X-O Manowar in Contemporary Ukraine

X-O Manowar #1 Cover A by Christian Ward

 

In early 2020, our hero Aric of Dacia attempted to settle a long-running conflict in the Ukraine. The way writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum introduced the conflict in X-O Manowar #1, I expected him to introduce us to the realities of life in the Ukraine. There was some precedent for such an expectation, as author Jorge Gonzalez touched on the conflict between Russia and Afghanistan in the first series of X-O Manowar #23, back in December 1993.

 

X-O Manowar Vol 1 #23

 

Of course, you never know which way a story will go, and in no way should this post be considered a criticism of Dennis Hopeless Hallum's series. But Aric's venture into the Ukraine, amid a fight with Russia and a civil war conflict (which Wikipedia refers to as the War in Donbas) aroused my interest in the conflict.

Here's a reminder of Aric's first involvement in the conflict from Dennis Hopeless Hallum's X-O Manowar #1. Enjoy!

 

Despite the warlord Yakiov leaving the Ukraine, nothing seems to have changed there, or been decided one way or other, since the Dennis' first issue hit comic shops last year. According to a recent news report on the current situation in the Ukraine from Politico.com, this ongoing conflict has killed 14,000 people, and displaced more than 730,000. Reporter David M. Herszenhorn, Politico's chief Brussels correspondent, shares some fascinating insights from residents and soldiers there.

If you'd like to read the report, follow the link below. Many thanks to reporter David M. Herszenhorn, and the good folks at Politico.com, for sharing this close up view of conditions in contemporary Ukraine with us.

Dragon Dave

Related Links

Politico Report on Russian Involvement in the Ukraine

Summary of X-O Manowar Vol 1 #23

X-O Manowar #9 Review

 

X-O Manowar #9 Cover A by Rahzzah

We left X-O Manowar #8 with Troy Whitaker displaying his new nanite-powered suit, directing the Singularity that controls New York City. The helmet utterly transforms his features. Flames rise like horns. His eyebrows arc up. His chin piece suggests a goatee. Even his skull seems to swell, pushing away the dark bangs that normally cover his forehead.

In X-O Manowar #9, Troy does what he always does. As a public benefactor, he explains how much he has helped people, and will continue to contribute to their lives. He is, above all things, an influencer.

Meanwhile, Aric hangs from a tree, and young Desmond, who stole his mother's car in X-O Manowar #1, points out that Troy is acting unethically.

In previous X-O Manowar series, Aric has tried--and failed--to hold a family together. On the planet Gorin, he even tried to unite three warring nations, only to see them turn against his rule. So in the first issue of this series, we saw him reject all worldly values of success. 

He rejected Shanhara's arguments that he needed money, or that public perceptions were as important as actually helping people. Looking back on those early issues, it's interesting to note that Shanhara and Whitaker espoused similar values. Perhaps that's why Shanhara was so open to letting Troy tinker with her source code.

All along, Shanhara and Whitaker seemed partners in trying to convince Aric to embrace their astute, contemporary outlook. Yet, the stubborn fighter that he was, Aric resisted. Throughout this series, he has acted first and foremost to help ordinary, everyday people. Now in X-O Manowar #9, shorn of Shanhara, his first thoughts are still geared to protecting others.

Troy Whitaker may believe that manipulation and control are the best ways to usher in a new and better tomorrow. He opened up his luxury home to a homeless woman, and offered her all the resources at his command to help her complete her mission of fixing Tina and Desmond's car. He even rebuilt her neighborhood in Harlem after Aric's battle with the Ukrainian warlord Yakiov.

Yet in X-O Manowar #9, it is Aric the woman sides with, not Troy. She identifies with Aric's values, and rejects Troy's.

Writer Desmond Hopeless Hallum has mused on how we relate to each other through the media in this series. He's also pointed out how much we stand to benefit by accepting others for who they are. In X-O Manowar #9, all those themes come down to one thing: believing in your friends.

After his failures to use Shanhara to achieve his objectives in previous series, Aric chose to take a step back in this one. Like most of us, he's not as intelligent as Troy Whitaker. Still, accepting that you don't know everything, and committing yourself to a  life of helping others, seems far wiser than trying to force or manipulate them into accepting your vision.

While Aric isn't the smart, rich, upwardly-moving socialite that we find so easy to admire, when the situation demands it, he can reason effectively with others. Still, in his heart, he is a soldier. He'll demonstrate both qualities in this climactic issue.

After exploring the relationship between Shanhara and Aric in a new and appealing way, writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum brings Aric and Shanhara's conflict with Troy Whitaker and the Singularity to a close. He spins this final, bittersweet tale with the able assistance of penciler and inker Emilio Laiso, colorist Ruth Redmond, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. 

