Eternal Warrior Haiku

Gilad Anni-Padda

Beyond death but not,

Fierce and strong yet dispossessed,

We cheer on Gilad.

Ode to The Eternal Warrior

So many failures, and geomancers lost,

He’ll wear their deaths eternally.

Lacking his own series, or even his axe,

He’ll fight on; just wait and see.

That's why we call him

The Eternal Warrior.

Review: X-O Manowar Volume 5 Issue 1

When I looked at the previews for the new series of X-O Manowar Volume 5 #1, I wondered if I would like writer Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum's new series. The artwork seemed significantly different from that in X-O Manowar Volume 3 written by Robert Venditti, and that in Volume 4 written by Matt Kindt. But once I had the book in my hands, the story worked. Emilio Laiso’s artwork compares nicely with that in other contemporary Valiant series like The Visitor and Doctor Tomorrow. The look and feel of the art also reminds me of Marvel’s groundbreaking series Ultimate Spider-Man. I suppose this shouldn't surprise me, as although I haven't seen it, Emilio Laiso has previously worked on Marvel's Spider-Man: Velocity series.

It shares another link to Ultimate Spider-Man, as I remember a confrontation on the Basketball court in early USM, in which Peter Parker doesn’t come off well. (I think this may have inspired a similar scene in the 2012 Spider-Man film). In writer Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum’s story, Aric has started a new life in New York City (again, reminiscent of Spider-Man). There, he tries to get to know his neighbors, and plays Basketball with local kids.

At least, he tries. While many adults in the neighborhood don't welcome him, some of the homeless accept him, and the kids think he's cool. As for Basketball, while Shanhara advises him on gameplay, Aric clearly has a way to go in mastering the game.

At the beginning of this issue, Aric defends Earth from a survivor of a recent Vine attack. But the way he does it arouses peoples’ ire. Shanhara, ever wise, reminds him that people don’t care that he’s saved them from yet another Vine attack or falling debris. Those concepts are just beyond their conception. Most people are so focused on their daily lives, that all they can perceive is how they have been inconvenienced, and their schedules interrupted. 

Nor are people overly concerned with many dangers that could potentially kill them, especially if it gets in the way of their entertainment. But that doesn’t stop Aric from defying the wrath of disappointed spectators who turn out to see a launch promoting Troy Whitaker’s newly announced commercial spaceflight program. Reporters and onlookers alike seem oblivious to the danger a ballistic missile could pose to the inhabitants of New York City, should anything go wrong with the publicity stunt. 

It also doesn’t help that, as with Spider-Man, the media seems intent on portraying his every action negatively. The way reporters label Aric as an unwanted vigilante suggests that the way the recent Vine attack went down stressed his frayed relationships with Schon (a woman he met on the Planet Gorin in Volume 4) and GATE (the Global Agency for Threat Excision) to the breaking point. But Aric’s bad press could also be explained by the influence of billionaire industrialist Troy Whitaker. We seem glimpses of plots and schemes that should come to fruition in later issues. 

Perhaps as a result of the recent Vine attack, Aric’s relationship with Shanhara has emerged stronger than ever. The sentient armor now overlays his vision with virtual screens. 

When danger threatens, his seemingly ordinary street clothes also transform into armor, allowing Aric to literally leap to Earth’s defense.

As I suggested in the beginning, this first issue of their X-O Manowar series looks to be every bit as involving as Marvel’s beloved Ultimate Spider-Man series. Writer Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum and artist Emilio Laiso work in harmony, packing each page with intriguing characters and a complex plot that gives the reader more to discover in later reads. The duo imbue the issue with a tremendous amount of heart, a welcome dose of innocence, and the belief that if you work for the good of others, people will eventually accept you.

While the latter may not be true, I think we'd all like to believe it is.

The longevity of Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man eventually allowed writer Brian Michael Bendis to introduce the world to a new hero, young Miles Morales. In time, that character's popularity led to the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It may be too much to hope that this new series will convince studio heads to greenlight a big budget movie about our favorite Visigoth and his sentient armor. So for the moment, I look forward to seeing how fans react to this new series of X-O Manowar, and how Hallum and Laiso's story enriches the Valiant Universe.

Dragon Dave

Troublemakers Beware!

This river is protected by Bloodshot.

Pursue villainy at your own risk!

My New Ninjak Art Card

Ninjak

My first Valiant 

Discovery

In my heart

You'll always be.

Ninjak Art Card by Eric Dotson
Greatly appreciated

Robert Venditti on Identity and Parenthood

While reading (and rereading) Dennis Hallum's new X-O Manowar #1, I'm looking back and reflecting on what Robert Venditti established with his foundational X-O Manowar #1. Hopefully, I'll be ready to talk about Dennis Hallum's new story soon.

Partly because Aric defied King Alaric, and continued the fighting, the Visigoths suffer heavy losses. Aric's father Rolf dies, and his mother and wife are taken prisoner by the Romans. Aric and his friend Gafti lead a party of surviving Visigoths to attack the prisoner transports. Amid the fighting, Aric pries the helmet from a fallen foe. Instead of a Roman, the face beneath the helmet resembles something out of a nightmare. 

