Time to armor up.
Creative Staff:
Story: Matt Kindt
Art: Doug Braithwaite
Colors: Diego Rodriguez
Letters: Dave Sharpe
What They Say:
New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (DIVINITY, Dept. H) and blockbuster artist Doug Braithwaite (BLOODSHOT U.S.A.) send X-O Manowar charging into a visceral new battle as “GENERAL” continues to transform Valiant’s master warrior!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s easy to view war as some sort of game. It’s a matter of tactics, of profit and loss, of gains and retreats, of territory and power. The difference, of course, lies in the fact that a game affects nothing but the game. The world doesn’t fundamentally change because of the outcome of a chess match. Pawns and rooks, kings and queens return to their positions, none the worse for wear.
If only that were true in the real world.
Reality, by nature, is a much messier and complicated affair. Humans try to simplify and justify through slogans, jingoism, and binary thinking, casting one group as the “good” guys and one group as the “bad” guys. When viewed this way, the opposition loses their humanity, making it much easier for our side to kill them—after all, they’re monsters.
Of course, that’s not true, and from their point of view, we are the monsters. The kicker is, both sides are right. As much as we love the idea of a “good” war, there’s no such thing. Whether war can ever be fully justified is an argument beyond the scope of my little review here, but the point is that wars are complicated affairs, and if it is a game, then it’s a broken one.
This subtext runs through this entire series. Aric of “Urth,” bonded to the incredibly powerful X-O suit, was conscripted into the Azurian army on the planet Gorin. Gorin is ruled by three different factions, the Azures, the Cadmium, and the Burnt. Thanks to Aric’s tactical genius and daring, the centuries-old conflict comes to an end with the Azure on top.
If this were a chess game, then that would be it. The players would shake hands, the pieces would be returned, and life goes on its merry way. This is not a game, though, and not only do the pieces remain broken on the field, but a new game already waits in the wings. That’s the nature of war, and the nature of power. The two go together like peas and carrots and what they have in common is an insatiable hunger. Power exists to perpetuate itself, and those in power seek to accumulate new power through various means, including war. With the Cadmiums out of the way, the Burnt stand next on the chopping block.
Naturally, one can’t go to war based on the truth. A pretext must be concocted—something that will add legitimacy to the endeavor and whip the soldiers into a fighting frenzy. In this case, the pretext has to do with the sanctity of the Azure’s borders. Some force drives the Burnt off their land and into the Azure territories, and the Azure Emperor sends Aric to broker a peace treaty with them, fully aware that none could be reached. If the Burnt stay, they die. If they flee to the Azure Empire, they will be swallowed whole or be eradicated under the pretense of protecting the purity of the Empire.
A third option exists, though. One the Emperor never dreamed: destroy the device that is slaughtering the Burnt. Such a feat is impossible. It would take a weapon of war more powerful than any in the known universe. Too bad for the emperor, Aric possesses just such a weapon.
One of the elements that this comic does very well is atmosphere. Since issue one, a heavy, smothering atmosphere has permeated each panel, each line stroke. You can see it on Aric’s face, thanks to Doug Braithwaite’s excellent line work. You can see it in the sky, in the pallor of the characters, and the blasted landscapes thanks to Diego Rodriguez’s colors. It all comes together to create a sense of grim fatality, as if Aric is fated to play this game again and again and again.
Of course, that’s a pretense, too. As the armor pointed out, Aric could have left the planet instead of allowing himself to be conscripted. War is a choice, this comic tells us, even if we don’t want to admit to ourselves.
In Summary:
X-O Manowar does a fine job of balancing world building with action and character development, along with some pretty heady themes. It’s a comic that doesn’t waste a panel or a word and moves along like a well-oiled machine. And standing in the middle of it all is Aric—tormented, talented, and willfully ignorant of his true nature. In case you hadn’t figured it out, this is a darn fine comic.
Grade: A+
Age Rating: T+
Released By: Valiant Comics
Release Date: July 26th, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
