Whereas alternative music has since lost all meaning as a description of rock and roll, Valiant Comics is a truly legitimate alternative superhero comic book publisher.
Sure Marvel and DC Comics get all the credit for their Big 2 heroes, but meanwhile you have Valiant Comics churning out consistently high quality books about superpowered adventure, all within their own uniquely crafted universe.
I remember sitting down to read introductions to the Valiant Universe in the summer of 2012. Each character was refreshingly unique and modern, an updated fix on superheroes originating in the 1990s rather than the 1940s or 1960s. As a result, the Valiant Universe is particularly inviting to new comic book readers, and substantially more consumable in its entirety.
Simply put, Valiant Comics offers a great alternative to newer comic book fans, with a relaunched universe dating back to 2012 (rather than 1961). Here’s a complete guide of the entire Valiant Universe to date, including some of my favorite books like Archer & Armstrong, Unity, and Rai!
Index:
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II) Harbinger Wars & New Heroes
III) Valiant’s First Super-team: Unity
IV) 4001 A.D. Rai through Armor Hunters
V) Archer & Armstrong meet Quantum & Woody
VI) A New Wave of Valiant Heroes
VII) Imperium Through Bloodshot Reborn
VIII) Ninjak, Unity, and the Book of Death
IX) The Death-Defying Valiant Universe
A Note about the Pre-Modern Era
Valiant put out some truly incredible stories in the 90s, many of which are now out of continuity in the post-2012 relaunch. This means they’re not strictly necessary for this reading order, but they’re so dang good we’d be remiss not to mention our Early Valiant Reading Order here:
Solar: Man of the Atom
The legendary Jim Shooter relaunched this title back in 1990, riding the wave of deconstructionist heroes laid out by Moore and others. However, “Solar” is a bit special, as the character never really gives into cynicism and clings to some kind of hope, even in the face of his own death. It’s a compelling story that’s sadly unlikely to be printed due to rights issues. But if you can find them they’re worth a read.
Magnus: Robot Fighter
With a name like “Magnus: Robot Fighter” I think you’re told all you need to know right from the jump. What makes this book notable, howevever, is that it’s the birthplace of the 4001 AD universe (Rai even get his first appearance in this title). So if you’re a fan of that timeline, it’s perhaps worth checking out this old gem…. if you can find it.
Valiant Comics Reading Order Begins! (2012 – 2014)
I) Origins and Major Players
Issues: #1 to #4
Aric of Dacia, heir to the throne of the Visigoth, is fighting against the Roman Empire in 5th Cen. Europe when he’s abducted by the Vine, a cruel race of aliens. Aric leads a revolt against his alien imprisoners, steals a suit of sentient battle armor, and becomes X-O Manowar. Now he must try to get back home.
Issues: #1 to #5
“Harbinger” is both the term for psionically powerful superheroes and the teenager called Peter Stanchek. This book is a cross-country adventure as Stanchek — and mentor Toyo Harada (a Valiant mainstay) — try to keep one step ahead of the secret conspiracy that would consume them both.
Issues: #1 to #4
Bloodshot is the perfect private contractor, imbued with nanites that make him stronger, faster, and tougher than anyone around. Think a techno-vampire working for cyberpunk version of Black Water.
Issues: #5 to #8
Issues: #9 to #14
Issues: #1 to #4
The continuing adventures of an immortal, a young idealist, a geomancer, and the eternal warrior. Ain’t It Cool’s “Best Budy team book of all time.”
Issues: #1 to #4
Jack Boniface is possessed of a voodoo Loa — something between a Ghost, a God, and a superpower. Now he’s guarding the land of the living against incursions from the dead along with his Nettie, a voodoo priestess… and a lot of jazz music.
I’ll be honest, when I tried ranking the first volumes of each of the 5 core Valiant titles at launch, I had an extremely difficult time. They are all wonderfully solid.
If I had to pick, I’d say X-O Manowar, Harbinger, and Bloodshot wind up the most thoroughly connected to larger Valiant Universe events, and Archer & Armstrong is probably just my favorite. Shadowman has never hooked me in quite the same way, but I do enjoy the early parts of the Shadowman run as well.
II) Harbinger Wars & New Valiant Universe Heroes!
