Links

 

X-O Manowar Issue 19
Story, Coloring, and Cover Art (Coloring) by Jorge Gonzalez

Here's a few links to articles and sites I enjoyed.

The Early 1990s was an explosive era in comics. Speculators drove the market to new heights. Old companies took their last gasps, as they were crowded out by newcomers. Valiant rode that market swell, and unfortunately crashed with it also. But one man who helped steer Valiant's ascendancy was Jorge Gonzalez. He's written a post on his blog about his time with the company, and in particular, about his time working on X-O Manowar. Here's a link to that post:

Jorge Gonzalez on Valiant Comics

Online magazine publisher Sequart Organization did a nice article on the rise and fall of Valiant. Titled "Valiant Days, Valiant Nights," the piece offers some fascinating glimpses of the company's history, and interviews with people instrumental in the creation of X-O Manowar, such as Bob Layton and Jim Shooter. Well worth reading.

Valiant Days Valiant Nights


Tony Bedard lettered X-O Issue 19. He went on to become a writer and editor for CrossGen, Marvel, and DC. Here's an interview on his years at CrossGen, in which he compares the company to Valiant, and discusses his relationship with Valiant founder Jim Shooter:

Tony Bedard CrossGen Interview


Jim Calafiore penciled several covers and issues of X-O Manowar. You can check out examples of his work, and read his weekly online comic "Crooks & Nannies" at www.jimcalafiore.com

Jim Calafiore's website

Mike Cavallaro worked as an assistant colorist on X-O Manowar. He's still active in the field today, working on a variety of projects for major publishers. You can read his bio, and see examples of latest work (such as Nico Bravo, Vulcan's Celestial Supply Shop, and Foiled) at his website www.mikecalafiore.com

Mike Cavallaro's website

David Chlystek worked as a colorist on X-O Manowar. Valiant fans will remember him as the person who suggested the name for another popular Valiant character, Bloodshot. After Valiant, he worked for Marvel and DC, and even published a few comics of his own, such as Megahurst, for Image. Since then, he's become a much-in-demand storyboard artist for animated TV shows such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. You can check out examples of his work on his website, and see all the TV work he's done on his IMDB page.


David Chlystek's IMDB page

Andrew Covalt worked as a colorist on X-O Manowar, doing interior and color coloring. These days, he sculpts retro figures of classic comics figures for retailers like Diamond, and paints backgrounds for animated TV shows like Courage the Cowardly Dog and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He's posted some of his painted backgrounds for these shows on his blog:

Andrew Covalt's Painted Backgrounds


Steve Ditko had a long history in the comics field before working as a penciler on X-O Manowar. He may be best well known as the co-creator of Spider-Man, as well as his work on early Doctor Strange and The Incredible Hulk. At Valiant, then-editor Jim Shooter had trouble finding work for Steve, who held strong views on what a hero should and should not be. The fact that he worked as a penciler on X-O Manowar thus means he held Aric of Dacia in great esteem. You can read Jim Shooter's reminiscences of Steve Ditko, and the early days of Valiant, on these two posts from his blog:

Ditko at Valiant and Defiant Part 1
Ditko at Valiant and Defiant Part 2


Randy Elliot worked as an inker on X-O Manowar. He's worked on lots of titles for other companies, including Bionicle, Scooby Doo, and Archie. He's also done sketches and paintings for collectible trading cards. At his website, you can see a gallery of his comics work (including a page from X-O), other illustrations and paintings, and commission an original sketch.

Randy Elliot's website

Few stores shows more Valiant love than Knowhere Games & Comics. If you're a Valiant fan, you'll enjoy the visit, whether you find an issue or variant cover you don't have, or you just enjoy admiring all the posters, banners, standees, or chatting with the owner Mathias about all things Valiant.

Knowhere Games & Comics

Introduction

 

This trade paperback contains the first four issues of X-O Manowar.