 

Through their combined efforts, I'm left wanting more. Not just more stories about Aric, but also about those who welcomed him into their lives, and supported Aric in his recent endeavors. Many thanks to the creators, and all the good folks at Valiant, for bringing us such a fun, entertaining, and thought-provoking X-O Manowar series.

Dragon Dave

X-O Manowar #9 Penciling & Inking

 

X-O Manowar #9 Cover B by Michael Cho

In X-O Manowar #9, penciler & inker Emilio Laiso shows us how the Singularity can transform our world. While the nanite swarms typically manifest like foliage or crystals, these hordes or invasive microscopic machines can take on any form. This includes viewscreens that can carry Troy Whitaker's message to every corner of New York City.

If you can zoom into this picture, do so. Compare Whitaker's face on the various viewscreens. Some of them look a little different to me, as if taken from a slightly different camera angle.

Emilio certainly drew a lot of observers into the above scene. Most don't show any shading. Yet the man who is closest to us, over to the right, has been inked in.

In the next panel, I like the body language of the police officer on the left. Leaning back, with his hand on his hip, you can guess what he thinks about Troy Whitaker.

 

Perhaps I'm wrong about the nanites forming TV monitors on the crowded street and in the police station. Still, I don't remember a big flatscreen TV hanging on the side of the building (and over an apartment window) in the basketball court.

I don't know if the idea of showing the basketball court came from Emilio Laiso or writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum. But as this is where this series began, with Aric and Desmond playing basketball, it's nice to see it again.

I'm glad to see that the basketball board Aric wrecked, and the metal supports he bent in X-O Manowar #1, have been replaced. (Yes, even if those funds came from Troy Whitaker).

Lastly, I thought I'd share with you the way the Singularity has transformed Whitaker's robots. Formerly they sported a sleek design and gleaming blue paint. What do you think of them now?

On the one hand, they look somewhat crystalline, and look kind of cool. At the same time, they also remind me of a fruit or nut that has been attacked by an insect or disease, and warped its original appearance. I'm particularly fixated on the hands, which now resemble claws.

Attack of the Robot Crabs! 

X-O Manowar Versus MechaCrabzilla!*

The Day the Earth Stood Still...and the Giant Robot Crabs Took Over!!!

 

"No, don't be silly," Troy Whitaker would doubtless say. "They're only here to protect you all."

Dragon Dave

*Or should that be MechaCrabOWar?

X-O Manowar #4 Preview Pages

X-O Manowar #4 Cover A by Christian Ward

 

Maybe you've discovered Valiant Comics, and the glories of X-O Manowar recently. Or perhaps you just need a refresher. Either way, here's the inside front cover and first four glorious pages of Aric's fight for his adopted hometown of Harlem, New York City, in X-O Manowar #4.

Enjoy!

 

 

If you missed any of the insane action in this first story arc, or just need it all in one place, you can pick up all four issues of this first complete story arc in X-O Manowar Book One by Dennis Hopeless Hallum and company. Plus, it also sports another beautiful cover by Christian Ward!

X-O Manowar Book One Cover by Christian Ward

Don't forget, the epic finale of this current series arrives next Wednesday. So mark December 15th as 

X-O Manowar Day, 

and help keep your local comic shop in business by picking up X-O Manowar #9!

Dragon Dave

X-O Manowar #3 Preview Pages

X-O Manowar #3 Cover A by Christian Ward

 

With the upcoming issue #9 promising to be the triumphant climax of writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum and Emilio Laiso's epic run, I thought I'd take a look back at X-O Manowar #3 this weekend. This story picks up on the famous Mount Me'e in Hawaii. (At least, it's famous in the Valiant Universe). Anyway, it's angry, and Troy Whitaker, Aric's new Public Relations Manager, has ordered him to quiet the volcano's little tantrum. 

Enjoy!

 

As you can see, X-O Manowar #3 also gives us our solitary peek into General Yakiov's base of operations in the Ukraine, before he decided he was fed up with Aric's interference in his country's affairs, and decided to take the fight to X-O's hometown. Personally, I'm still not sure what to think about Yakiov, are you? But then, anyone who would dump hundreds of old tube TVs on Aric just to deliver a simple message definitely has issues.*

Also, with the singularity taking over New York City in issue #8, I should also mention that part of it--a nanite swarm--makes it's first appearance in this issue. So that's another reason to check out X-O Manowar #3 again.

