X-O Manowar #2 Review: Robots & the New Media

 

X-O Manowar #2 Cover A by Christian Ward

In Valiant's new X-O Manowar series, 5th Century Visigoth Aric of Dacia attempts to safeguard our world. In the first issue, he did this by capturing an alien Vine spaceship before it could attack Earth, stopped a rocket shooting over New York City, and attempted to quell a battle in the Ukraine. Issue #2 picks up the action there, with Aric battling a robot seemingly ordered to apprehend him.

 

 

If you're new to X-O Manowar, you may not realize that Aric is not talking to an Artificial Intelligence that operates his armor, but an alien being named Shanhara who inhabits it. I'm not quite sure Aric understands this, or can appreciate the difference. But then, Aric grew up and formed his worldview in the 5th Century. Many of us who grew up in the 20th Century, with our eyes fixed upon the potential advances of the 21st, still find ourselves struggling to cope with our modern world.*

 

While Aric doesn't understand the nuances of how our world operates, he has Shanhara to help him.

Remember: Aric grew up on the battlefield, defending his kin from wild beasts and Roman soldiers with a sword, or any weapon or object that came to hand. Depend on him to cut through the nuances, and deal with the situation in a very pragmatic manner. Soon he'll have his enemies routed and in retreat.

 

As a writer, Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum is an acknowledged fan of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He brings that all-ages accessibility to the comic, while never faltering in his portrayal of Aric as a fish-out-of-water in our modern world. Artist Emilio Laiso seems in harmony with this approach. At first, his penciling seems incredibly simple. Yet the more you look at his images, the more nuance you notice. He certainly grasps the importance role shape plays in creating beautiful art. 

In Letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's hands, you always know who's speaking, as well as the emotions behind the person's words. But for me, the real star of this series is Colorist Ruth Redmond. As you can see from this preview, her colors are rich and sumptuous. When viewing a page, they reach out and grab you. But I must say also that, while at times Emilio Laiso's pages look a little crowded, overall I really like way he composes each page. Your eyes move effortlessly from panel to panel, and the shape and form of the overall arrangement appeals.

 

 

Enough analysis of structure and form. After his battle in the Ukraine, Aric pursues the fleeing robot back to New York City. There we find ourselves revisiting the yacht of billionaire industrialist Troy Whitaker. Although you may see him differently, I always imagine him as being played by actor Jake Gyllenhaal in the big-screen movie version of this comic. As a media mogul, he reminds me of Elliot Carver, who tried to start a war to increase his profits in the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies." 

 

 

Despite his offer to help our 5th Century Visigoth navigate our 21st Century world, I can't help wondering if Troy Whitaker plans to use Aric to advance his own purposes. As to whether he desires world peace, to inflame an international conflict, or merely make a new friend, I guess I'll have to read along, and see how Hallum's story develops in issue #3.

 

Cover B by Netho Diaz

 

As one of Valiant's flagship characters, X-O Manowar #2 comes in a variety of appealing covers. 

 

Pre-Order Cover by Francesco Francavilla

 

For the serious collector, there's even a limited edition cover, tentatively titled "The Sword of Shanhara." As someone who read and enjoyed Terry Brook's first novel, The Sword of Shannara, before he published a sequel, let alone built it into a major franchise, the title makes me smile. But like I said, that's a limited edition, or incentive cover, so check with your retailer as to price and availability.

 

1:25 Sword of Shanhara cover by Daniel Warren Johnson

 

Whatever cover you prefer, the main thing is for you to visit or contact your local comic shop, and tell them which one you want. The reason I mention this, and why I'm reviewing this issue so early, is because retailers have something called Final Order Cutoff, or FOC. That's the date by which they place their orders with distributor Diamond, which in turn determines how many copies a publisher like Valiant Entertainment will print. While X-O Manowar #2 may not go on sale before Wednesday, November 25, the FOC date is Monday, November 2. 

In these difficult and uncertain times, retailers are cutting back on excess issues, or the number of copies that customers have not asked them to order. So if you like what you see here, don't delay. Contact your retailer by Monday, or the opportunity to own a copy of the First Printing of X-O Manowar #2 may slip away. And nobody wants that, not with a great character like Aric of Dacia, and a flagship title like X-O Manowar.

Dragon Dave

*If you need help in programming your VCR, I'm your man.