Issues: #6 to #10
Issues: #5 to #9
Harbinger Wars Deluxe Edition Volume 1
Issues: Harbinger Wars #1-4, Harbinger #11-14, and Bloodshot #10-13
Recommended Order: Harbinger Wars #1, Harbinger #11, Bloodshot #10, Harbinger Wars #2, Harbinger #12, Bloodshot #11, Harbinger Wars #3, Bloodshot #12, Harbinger #13, Harbinger Wars #4, Harbinger #14, Bloodshot #13
Harbinger Wars marks the first crossover Valiant event, and as you can tell from the issues included in this collection, it is far more reasonable than, say, the hundreds included in an event like Marvel’s Secret Wars.
Bloodshot Volume 4: H.A.R.D. Corps
Issues: Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps #14 to #17
Issues: #1 to #4
Gilad Anni-Padda is a warrior from the ancient Mesopotamian city-state of Ur. Her immortality has made her one of the greatest tactical minds on the planet, and with the help of a Geomancer (a mystic in tune with the Earth), she must fight to prevent calamities and restore justice.
Issues: #5 to #9
Issues: #10 to #13
Issues: #1 to #4
Two brothers who barely get along are accidentally granted super powers. The catch? They have to “clang” their futuristic arm bands together once every 24 hours in order to remain in existence. Sure, they can destroy whole towns… but can they agree to exist at all?
Issues: #5 to #8
Quantum & Woody mark the first “new” book to enter the Valiant Universe, entering the Universe deeper in to the core series runs, just like they did back during Valiant’s first run in the 90’s.
Issues: #5 to #8
Issues: #9 to #13
III) Valiant’s First Super-Team: Unity!
Issues: #15 to #18
Issues: #1 to #4
A couple thoughts here on Unity, which currently ranks the highest of any Valiant title on my Best Comics of All Time list.
The first is that the modern Unity is entirely different from Valiant’s 1990’s Unity, which is one of the more gleefully insane comic book events of a decade that included the Onslaught saga.
The second is that Unity marks Valiant’s first connection to writer Matt Kindt, who is one of my absolute favorite story tellers in all of modern comics. Kindt’s Mind MGMT
Issues: #19 to #22
Although you can read the first volume of Matt Kindt’s Unity without the Manowar issues, if you’re invested in the X-O Manowar series the issues should alternate Unity #1, X-O Manowar #19, Unity #2, X-O Manowar #20, and so on.
Issues: 5 to #8
Issues: #15 to #19
Issues: #20 to #24
Issues: #14 to #17
Archer & Armstrong Volume 5: Mission: Improbable
Recommended Order: Bloodshot #18 to #19, Archer & Armstrong #18, Bloodshot #20, Archer & Armstrong #19, Bloodshot #21 to #23 (also included in Bloodshot volume 5 below)
Issues: #18 to #23
Issues: #5 to #8
4001 A.D. (2014 – 2015)
Valiant’s cyberpunk future timeline filled with nano-tech, ninjas, and more William Gibson goodness than you can shake a cyberdeck at!
IV) Welcome to the Future: Rai through Armor Hunters!
Issues: #1 to #4
Another 4001AD character, Rai is the hereditary defender of The Host (the enormous robot that houses 50 Billion Japanese citizens). Rai isn’t a person, but a title… or maybe a white blood cell for the machine.
Issues: #5 to #8
Rai represents Valiant’s foray into their 4001 A.D. future universe, with Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain at the helm of New Japan’s protector. Crain’s artwork is digitized to a degree that may be offputting for some, but it’s quite perfect for a book taking place in the distant future.
Issues: #13 to #18
Issues: #1 to #3
Armor Hunters Event
Issues: Armor Hunters #1-4, Armor Hunters: Aftermath #1, Armor Hunters: Bloodshot #1-3, Armor Hunters: Harbinger #1-3, Unity #8-11 and X-O Manowar #23-29
Armor Hunters is Valiant’s most involved crossover event to date, and certain series like Unity will simply not make any sense if you aren’t reading the event as a whole (trust me, I tried).
Issues: Harbinger: Omegas #1 to #3, Harbinger: Bleeding Monk #0
Issues: #12 to #14, read Harbinger: Faith #0 after Unity #12
Issues: #15 to #18
V) Archer & Armstrong? Meet Quantum & Woody!
Issues: #9 to #12, Quantum & Woody: The Goat #0
Issues: Quantum & Woody Must Die! #1 to #4, Quantum & Woody Valiant Size #1
Issues: #20 to #25
Issues: #1 to #4
This is a delightful, highly recommended Archer & Armstrong + Quantum & Woody team-up book!
Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel
Issues: #1 to #3
Valiant Reborn (2016 – 2017)
VI) A New Wave of Valiant Heroes!
The Death Defying Dr. Mirage Volume 1
Issues: #1 to #5
Valiant has remained committed to steadily building their roster, and finding new entry-points for new characters. Dr. Mirage kicks off a new wave that includes Ivar Timewalker and Divinity.
Shan Fong can speak to the dead and uses this ability to solve homicides so that souls can be at rest. Now she must travel the underworld looking for the one soul she can’t speak with: her husband, Hwen.
Issues: #30 to #32
Issues: #9 to #12
Issues: #1 to #4
In 2014, Valiant moved away from the mega crossover and towards the 4 issue limited series “event.” It’s a fascinating take on audience preferences, and allows for a simpler, and more accessible “big” book. The Valiant features the skills of Jeff Lemire (Essex County
While The Valiant is positioned as a jumping on point, I do think it’s far better if you have familiarity with the Valiant Universe as a whole.
Issues: #1 to #4
Neela Sethi accidentally discovered time travel when there was an event at the Large Hadron Collider. Now every has-been, would-be, or also ran chrononaut is after her.
Issues: #5 to #8
Issues: #1 to #4
Adbram Adams is a Russian cosmonaut who set out for a 30 year mission into space… and came back with cosmic, God-like powers.
As far as I’m aware, Divinity is the first net-new character series in the modern Valiant Universe, with a four issue launch from Matt Kindt and Trevor Hairsine. It’s a great opening salvo, and you will benefit from familiarity with Kindt’s work on Unity during this read.
Issues: #9 to #12
VII) Return of the King: Imperium & Bloodshot Reborn
Issues: #1 to #4
Toyo Harada is the most dangerous human alive, a puppet master with enormous psionic abilities who has been secretly guiding humanity for ages. But now he’s out of the shadows, exposed, and he’s building an army to keep what’s his.
Issues: #5 to #8
Issues: #9 to #13
Issues: #1 to #5
Issues: #6 to #11
VIII) Ninjak, Unity, and The Book of Death!
Issues: #1 to #5
Ninjak (or Ninja-K) is Colin King, an MI-6 black-ops ninja with enhanced reflexes, supreme hand-to-hand combat skills, and an “ultra high-frequency katana.” What more could you possibly want?!
Issues: #6 to #9
Issues: #19 to #22
Issues: #23 to #25
Issues: #33 to #37
Issues: #38 to #42
Issues: #1 to #4
Issues: Book Of Death #1–4, Book Of Death: The Fall Of Bloodshot #1, Book Of Death: The Fall Of Ninjak #1, Book Of Death: The Fall Of Harbinger #1, And Book Of Death: The Fall Of X-O Manowar #1.
The Book of Death is the Geomancer’s recording of time and fate. Now that heroes like X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Ninjak, and the rest learned the truth of their demise, they set out to do something about it in this event.
Issues: #9 to #12
IX) The Death-Defying Valiant Universe & Faith Solo!
The Death Defying Dr. Mirage Volume 2
Issues: Second Lives #1 to #5
Issues: #1 to #4
Faith, aka Zephyr, gets her much-deserved first ongoing solo series. Note that Faith #0 is actually found within an earlier volume of Unity (I believe number four) during her brief stint with the team.
Issues: #10 to #13
Issues: #13 to #16
Issues: #1 to #4
Issues: X-O Manowar #43–46, X-O Manowar: Commander Trill #0, And X-O Manowar 25 – The Anniversary Special #1
A & A: The Adventures of Archer and Armstrong Volume 1
Issues: #1 to #4
X) 4001 A.D. and Other Tales
Issues:
Checklist Reading Order:
4001 A.D. #1
4001 A.D.: X-O Manowar #1
Rai #13
4001 A.D. #2
4001 A.D.: Bloodshot #1
Rai #14
4001 A.D. #3
4001 A.D.: Shadowman #1
Rai #15
4001 A.D.: War Mother #1
Rai #16
4001 A.D. #4
XI) Before Harbinger Wars II
Faith Volume 2: California Scheming
Issues: #1 to #4 (relaunched miniseries)
Bloodshot Reborn Volume 4: Bloodshot Island
Issues: #14 to #18, Bloodshot Reborn Annual #1
Ninjak Volume 4: The Siege of King’s Castle
Ninjak Volume 5: The Fist & The Steel
Issues: #14 to #21
X-O Manowar Volume 12: Long Live the King
Issues: #47 to #50
Generation Zero Volume 1: We Are The Future
Issues: Generation Zero #1 to #4
Issues: Bloodshot U.S.A. #1 to #4
Issues: Divinity II #1 to #4
Wrath of the Eternal Warrior Volume 2: Labyrinth
Wrath of the Eternal Warrior Volume 3: A Deal with a Devil
Issues: #5 to #14
A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong Volume 2: Romance and Road Trips
Issues: #5 to #8
Harbinger War II
So named after the first Harbinger War in the 90s.