Blades and ferocity prove insufficient to win the battle, due to the strange and powerful weapons their opponents wield. Aric, his friend Gafti, and the remaining Visigoths are taken aboard the transports. 

Meanwhile, disguised figures sneak into the Visigoth camp. They replace Human children with their own. They change the alien children's appearance to match those of the Human children they will replace.

Having never had children, I can only imagine how a parent would feel reading this story. This must surely strike at the core of a parent's fears. How often have we seen a parent separated from their children--for whatever reason--in a TV show? The loss traumatizes the parents, and makes them willing to do anything to get their children back.

How often have we read a story about children being swapped--either accidentally or intentionally--at birth? What happens to the relationship between parents and children when hospital records uncover that the child you raised is not your own? What happens to a family when a DNA test reveals a son or daughter's true parentage?

Robert Venditti is delving into a primal Human fear. The alien equipment may look high-tech and futuristic, but the theme he's playing with is very old. You can trace it back through the  centuries, to the earliest oral traditions that scribes wrote down.

Imagine raising a child, imbuing it with all your love, instructing him or her in all that you believe and find most precious. And, all the while, the child is not yours. He or she is not even Human.

Obviously, the aliens are playing a long game here. These are not adults the aliens have trained and indoctrinated to become subversive agents. These are children who will be influenced by everything and everyone around them. How can they trust the children to work toward their ends when they gave them away as children?

Oh, and by the way, what happens to all the Human children?

This is just a short moment in this long first issue. With so much going on, the casual reader may pay little attention to this interlude. But it's an element of Aric's journey that will grow important as Robert Venditti's series continues.

Dragon Dave

New to X-O Manowar? Follow Valiant Entertainment on Twitter. During these difficult times, when the company cannot print and deliver new comics to stores, these good people are giving away free issues of their digital comics. I repeat: free! Act quickly, and you can secure your own copy of not just Robert Venditti's X-O Manowar #1, but issues 2,3, and 4 as well.

Robert Venditti on Leadership

Recently, I've been absorbed by the new Manowar #1. Every few days, I return to Dennis Hallum's story, and as I read it again, more things become clear to me. I intend on covering this introductory installment in Valiant's new series soon, but the way Dennis Hallum has packed so much into it, I still need time to contemplate it. In the meantime, I'm taking the time to revisit Robert Venditti's foundational series, as a way to understand the entirety of Aric's journey.

In X-O Manowar Vol 3 Issue 1, the Romans attack Aric's people on Easter 402 AD. He fights with his friends and relatives against forces that are vastly superior to that of the Visigoths in every conceivable way. 

Visigoths charge the ordered ranks of Roman soldiers

The battle against the Romans does not go well, and the Visigoth King Alaric decides discretion is the better part of valor. His nephew Aric is full of the invincibility of youth, and doesn't understand his uncle's tactics. So he ignores his king's order to pull back, and rallies his fellow Visigoths for another attack. 

One of the best military leaders in US history was George Washington. As Commander In Chief of the American colonies, he lost more battles against the better organized and supplied British Empire than he won. Yet, like Aric's uncle King Alaric, Washington knew when to fight, and when to withdraw. 

Most importantly, he never gave in to despair, never gave up his beliefs, and fought on. Eventually, this approach of harrying the British forces--vastly superior to Washington's in every conceivable way--resulted in overall victory for the colonial forces. 

Winning a battle is different from winning a war. That's something King Alaric understands, but Aric has yet to learn.

It's nice to see Aric like this in his youth, before he's discovered the possibility of failure. He's so full of life. He could be a motivational speaker: "If you believe in something, and work hard to make it a reality, then reality will match up to your dreams." 

Persistence. Determination. Dedication to his people. These are some of the qualities we love in Aric. His beliefs aren't wrong. Aric just wants too much, too soon. But then, don't we all? 

Dragon Dave

New to Valiant? Interested in learning more about X-O Manowar? Follow Valiant on Twitter. Search through their posts. You may still find the first four issues of Venditti's series available, free, for download. Seek, and ye may find...  

The Columbine Combo

May exercise and nature's radiance

Guide you through dark times.

Depression Kicker

Feeling down?

Look out your window.

There's always something to discover!

Shadowman On Previews

Shadowman: Okay, what shall we order, aside from my new series?
Bloodshot: My book!
Mini X-O: My book!
Shadowman: We're already getting those. We always buy Valiant.
Ninjak: I don't understand. Why are we ordering Previews anyway?
Shadowman: Our shop needs to know what we want.
Ninjak: Why? This is our third week without new comics!
Shadowman: Have faith in Diamond. They'll find a way to get our comics delivered.
Ninjak: That's asking a lot, given everything that's going on.
Shadowman: No it isn't. Not for a Valiant fan. After all, we've got Faith.
Bloodshot: He's got you there.
Mini X-O: Shanhara agrees.
Ninjak: Fine. Just mark down somewhere that I want my own series back.
Shadowman: Will do. Valiant wouldn't be the same without you.

