X-O Manowar #4 Covers Part 1

 

X-O Manowar #4 Cover A by Christian Ward

British artist Christian Ward has done some terrific covers for X-O Manowar, and this certainly counts as one of them. With the yellow world or sun behind him, the red background with the dots and circles suggests a colorful and symbolic view of the cosmos. Aric, our Visigoth hero, speeds into action, with Shanhara struggling to keep up with him. 

This will be the first full issue with Aric taking the fight to the Ukrainian warlord Yakiov his upgraded armor, and Christian hints at this change in appearance.

Incidentally, one of Christian Ward's favorite novels is Weaveworld. Perhaps Clive Barker's classic tale inspired Christian to weave Shanhara around Aric in this trippy cosmic cover?

X-O Manowar #4 Cover B by Paul Renaud

French artist Paul Renaud gives strong Fantasy heroines like Red Sonja and Athena a classic feel, and imbues the places they inhabit with grandeur. His portrayal of Shanhara, sans Whitaker's upgrade, is elegant and powerful. The cavalry soldiers behind Aric remind us of his youthful battles leading the tribes of Dacia against the armies of Rome, while the planes or spaceships shooting overhead remind us of more recent battles. 

Whether serving in Earth's armed forces with GATE, or during his exile on the planet Gorin, Aric has demonstrated his leadership abilities time and again. The way his laser sword bursts out like a star is another nice, classic touch.

X-O Manowar #4 Cover C by Kael Ngu

Malaysian artist Kael Ngu gives us a truly radical take on X-O Manowar. The blue on his armor looks like hammered, shaped, and strapped on, while the yellow suggests the ripped muscles of a bodybuilder posing before contest judges. But the power crackling from his hands suggests what Aric might do with the armor if he threw off all notions of chivary, dispensed with his moral code, and used Shanhara to wreak as much havoc as he possibly could. 

Aside from this more villainous portrayal, I'm also struck by the placement of the lights glowing on Shanhara's armor. Does the fact that Shanhara is displaying more glowing lights mean that she's channeling more power than ever before?

Colorist Candace Han not only colors Aric brilliantly here, but gives depth and ambiance to the fog Aric is trudging through. Altogether, an atmospheric and thought-provoking piece by Ngu and Han.

Congratulations of Christian Ward, Paul Renaud, Kael Ngu, and Candace Han for contributing three stunning visions of Aric of Dacia for X-O Manowar #4! If you love great art, and admire X-O Manowar, you really do need to get them all!

Dragon Dave