Generation Zero Volume 1: We Are the Future
Collects: Generation Zero #1 To #4
Harbinger Renegade Volume 1: The Judgment of Solomon – May 2, 2017
Collects: Harbinger Renegades #1-4.
After Generation Zero, that the existence of psionically powered “Harbingers” are public knowledge. Now a team of Harbingers is going town-by-town to grow an army and p1rove they have a purpose.
Generation Zero Volume 2: Heroscape – August 1, 2017
Collects: Generation Zero #6–9.
Secret Weapons vol 1 (June – Sept. 2017)
Collects: Secret Weapons #1-4
Faith and the Future Force (July-October 2017)
Collects: Faith And The Future Force #1-4
Faith bands together with Valiant heroes from every timeline to stop an artificial intelligence bent on destroying time itself.
Harbinger Renegade Volume 2: Massacre – January 23, 2018
Collects: Harbinger Renegade #5-8 And #0.
Toyo Harada joins the Renegades and together they must fight the a militarized team of psiot hunters, the H.A.R.D. Corps
Harbinger Wars 2 #0 (Exclusive one-shot) (Dec. 2017) [made available to readers who had redeemed the four mail-away coupons included in Harbinger Renegade #1-4]
Collects:
Harbinger Wars 2 – December 18, 2018
Collects: Harbinger Wars 2: Prelude #1, Harbinger Wars 2 #1-4, And Harbinger Wars 2: Aftermath #1.
Meanwhile, In Ancient Rome
Collects: Britannia (I) #1-4; Britannia (II): We Who Are About To Die #1-4; Britannia (III): Lost Eagles Of Rome #1-4
Atonius Axia, a detective in Nero’s Rome, must investigate the barbarian hordes, myths, and monsters of Rome’s furthest frontier: Britannia.
Peter Milligan’s horror story set in ancient Rome, this is the story of the world’s first detective… a Roman Legionnaire from 65AD sent to investigate the furthest, darkest reaches of Caesar’s kingdom, and the horrors that wait there. This story doesn’t impact the normal continuity, but you should absolutely read it.
Divinity III
An out-of-continuity event. Set in an alternate universe where the Soviet Union is the dominant super power after WWII.
Divinity #0 (One-shot) (August 2017)
Collects:
Divinity III: Stalinverse Paperback – May 16, 2017
Collects: Divinity III #1–4.
Divinity III: Heroes of the Glorious Stalinverse
Collects: Divinity III: Komandar Bloodshot #1, Divinity III: Aric, Son Of The Revolution #1, Divinity III: Shadowman And The Battle For New Stalingrad #1, And Divinity III: Escape From Gulag 396 #1
We Now Return to Your Regularly Scheduled 21st Century (2017 – Present)
Ninjak vs the Valiant Universe
Collects: Ninjak Vs. The Valiant Universe #1-4
Does what it says on the tin. Also a decent jumping-on point for brand new fans as it introduces all the main characters and timelines.
Quantum and Woody! (2017) Volume 1: Kiss Kiss, Klang Klang Paperback – July 10, 2018
Collects: Quantum And Woody (2017) #1–5.
They’re brothers. They have super powers. They hate each other. And yet they have to work together if they hope to continue existing at all. Join the world’s worth super team as they try to defeat crime and stand one another
Quantum and Woody! (2017) Volume Two: Separation Anxiety Paperback – June 18, 2019
Collects:
Livewire has killed every electrical device in America, from cars to cellphones. Even Quantum and Woody’s gauntlets! Now our heroes have 24 hours to turn the power back on before they disappear into nothingness.
Secret Weapons #0: Nikki’s Story (One-shot) (Jan. 2018)
Collects:
A stand-alone story.
Secret Weapons: Owen’s Story #0 (One-shot) (Mar. 2018)
Collects:
A stand-alone story.
Shadowman (2018) Volume 1: Fear of the Dark Paperback – July 31, 2018
Collects: Shadowman (2018) #1–3.
