When the mass exodus of creator talent fled Marvel Comics in the '90s, one of the big companies that formed in its wake was Valiant Comics. The company established a foothold with characters like Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, and Shadowman, but their popularity soon died out like many other publishers did. Valiant was relaunched a few years ago and is again a force in the independent comics scene, but with superheroes doing huge business in Hollywood they are now getting a shot to hit the big screen just like Marvel and DC.
The New York Times is reporting that Valiant is about to launch their own "cinematic universe" that will encompass movies and TV. They've struck a "nine-figure" deal with Beijing-based DMG Entertainment to turn their library of 2,000 characters into franchise properties that includes film, television, plus “Chinese-language publishing, animation and theme parks, as well as toys and apparel".
If DMG Entertainment sounds familiar it's because they were heavy investors in Iron Man 3 back in 2013, and as co-producers they played a major role in the film's distribution in China. You may recall there were versions of the film geared specifically for Chinese audiences, and the result was $1.2B in worldwide earnings.
Valiant's characters aren't really household names, though, so to expect them to come close to what Marvel and DC are doing may be a stretch. However, DMG's chief executive officer Dan Mintz sees the value in developing comic book movies that aren't tied to the likes of Disney and Warner Bros.
Comic superheroes are profitable and highly sought intellectual properties for film franchises, said Dan Mintz, the chief executive officer of DMG, in a statement, “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.”
So don't you worry, folks, soon there will be nothing left but comic book movies and TV shows to choose from.
