The Coolest DEFIANT Collectible I own....

[Defiant1]

Here is a story I've delayed fully posting for about 4 years. Today I can post it.

In late 1992, while sifting for bargains in the CBG (Comic Buyer's Guide) want ads, I stumbled upon an ad that interested me. If my memory is correct, it was an ad selling Valiant Comics, possibly Magnus #0. The name on the ad was Janet Jackson. A lot of people might not have known who Janet was, but I did. I had lived and breathed Valiant Comic for the year prior. I had read all of Jim Shooter's editorials praising Janet's contribution. It saddened me to see the ad. I knew that Janet had lost her job around the same time Jim lost his job at Valiant.

Having been unemployed for awhile, I had empathy for her situation. It's no fun looking at bills when you don't have a steady income. So, in my mind I envisioned that she was selling comics to supplement her financial situation. In those days, Valiant Comics were like money in the bank. I wasn't doing great financially, but I felt the least I could do was give back to her cause. I wrote her a letter offering to give her some of my duplicates. I also asked "what happened at Valiant." Fans were left in the dark, and I really wanted to know why Valiant Comics had lost their head writer and company president. I wanted to know why it all went to hell.

I sent out my letter not knowing what I'd hear back. I wasn't even 100% sure that the Janet Jackson who placed the ad was the same Janet that I thought it was.

In January of 1993 I received a letter back from Janet.



It was the most impressive letter I'd ever received. I was in awe of it just visually. It was so colorful, artistic, and meticulous that I felt it was even suitable for framing.



It was 3 pages long. In the letter Janet explained exactly what happened and why Jim was ousted from Valiant. She started with a plug for DEFIANT even before their first comic was published. In comic book history, this is a first person document written about a pivotal event between two pivotal events. I feel honored to have received this. Some people have asked a million times "Why a web page dedicated to DEFIANT?" Because it meant something to me and acts of consideration like this letter contributed to that appreciation.

I had misplaced this letter for years. Today I set on a quest to find it. It was buried in a shoe box full of photographs, Christmas cards and important papers.

Out of respect to Janet, I won't post the full letter, but here is how it started...



Defiant1

[gowaltrip]

That's a very cool piece and explains a lot about your above average interest in Defiant. Id treasure that one myself if it was me.

[Brother J]

Very cool, I wouldn't mind reading the rest of that letter, but I respect your decision not to post it.

Hey, have you been reading the underground board over at CPG? If not, check out the letter I put up a link to from Clay Geerdes. Very interesting reading and gives a bit of insight into the workings of the underground comics world, distribution and that kind of thing. Clay's tone reminds me a bit of you, DP! Not in a bad way, just that the guy really tells it the way he sees it and doesn't worry about playing the politics game. Anyway, I think you might get a kick out of it.

[Defiant1]

I'll check it out at cpg. I don't play politics... I make them

Regarding the above letter.... that was a one time out of the blue contact I made in late 1992. At the time I had no computer and I have no idea how far along the internet had progressed. About 4 years later I started thinking what it would be like to recompile the unpublished works. After that, to give you an idea how small the world is, Jim sent me back to Janet some 6 years later and gave me her email address. I seriously doubt she even knew I was the person she'd written by hand years earlier. That same guy who bought comics in Tucker GA. The same small community featured in the pages Jim had wrote and she had colored. It wasn't an accident that I made my web page, but the timeline took some huge jumps before something came to be.

"Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again."

Defiant1

[Defiant1]

I will summarize some of the things the letter says:

1) Jim was fired for business reasons, not creative ones.
2) He was fired based on a "sneaky" clause in his contract.
3) Creative talent had already been secretly recruited. I won't name names out of respect to Janet. She shouldn't have to defend comments and/or opinions she made in private 14 years ago.
4) The day Jim was shut out, Debbie Fix and Janet were also fired. She said no reason was given for her termination, but she says her and Debbie were both long time friends with Jim.
5) David Lapham was staying in touch with Jim. They fired David a month later.
6) Steve Masarsky and his wife (who worked for the finance company) sued Jim for his 25% ownership of Valiant knowing it would be difficult for him to pay legal costs to defend himself.
7) She closes saying Jim had a lawyer and things were in arbitration.

That was the status in Jan. 1993.

Most of the content is similar to what the Forbes article said. I just got the meat of what happened many months earlier.

Defiant1