As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to put every industry into flux -- including comics -- publishers are crafting plans for the future to the best of their ability. At Valiant Entertainment, home to heroes like Bloodshot, newly-promoted senior editors Heather Antos and Lysa Hawkins are working every day to make sure the Valiant Universe lives on.
CBR spoke with Antos and Hawkins via e-mail about how Valiant is adjusting to the current state of the industry and what comes next, as well as their recommendations for what to read from the publisher's massive back catalog while waiting for new titles to be released.
CBR: First and foremost, now that you are both senior editors at Valiant, what are your hopes for the future?
Heather Antos: World Peace? OH! You meant for Valiant...
Lysa and I have a wonderful working relationship and I couldn't be more thrilled to have her as my cohort in comics. Together we have decades worth of experience working on some of the most celebrated stories, with some of the industry's biggest and brightest talent. That's not stopping anytime soon. The Valiant Universe has such a strong core of characters and themes -- and we've only just scraped what it has to offer. From building off of the classic characters to leaning into genre, developing new characters and bringing them all together on one page, Lysa and I are focused on what makes Valiant great and bringing it to the forefront of the industry.
Lysa Hawkins: I think my hope is the same as every person in the world... to return to some normalcy. Aside from that, the wonderful Heather Antos and I have so many exciting plans. Our passion for the industry shines through with all of our projects. We complement each other well and both bring years of experience to the table. I like to think we are the yin to the other's yang. What do we want? To continue to make great comics!
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the shake-ups the comics industry is experiencing, what are Valiant's plans for current series, whether they are limited or ongoing?
Antos: Things are changing day-by-day, sometimes even by the hour due to government rulings on COVID-19 -- which means the comics industry has to be ready to pivot just as quickly. What I can say is that though our release schedule is having to adjust, the comics are still happening. We're talking with retailers, creators and other publishers daily in order to work together as an industry and come out the other side of this just as strong.
Hawkins: Valiant -- just like everyone and everything else -- is more or less on hold, but that doesn't mean we aren't still planning for the future. When everything is back up and running, we will continue to produce exciting comics -- both limited series and ongoing.
How are you handling announced, but unreleased new series?
Antos: Every day the team is re-evaluating the schedule and adjusting as we see fit. As we can't ship new product in April, obviously some announced titles will be shifting to later in the year. But don't worry, these books will happen -- we are making sure of that!
Hawkins: Our planned new releases will see print, just a little later than originally scheduled.
Have plans changed for rolling out as-of-yet unannounced titles? Should fans expect to see news from Valiant in the near future?
Antos: There are so many great projects currently in the works that I absolutely cannot wait to announce. Fans shouldn't worry -- here at Valiant HQ (which is currently spread throughout the staff's work-from-home offices), we are hard at work making the most of this change of pace to make sure that when we do announce what's coming up, it will 100 percent be worth the wait.
Hawkins: Well, everything is in flux now and new, unannounced titles may be delayed, but fans will definitely see new projects flowing out of Valiant later this year and throughout next year.
What are your thoughts on digital comics? Does releasing titles strictly in digital form make sense at this time?
Antos: Though I completely understand the appeal of digital comics for ease of accessibility, mobility and quantity, I've personally never been drawn to the digital comic format. In a time where folks are stuck inside and can't venture out to their local comic shop to pick up their pulls, sure, it makes sense to see what's available digitally -- and there is no fault in doing so or for creators and publishers to make digital offerings during this time.
However, we at Valiant have always said that retailers are the backbone of this industry and right now they need publishers' help more than ever. There is absolutely no substitute for the physical experience of going to a comic shop on Wednesdays to pick up new books. So while we aren't releasing anything new digitally, we are making several of our #1s available to download for free.
Hawkins: Personally, I'd always prefer a comic in the hand, but for some, they are just as happy reading a digital/webcomic so there is definitely something to it. Whatever that answer is, Valiant is here to help the industry in these tough times.
Valiant has such a big back catalog of comics and digital copies are available for readers who don't want to risk physical purchases right now. Do you have recommendations for series or characters? Who are your favorites? Why do you love them?
Antos: I will always, always, always plug Secret Weapons.
The series by Eric Heisserer, Raul Allen and Patricia Martin was my gateway drug to Valiant comics -- such a breath of fresh air in the realm of superhero comics. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, the creators craft a tale of outsiders among outsiders -- the forgotten of the disregarded. In order to survive the upcoming Harbinger war, these teens need to band together in order to survive. Raul and Patricia's art looks like nothing else in comics. It's a series that I will continue to go back and re-read and I can't wait to visit this team again. ;)
Hawkins: The wonderful thing about Valiant is that we have so many genres to choose from, so there is something for every reader. Personally, I would recommend The Valiant. It's a fantastic book to really get to know the Valiant Universe and all the great characters within. Lastly, I would always recommend Punk Mambo. She's a great escape from troubling days.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Antos: Stay safe, stay inside and always Stay Valiant!
Hawkins: Yes! Please stay safe, stay indoors and stay Valiant. We will ride this storm together and I believe the comic book industry will be stronger for it.