Valiant Announces Massive Slate of Marketing & Sales Support for X-O MANOWAR #1 – In Stores March 22nd
Valiant is proud to reveal details on an extensive campaign of marketing and sales support for X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1 that, in total, will amount to the biggest sell-through initiative of 2017 from any major comic book publisher!
“X-O MANOWAR #1 has been a tremendous success with comic shop retailers – the pre-orders alone have made this series launch a runaway hit before the first issue has even hit shelves. Now, we are moving our focus to helping retailers drive sales in their stores for fans new and old alike,” said Valiant Publisher Fred Pierce. “As far as I can remember, this is the first time that a publisher has been as equally dedicated to selling a title through store shelves as it has been to selling it in. We are very determined to make X-O MANOWAR #1 a success for our retailing partners and prove that their faith in the series will not go unnoticed.”
As X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1 – the FIRST ISSUE of the EPIC ONGOING SERIES from New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Divinity, Mind MGMT) and Valiant-exclusive rising star Tomas Giorello (Bloodshot Reborn, Batman & Robin) – thunders its way into comic shops everywhere on March 22nd for a star-shattering crusade through the galaxy, Valiant is gearing up for a series of promotional initiatives as mighty as the unstoppable X-O Manowar himself with offerings that include:
X-O MANOWAR SILICONE RINGSSeveral weeks ago at the ComicsPRO conference in Memphis, TN, Valiant debuted a limited-edition run of powder-coated X-O MANOWAR metal rings – coarsely brushed pewter laced with the signature gold tendrils of the Shanhara armor – to homage the new X-O Manowar ring hand-crafted by Aric of Dacia in the opening pages of March’s X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1. Now, on the heels of increased fan and retailer demand, Valiant is delivering Aric of Dacia’s armor-plated weapon of war into the hands of comics fans everywhere with X-O MANOWAR SILICONE PROMOTIONAL RINGS! As depicted in X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1, Aric of Dacia has re-forged his bond with the ultra-powerful Shanhara armor into a ring that will soon aid in his conquest on an entire galaxy… Now readers everywhere can take part in the crusade that is to come with these specially manufactured, silicone tributes to the latest addition to X-O Manowar’s intergalactic arsenal – emulating the much-demanded retailer version from ComicsPRO!
Shipping in bundles of 50 to participating retailers, and available at upcoming Valiant-attending conventions while supplies last! Available 3/1/17.
Get your first look inside the staggering battle that lies ahead right here with this exclusive, 16-page comic preview featuring artwork, character designs, creator commentary, and interviews from the entirety of X-O MANOWAR’s all-star creative team, including writer Matt Kindt and artist Tomas Giorello!
Shipped in bundles of 50 to participating retailers, and available at upcoming Valiant-attending conventions while supplies last! Available now.
To date, Valiant has released a formidable battery of in-store X-O MANOWAR promotional items for retailers, including posters, six-foot standees, section signs, calendars, box cutters, and more. Look for Valiant’s POP program in support of X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1 to continue on an ongoing basis with a special sell-through package including window clings, promotional pens, and more.
Contact retailers@valiantentertainment.com to participate.
Looking for new ways to promote X-O MANOWAR in your store? Valiant will design and manufacture custom signage to fit any area in your comic shop – from the front door to the ceiling, no space is too large or too small to spotlight Valiant’s biggest ongoing series of 2017!
Coming in advance of Valiant’s biggest launch of the year, Valiant will customize copies of the all-new animated trailer for X-O MANOWAR #1 – spotlighting the cosmos-crushing debut of 2017 from all-star creators Matt Kindt and TomasGiorello – with a special title card advertising your store logos and contact information.
Suitable for social media or broadcast use. Contact retailers@valiantentertainment.com to participate.
Review X-O MANOWAR #1 in a short 10 second video clip. Every video should include: who you are, the name/location of your shop, and what you thought of X-O MANOWAR #1.Post your video using the hashtag #XOREVIEW. Tag us on Twitter (@ValiantComics), Facebook (@ValiantComics), or Instagram (@ValiantEntertainment) AND tag the store’s social media.
Feel free to use this pitch in your customer emails and on social media.
(1) Grand Prize Winner: One copy of the awesome 1:500 X-O MANOWAR #1 Metal Variant for your store and $200 cash for you!(4) Runner Up Prizes: A Gold Variant of X-O MANOWAR #1 for your store and $100 cash for you!
For more information on any of these initiatives or to get your store involved, please contact Valiant directly at retailers@valiantentertainment.com for assistance.
Valiant’s biggest ongoing series of the year kicks off with a bang on March 22nd, only in X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1! A stunning new beginning for Valiant’s most enduring icon starts here on March 22nd with part one of “SOLDIER” – a punishing, three-issue introduction that will push Aric of Dacia beyond the farthest limits of our galaxy…and into the brutal opening salvo of the ultimate X-O Manowar tale ever told!
Born under the oppressive thumb of the Roman Empire, Aric of Dacia learned warfare at an early age. It was amid such violence that he was abducted by an alien race. Forced into slavery, he survived where others perished. His escape would come from bonding with a weapon of immeasurable power: the X-O Manowar armor. With it, he returned to Earth…only to find himself stranded in the modern day.
But that was a lifetime ago.
Now, far from home on a strange and primitive new world, Aric has begun a new life. Liberated from his past, he tends to his crops. Free from war. Free from violence. Free from the armor.
But the machinery of death marches his way once again. Conscripted into an alien army and thrown into an unforgiving conflict, the fury inside him finds voice as he is forced to embrace the armor once more. With it, he will decimate armies, topple empires and incite interplanetary warfare as he rises from SOLDIER to GENERAL to EMPEROR to VISIGOTH. They wanted a weapon. He will give them war!
On March 22nd,Matt Kindt and Tomas Giorello forge a new comic book legend for the 21st century as Earth’s most formidable warrior brings conquest to the stars, only in X-O MANOWAR #1 – featuring covers by Lewis LaRosa (Bloodshot Reborn), Kenneth Rocafort (Inhumans vs. X-Men), Mico Suayan (Thor), J.G. Jones (Final Crisis), and Monica Palosz (Divinity III: Stalinverse)!
For more information, visit Valiant on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, on Tumblr, and at ValiantUniverse.com.
For Valiant merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com
X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by TOMÁS GIORELLO
Cover A by LEWIS LAROSA (JAN172113)
Cover B by KENNETH ROCAFORT (JAN172114)
Interlocking Variant Cover by MICO SUAYAN (JAN172116)
X-O Manowar Icon Variant by J.G. JONES (JAN172117)
Brushed Metal Variant Cover by MONIKA PALOSZ (JAN172117)
$3.99 | 40 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PREMIUM | On Sale MARCH 22nd (FOC 2/27/17)
X-O MANOWAR (2017) #2
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by TOMÁS GIORELLO
Cover A by LEWIS LAROSA
Cover B by KENNETH ROCAFORT
Interlocking Variant Cover by MICO SUAYAN
X-O Manowar Icon Variant by KAARE ANDREWS
Blank Cover Also Available
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PREMIUM | On Sale APRIL 26 (FOC – 4/3/17)
X-O MANOWAR (2017) #3
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by TOMÁS GIORELLO
Cover A by LEWIS LAROSA
Cover B by KENNETH ROCAFORT
Interlocking Variant Cover by MICO SUAYAN
X-O Manowar Icon Variant by DAVID MACK
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PREMIUM | On Sale MAY 24 (FOC – 5/1/17)