 

Cover Artists credited: Bob Layton, Tom Ryder 

X-O Manowar Volume 1: 1992 - 1996
In this early 90s comic book series, we meet Aric, a fourth century Visigoth who is snatched from his native Dacia by aliens. On their spaceship, he finds a suit of armor, which he uses to destroy their ship and return to Earth. Although he has spent only a few days on their ship, their travel at high relativistic speeds has caused time dilation. Thus, he returns to Earth in the 1990s, to find the world greatly changed. No longer does he battle the forces of the Roman Empire. Now his struggle throughout the series will be to defend Earth from the aliens and other, more human dangers, while coming to grips with the modern world. 

This series started with writers like Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, and Steve Engelhart. After a series of writers oversaw the series followed, colorist Jorge Gonzalez took over the writing for a few years. Then, after the Birthquake crossover, Ron Marz and other writers took over, and carried the series to its completion. 

X-O Manowar Volume 2: 1997 - 1998 
Once Aric started defending the Earth against Spider-Aliens, bionosaurs, and Human threats like power-hungry psiots and aggressive corporations, it wasn't long until the U.S. military took notice. While Aric fought off attempts to take his armor away in Volume 1, in this second series, published under the Acclaim banner, the U.S. government has taken possession of the sentient armor. Unfortunately for the generals, when it comes time for their chosen candidate to put it on, and do their bidding, the alien armor has other ideas.

X-O Manowar Volume 3: 2012 - 2016
The rebirth of Valiant, as Valiant Entertainment, brought X-O Manowar back as one of their first ongoing series. In these stories, written by Robert Venditti, Aric returns to Earth in the present day, and finds Earth infested with an alien race called the Vine. Aric combats this alien threat, both on Earth and in space, and works to create a homeland for descendants of his Visigoth peoples.

Unity Volume 2: 2013 - 2015
The original Unity series was a 90s crossover event that involved X-O Manowar, and two early issues of the series whisk Aric off to battle bionosaurs and tribes of primitive warriors in a world taken out of time. This second Unity series was an ongoing monthly team book. Started by writer Matt Kindt, many other heroes aid Aric against terrestrial and extraterrestial dangers, including Ninjak, Livewire, and Gilad, the Eternal Warrior.

X-O Manowar Volume 4: 2017 - 2019
All this battling takes a toll on Aric. In this fourth series, written by Matt Kindt, Aric is so hurt and dispirited that he leaves Earth, intent on building a new life elsewhere. He settles on the Planet Gorin, where a tavern maid named Schon takes him in. But no sooner does he start working on her farm than an army made up of Schon's Azure race conscripts him, and forces him to fight in their war against the Cadmium peoples. War will spread to include the Burnt people, and at every opportunity, Aric's leadership qualities shine. When he returns to Earth, Aric fights in the Harbinger Wars 2 series, and defends the Earth in other ways. Eventually, some of those he fought on Planet Gorin trace him back to Earth, where he must face them one more time.

I enjoyed the first series so much that I started this blog to chart all of Aric's appearances, his interactions with other characters, and gain a better understanding of the Valiant universe. I stopped after the Birthquake crossover, when the writer and artists seemed to be changing, as I was having trouble finding those later issues. Now that I've collected a few more, I need to go back, and read the series (as much as I have of it) through again. 

The other series I'm most familiar with is Volume 4. I discovered Valiant, and writer Matt Kindt, through Ninjak Volume 3 #10 (2015). When Matt Kindt concluded that series, and started writing X-O Manowar Volume 4, I followed him to see what adventures Aric would undergo. While the artists changed as the series continued, it was usually beautiful and evocative. The entire series speaks to me as a meditation on how we deal with pain and loss. I read those early issues several times, and posted about them on this blog.

You can learn more about each volume, or series, at:
Valiant Wikia Page for Volume 1 
Valiant Wikia Page for Volume 2 
Valiant Wikia Page for Volume 3
Valiant Wikia Page for Volume 4

For a truly expansive look at the character, see the Valiant Wikia Biography Page. 

