Brett Ratner may bastardize Valiant's Harbinger

Variety reports that Paramount Pictures has acquired film rights for the 1990’s Valiant comic Harbinger… with Brett Ratner in mind to direct.

Created by comics legend Jim Shooter and illustrated by then-rookie David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Harbinger was the first original comic in the Valiant universe, building around updates of Gold Key’s Solar, Man of the Atom and Magnus: Robot Fighter, and it was awesome. Super-powered teenagers Sting, Torque, Flamingo, and Zephyr, with Sting’s non-powered girlfriend Kris in tow, were on the run from the mysterious Harbinger Corporation, run by Toyo Harada, "the most powerful psionic on Earth."

Brett Ratner, the auteur behind X-Men: The Last Stand, being involved makes this simultanously the most exciting and worst news I’ve read all month. The Shooter/Lapham run of Harbinger is one of my all-time favorite super-hero runs. All of those early Valiants were terrific. Magnus, Solar, Harbinger, X-O Manowar, Rai, Turok, Eternal Warrior and Archer & Armstrong — everything until they fired Jim Shooter was absolutely amazing. And then a few titles held on, such as Dave Lapham’s solo Harbinger issues, but it all started to go to hell eventually.

Around then I sold off my complete collection of Valiants for a couple grand in store credit at ACME Comics in Peoria, Illinois, which paid for all the comics I read through college, thereby ensuring that I would remain a comic book nerd for the rest of my life.

More hopeful is some news later in the article:

Valiant Comics is being relaunched by Valiant Entertainment Group, a privately financed company headed by CEO Jason Kothari and chief creative officer Dinesh Shamdasani, both of whom will be co-producers on the film.… Its plan is to republish its best titles and begin generating new issues by year’s end. 

 

Posted on March 11, 2008 at 00:18 by Gordon@MovieMakeout · Permalink
In: News

6 Responses

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  1. Written by Philip Galliano
    on 2008-03-11 at 02:20
    Permalink

    such great news! I dont mind ratner, im just happy to see a valiant movie. harbinger was such a great book. i miss it and all the valiant books. I hope someone does an xomanoawr movie soon

  2. Written by Gordon McAlpin
    on 2008-03-11 at 11:32
    Permalink

    XO Manowar was such a brilliant concept (a barbarian in the world’s most powerful weapon). I think it needs a few years, though, so it isn’t seen as a total Iron Man rip-off.

  3. Written by Chad Vieth
    on 2008-03-11 at 18:35
    Permalink

    I agree with you Gordon, X-O needs abit of time before IM comes out. Call my corny. but I’d love to see magnus or a dr. solar movie, or made for dvd/tv movie at least.

  4. Written by Gordon McAlpin
    on 2008-03-11 at 18:41
    Permalink

    Me too, although those are separate licenses. If you visit the Valiant Entertainment site, you see that neither Solar nor Magnus are anywhere to be seen.

    I vaguely remember reading somewhere that they’re trying to get the licenses, though. They would be stupid not to try. Ibook had Magnus four years ago; I don’t know if they still have it or not. They haven’t done anything with it, if they even exist anymore.

    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1596878339/movimakeout-20

  5. Written by Noid
    on 2008-03-12 at 02:20
    Permalink

    Are you from the Peoria area, or were you just passing through/going to Bradley? (Just curious, as I live about a block from the Bradley campus)

  6. Written by Gordon McAlpin
    on 2008-03-12 at 07:27
    Permalink

    I lived in Peoria from the mid-80’s (3rd grade) ’til late 2001. And I went to Bradley, too.

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