X-O Manowar Issue 7

Cover of X-O Manowar Issue 7

Published: August 1992
Cover Artist: Frank Miller
Writer: Bob Layton
Penciller: Michael Leeke
Inker: Tom Ryder
Colorist: Jorge Gonzalez
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Editor: Jim Shooter

Title: A Call To Arms (Chapter 5 of the Unity crossover event)
Summary: With the help of some renegade Harbinger kids, young Geoff McHenry (a Geomancer), and a hand from Solar, Man of the Atom, Aric is transported to the Lost Land. There he faces cybernetic-enhanced pterodactyls, rescues prisoners from being eaten by dinosaurs, and wrests the leadership of a barbarian race of warriors called Skammrs from the Mother God who oversees the world out of space and time. 

Ninjak, Armorines, and Kris Hathaway

This year, the Valiant group on Facebook has been holding a weekly art competition. It took me awhile to get around to competing, but three weeks ago I finally got started. The first week we were given a theme: The Fist and the Steel. This was the title of a recent four-part story in Ninjak. This is the recent series written by Matt Kindt. Ninjak is Colin King, a British mercenary who often works with MI-6. I drew a picture of the four major characters in the story sitting down and playing poker to achieve their goals, rather than fighting for it. It was fun, and interesting to draw all four characters. Of course, we'd all rather see them fight, right? Isn't that the fun of comic books?

The following week's theme was Space. I had just read X-O Manowar Issue 25, from the classic 1990s series. This issue contained an inserted edition of Armorines Issue 0. The two formed a complete story about a group of American soldiers recruited by the military to form an elite fighting unit. They wore armor specially designed by a brilliant scientist, and their first mission was to attack Aric of Dacia, and capture his X-O armor. Once the higher-ups realize that these orders were faked, the Armorines are recalled. But not before a spectacular fight in which we see the potential of the Armorines' armor.

This week we were not given a theme. So I chose to do a portrait of one of the characters from the recent Harbinger books, written by Joshua Dysart. This character was Kris Hathaway. As the former girlfriend of team-leader Peter Stanchek, the evil Toyo Harada's people follow her, and continually read her mind to discover clues to Peter's whereabouts. So she reluctantly joins the Harbingers and goes on the run from Harada's people, but only after she uses Peter's abilities to rob a bank in order to pay off her parents crippling debt, and save them from bankruptcy, due to her father's medical bills.

It's my first attempt a portrait. I based it on several drawings in two issues of Harbinger by two different pencilers. It got a few Likes on Facebook, and even a compliment on the hair texture. I'm reasonably pleased with the result. It'll be interesting to see how the process of making a portrait from a photo differs from one based on a comic book drawing, when I get that far.

X-O Manowar Issue 6

Cover for X-O Manowar Issue 6

Published: July 1992
Cover Artist: Mike Leeke, Bob Layton
Writer: Bob Layton
Penciler: Steve Ditko, Mark Moretti
Inker: Tom Ryder
Colorists: Jorge Gonzales, The Siesta Boys
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Editor: Jim Shooter (assisted by Scott Friedlander)

Title: Power Play
Synopsis: The mercenary Ax, clad in his own X-O armor, fights Aric for possession of the more powerful X-O Manowar armor.

X-O Manowar Issue 5

Cover for X-O Manowar Issue 5

Published: June 1992
Cover Artist: Barry Windsor-Smith
Writers: Jim Shooter, Bob Layton
Penciler: Mike Leeke
Inker: Tom Ryder
Colorist: Jorge Gonzalez
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Editor: Bob Layton

Title: Revelations
Synopsis: The mercenary Ax tries to steal Aric's armor.

X-O Manowar Issue 4

Cover for X-O Manowar Issue 4

Published: May 1992
Cover Artists: Barry Windsor-Smith, Bob Layton
Writers: Steve Englehart, Bob Layton
Penciler: Mike Manley
Inkers: Ralph Reese, Tom Ryder
Colorists: Jorge Gonzalez, Paul Autio
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Editor: Jim Shooter

Title: King's Crossing
Synopsis: Aric travels to New Orleans. There he meets Toyo Harada, who agrees to make peace with him, provided Aric doesn't oppose his interests. They cement their treaty in a nightclub, where Jack Boniface, aka Shadowman, plays his saxophone. Later, he defends Harada when a group of super-powered teens, who have left Harada's Harbinger Foundation, attempt to kill their former leader.

X-O Manowar Issue 3

Cover for X-O Manowar Issue 3

Published: April 1992
Cover Artists: David Lapham, Bob Layton
Writers: Jim Shooter, Steve Englehart
Penciler: Sal Velluto
Inkers: Tom Ryder, Tom Halsted
Colorist: Jorge Gonzalez
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Editor: Jim Shooter

Title: The Most Powerful Man in the World
Synopsis: Operating his Harbinger Foundation offices in Tokyo, Toyo Harada worries about the sudden and violent takeover of Orb Industries. He sends a bionically enhanced ex-KGB agent to kill Aric.

X-O Manowar Issue 2

Cover for X-O Manowar Issue 2

Published: March 1992
Cover Artists: Barry Windsor-Smith, Bob Layton
Writers: Jim Shooter, Steve Englehart
Penciler: Sal Velluto
Inkers: Tom Ryder, Bob Layton, Kathryn Bolinger
Colorist: Jorge Gonzalez
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Editor: Jim Shooter

Title: Retribution Part 2: Kingdom Come!
Synopsis: Aric's battle with alien agents leads him to New York City. There he defeats the aliens running Orb Industries.