For more on all things Valiant, check the company website http://valiantentertainment.com/.

Chronology

  X-O Manowar Volume 1

February 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 1 
Title: Retribution Part 1 "Into The Fire"
Synopsis: Aric, a 5th Century Visigoth, has been captured by Spider Aliens. After a period of captivity, he finds the X-O Manowar armor, and uses it to escape their spaceship. Due to the relativistic effects of faster-than-light travel, he returns to present day Earth. There he is pursued by Spider Aliens disguised as humans who run the powerful international Orb Industries. 

March 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 2 
Title: Retribution Part 2: "Kingdom Come!"
Synopsis: Aric's battle with alien agents leads him to New York City. There he defeats the aliens running Orb Industries.

April 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 3: 
Title: "The Most Powerful Man in the World"
Synopsis: In his Harbinger Foundation offices in Tokyo, Toyo Harada worries about the sudden and violent takeover of Orb Industries. He sends a bionically enhanced ex-KGB agent to kill Aric.

May 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 4: 
Title: "King's Crossing"
Synopsis: Aric travels to New Orleans. There he meets Toyo Harada, who agrees to make peace with him, provided Aric doesn't oppose his interests. They cement their treaty in a nightclub, where Jack Boniface, aka Shadowman, plays his saxophone. Later, he defends Harada when a group of super-powered teens, who have left Harada's Harbinger Foundation, attempt to kill their former leader.

June 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 5: 
Title: "Revelations"
Synopsis: The mercenary Ax tries to steal Aric's armor.

July 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 6:
Title: "Power Play"
Synopsis: The mercenary Ax, clad in his own X-O armor, fights Aric for possession of the more powerful X-O Manowar armor.

August 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 7
Title: A Call To Arms (Chapter 5 of the Unity crossover event)
Summary: With the help of some renegade Harbinger kids, young Geoff McHenry (a Geomancer), and a hand from Solar, Man of the Atom, Aric is transported to the Lost Land. There he faces cybernetic-enhanced pterodactyls, rescues prisoners from being eaten by dinosaurs, and wrests the leadership of a barbarian race of warriors called Skammrs from the Mother God who oversees the world out of space and time.

September 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 8
Title: Crossroads (Chapter 13 of the Unity crossover event)
Summary: Aric leads his army of Skammrs in an assault on the Mother God's fortress. After the battle, a dinosaur catches him without his armor and bites him in half. The X-O armor envelops him, and puts him to sleep. He awakes amid the bodies of his devastated army, and the X-O armor informs him that years have passed while it knitted his body back together.

October 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 9
Title: Besieged: Homecoming Part 1
Synopsis: Aric is transported to Earth in 408AD, and aids his Visigoth tribe in fighting the Romans. But they fear his power, and conspire with the Romans to kill him. His love Dierdre dies amid the fighting. Heartbroken, Aric blasts a hole deep in the ground, and buries himself in dirt and darkness.

November 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 10
Title: Homecoming Part 2: Takeover
Synopsis: On May 8, 1992, a tree falls on the grounds of Orb Industries. Aric's 2nd in Command, Ken Clarkson, helps him out of the hole. After two months of rest and physical therapy, the Spider-Aliens invade Aric's mansion. But when he calls the armor to him, it looks different than before.

December 1992
X-O Manowar Issue 11
Title: Alien Whispers: Seed of Destruction Part 1
Synopsis: Aric fights the Spider Aliens that have invaded his house. His armor produces a sword, a weapon he often used while fighting the Romans. After vanquishing the aliens, he (and Ken, his 2nd in Command at Orb Industries) suffers recurring dreams of fighting Spider Aliens in an arena. Then he awakens from one, and finds himself clad in his armor, floating in orbit around Earth.

