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 #8 Spotlight: Penciling & Inking Part 1

 

X-O Manowar #8 Cover A by Rahzzah

As with Javier Pulido in Ninjak #4, Emilio Laiso does the first few pages of X-O Manowar #8, then steps aside for someone else to take over the penciling and inking. Emilio has done such a beautiful job on this series, bringing a welcome softness to the overall look of the book, as well as imbuing all the characters with warmth and personality, that it's hard to contemplate him leaving. But the Previews website lists him as the artist for X-O Manowar #9, so hopefully that's correct, and he'll be back to complete this series.

Fingers crossed, Emilio Laiso fans!

 

 

I love how Emilio draws this panel. He captures a slice of the 9 to 5 office worker's life, in which white collar workers look out through the plate glass windows and see their world erupting in chaos. It's one of those scenes we see a lot in cinemas, where ordinary life is suddenly shattered by a huge storm, or dinosaurs, or giant robots rising from the ocean and striding through the streets. 

Imagine workers in London, England, watching from the Post Office Tower, or the Gherkin building, as the giant dinosaur in Savage #1 strode through the streets, smashing cars underfoot, and finally grabbing Big Ben and ripping it off the ground to swing like a Cricket Bat. This time, it's not Professor Nealon who's responsible for the attack, but Troy Whitaker.

 

One of the things that intrigues me in X-O Manowar #8 is how young Desmond holds the Shanhara orb. He's come to know this alien consciousness that inhabits Aric's armor over a many months--perhaps as much as a year at this point. Due to what happened to Aric at the end of X-O Manowar #7, the orb may contain the last of Shanhara's essence.

Yet he cradles her. He lifts her up, making his hands a pedestal for her. She may have become his friend, but his hands resemble those of a supplicant, or a person in awe of someone much greater--and more powerful--than himself.

Which is, of course, exactly the case.

 

Emilio drew Desmond gazing upon Manhattan as the Hive Mind's attacked. Now we see the results: New York City better resembles an alien planet. This panel reminds me of a scene from one of Stephen R Donaldson's timeless novels, in which Thomas Covenant returns to a fantasy land he thinks he knows, only to see it erupt before him, with months of plant growth occurring in minutes. 

In X-O Manowar #8, penciler and inker Emilio Laiso shows us how ordinary people react to the extraordinary, how much Desmond loves Shanhara, and how a world we think we know can--in an instant--become foreign and unrecognizable. Well done, Emilio!

Dragon Dave

P.S. I need to add that Raffaele Forte inked Emilio's pages for X-O Manowar #8. So every line or inked-in shadow you see, that's his work too. Great job, Raffaele!

X-O Manowar #6 Review Part 2

X-O Manowar #6 Pre-Order Cover by Jeff Dekal

 

In X-O Manowar #6, writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum, penciler Emilio Laiso, inker Raffaele Forte, colorist Ruth Redmond, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou explore the relationship between Aric of Dacia, the sentient armor named Shanhara, and the other people who have become part of their extended family. This includes billionaire Troy Whitaker, Desmond and his mom, and a local homeless woman.

 

Interaction with the nanite swarms, as well as Whitaker's continual programming and upgrading attempts, have certainly changed Shanhara. Desmond adored the way Shanhara allowed him to play the latest video games. Still, he's always seen her as a person and a friend. 

Now, like Aric, he's not quite sure what to think of her.

 

 

We also get to see Desmond's mom again. She's mainly there as a support for Desmond in this issue. Given the way she decided to share her home with Aric in X-O Manowar #1, I had expected her to play a more active role in Aric's life. 

After living with Troy Whitaker while Shanhara healed and their building got rebuilt, she's starting to look real comfortable with Troy. 

 

We caught a brief glimpse of their homeless friend in the last issue. I get the sense Whitaker is supplying her with all the parts she needs to repair the family car. She's not present in X-O Manowar #6, so presumably, she's still working on that. 

Hopefully, she's now got a roof over her head, and eating three meals a day.

 

We also get another look at these blue balls in X-O Manowar #6. When Shanhara communicated with Troy on his yacht through one in an earlier issue, I wondered if the genius inventor had somehow extruded part of the X-O Manowar armor to make it, much as Aric broke off part of Shanhara in the previous series. 

Now, I'm thinking if Desmond has one, then these blue balls are probably just something Troy made. He did make his billions as a technological innovator, after all.

 

Ultimately, Shanhara dominates this issue. Despite Troy Whitaker's insistence to Aric that Shanhara is just a machine, he constantly interacts with her. He even refers to her as "the ol' girl" in this issue. After a glance into his past in the last issue, I wonder if, despite Troy's facade, he's always seen her as a real person. 

Could all these upgrades--supposedly for Aric's benefit--really be about his desire to control the living, growing, and sentient Shanhara?

I'll leave you to make your own decision on that, when you read X-O Manowar #6. 

Dragon Dave

 

 

X-O Manowar #6 Review Part 1

 

X-O Manowar #6 Cover B by Chris Johnson

In X-O Manowar #6, writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum, penciler Emilio Laiso, inker Raffaele Forte, colorist Ruth Redmond, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou continue to explore the relationship between 5th Century Visigoth warrior Aric of Dacia, and the sentient armor named Shanhara. After centuries of seeing herself as merely a suit of armor, she has even developed a new way of envisioning herself.  

