Valiant Comics to Launch the ‘Valiant Cinematic Universe’

People say they’re sick of superhero movies. Let them die of the fever, because Valiant Comics is stepping up against Marvel and DC.

Vulture is reporting that indie comics publisher Valiant Entertainment have “secured an eight-figure investment” from China-based DMG Entertainment to launch feature film and television projects based on Valiant properties. They seek to capitalize on the somewhat underestimated Chinese market and release their projects simultaneously in the United States, China and abroad.

From Vulture:

“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,” said DMG President Wu Bing in a press release. “DMG will bring its unique global perspective to the task of transforming the Valiant Universe into the first international comic-movie universe.”

There is a much larger discussion at play here, and that’s the foreign market beginning to influence Hollywood. It started when Iron Man 3 featured exclusive scenes for the Chinese release and Pacific Rim becoming a legitimate franchise when overseas tickets catapulted it from an otherwise lukewarm response domestically.

Just this morning I wrote about superheroes of color, and Valiant — who are from the get-go seeking an international audience — has a chance to build its characters for the 21st century audience. They’re a relatively young company, celebrating just their 25th anniversary this May. They may not have the legacy and cultural influence as Marvel or DC, but I imagine their youth and the lack of wider awareness by the public means they have more freedom to make their characters as interesting and diverse as possible.

I hope for all success in the industry, and this news makes me excited. I’m not a huge reader of their titles, but I will always root for new properties more than I do rebooting Batman all over again.