January 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 12
Title: Moonstruck: Seed of Destruction Part 2
Synopsis: The armor takes him to the moon, where Aric finds a base filled with 67,000 Spider-Aliens. The armor informs him that it reproduces every two thousand years, and as it put him to sleep for so many centuries to return him to the present day, it is returning to its own kind to birth a new set of armor. At the base he meets Rexo, a soldier crippled in Vietnam. The Spider-Aliens befriended him, and gave him his own set of armor. Rexo tells him that his armor is not only sentient, but it has a name: Shanhara. He shows Aric an arena filled with human hostages, and demands Aric give up the X-O armor. When Aric refuses, Rexo kills the hostages. Aric fights for his life, kills Rexo and many Spider-Aliens, but he is outnumbered. He flees back to space, but the Spider-Aliens follow. Even in their less powerful armor, they capture him.

February 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 13
Title: The Darkside To Victory
Synopsis: The Spider-Aliens have stripped Aric of Shanhara, his sentient armor. He fights their champion in an arena on their moon base. Solar, Man of the Atom is there as an observer, but cannot interfere. But when Aric defeats their champion, the Spider-Aliens attack him again. So Solar throws him his control ring, and Shanhara flies to him. Together, they kill the Spider-Aliens, and destroy their base. Then Aric destroys the seed Shanhara has produced to ensure that the aliens can never gain control of another set of X-O Manowar armor.

March 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 14

Title: The Coming of Turok Dinosaur Hunter

Synopsis: One minute, Turok is fighting the bionisaurs amid the Unity War in the Lost Land. The next, he is transported to Columbia, South America on June 10, 1987. In New York, on September 14, 1992, Aric returns from the moon to Orb Industries headquarters. After consulting with Ken Clarkson, his second-in-command, and Randy Cartier, his chief of security, the three fly to a corporate lab in Orlando Florida. Researchers there have discovered infant dinosaurs. Aric travels to South America to investigate where the young Bionisaurs were found. He meets Turok, who helps him wipe out the smuggling operation selling the dinosaurs that were transported through the Time-Rift along with Turok.  

April 1993

X-O Manowar Issue 15

Title: Concrete Jungle

Synopsis: When a Con Edison crew is killed, Aric and Turok battle bionisaurs in the tunnels, and eventually the parks of New York.

May 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 16
Title: Family Matters

Synopsis: When Ken, his second-in-command at Orb Industries, is kidnapped by gun runners, Aric must put a stop to a thriving trade in alien weaponry.

June 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 17
Title: Push And Shove

Synopsis: When the mob learns that Orb Industries plans to develop an area in which they've buried bodies, they threaten Ken Clarkson, Aric's second-in-command, to leave the land alone. Aric meets with them to discuss the situation rationally, and they try to kill him. So he calls on the X-O Manowar armor and attacks them. Later, upon reflection, the mob decides to dig up the bodies, and allow Orb Industries to develop their land.

July 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 18
Title: Operation: Deep Freeze Part 1: Ultimatums
Synopsis: Aric's armor, and his battles, have not gone unnoticed by the United States government. A Senator on the Appropriations committee, and a member of the Internal Revenue Service, meet quietly with Aric. When he refuses to hand the armor over, they send representatives to Orb Industries. Ken, Aric's second-in-command, refuses to help them, and Aric throws them out before they can intimidate more staff. So they hold Randy, Aric's Head of Security, hostage in her own home, and order him to meet them at a prearranged location and hand over the armor or they will kill her. After the phone call, Randy's friend bursts in and frees her. The villains flee, but they take with them a tracking device. Randy and her friend follow the signal to King George Island (the largest of the Shetland Islands lying 75 miles off Antarctica's coast). Then Aric appears, and a battle between the X-O Manowar armor, and the U. S. Government, commences.

August 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 19
Title: Operation Deep Freeze Part 2: Gentlemen's Agreement

Synopsis: When the Feds surround Aric, and point a gun at Randy's head, Aric surrenders his X-O Manowar armor to save the life of Orb Industries' Head of Security. The Feds then transport them to the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole. The Feds plan to test the armor inside a fortified bunker. What they don't realize is that Aric still possesses the control ring. When he and Randy are locked inside a cell, her life is no longer in jeopardy, and they realize the Feds still plan to kill them, Aric calls the armor to him. But then, in the process of escaping his cell and battling the Feds, Aric sets off an avalanche that buries him beneath snow, ice, and debris.