Dragon Dave

*See X-O Manowar #2

X-O Manowar #8 Review

 

X-O Manowar #8 Pre-Order Cover by Dave Johnson

In X-O Manowar #8, writer Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum ramps up the stakes for Aric of Dacia, his alien armor Shanhara, his adopted home city of New York City, and our modern world that he's vowed to protect. With our 5th Century Visigoth seemingly out of the picture, it's time for young Desmond Morris to rise up and defend New York City. Cut off from her armor, Shanhara counsels and guides him as he combats his fear.

Desmond may have lived with billionaire Troy Whitaker for a few months. He may owe the rebuilding of his neighborhood to the technological innovator. But now he realizes that Troy, a smart and visionary benefactor, is behind the singularity's attack on New York.

In Human terms, Troy Whitaker may be a genius. Yet everything the man touches, or seeks to improve, ends up strikingly different than before. Compare the way the singularity now manifests in New York City with how it looked on the floating mountains of Tibet in X-O Manowar #6. Penciler Emilio Laiso and inker Raffaele Forte portray this new, improved singularity not as thriving plant life, but all straight lines and sharp edges.

Desmond could have climbed down from the roof and rejoined his mother in their apartment. But Shanhara has a bead on Aric's location. So Desmond takes a deep breath, and ventures into the singularity-dominated streets.

While much of X-O Manowar #8 follows Desmond's hunt for Aric, Shanhara also reveals a secret history. She tells of battles she waged from within the armor during the events in X-O Manowar #5, 6 and 7. Doctor Tomorrow penciler and inker Jim Towe brings these sequences to life, aided by X-O Manowar stalwart colorist Ruth Redmond. 

Shanhara's version of events may not paint Troy Whitaker as wholly evil. Sadly, it appears he has acted in a duplicitous manner all along. Befriending Aric, and gaining access to Shanhara, were just steps toward his goal to upgrade human civilization.

When someone is as successful as Troy at accumulating money, power, and influence, what could be more natural than to wonder what he could do, if he alone steered humanity's course into the future?

The way Troy harnesses the singularity for his own ends reminds me of how Aric attempted to take control of Planet Gorin in writer Matt Kindt's previous X-O Manowar series. Aric--the son of a tribal king--and Troy--an industrial leader--share the belief that one wise and powerful person should rule the masses. 

 

Troy Whitaker could offer much technological advancement to humanity. Still, consider his promises in the above panel with how he uses the singularity to limit the freedom of New York City's citizens in the panel below.

X-O Manowar #8 offers readers an unprecedented insight into Shanhara, the sentient consciousness that inhabits Aric's powerful, alien armor. It also reveals the astounding way in which Troy Whitaker would use the singularity to steer mankind toward an upgraded tomorrow. 

This issue fuses golden age Science Fiction stories of a Jetsons-like future with newer ideas on how humanity might attain that, such as nanotech and the singularity.

 

For all its grand ideas, and its portrayal of future marvels, X-O Manowar #8 remains a very human story. It's the story of all of us, and for all of us. It's a story that asks what could we all accomplish, if we would only cast aside self-doubt, and truly, genuinely believe in ourselves.

Dragon Dave

X-O Manowar #8 Spotlight: Penciling & Inking Part 2

X-O Manowar #8 Cover B by Christian Duce

 

While much of X-O Manowar #8 concerns Desmond's interactions with the Hive Mind's attack on New York City, writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum weaves a second plot strand into his narrative. For this sequence, Shanhara relates to Desmond what exactly happened to her during Aric's underwater battle with the nanite swarm in X-O Manowar #5. Thankfully, Shanhara relates her story to us visually, and those panels are penciled and inked by artist Jim Towe.

 

The way Jim captures scenes, and relates them to us in their simplest form, is immediately evident. The youthful vibe he portrayed in his earlier Valiant series, Doctor Tomorrow, is also apparent. 

 

 

Jim's style may seem less involved than X-O Manowar readers are used to. Still, as you can see from this flashback sequence, he throws an interesting perspective on that underwater battle. We're not used to viewing Aric from inside the armor, or how the sentient entity called Shanhara views her 5th Century Visigoth warrior.

 

 

Prior to the launch of X-O Manowar #1, then-Senior Editor Heather Antos promised readers that this new series would make it clear how very different X-O Manowar was from other comic book heroes-in-armor-suits. In X-O Manowar #8 she and Dennis Hopeless Hallum certainly delivered, courtesy of penciler and inking Jim Towe. 

Thanks for stepping in and bringing Shanhara's story to life, Jim! 

Dragon Dave

P.S. Yesterday I stated that penciler Emilio Laiso and inker Raffaele Forte only did the first few pages of X-O Manowar #8. After reading the physical book, as opposed to the lettermarked review copy, I now believe Emilio and Raffaele covered the entirety of Desmond's scenes. Read the issue, and decide for yourself.

