of the first truly international cinematic universe,” said Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “By bringing Valiant’s biggest heroes to theaters around the world in concert with our new partners at DMG, we look forward to making Valiant not only an iconic name in comics, but global entertainment as well.”
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Valiant
Sept 12, 2017 9:37:24 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2017 9:37:24 GMT -5
It doesn't matter how much DMG invests right now. The box office market is soft, with lots of movies, especially new properties under-performing in the big budget blockbuster category. They can put as much money as they want into it, but if people aren't going to the theatres and buying tickets on that kind of stuff, all their doing is throwing good money after bad. Box office treads right now are pretty bad. Their down year to year worse than comics sales are, and the Marvel and DC movies have been exceptions. Other action/hero type films, even those based on known properties have severely under-performed expectations, and folks think it's going to get worse before it gets better. If DMG thinks throwing moeny into the characters will ensure an audience will be there for them, their sadly mistaken. MArvel Studios and DC's slate of films right now are succeeding on the rep they built over the last decade (Marvel much more so than DC, Wonder Woman's performance at the box office bucked the recent trend of DC films to under-perform). The Valiant movies, when they hit the market, are going to be opening on either non-optimum weekends, which usually means low opening numbers, or up against other blockbusters which means they will lose out on box office and have softer openings. It's a lose-lose situation for them right now. I am not forgetting or disregarding what DMG is doing, I am looking at it in the context of what is actually happening in the market and not what they hope will happen and saying it's not going to matter when the tire hits the road on these things. They might, might, make some hey on the international box office, especially China, but their domestic results won't provide much if any return on their investment if current trends hold.
-M
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Valiant
Sept 12, 2017 19:55:41 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by hondobrode on Sept 12, 2017 19:55:41 GMT -5
I respectfully disagree.
Marvel and DC are both doing well at the movies and I think there's room for a third with Valiant if it's done well.
Everyone said DC couldn't make a good movie, oh, until wonder woman came out and performed very well.
Trends come and go. Well you're saying that the movie market is down but It from Stephen King just broke records.
Valiant has a shot and going up. They're the underdog in the superhero market but I think they're going to continue to grow.
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Valiant
Sept 12, 2017 20:05:19 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2017 20:05:19 GMT -5
I respectfully disagree. Marvel and DC are both doing well at the movies and I think there's room for a third with Valiant if it's done well. Everyone said DC couldn't make a good movie, oh, until wonder woman came out and performed very well. Trends come and go. Well you're saying that the movie market is down but It from Stephen King just broke records.Valiant has a shot and going up. They're the underdog in the superhero market but I think they're going to continue to grow. Because basically it was the only movie people went to see that weekend, Everything else tanked. DC Metal sold 250K copies, an amazing number, but everything else was down and the month of August was down over 25% over last year. Metal was the exception. It was the exception. If you go in having to have your product be the exception to succeed, you're doomed to failure. Exceptions are just that, they are not the norm and to set expectations based on the exceptions and not the market as a whole is the reason bankruptcy laws exist for businesses and so many small businesses fail. Everyone thinks they're special, that they're the exception, until the reality hits and they find out they're not. If you don't set your business plan based on the reality of the situation instead of what you want the situation to be, it will never survive first contact with the actual market. Those that succeed are those that understand what the market actually is and find a way to overcome those obstacles to break through, not those whose plans are if everything goes the way we want it we'll do well. All I see form the Valiant press releases and DMG plans is a lot of wishful thinking and a total lack of understanding of what the actual market conditions are right now. You can't overcome obstacles by ignoring their existence, you have to accept them and plan accordingly. I don't see Valiant/DMG doing that, in fact I see just the opposite. They are subscribing to the Field of Dreams if you build it they will come model, but there's nobody left to come to the field right now. I wish them well, as the books look good and have some quality creators on them, but they are following the path that every failed comic publisher and entertainment creation house has gone down before because they aren't grounding their plans in the reality of the situation that currently exists and figuring out how to change those things, they think their stuff's good enough to draw an audience despite all the obstacles, and that's just not very likely to happen. -M |
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Valiant
Sept 14, 2017 20:31:47 GMT -5
Post by hondobrode on Sept 14, 2017 20:31:47 GMT -5
If I have no prior knowledge of the Ninjak series, will I be totally lost diving into this? If you start with this soft reboot at Ninja-K, you'll be totally fine. This isn't out yet. If you want to get a taste, just start with the first Ninjak collected volume, Weaponeer  Every master spy…has to start somewhere. Then: Meet inexperienced MI-6 recruit Colin King on his first mission in the field as he learns the basics of spycraft and counterintelligence, and develops a volatile relationship with his first handler. Now: Colin King is Ninjak, the world’s foremost intelligence operative, weapons expert, and master assassin. And he’s hunting the Shadow Seven — a secret cabal of shinobi masters with mysterious ties to his training and tragic past. Start reading here as Ninjak’s past and future collide in the pages of an all-new ongoing series from New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (THE VALIANT, DIVINITY) and superstar artists Clay Mann (X-Men: Legacy, Gambit), Butch Guice (Captain America, Action Comics), and Juan José Ryp (Black Summer)! Collecting NINJAK #1–5. per Comixology : Ninjak (2015- ) For the first time, Ninjak's past and future collide in the pages of an all-new ongoing series from New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Rai, Mind MGMT) and superstar artists Clay Mann (X-Men: Legacy, Gambit) and Butch Guice (Captain America, Action Comics)! Then: Meet inexperienced MI-6 recruit Colin King on his first mission in the field as he learns the basics of spy craft and counterintelligence, and develops a volatile relationship with his first handler. Now: Colin King is Ninjak, the world's foremost intelligence operative, weapons expert, and master assassin. And he's hunting the Shadow Seven - a secret cabal of shinobi masters with mysterious ties to his training and tragic past. FWIW, you can also download Ninjak # 1 for FREE there as well. click HERE for FREE Ninjak # 1 |
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