September 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 20
Title: Operation Deep Freeze Part 3: The Consequences

Synopsis: Aric's been buried before, but this time he's not content to lay down and die. While he blasts his way out of the ice, snow and debris, and takes on the U.S. Government forces outside the Amundsen-Scott research station, his Head of Security, Randy, takes on the troops inside. The two return to the states, where Aric calls in a favor from Harada, the head of the powerful Harbinger Foundation, to call off the military. Aric uses the information Shanhara, the sentient X-O Manowar armor, gleaned from the computer systems in Antarctica to insure that the Internal Revenue Service keep out of Orb Industries' affairs. Then, disgusted with our "modern" world, he hands the X-O control ring to Randy, and tells her he's going away. Maybe forever.

October 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 21
Title: Strange Bedfellows

Synopsis: Aric's old foe Ax has recently broken out of custody at the Harbinger Foundation. When he learns that Aric has left Orb Industries, he ambushes Ken, Aric's second-in-command, and then Randy Cartier, his Head of Security. Randy has been troubled by the easy affinity she's formed with Shanhara, the sentient armor. But when Ax shows up wearing his less powerful Hunter Armor, she dons the X-O Manowar armor, and shows him she won't give it up without a fight.

November 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 22
Title: White Kings and Black Knights Part 1

Synopsis: Aric chooses to live with the Yanomama people in a remote village in Peru. Randy Cartier, his head of security, uses her power to wield Shanhara, the sentient armor, to solidify her position as head of Orb Industries in Aric's absence. While he uses his natural fighting skills to defend them against the attacks of a nearby tribe, Randy flies through space, and into the heart of a volcano, to learn the test Shanhara's limits.

December 1993
X-O Manowar Issue 23
Title: White Kings and Black Knights Part 2

Synopsis: Randy's proximity to (and usage of) Shanhara, the sentient armor, has reawakened memories of Wolfbridge, and old foe that tortured her and killed her friend Jean-Luc. Her friend Paul uses his connections to give her current information on the camp in Afghanistan where the incident occurred when they fought the Russians together for the Canadian military. Randy uses the X-O Manowar armor to destroy the Mujahadin base that Wolfbridge once oversaw. But instead of satisfaction, the destruction feels like an abuse of power. Meanwhile, Aric tries and fails to defend the Yanomama village against a white man named Reece, who has threatened to forcibly move them off their land. When he recovers from his injuries, Aric sees that the village has been obliterated, and a sign identifies the land's owner as Spectar Enterprises, a subsidiary of Aric's own Orb Industries. (Also, a sneak peak at the U.S. military's creation of the Armorine armor modeled on Aric's X-O Manowar armor).

January 1994
X-O Manowar Issue 24
Title: Homecoming

Synopsis: Due to the guilt Randy Cartier feels over destroying the Mujahadin camp in Afghanistan, Aric returns home to find Shanhara, the sentient X-O Manowar armor, has changed. He assures her that, back under his control, the armor has suffered no permanent ill effects. Aric then takes Randy out to a pool hall, where he tells her she's being too hard on herself, and tells her he intends to pursue Reece, the man who massacred the Yanomama indians on behalf of Spectar Enterprises, a subsidiary of Orb Enterprises. When a disagreement with the regular patrons turns violent, Aric visits the hospital, where he reimburses them for their medical costs, and apologizes for their injuries. The issue ends with a sneak peak at the Armorines program, the U.S. military's elite combat unit using their version of the X-O Manowar armor.

