X-O Manowar #4 Covers Part 2

 

X-O Manowar #4 Sword of Shanhara Cover by Michael Walsh

Jules Verne's 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon, Georges Melies' 1902 movie "A Trip to the Moon," and Belgian cartoonist Herge's 1953 stories about the intrepid reporter Tin Tin in Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon, give us just a small taste of how long mankind has yearned to visit Earth's closest neighbor. One of the most beloved of the photographs taken by the Apollo astronauts shows the Earth rising above the surface of the moon. Canadian artist Michael Walsh taps into our eternal fascination--the link between our planet and its moon--in his Sword of Shanhara cover for X-O Manowar #4.

I love the purple sheen he gives to the cover, the way he incorporates Earth into the title, and the flaming sword Aric holds. Is Aric hovering above the moon, or merely taking a giant leap in the one-sixth Earth gravity? Either way, I love the way Aric is gazing upon Earth. Even with his back to us, something about his body language suggests a real love for his homeworld, and a longing to return.

These Sword of Shanhara covers were a really nice way for Valiant to celebrate the return of X-O Manowar to comic book shops. They were retailer incentive covers though, so there's fewer of them out there. Still, this one would make a fine addition to your collection, wouldn't it?

X-O Manowar #4 Pre-Order Cover by Jim Towe & Nick Filardi

I fing the way Aric rushes headlong toward us in Jim Towe's cover quite intriguing. The way Aric is hurtling along, you would thing he'd be flying. Yet he seems to be running, his feet digging into the concrete, his face only a couple feet off the pavement. 

The background intrigues as well. Notice the crazy angle at which the buildings are tilted. And what about the flaming car with its passenger-side wheels off the ground? Or how about the car immediately behind Aric, which looks as if its front end is almost touching the pavement?

Does the white on the ground before and to either side of Aric suggest snow? Do the white-out conditions behind Aric suggest a blizzard. Or is that the backwash of air displaced by Aric's Shanhara-enhanced running? North Carolina colorist Nick Filardi may live a world away from Michigan-based penciler and inker Jim Towe, yet they've joined forces remotely to create an incredibly intriguing cover. 

While neither cover seems to directly relate to Aric's battle with the Ukrainian warlord Yakiov in X-O Manowar #4, both suggest their own stories. Perhaps Valiant Comics should commission Michael Walsh, Jim Towe, and Nick Filardi to write one-shot issues about the events behind these covers. I'd be interested in reading them, wouldn't you?

Dragon Dave