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| Pre-Order Cover by Michael Leeke & Andrew Dalhouse |
Writer: Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad
Artist & Colorist: Liam Sharp
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Cover Artists: Liam Sharp, Valentin Secher, Michael Leeke & Andrew Dalhouse
Publisher: Valiant
Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 19, 2023
Aric of Dacia remains in self-imposed exile on the icy moon Scythia. Once again, he has tired of the needless suffering on Earth. Still, battle finds him: this time disguised as an invitation from messengers of the Novus Romanus. What happens when he declines their invitation? Let’s blast into X-O Manowar Unconquered #1 and find out!
Story
Aric and Shanhara survived their impact with Scythia, but neither has fully recovered. Aboard the Theodosius I command ship, General Cadmus and Commander Aurum watch as Aric fights their legionaries. Like the Vine before them, they view the armor as the ultimate weapon. Like technology leader and billionaire Troy Whitaker, they intend to use the living armor to level up their military. Even weakened, Aric and Shanhara defeat their warriors. So Cadmus and Aurum send their Senior Centurion, Thyria Antius, into the fray. Liam Sharp's Cover A of X-O Manowar Unconquered #2 captures the result.
Taken aboard their spaceship, General Cadmus invites Aric to dinner. Traditionally, eating with one's enemies is heavily symbolic. Thus, he does so warily. An act of cruelty reminds him that—despite their claims—his captors are little different from the Romans he fought on 5th Century Earth.
Art
Like Cloonan and Conrad’s story, Liam Sharp steeps art in symbolism. His multi-layered approach challenges readers to interpret what they see. He weaves characters into scenes like a collage. Has he drawn them from several viewpoints and pasted them in as needed? Like filmmaker Ridley Scott, he melds character design, backgrounds, and atmosphere to create the mood.
Sometimes, Sharp's art in X-O Manowar Unconquered #2 suggests a lenticular cover caught in transition. The eyes weary while waiting for the image to form. Some panels--such as one that paints Aric with Elfin ears--remain unclear. Yet striking imagery abounds. With Shanhara wounded, Aric's helmet takes on the appearance of the beast he fought in issue #1.
One wonders how Robocop's helmet might look if designed by Swiss artist H. R. Giger. Much of the backgrounds—especially Theodosius I interiors, remind me of Alien. A lavish banquet scene brought to mind Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee's '90s Inhumans series. An overhead glimpse from above, seemingly distorted by a mirror, seems more at home in a Cathedral than a comic.
As in issue #1, Troy Peteri deploys a war chest of lettering in X-O Manowar Unconquered #2. Dialogue from speakers emerges as uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons. Blobby black fields with white lettering capture the narrator’s ruminations. Shanhara’s thoughts float in puffy bronze clouds. Nimane’s insights waft through blue clouds that suggest an X, as in an X-Men comic. Stressed words grow bold. Sound effects enhance already fraught scenes.
Final Thoughts
Steeped in the history and culture of ancient Rome, X-O Manowar Unconquered #2 returns Aric of Dacia to his 5th Century roots. Like Soothsayer Nimane’s visions, one glimpses his adventures through a glass darkly. While characters and situations coalesce, other mysteries—such as the identity of Emperor Ursus Nox—remain. As with Ridley Scott’s movie Alien, the story and art leave us much to ponder.
Rating 8.2/10
A slightly amended version of this review appears at Comic Book Dispatch.