February 1994
Armorines Issue 0 (Included in X-O Manowar Issue 25)
Title: Unite, Corps, God, Country Part 1

Synopsis: Colonel Gardner welcomes Gunnery Sergeant Harold Lewis, Lance Corporals Antonio Cordova, and James Earl Williams to the Armorines project, where they meet Dr. Philip Zahn, who won a Nobel prize for a breakthrough in Microelectronics. The armor he's developed gives enhanced strength, uses ion cannons mounted on gauntlets, vision beyond the human spectrum, force fields, ion-charged blades, laser cutters, and flight. They meet Sergeant Sirot of the N.S.A. (the National Security Agency), who survived the attempt to capture Aric's armor in Antarctica. They fly to Camp Pendleton, where they meet another team member, Major Myra Lane. There they receive their training with the armor, and learn to function as a team. We also learn that Peter Garrett, who oversaw the operation in Antarctica, is still maneuvering behind the scenes, as is Ms. Mandrake from the I.R.S. (Internal Revenue Service), who tried to take over Orb Industries when the C.I.A. (Central Intelligence Agency) believed they had captured Aric.

February 1994
X-O Manowar Issue 25
Title: Unit, Corps, God, Country Part 2

Synopsis: Ken, Aric's second-in-command at Orb Industries, is having trouble getting to the bottom of who sanctioned Reece's massacre in South America. So Randy Cartier, his Security Chief, offers to send a few people down to Spectar Enterprises, an Orb subsidiary, to investigate. Aric meets Paul, Randy's friend, who worked with her in the military, and has stood by her in civilian life. When the Armorines attack Aric, he wants to destroy them all. But Paul and Randy convince him the Marines were following orders, and he doesn't want the entire United States Military against him. He lets them go. A week later, Gunnery Sergeant Harold Lewis returns in uniform. He apologizes for the misunderstanding, and promises that those responsible for the attack (presumably Peter Garrett and Ms. Mandrake) have been dealt with.

 X-O Manowar Volume 3

May 2012
X-O Manowar Vol 3 Issue 1
Title: Blades and Open Fields

Synopsis: When the Romans attack his village on Easter 402AD, Aric fights with his fellow Visigoths against vastly superior forces. The battle against the Romans does not go well, King Alaric decides discretion is the better part of valor. His nephew Aric ignores his order to pull back. Instead, he rallies his people for another attack. Partly because he 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 attack what they believe to be a prisoner transport, but the strange beings they battle wield stranger weapons. Meanwhile, disguised figures sneak into the Visigoth camp, and replace select children with their own. (They change their strange appearance to match those of the Human children they take). Aric, his friend Gafti, and other Visigoths are captured, and taken aboard the transports, which take them to a spaceship in orbit. There, Aric and Gafti witness an alien warrior attempt to wear some yellow-and-blue armor. Once he puts it on, he cries out, bleeds, and dies. From inside their cage, Aric swears to Gafti that they will find a way to secure the aliens' weapons, escape the strange craft, return to his people, and crush the Roman Empire.

June 2012
X-O Manowar Vol 3 Issue 2
Title: Escaping Eden

Synopsis: Aric awakens from a dream of his wife Diedre. The Alien soldiers order the captives from their cells and march them across spaceship to work in their gardens. They feed the plants with compost, and when one person bites a piece of fruit, an alien attacks the man. Aric attacks the guard, but is captured. A guard cuts off Aric's hand. Years later, a prisoner gives Aric a map to the armory. Using handmade weapons they've secreted on their persons, the prisoners escape their cells. Aric leads them to the armory, where they find only the sentient armor Shanhara. To the belief of the aliens known as the Vine, Aric proves worthy of Shanhara. He can wear the armor and wield its weaponry.

July 2012
X-O Manowar Vol 3 Issue 3
Title: The Road to Rome

Synopsis: Aric, clad in Shanhara, leads Gafti and his fellow prisoners across spaceship. When Gafti is struck down, the armor seems to react instinctively, deploying weaponry against Vine soldiers. From inside a walking/fighting machine, Vine Commander Trill sets off explosives that blast Aric outside spaceship. Aric thinks of how the Romans abducted his wife Diedre, and Shanhara transports him to Earth. He lands in the Colosseum of Rome, where tourists photograph him, and modern Human soldiers surround him.

