New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (ARMOR HUNTERS,?Green Lantern) and red-hot artist CAFU (UNITY) celebrate 25 years of Valiant with an all-new introduction to Valiant?s number one hero ? the unstoppable X-O Manowar! The sentient X-O Manowar armor is the most powerful weapon in the universe. But long before the armor fell into the hands of Aric of Dacia, it had a history of its own. Now, for the first time, join us as we uncover the secrets behind one of the most unique artifacts in the history of comics?and dive deeper into the X-O Manowar mythology in an all-new special standalone story!

At last ? the essential origins and early adventures of Valiant?s most powerful heroes and allies, collected between two covers for the first time anywhere! Celebrate 25 years of the largest independent superhero universe in comics with these all-star explorations of Valiant?s indelible comics book icons, including X-O MANOWAR, HARBINGER, BLOODSHOT, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, SHADOWMAN, and many more! Who they are, how they came to be, and what they fear the most? This is your essential one-stop guide to the biggest heroes, villains, and super-teams that the Valiant Universe has to offer, just in time for Valiant?s 25th anniversary celebration! Collecting ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #0, BLOODSHOT #0, HARBINGER #0, PUNK MAMBO #0, QUANTUM AND WOODY: THE GOAT #0, SHADOWMAN #0, UNITY #0, X-O MANOWAR #0, and material from ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #25, BLOODSHOT #25, HARBINGER #25, X-O MANOWAR #25, and FCBD 2014: VALIANT UNIVERSE HANDBOOK #1.

Valiant's 25th year is going to be the biggest one yet! The silver anniversary celebration begins right here on Free Comic Book Day! Bloodshot, X-O Manowar and the rest of Valiant's fearless heroes are taking center stage for a star-studded, jam-packed anniversary smash celebrating 25 years of Valiant comics! The year's can't-miss celebration officially kicks off on May 2nd in the FCBD 2015: Valiant 25th Anniversary Special - featuring two all-new stories and a myriad of never-before-seen special features chronicling Valiant's storied place in comics history! First, New York Times-bestselling writer Jeff Lemire and blockbuster artist Butch Guice chronicle the devastating fallout of The Valiant as Bloodshot rises from the ashes to unleash a never-before-seen prelude to Bloodshot Reborn! Then, Valiant superstars Robert Venditti and Rafa Sandoval throw down the gauntlet for an action-packed introduction to the world of X-O Manowar and an all-new tale of Dead Hand! Plus: Ninjak; Imperium; Divinity; Ivar, Timewalker; Rai; special guests from throughout Valiant's decades-long history; and a cavalacade of special surprises! Jump on board here to relive the ground-breaking journey that established Valiant as the largest and most acclaimed independent universe in comics - and witness the action-packed first steps toward 25 more history-making years!

New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (ARMOR HUNTERS,?The Flash) and superstar artists Diego Bernard (Red Lanterns), Rafa Sandoval (Ultimate Hawkeye), CAFU (RAI), and Clay Mann (NINJAK) unite for a devastating cosmic showdown right here in the next deluxe volume of the series Comic Book Resources calls ?grandiose and epic.? In the far reaches of deep space, the ultimate fail-safe of an extinct alien race has finally counted down to zero?and the robot army called Dead Hand has been activated. The civilization that built them has fallen?and, now, to combat the doomsday threat that destroyed their world, Dead Hand will complete the mission that their creators could not. Soulless and brutal, this billion-strong legion is the phantom army of a dead world?and it will cleanse the universe by any means necessary. But what unthinkable menace were they created to destroy? And will Dead Hand?s slow march across the galaxy spell death for countless worlds? Collecting?X-O MANOWAR #30?42, X-O MANOWAR #0, and X-O MANOWAR: VALIANT 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1,?along with more than 20 pages of rarely seen art and extras.

Aric of Dacia, a fifth-century warrior bonded to alien armor and transplanted to the modern day, is now the most important weapon in the arsenal of M.E.R.O., the top-secret American intelligence organization that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. In order to protect his people, Aric must undergo dangerous missions in space, but nothing can prepare him for the stunning secret that awaits him in the stars. Collecting X-O MANOWAR #23-24 and the oversized X-O MANOWAR #25 anniversary spectacular, the march toward ARMOR HUNTERS begins here as New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (Green Lantern) and red-hot artist Diego Bernard (Red Lanterns) join an all-star cast of comic book superstars – including Sean Chen (Iron Man), Tom Fowler (Quantum and Woody), Bryan Hitch (The Ultimates), J.G. Jones (Final Crisis), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man), Cary Nord (Conan), and many more – to deliver an essential introduction to the biggest Valiant event ever attempted.

Earth will be the greatest hunt of all… When Aric of Dacia returned to Earth with the stolen X-O Manowar armor of an alien race, he thought he’d finally found a weapon to guard the peace and kingdom he’d struggled so long to secure. But now, a relentless and surgical strike team from the farthest reaches of space – sworn to exterminate the armor and all like it – have found their fi nal target. The ARMOR HUNTERS are coming. They will hunt. They will trap. They will kill. And they will rid the universe of the X-O Manowar armor’s incalculable destructive power…even if it means taking the Earth with it. In the tradition of the universe-shaking HARBINGER WARS, be here when New York Times bestselling writer Robert Venditti (X-O Manowar, Green Lantern) and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite (Unity, Justice) launch Valiant’s biggest heroes into the year’s blockbuster crossover event – ARMOR HUNTERS! Collecting ARMOR HUNTERS #1-4 and ARMOR HUNTERS: AFTERMATH #1.

Rocketing out of the pages of 4001 A.D...the present and future of ValiantÕs greatest heroes come together in four essential standalone chapters at the heart of the blockbuster comics event of the year! Blast two thousand years into the future as the never-before-told history of New JapanÕs dominion over Earth and the future fates of X-O Manowar, Bloodshot and Shadowman stand revealed. Then, witness the battle- scarred debut of the boldest new hero of this century or the next when War Mother makes her history-shattering debut! The future starts now as all-star writers Robert Venditti, Jeff Lemire, Jody Houser, Rafer Roberts, and Fred Van Lente join visionary artists Clayton Henry, Doug Braithwaite, Robert Gill, and Tomas Giorello to bring the Valiant Universe barreling into the 41st century! Collecting 4001 A.D.: X-O MANOWAR #1, 4001 A.D.: BLOODSHOT #1, 4001 A.D.: SHADOWMAN #1, and 4001 A.D.: WAR MOTHER #1.