Kevin VanHook on Bloodshot and Persistence

Author Kevin VanHook and Editor Lysa Hawkins

Kevin VanHook is a soft-spoken, unassuming man. Yet in the 1990s, he co-created Bloodshot, one of the most unique characters in comics, with Bob Layton and Don Perlin. Last year, in the run-up to Valiant Entertainment's new Bloodshot series, and the movie starring Vin Diesel, he participated in the Bloodshot 101 panel at Wondercon.

While Kevin started drawing comics early on, he really wanted to make his mark by writing them. He worked at the 1980s indie phenom Pacific Comics, and later at another independent powerhouse, Eclipse Comics. Frustratingly, every time he came close to writing a story, each company shut down, and he had to find other employment. He started at Valiant in 1992 as the Production Manager. This time, he was given the opportunity to co-create and write the character Bloodshot. 

While Kevin VanHook's early career is a study in persistence, it also underlines the need to spot the right opportunity. With the fall of the Soviet Union, and the resultant decline in military funding, Kevin noticed the emerging biotech field. In particular, he drew inspiration from nanotechnology, which scientists were studying to treat disease and extend the Human lifespan. Following the first Gulf War (Operation Desert Shield), he wondered if soldiers who marched onto future battlefields might be enhanced with nanotechnology. 

Alongside his idea of utilizing nanotechnology to create the ultimate soldier, Kevin VanHook decided to enrich his creation further. He didn't want Bloodshot to spend all his time on foreign soil. He wanted Bloodshot to spend time in the United States too. So he decided to utilize the mafia in Bloodshot's world. Doing so was potentially dangerous, as Stan Lee had purportedly received death threats for Marvel's portrayal of the Punisher battling the mafia. But Kevin took a chance, wanting to enrich his character, and make Bloodshot as relevant as he could to the 90s audience.

Co-creators Bob Layton and Kevin VanHook, with star Vin Diesel, and Valiant Entertainment executive Dinesh Shamdasani

Thanks to clever marketing, and the early use of a chromium cover, Valiant's first issue of Bloodshot sold over one million copies. Initial artist Don Perlin drew almost faster than Kevin could write scripts. Kevin even took to his sketch pad at times. Readers demanded more, and Kevin and Valiant fed their hunger. Thanks to their imagination and hard work, Bloodshot remained a stalwart character of Valiant in the 90s. Thus, when Valiant Entertainment brought these classic characters back to comics in 2012, Bloodshot again proved a bestselling title.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic drastically shorted its big screen release, fans responded positively to the portrayal of Vin Diesel as Bloodshot. Sony took note, and rushed the movie to digital. A full home video release will follow. And, of course, the Bloodshot comics will continue.

Bloodshot lives and breathes with a life of its own, and his legacy seems assured. But our nanite-enhanced hero would never have been born, had Kevin VanHook not persisted in his quest to write comics, and had he not enriched the character with sufficient uniqueness and originality. Well done, Kevin VanHook. Bloodshot fans everywhere salute you!

Dragon Dave

Happy Easter

And lo, 

though darkness reigned across the land,

Bloodshot appeared, 

and brought happiness everywhere.

Greg Pak: Beyond Eternal Warrior

Greg Pak makes for an interesting panelist. He's so expressive, you might think he's Italian. But he grew up in America, where he was bullied for his partial Korean heritage. He trained to become a filmmaker, but made his name in comics instead. 

Ironically, his Planet Hulk saga served as the basis for two films: an animated feature, and Thor Ragnarok.

At Wondercon 2019, he was most excited about writing The Totally Awesome Hulk, which featured Korean American Amadeus Cho, as well as transplanting Marvel's Chinese superheroes into the American market. Naturally, he was also excited about writing for Marvel's Star Wars series.

Editor Warren Simons enticed Greg to Valiant with the prospect of writing Eternal Warrior. Greg said he enjoyed working with Gilad Anni-Padda, and would welcome writing another series for Valiant, if the right opportunity came along.

 
Perhaps the editors might entice him by encouraging him draw the series as well as write it. He started drawing superheroes at an early age, after all, and kindly shared an early masterpiece with us.

Greg Pak: filmmaker, writer, and artist. No wonder he's made it big in the comics world!

Dragon Dave

Alternate Scene From Quantum & Woody 3

The pre-order edition of Quantum & Woody #3 featured this scene without dialogue. "Those poor thought-bubbles," I thought. "They look so lonely and unfulfilled!" Well, I decided I'd better do something about that. You know, for the thought-bubbles' sake.

Wondercon Moments: Part 6

Captivating smile

Effervescent eyes

Boundless enthusiasm

Digital Marketing Manager

Emily Hecht

Infuses every panel

With fun!

French Nanites

Local businesses are there to serve you,

Especially French bakeries.

Croissants are rich in nanites!

Surrounded By Beauty

It's easy to forget 

We live

Surrounded by beauty.

Wondercon Moments: Part 5

Wondercon 2020

Just another victim of Coronavirus COVID-19

A look back at Wondercon 2019

Former Marketing Director Mel Caylo in a somber mood.

What's wrong, Mel?

Were you considering how hard it would be 

to leave behind all the friends you made at Valiant? 

If you miss us, please come back.