August 2012
X-O Manowar Vol 3 Issue 4
Title: Then And Now

Synopsis: In space, Vine military leaders Commander Trill and Admiral Xylem debate with High Priest on how to react to this unprecedented event: the sacred Shanhara has accepted a Human--an animal--after constantly rejecting their best Vine candidates. On Earth, Italian soldiers attack Aric in the Colosseum; he defends himself. He shoots into the sky, where two fighter jets attack. He destroys both, but questions one pilot. Shanhara fills his mind with glimpses from past centuries, and he realizes he has returned to Earth 1600 years later. In New York, Alexander watches Aric's battle on TV, enters trance in which he communicates with other descendants of those the Vine left on Earth disguised as Humans. He volunteers to capture Aric and reclaim Shanhara for the Vine.


   

Bloodshot #0 (2013) Retro Review

 

 

Writer: Matt Kindt

Art: Crisscross

Colors: Moose Baumann

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover Artist: Dave Bullock

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 21, 2013

 

Bloodshot is the ultimate killing machine. But what's his history? Let's leap into Bloodshot #0 and find out!

 

Story

Scientists created Bloodshot. They infused him with the memories of dying soldiers. There was just one problem. Anyone who stood in his way died.

 

The military hired Rees to give Bloodshot a conscience. Through Rees, we learn the scale of the Bloodshot project and some of its history. Although Bloodshot #0 begins in 1992--when Bloodshot comics first hit the stands--it shows how Bloodshot evolved into the person he was in 2013, when the new era of Valiant Comics began.

 

Bloodshot Action figure from the Valiant Store

 

 

Art

Crisscross delivers bracing action and realistic portrayals in Bloodshot #0. Characters inhabit compelling landscapes and buildings. We see office clutter, Bloodshot leaping from a helicopter, and the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. Layouts give good panel flow, and composition builds smaller panels into something more.

 

Moose Baumann's vibrant colors enhance nanite-infested laboratories and battlefields. We inhabit military operations and quiet assassinations. Perhaps the violence and carnage convey too much realism, but by its nature, Bloodshot is a violent book.

 

Dave Sharpe's sound effects help us hear gunfire, crashing helicopters, and missiles racing toward their targets. White dialogue balloons contain readable black uppercase text. Sharpe conveys Kindt's narrative-driven story as hand-written entries on a lined, yellow legal pad. These narrative boxes are usually smaller than a postage stamp. One narrative box contained six sentences. Do you know all the fine print that no one ever reads because it's too tiresome? You'll spend your precious "relaxation time" reading it in Bloodshot #0!

 

Final Thoughts

A researcher tries to program a living weapon with a conscience in Bloodshot #0. Does he succeed? Read later issues and find out!

 

Rating 8/10

Time To Explore

 

Beaches were made to explore.

New Partnership With Alien Books

 

 

Prepare for a new dawn in the Valiant Universe!

 
Valiant Entertainment has entered into an agreement with international comics publisher Alien Books to continue to expand Valiant’s publishing capabilities.
 
Alien Books and it’s Director Matias Timarchi have built a strong and unique comic book publishing company with over 25 years of experience publishing in the United States as well as overseas and international markets. The expansion of the Valiant line of publishing is a major point of emphasis in this partnership, with eyes towards a vibrant and voluminous 2024 publishing schedule!
 
On this monumental partnership Timarchi says: “Being able to collaborate on the creation of new stories with Valiant, the third largest connected superhero universe, is truly a dream come true. As a lifelong superhero fan and self-professed geek, the opportunity to work with these incredible characters fills me with boundless enthusiasm. Our goal is to expand the entire Valiant universe by crafting new books that will delight longtime fans while also innovating to engage a new generation of readers interested in webtoons, manga, and digital storytelling experiences. We are immensely proud that Valiant has selected us as their new partners for this thrilling venture, and we are excited to embark on a new chapter in Valiant's illustrious history.”

