by Brian LeTendre
With issue #14, the first major arc of X-O Manowar comes to a close in very satisfying fashion.
Aric of Dacia is a man who was stolen from his own time by an alien race called the Vine. Enslaved for years, he finally took back his freedom by turning the Vine’s most powerful weapon against them--the sacred armor of Shanhara. Since then, Aric has found himself displaced from his own time, and hunted by the Vine, who have been living on earth in disguise for hundreds of years. After battling them on earth, Aric took the fight to the Vine on their home planet, and this issue features the climax of that battle, and the concluding chapter of the “Planet Death” storyline. I won’t spoil the end for you, but there are some big changes ahead for Aric.
Pretty much every book Valiant has brought back has been fantastic, but X-O Manowar has lead the resurgence of the publisher. Writer Robert Venditti (Green Lantern, Demon Knights) and artist Cary Nord have crafted a book that feels like Conan meets Iron Man. And as opposed to most mainstream comics with their decompressed storylines, the first fourteen issues of X-O Manowar have moved forward at an almost breakneck pace.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another series that has been this consistent over a fourteen-issue span. I cannot recommend X-O Manowar highly enough.
5 out of 5 Angry Visigoths
With issue #14, the first major arc of X-O Manowar comes to a close in very satisfying fashion.
Aric of Dacia is a man who was stolen from his own time by an alien race called the Vine. Enslaved for years, he finally took back his freedom by turning the Vine’s most powerful weapon against them--the sacred armor of Shanhara. Since then, Aric has found himself displaced from his own time, and hunted by the Vine, who have been living on earth in disguise for hundreds of years. After battling them on earth, Aric took the fight to the Vine on their home planet, and this issue features the climax of that battle, and the concluding chapter of the “Planet Death” storyline. I won’t spoil the end for you, but there are some big changes ahead for Aric.
Pretty much every book Valiant has brought back has been fantastic, but X-O Manowar has lead the resurgence of the publisher. Writer Robert Venditti (Green Lantern, Demon Knights) and artist Cary Nord have crafted a book that feels like Conan meets Iron Man. And as opposed to most mainstream comics with their decompressed storylines, the first fourteen issues of X-O Manowar have moved forward at an almost breakneck pace.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another series that has been this consistent over a fourteen-issue span. I cannot recommend X-O Manowar highly enough.
5 out of 5 Angry Visigoths
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