Valiant Entertainment has announced that it will reintroduce the critically acclaimed Valiant Universe in 2012 in both print and digital comics. Director Dinesh Shamdasani has confirmed the news, saying the company has been planning the relaunch “for some time.” Shamdasani also said that “cutting-edge characters and stories were the core tenants of the original Valiant and are the core tenants of the new Valiant.”

The character-based entertainment company has also hired industry executives and creative talent to expand its management team, including former Marvel CEO and Vice Chairman Peter Cuneo, who has been named the Chairman of Valiant. After being hired, he said “the strength of the management team which (co-founder and CEO) Jason (Kothari) has created and the quality of the characters owned and controlled by the company have made this an extremely attractive and exciting investment.”

After being founded in 1989, Valiant Comics became one of the most successful comic book publishers of its time. The company, which has released comics by such talents as Frank Miller, Jim Shooter and Bob Layton, has sold over 80 million comic books. It was later acquired by the video game company Acclaim Entertainment, which launched several successful video game franchises based on Valiant characters.

Cuneo has also noted that Valiant owns some of the most recognizable comic book characters in the world. “To this day, despite interruptions in its history, Valiant has retained an extremely passionate fan base. We are keenly focused on bringing the original Valiant Universe back,” he said.

Written by: Karen Benardello