The Valiant Encyclopedia and Price Guide 3rd Edition – March 2004 Table of Contents A Beginner’s Guide to Collecting Valiant Comics ii Purpose and Scope iii How to Read the Listings iii Using the Valiant Encyclopedia and Price Guide iii Voyager/Valiant Universe (VH-1) 1 Acclaim/Valiant Universe (VH-2) 25 Valiant Validated Signature Series 34 Trade Paperbacks 35 Valiant Trading Card Checklists 37 Unity Trading Card Set Checklist 37 Valiant Era Series 1 38 Valiant Era Series 2 40 Deathmate (Valiant/Image Crossover) 42 Valiant Comics That Do Not Exist 44 Cancelled (Advertised or Solicited - But Never Printed) 44 Confusion (Referenced, Rumored, or Assumed) 45 i A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO COLLECTING VALIANT COMICS by Greg Holland The VALIANT Universe of comic books began with Magnus Robot Fighter #1 in May 1991. Produced by Voyager Communications, Inc., Magnus, along with the second Valiant title, Solar – Man of the Atom, were revivals of comic book titles originally printed in the 1960’s & 1970’s by Gold Key. From 1991 to 1992, Magnus, Solar, and successive original Valiant titles such as Harbinger, Rai, and X-O Manowar combined to provide a solid foundation for the Valiant universe…which was praised for its exciting characters, inviting art, and strong continuity of storytelling across all titles building up to the eighteen-part Unity crossover event of 1992. The Unity storyline, combined with a surge in comic book collecting at the time of DC’s “Death of Superman” and the recent introductions of Wizard: The Guide to Comics and Overstreet Monthly price guide magazines propelled early Valiant comic books to market value listings of $20, $50, or even $100+ each, though the books were less than two years old. The demand for Valiant titles quickly multiplied and by 1993, comic shops became very well stocked on any Valiant title produced after the Unity crossover, while earlier issues remained in short supply. A change in management in 1992 at Voyager Communications, Inc., saw the departure of some of the key players in the production of the early Valiant comic books. Many comic book collectors and investors purchased multiple copies of 1993 Valiant titles, but were unable to obtain more than a few of the 1991-92 Valiant issues due to smaller print runs compared to other comic books of that time. By mid-1994, many of the collectors and investors who flocked to the comic book scene in 1992 were leaving, hoping to liquidate their inventories – to cut their losses in most cases – and a flood of recent comic books perceived as “valuable” by monthly price guides were unloaded upon the secondary market. For Valiant comic books, this meant that recent Valiant comics purchased for $2.25 to $3.95 each were becoming available for “bargain bin prices”, often $1.00, $0.50, or even less. Valiant comic book values for all issues were quickly lowered, or even deleted, in the monthly price guides as comic shops nationwide reported that they were unable to sell the discounted Valiant inventory they had on hand, primarily consisting of large quantities of those Valiant comics from 1993 produced after the success of the Unity crossover. In 1994, Voyager Communications, Inc., was sold to Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., and Valiant comic books continued to be published until 1996. The comic book industry continued to shrink, as did the number of Valiant comics printed in 1995 and 1996. Acclaim re-launched their comic book program as “Acclaim Comics Valiant Heroes” for 1997-1998, and then re-re-launched as “Acclaim Comics” in 1999-2000. As a result of these events, and excluding consideration of the limited edition variant cover comic books, Valiant comic books can be divided into the following two-year time periods for collector reference: VALIANT COMICS 1991-1992 – the earliest Valiant universe comics, introduction of characters and stories praised for tight continuity leading to the Unity crossover event. Print runs were lower when compared to other comic books of the time, secondary market prices for these issues topped $100 in the mid-1990s for some issues. Magnus Robot Fighter #0 to 16, Solar Man of the Atom #1 to 15, Harbinger #0(Pink), #1 to 10, Rai #0 to 8, X-O Manowar #1 to 8, Shadowman #1 to 5, Archer & Armstrong #0 to 2, Eternal Warrior #1 & 2, Unity #0 & 1. VALIANT COMICS 1993-1994 – the most common of all Valiant comics produced, widely available since the time of their printing and still seen in larger quantities of highly discounted comic books. Issues which are especially easy to find in large quantities include: Bloodshot #1, Deathmate, HARDCorps #1, Magnus Robot Fighter #25, Ninjak #1, Rai and the Future Force #9, Secret Weapons #1, Solar #25, Turok #1, X-O Manowar #0, and other “first issues” from 1993-94. VALIANT COMICS 1995-1996 – the final issues of the Valiant comic titles. Much lower demand after 1994 led to lower print runs for these issues. Collectors attempting to complete the title runs note that many of these issues are “hard to find” compared to earlier regular issues. Included among these books are most Valiant issues #30 and above, as well as the final issues of later titles such as Armorines, Geomancer, Ninjak, PSI-Lords, Timewalker, and the Visitor. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VALIANT COMICS, you will find galleries, price guides, checklists, message boards, and a thousand other VALIANT comic book reference pages available online at: www.VALIANTCOMICS.com The Valiant Encyclopedia and Price Guide 3rd Edition – March 2004 THE VALIANT ENCYCLOPEDIA AND PRICE GUIDE PURPOSE AND SCOPE The purpose of The Valiant Encyclopedia and Price Guide is provide a combination of an encyclopedia, a complete checklist of Valiant Universe comics, and a price guide that attempts to accurately gauge collector interest in those Valiant Universe comics. It is our vision to see EVERY Valiant comic, regardless of universe, covered. Included in the listings are the various Valiant premiums (Gold logo books, Valiant Validated Signature Series books, trade paperbacks, etc.) If a Valiant character was featured, it should be listed here. The Valiant Encyclopedia and Price Guide is, admittedly, a work in progress. We have tried to ensure everything contained in the Guide is accurate. Our goal is to make the Guide the only reference a Valiant collector would ever need. HOW TO READ THE LISTINGS This guide contains individual listings for every title and every issue that comprise the Valiant Universes that Valiant and Acclaim Comics published. Valiant Comics published between 1991-1996 are referenced as VH1, Valiant Heroes1 Acclaim Comics published between 1997-2002 are referenced as VH2, Valiant Heroes 2 There are seven basic elements to each listing: the title, the issue number, the date the comic was published (per the indicia or the cover date), the cover price, the current value (as tracked by valiantcomics.com through eBay™ auctions, etc.), the checkbox and any information about that specific book (i.e., print run or guest appearances) A sample listing showing each of these seven elements is shown below. Date published Title Issue number Cover price Bloodshot Yearbook q 1 August 1994 Cover: 3.95 $3.00 One-shot Current value Estimated print run: 80,000 Additional information about the comic Checkbox Most of the items are self-explanatory, although the checkbox probably needs some additional information. This item was provided to allow the collector to have a handy reference list as well as a checklist to assist in collecting specific issues or complete runs of books. USING THE VALIANT ENCYCLOPEDIA AND PRICE GUIDE The guide has been formatted to allow printing on standard 8½ x 11 inch paper, allowing readers to print individual pages or the complete Guide. The current value reflects average prices from online auctions such as eBay™, and includes the shipping cost in the value of the issue. In this way, the current value is the approximate total amount one might pay to acquire the book in person, or from an online source. iii The Valiant Encyclopedia and Price Guide ARCHER - ARMORINES 3rd Edition – March 2004 SECTION 1 – VOYAGER/VALIANT UNIVERSE (VH-1) Archer & Armstrong 3 Archer & Armstrong 12 Archer & Armstrong 24 Archer & Armstrong Archer & Armstrong continued q 0 July 1992 Cover: 2.50 $4.50 q 17 December 1993 Cover: 2.50 $1.00 Indicia has a June 1992 date Estimated print run: 165,000 Estimated print run: 100,000 q 18 January 1994 Cover: 2.50 $1.00 q 0 July 1992 Cover: 2.50 $20.00 Estimated print run: 140,000 GOLD VARIANT q 19 February 1994 Cover: 2.50 $1.00 Estimated print run: 5,000 Estimated print run: 125,000 q 1 August 1992 Cover: 2.50 $4.00 q 20 March 1994 Cover: 2.50 $1.50 Unity – Chapter 3 Estimated print run: 100,000 to 110,000 Estimated print run: 155,000 q 21 April 1994 Cover: 2.50 $1.50 q 2 September 1992 Cover: 2.50 $3.00 Shadowman and Master Darque app Unity – Chapter 11 Estimated print run: 100,000 Estimated print run: 145,000 q 22 May 1994 Cover: 2.50 $2.00 q 3 October 1992 Cover: 2.50 $2.00 Shadowman app; Contains Valiant Era Card Estimated print run: 105,000 Estimated print run: 120,000 q 4 November 1992 Cover: 2.50 $1.50 q 23 June 1994 Cover: 2.50 $1.50 Estimated print run: 100,000 Estimated print run: 75,000 q 5 December 1992 Cover: 2.50 $1.50 q 24 August 1994 Cover: 2.50 $1.50 Estimated print run: 100,000 Estimated print run: 75,000 q 6 January 1993 Cover: 2.50 $1.50 q 25 September 1994 Cover: 2.50 $2.00 Estimated print run: 100,000 Eternal Warrior app q 7 February 1993 Cover: 2.50 $1.50 Estimated print run: 70,000 Estimated print