 

Link to Alien Books video on Youtube

 

Valiant’s President of Consumer Products, Promotions & Ad Sales, Russ Brown, says this of the deal: “We remain fiercely committed to publishing Valiant comics and expanding our publishing line in ways we’ve never seen before. In partnership with Alien Books, we see an opportunity to push the boundaries of comic book publishing to help develop our incredible IP in exciting new ways for a rapidly expanding global audience.”
 
With all the critical and commercial success it has experienced, X-O MANOWAR UNCONQUERED will be continuing as our new world order takes shape, along with the long-awaited publication of NINJAK SUPERKILLERS this fall. The Valiant team will be working hand in hand with the Alien Books team to shape the Valiant publishing line. More to come very soon on the upcoming 2024 publishing schedule! Until then, continue to #StayValiant!

 

 

Questions can be sent to Codyw@valiantentertainment.com

With so much news on the horizon coming from both Valiant Entertainment and Alien Books, here's a list of all the places you can follow as more details develop.

Alien Books:

Website: www.alienbooks.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aliencomicbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alien_books
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aliencomicbooks

Valiant Entertainment:

Website: www.valiantentertainment.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/valiantcomics
Twitter: www.twitter.com/valiantcomics
Instagram: www.instagram.com/valiantentertainment
Newsletter: www.valiantentertainment.com/newsletter

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About DMG Entertainment
 
DMG Entertainment is a global media and entertainment company based in Beverly Hills, CA. Founded by Dan Mintz, the company portfolio has grown to include diverse holdings across film, television, comic book publishing, gaming, and location-based entertainment. Operating as both a production and distribution entity, DMG Entertainment is best known for films such as Looper and Iron Man 3 and the #1 box-office release of Bloodshot feature starring Vin Diesel.
 
About Valiant Entertainment
 
Valiant Entertainment, a subsidiary of DMG Entertainment, founded by Dan Mintz, is a leading character-based entertainment company that owns and controls the third most extensive library of superheroes behind Marvel and DC. With more than 90 million issues sold and a library of over 2,000 characters, including X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, Archer & Armstrong, and many more, Valiant is one of the most successful publishers in the history of the comic book medium. For more information, visit Valiant on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and ValiantEntertainment.com. For Valiant merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com.
 
About Alien Books
 
Introducing Alien Books, the cutting-edge New York-based comic book publisher responsible for bringing an unparalleled diversity of comics and graphic novels to the English speaking markets. Alien Books has curated an extraordinary collection of works from Italy, Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and numerous other corners of the world. 

Among their impressive lineup, Alien Books proudly presents acclaimed titles like "Sunshine Patriots!" by the legendary Howard Chaykin, "Blood, Love, Ghosts and a Deadly Spell" by bestselling author Damian Connelly, "Far South" by Rodolfo Santullo and superstar artist Leandro Fernandez, "The Art of Ariel Olivetti" curated by Olivetti himself, and "Immortal Ascension" by David Chisa and Kristian Rossi. That's not all—with a wealth of upcoming releases, Alien Books plans to present a legacy collection of works from master storyteller Juan Gimenez, a groundbreaking graphic novel from superstar artist Renato Guedes, the complete works of the esteemed Lord of the Dragons: Ciruelo, a highly anticipated artbook by graphic novel sensation Eduardo Risso, an exciting selection of Japanese manga, and much more.

Brace yourself for the dawning of a new Valiant era, as Alien Books spearheads the creation of thrilling Valiant titles alongside their international publishing line. Prepare to be captivated by the boundless creativity and imagination that will unfold within the pages of these groundbreaking works. Be prepared to see the birth of a new Valiant era!

 

X-O Gnomeowar Unconquered

Is your garden plagued by the invasive Hara Vine?

For all your extermination needs, call on X-O Gnomeowar.

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Offer not valid for evil Romans.