Orphan Jack Boniface becomes the latest Shadowman, bearer of a violent loa spirit who guard our world from other realms.
Shadowman (2018) Volume 2: Dead and Gone Paperback – November 13, 2018
Collects: Shadowman (2018) #4–7
Jack Boniface falls backwards through time, meeting the Shadowmen who came before.
Shadowman (2018) Volume. 3: Rag and Bone Paperback – April 9, 2019
Collects: Shadowman (2018) #8–11.
Master Darque, Shadowman’s old nemesis, is back with the backing of the rich and powerful Brethren society. The two sides must face off in the final reckoning.
Collects: Ninja-K #1–14, And 0
Ninjak and the rest of MI6’s ninja program are being hunted by an assassin even more dangerous than they are. Now Ninjak must dig into the history of MI6 if there’s going to be a future for anyone.
Return to 4001 AD and ETERNITY (2017-Present)
Rai and the History of the Valiant Universe #1 (one-shot) June 2017
Collects:
Based on Rai #0 – Blood of Heroes (1992), Wizard’s “Collectible of the Decade”
War Mother (Aug. 2017 – present)
Collects: War Mother #1-4
4001 AD’s greatest warrior. War Mother and her sentient sniper rifle must lead the last bastion of scientific hope through the wasterlands of the future in hopes of a new promised land (both literal and figurative). Continuing the story from 4001 AD (2015)
Bloodshot Salvation Vol. 1: The Book of Revenge
Collects: Bloodshot Salvation #1–5.
Jeff Lemire returns bringing something brand new to assassin Ray Garrison: a family.
Bloodshot Salvation: The Book of Dead Vol. 2
Collects: Bloodshot Salvation #6–9.
Bloodshot (and infant son) travel into the Deadside. What a great family outing!
Bloodshot Salvation Volume 3: The Book of Revelations
Collects: Bloodshot Salvation #10–12
Bloodshot of the past vs. Future Bloodshot. Nuff said.
Collects: Eternity #1-4
Another out of continuity mini-event. This time, a space opera with gods.
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1 2 Next »Hi Dave, any updates coming soon? Thank you for this (and all the others) reading lists!
question: Will this list be updated to include stuff like Q2 that aren't listed in it?
How much is Quantum and Woody tied in to the rest of the universe? Loving everything else so far, but just can't get into this one. Can I skip it without missing anything important?
hi dave The Delinquents should be before Quantum & Woody Must Die
Hi Dave!
Any update in this list???
Funny you should ask... yes, major updates have just been made :)
Harbinger volume 5 should say 20-25
You can find an accurate reading order for armor hunters here; https://comicvine.gamespot.com/armor-hunters/4045-58023/
Shadowman Volume 4 is issues 13-16 not 13-18
Great list Dave, thanks a lot. Could use an update though, books like XO Manowar 13 / 2017 run, Divinity III, secret weapon, and war mother aren't listed yet.
Please could you update the list, some are mising and other under IX) are quite dissorderd!
Thank you very much for the list!
Hi Dave,
I really appreciate your Valiant reading order and am using it to read all the Valiant books in order from 2012 to 2016. Are you planning to continue the list, so there is better organization of the books after section IX?
Thanks again,
Mike
Perhaps add the "Valiant: Zeroes and Origins" trade at the beginning to cover the missing Harbinger #0 issue (which is included therein) since the Deluxe Edition of Harbinger Wars is used for the reading order. It contains both Harbinger #0 and also the mentioned (and otherwise uncollected) Punk Mambo #0. That said, I have no idea whether it would be sensible to read these and all of the other #0s (Harbinger, Shadowman, Archer & Armstrong, Bloodshot, Quantum and Woody, X-O Manowar, Unity, Punk Mambo...in that order) first before reading anything else since I've not read read a single Valiant comic?
Further to LB367's post, none of "A&A v07 - The One Percent and Other Tales", "Bloodshot v06 - The Glitch and Other Tales" and "X-O Manowar v13 - Succession and Other Tales" are included in the list?
Punk Manbo #0 is also lost, I didn't know that it existed until a few days, best regards
By the way, Archer & Armstrong TBP 7 "The one percent and other Tales" is missing too, greetings.
Oh, sorry to comeback, but the Bloodshot volume 6 is also missing, at least i find it before I read Bloodshot Reborn, also Harbinger #0 i think I read that later I finished Harbinger Wars, well, thanks for all your efforts in this great site, see you later.