No peace for the warrior.
Creative Staff:
Story: Matt Kindt
Art: Tomás Giorello
Colors: Diego Rodriguez
Letters: Dave Sharpe
What They Say:
Issue #2:
They asked for war. He’ll give them death.
Deep within the far reaches of space, the dogs of war have found Aric of Dacia. Conscripted into an alien army and forced into combat, Aric must enter an alien battlefield unlike any he’s faced before. His only hope for survival is also the source of his greatest rage – the living suit of armor known as X-O Manowar.
Can Aric still embrace the violence within? Get ready, because the most brutal fight in X-O Manowar’s life is about to begin!
Issue #3:
Their world became his war!
Across every frontline, and through every trench, Aric of Dacia continues his hostile journey through a brutal alien planet the only way he knows how: with war. But the man once known as X-O Manowar is not alone. With a dedicated band of soldiers sworn to his side, Aric will prove his worth on the battlefield… and find himself in a position that no one saw coming!
New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt and Valiant exclusive rising star Tomas Giorello bring the punishing first act to Valiant’s biggest series of the year to its final stand-off… and will leave readers everywhere reeling with a last page surprise!
Issue #4:
ALL-NEW ARC! ALL-NEW JUMPING-ON POINT! “GENERAL” – PART ONE!
In the fires of victory, a soldier becomes…a general. With the hostile Cadmium army crushed beneath his force’s boots, Aric of Dacia now commands an entire fleet into the final battle for the soul of an empire. But as a new dawn rises across this unrelenting alien world, what vicious new menace will come forth to greet it?
X-O Manowar’s path to domination darkens as blockbuster artist Doug Braithwaite (ARMOR HUNTERS) joins New York Times bestselling writer Matt Kindt (DIVINITY, Mind MGMT) for a perfect, planet-shaking entry point into Valiant’s biggest series yet!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Gorin is a world divided into threes. Three species occupy the planet: the Cadmiums, the Azures, and the Burnt. The Cadmiums rule over them all, but time and power have corrupted them, turning them fat and decadent and cruel. The Azures desire to throw off the shackles of their oppressors, and have conscripted every able man to the army. And the Burnt? They just want to be left alone.
The odd man out in this situation is Aric of “Urth.” Born during the height of the Roman Empire, Aric served as a soldier for a civilization he despised. A chance encounter with the alien battle suit X-O Manowar allowed him to change his fate, and Aric embarked on many adventures across time and space, including Earth in the 20th Century. Tired of conflict, Aric retired to Gorin, but once again found himself conscripted into an army for a government he despises, fighting a war not his own.
Initially, the Azurian army used Aric as cannonfodder, but the former Roman soldier proved himself far more savage and resilient than his new masters anticipated. He rose through the ranks, quickly earning the ire of his Captain, who decided to take care of the problem the old fashion way: by sending Aric and a ragtag group of misfits on a suicide mission.
The comic isn’t exactly breaking new ground here in that respect (although, to be fair, what stories out there are actually new?), but it’s like hearing a cover of a song you love done by an amazing musician: the notes are the same, but the way it’s played is new and exciting.
That’s what Matt Kindt brings to X-O Manowar: a fresh and energizing interpretation of an old classic. Traditionally, X-O functioned as a superhero comic, but under Kindt’s revitalization, it’s become a war story concerned with exploring the nature of war and the people who make it their profession.
War, to state the obvious, is a horrible event full of blood and pain and misery, but just like everything else in life, it also possesses nobler qualities. Nothing, after all, is purely evil or purely good. For all the moments of horror and pain there exist other moments of friendship and purpose, a certainty that normal everyday life lacks.
That’s a hard pill to swallow, because war should be avoided at all costs and the need for it eliminated in civilized society. The very idea that something positive could come out of it—on both a global and personal level—is abhorrent.
Those are the thoughts that race through Aric’s mind in these three issues. In a brave move, Kindt only provides us with bits and pieces of the armor. When Aric gets conscripted, he only takes a single band of metal from the suit and wears it like a ring on his remaining hand. It allows him to draw upon a fraction of the suit’s power, but he only does so in emergencies. This means that the victories all belong to him. He brings them about through skill, cunning, and bravery. However, this also means that all the killing, the blood, and the anguish he creates also belong to him, although he consistently denies it.
The suit occasionally speaks to Aric through the ring, urging the Earthman to put on the whole armor and go do great and terrible things. Aric refuses and blames the armor for getting them into this mess, claiming that it draws war and misery to itself. Aric consistently denies his own part in this mess, and the suit rightly calls him out on it, pointing out that he could easily have used the X-O and flew away instead of allowing himself to be gangpressed into service.
What makes this comic so interesting (and good) is that it never lets up. It keeps up a fevered pace and each issue comes chock full of action and adventure and amazing settings and creatures. The quiet moments come few and far between, allowing solid moments of characterization and plot development. Although each issue strays towards the action side of things, the other important story elements never feel cheated. In this regard, X-O Manowar is like Mad Max: Fury Road: balls-to-the-wall action seamlessly integrated with plot and character development. It’s quite a feat.
So far, I’ve focused on the plot and the writing, but the art deserves equal treatment. Make no mistake, kiddies, this is one fabulous-looking book. Tomás Giorello and Diego Rodriguez have done a marvelous job with this title. The characters, the setting, the clothes, and all the fine little details in the corners are excellent and do a great job of both telling the story and establishing a sense of verisimilitude. I’m not sure if this is intentional, but Giorello and Rodriguez’s style reminds me of the art and color on Dark Horse’s Conan relaunch back when Kurt Busiek was writing it. It might be intentional, since both series feature brutal, bloody action and barbarian heroes. Regardless of intent, they do a hell of a job.
It will be interesting to see how the story pans out. The basic plot setup possesses a real Dirty Dozen theme, yet this is completely Aric’s show. The supporting players have interesting quirks and backgrounds, but they’re definitely underused at this point. Even the villain is vague. Issue four sees Aric and his platoon chasing the Cadmium president, but he’s little more than a MacGuffin. There isn’t a clear antagonist yet, just shades of the classic man versus society, man versus man, and man versus nature. It could be that Aric is the real antagonist of the story, or it might be war itself. This doesn’t hurt the comic (perhaps because the story doesn’t give us time to think), but it might in the future. Time will tell. In the meantime, I’ll be back next month.
In Summary:
X-O Manowar #2-4 is epic, dealing with disturbing personal issues on a grand scale, merging space opera and military sf with more grounded and psychological war fiction. The plot races along like a bat out of hell and the writing and art are amazing. Dr. Josh gives this an….
Grade: A-
Age Rating: T+
Released By: Valiant Comics
Release Date: Issue 2: April 26; Issue 3: May 24; Issue 4: June 28
MSRP: $3.99 per issue