But then, all of the characters in this series adapt to changing circumstances, and in relation to each other--especially Shanhara--as the self aware armor heals and adjusts to this next phase of her life.

Meanwhile, Troy Whitaker is using his billions to speedily rebuild all the damage Yakiov and his troops did to Desmond's neighborhood in Harlem, New York,

 

By now, Whitaker seems to have emerged as a real standup guy, helping Aric to develop Shanhara's abilities while defending Earth against any and all threats. He's certainly taken good care of all the people in Aric's life. 

 

 

So why do I still not trust him? 

As for our hero Aric, he's not sure he can rely on Shanhara anymore. His relationship with her has not come without cost, but after the traumatic events in the last series, he seemed to have finally made his peace with her. Now, with her changing so dramatically...

 

Normally, Aric doesn't believe in caution or retreat. He fights every battle as if it's his last.

 

But after the way Shanhara fell apart in X-O Manowar #5, and Shanhara has trouble getting back up to speed in this issue, Aric pulls back. Ironically, it is now Shanhara that pushes him on, and throws him into a situation that may be beyond him.

 

 

We haven't seen Whitaker's robots for awhile. In this issue, we spot one working in his laboratory. Later, we see what these growing nanite swarms have done to another of his creations.

Is the robot being controlled by the nanite swarms? Or, like Shanhara, has the nanite swarm helped it achieve sentience?

 

Troy Whitaker remarks early on in this issue that these nanite swarms will be the death of him. I wonder if his words will prove prophetic? 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see as this intriguing series continues.

Dragon Dave

X-O Manowar #5 Spotlight: Penciling & Inking

 

X-O Manowar #5 Pre-Order Cover by Christian Ward

Sometimes, you're drawn to a particular artist, even if you don't know why. Penciler Emilio Laiso is one of those talented people for me. I'm not entirely sure why I find his work so powerful.

 

Some of it stems from with the way Emilio evokes the era of X-O Manowar that I love so much. For 1990s Valiant fans, it's the middle period after Jim Shooter left, and before Birthquake imbued the series a more 90s Image Superhero appeal. After a flurry of writers came and went, colorist Jorge Gonzalez stepped up to helm Aric's ship. 

For a couple glorious years, Jorge Gonzalez steered X-O Manowar as the series writer. In fact, if you refer to my August 8, 2021 post Those Amazing X-O Manowar Creators, you'll see that Jorge not only wrote the scripts, but he also colored the cover and interior art for much of that era. An amazing X-O Manowar creator, indeed.

Perhaps I'll finish my list of the 90s X-O Manowar series credits, if for no other reason than to chart the entirety of Jorge Gonzalez's contributions. But alas, I digress.

 

There's a sense of beauty in Emilio Laiso's work in X-O Manowar. While not robbing Aric of his manliness, Emilio finds a way to soften the overall look, and help it appeal to a wider audience.

His images are just so pleasing to look at.

His characters' emotions also shine through, regardless of circumstance. They ably reveal mood, stress, and nuance.

 

Perhaps some of what I find beautiful and pleasing in Emilio Laiso's X-O Manowar series derives from a sense of symmetry. Compare the above scene, in which the nanite swarm attacks Aric on the sea floor, with the scene below in which the water shoots into the air as Troy Whitaker rescues our hero from the ocean depths.

In both cases, the imagery reminds me of something growing and alive, such as a plant or tree.

This time out, Emilio is aided by Raffaele Forte. Study the images above and below, and tell me Raffaele didn't substantially contribute to them with his inking.

Go on, I dare you.

 

All the reasons I've listed should convince you how much Emilio Laiso's penciling and Raffaele Forte's inking contribute to X-O Manowar #5. But when all of those reasons have been discussed and argued over, one fact remains. 

Emilio Laiso & Raffaele Forte help us care about our hero, Aric of Dacia.

 

In the end, that's good enough for me.

Dragon Dave

X-O Manowar #5 Spotlight: Lettering

 

X-O Manowar #5 Cover B by Michael Cho

In X-O Manowar #5, letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou shares Aric's thoughts on his relationship with Shanhara. As the 5th Century Visigoth's sentient armor is traditionally blue and yellow, Hassan edges the thought-boxes with yellow. 

I like how Aric breathes out Shanhara's name as a metamorphosing bubble, perhaps as his dying breath?

If you're like me, you still haven't made up your mind about Troy Whitaker. But whether or not the billionaire inventor-playboy can be trusted, I think you'll agree that his attempt to hack--and improve--a digital alien techno-consciousness (if that's a word) could have unexpected consequences.

Hassan's use of red for the word "Wrong" reminds us that Troy's recent tinkering has added a little red to Shanhara's appearance.

It's a small thing, but I like this gently rounded black & white box. It seems retro, and reminds me a little of the original 1990s X-O Manowar series I love so much.

Of course, Hassan does an excellent job portraying sound effects,

regardless of the intensity or volume.

 

 

While I like his showy sound effects, I love the way Hassan portrays Aric's difficulty breathing, as Shanhara has ceased to communicate. It makes him appear more vulnerable and relatable.

Later in the story, the sound effects go more primitive. Don't worry: Hassan has not lost his chops. There's a method to his mad...sound effects/lettering style here. But you'll have to read X-O Manowar #5 to learn what that is.

Great job on X-O Manowar #5, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou! Thanks for reminding us just how integral the letterer's role is to the comics we love.

Dragon Dave