X-O Manowar: My Letter to Shanhara

 

X-O Manowar #1 Cover B by Jeff Dekal

In X-O Manowar #1, writer asked Dennis Hopeless Hallum's asked readers for feedback. Sadly, the proposed Shanhara letter column never arrived. In fairness, a lot of stuff happened after X-O Manowar #1, including a pandemic, the shutdown of the distributor Diamond, and Valiant management shifting to working from home. 

In a very real way, our world changed. Perhaps forever.

It's hard to believe that X-O Manowar #1 came out a year-and-a-half ago! Still, regardless of whatever circumstances prevented Dennis and Valiant from producing it, I thought I'd share my feedback on Dennus Hopeless Hallum and company's debut issue. Enjoy!

 

Dear Dennis of Dacia,

Congratulations on your first issue of X-O Manowar! Emilio’s artwork compares nicely with that in other series like The Visitor and Doctor Tomorrow. You two work in harmony, packing each page with writing and art to tell a compelling story that still leaves more to be discovered in later reads. 

Given how his life among the Visigoths of Earth fell apart, and how Schon betrayed him on Planet Gorin, I’m glad Aric is putting the past behind him and making a new start in New York City.  

 

 

Was he living on the streets of Harlem when the explosion rocked the Japanese Consulate, and all the resultant chaos on Roosevelt Island in The Visitor #1? If so, why didn’t he investigate? 

 

 

With Aric now labeled a vigilante, I’m guessing the way the recent Vine attack went down frayed his relationships with Schon and GATE to the breaking point. At least his relationship with Shanhara has emerged stronger than ever, with the sentient armor overlaying his vision with virtual screens, and transforming his street clothing into armor almost instantly. 

 

 

I can’t help but wonder if his clothing and armor are really what they appear, or if Shanhara is now so integrated with Aric that we could justify call him a shapeshifter (with, you know, a “bulletproof butt”).

 

 

Then there’s the knife he hunts with in the Canadian wilderness. If he doesn’t need money, where did he get it from? And he appears naked, yet he and Shanhara are conversing. We see the knife later in NYC. Is the knife part of Shanhara, like the ring he broke off the armor on the Planet Gorin?

 

 

I like how Shanhara can interpret and relate facts, but can’t immediately home in on those Aric wants. The way Shanhara can’t help Aric suddenly become great at learned skills like Basketball also makes sense. If Aric’s not into Basketball, might he bond with Desmond over 5th century Visigoth games? Or will they take up paintball?

 

I came to the twenty-teens version of X-O with Matt Kindt’s series. Do I need to read Venditti’s run to understand Shanhara’s mention of Aric’s princely fortune back in the 14^th century? Or did the way Aric constantly fought Shanhara during Kindt’s series, even breaking off pieces of it to birth another suit of armor for Schon, have a lasting effect on Shanhara? Perhaps that explains Shanhara’s humorous summary of the history of Basketball. If a Vine soldier can suffer from PTSD, I suppose a sentient being like Shanhara could too.

 

 

I don’t like the idea of a rocket flying over a heavily populated city any more than Aric does. There’s too much chance something could go wrong, and people could be hurt or killed, to justify as a publicity stunt. Who would even approve such an event? 

 

 

As the rocket seems to have been launched from a nearby space center, I’m guessing Troy Whitaker took over a disused Rising Spirit facility not utilized by OMEN. Perhaps “the last five times” Shanhara alludes to refers to other such launches, or tests involving new equipment Whitaker’s companies are developing for General Grayle’s Black Bar organization? If so, I can understand Whitaker’s interest in Aric, and how his interference has “pissed him off.” 

Then again, someone with Whitaker’s resources could influence the new media. He could be behind the portrayal of Aric as a vigilante. 

 

 

Perhaps Whitaker’s even stirred up things between Russia and the Ukraine, and engineered the trouble at the Ukraine airport, as a way to trap Aric. At least, he’s sent his robot (a high-powered version of Sunlight On Snow?) to take Aric down. Don’t leave me hanging! I must learn what happens next! I need X-O Manowar #2! 

 

 

Well, there you have it. My feedback from a year-and-a-half ago on X-O Manowar #1. Some of my musings may have had some merit. 

Were Dennis and Valiant so stumped by my thoughts that they thought: Wow, how can we even begin to respond to that supreme-level of letter-writing? At the end of the day, all I know for sure is that I loved their new take on X-O Manowar. What a fun, refreshing, and thought-provoking debut it was!

Dragon Dave