Valiant

If you've never played a deckbuilding game, they have all the strategy and randomization of a collectible card game, but with everything included, so that you don't have to shell out an exorbitant amount of money for booster packs in the hopes that you'll get a card that you need. They're great, and some of the most fun I've had playing them has been with the ones that are based on superheroes. The only problem is that none of those games feature Ninjak. Now, that's going to change. As we head into Gen Con in Indianapolis, Valiant Entertainment and Catalyst Games have announced the upcoming release of The Valiant Universe Deckbuilding Game, which features not just cards, but also miniatures based on Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Faith, and yes... Ninjak.

The question most often asked of the ComicsAlliance staff is a variation of, “Which comic books should I be reading?” or, “I’m new to comics, what’s a good place to start?” The Wednesday deluge of new comic books, graphic novels and collected editions can be daunting even for the longtime reader, much less for those totally unfamiliar with creators, characters and publishers, and the dark mysteries of comic book shopping like variants, pre-ordering, and formats. It’s with these challenges in mind that we’ve created Best Comic Books Ever (This Week), an ongoing guide curated by the ComicsAlliance staff. This is where new comics readers and seasoned Wednesday shoppers alike can find our picks of the best books the medium has to offer.

I'm a pretty big fan of learning about history, but one thing that I've learned from reading up on ancient Rome is that most of those stories suffer from a truly alarming lack of monsters with sixteen eyes and a dozen clawed tentacles showing up to make things interesting. But fortunately, as always, comic books are here to improve upon reality, and when Britannia #2 hits shelves in October, it's bringing horrifying monsters with it. As writer Peter Milligan teased in his interview about the series here at CA, he and artist Juan Jose Ryp are ramping up the supernatural horror as the series continues, and you can get a first look right here. Check out the preview below!

If you missed the announcement a few weeks ago, Comixology's new Unlimited service is being touted as Netflix for indie comics. Subscribers pay a flat monthly fee, and they get access to a library of titles from publishers like Image, Valiant, Archie and more, including smaller self-publishers. And, like Netflix, new stuff is showing up on a monthly basis to keep readers hooked. This month, as we roll into August, Comixology has announced the addition of another 25 titles --- and if you're looking for a good place to start, I've got a couple of suggestions. Starting today, you can read the entirety of Jody Houser, Francis Portela, and Marguerite Sauvage's Faith miniseries from Valiant, and the first volume of Eric Jones and Landry Q. Walker's amazing Danger Club.

Legendary comics artist Colleen Doran is contributing a gorgeous variant cover to the landmark 50th issue of Valiant's X-O Manowar. Her cover, seen above, is an homage to Michelangelo's sculpture The Pietà, with the titular armor in place of Jesus Christ. The mix of sci fi and Celtic fantasy imagery (not to mention the androgynous white-haired figure), while appropriate for X-O Manowar, is also reminiscent of Doran's own magnum opus, A Distant Soil.

Valiant's Faith has been the superhero hit of 2016, so much so that the character was bumped up to an ongoing series before her mini had even finished. As the adventures of Faith continue, the real threats that come along with the life of a superhero start to pop up and we've got a preview of Faith's clash with her very first supervillain in next month's Faith #2 by Jody Houser, Pere Perez and Marguerite Sauvage.

If you've been playing Pokémon Go lately --- and let's be real here, you have --- then you've probably noticed those showers of pink petals that show up at Pokéstops every now and then. Those, my friends, are lures, and they increase the number of Pokémon that show up to be caught in that area. And considering that you need to catch 'em all, those can come in pretty handy. The problem, of course, is figuring out where they're going to be, but today, we have some very helpful information: In honor of this week's New Comics Day and the start of San Diego's Comic-Con International, Valiant Entertainment is sponsoring Lures at eleven comic book stores in New York, New Jersey, and California.

The question most often asked of the ComicsAlliance staff is a variation of, “Which comic books should I be reading?” or, “I’m new to comics, what’s a good place to start?” The Wednesday deluge of new comic books, graphic novels and collected editions can be daunting even for the longtime reader, much less for those totally unfamiliar with creators, characters and publishers, and the dark mysteries of comic book shopping like variants, pre-ordering, and formats. It’s with these challenges in mind that we’ve created Best Comic Books Ever (This Week), an ongoing guide curated by the ComicsAlliance staff. This is where new comics readers and seasoned Wednesday shoppers alike can find our picks of the best books the medium has to offer.

San Diego Comic Con is without a doubt the biggest event on the industry’s calendar, and people will be flying from around the world to attend panels, watch trailers, meet creators, and make friends. This year’s event is bigger than ever, with so much going on every single day that it can be difficult to sift through all that information and decide how to spend your time. Yesterday we gave a rundown on what to expect on Thursday and Friday, but things heat up as the weekend kicks in and the major studios make their presence known. Expect big reveals from Marvel Studios, DC's TV offerings and more, plus great panels featuring your favorite creators in comics.

Just before the US Presidential Election in November, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton will make a guest appearance in Faith #5 from Valiant Comics. The story, in which Faith is assigned to cover Clinton for her day job as a journalis, but ends up interacting with her as a superhero as well, is written by Louise Simonson with art by Pere Perez.