X-O Manowar Unconquered Lithograph

 

Last week, I followed a dietary regime that grew more restrictive with each passing day. On Saturday morning, I underwent a medical procedure. After waking up in Recovery, the doctor warned me not to drive, perform strenuous exercise, or sign legal documents for the rest of the day. Then the nurse wheeled me out and helped me into the car, and my lovely wife drove me home.

 

A few hours later, I managed a short walk around the neighborhood. I returned home to find a package from Valiant Entertainment. It was large and thin but surprisingly heavy.

 

 

 

The package contained a lithograph of my hero, Aric of Dacia, better known as X-O Manowar. The heft came from a protective plastic sleeve. Liam Sharp, the artist for the first story arc of Valiant’s new series X-O Manowar Unconquered, painted this beautiful image.

 

Thank you, Valiant Entertainment, for brightening my day. 

 

 

I hope the fans embrace this exciting new series and wish it a long and successful run.

X-O Manowar Unconquered #1 Review

 

X-O Manowar Unconquered #1 Review

Writer: Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad

Artist & Colorist: Liam Sharp

Letterer: Troy Peteri

Cover Artists: Liam Sharp, Nimit Malavia, Will Staehle, Bob Layton

Publisher: Valiant

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 22, 2023

 

Aric of Dacia stands in a field of corpses. Beyond him, fire consumes ruins. The Fifth Century Visigoth warrior denies his humanity. Now he is only the weapon: X-O Manowar. What happens next? Let’s claw into X-O Manowar Unconquered #1 and find out!

 

Story

The vision fades. What is replaces what may be. Aric flies toward a comet, intending to strike it and knock it off course. Shanhara—his sentient armor—warns he may not survive the impact. Aric doesn’t care. The comet is heading toward Earth. Stopping it is all that matters. Thankfully Shanhara protects him, and Aric survives the impact. They crash on a planet, along with impact debris. They discover more than ice and rock from the comet. All the while, people watch Aric and Shanhara, thanks to the Soothsayer.

 

Initially, I found all this difficult to follow. Cloonan and Conrad throw a lot at the reader. No links with the previous X-O Manowar series anchor us. One aspect of the plot—hitting a comet to knock it off course—seems more informed from the movie Armageddon than NASA. Shanhara should know that nothing would prevent debris from such an impact from reaching Earth and causing incalculable harm. Still, the story seems rooted in the rich loam of Aric’s history, which seems a hopeful sign.

 

 

Art

Liam Sharp's art often has a haunting, dreamlike quality. Figures emerge from darkness or mist. We cannot readily interpret what we see. As with such framed pieces that hang in galleries, this forces our minds to make sense of these visions. At other times, images are crystal clear. They take on a glossy, polished appearance. Or they appear drawn with graphite and colored pencils. Portraits of people emerge: sometimes in color, others in black and white. The latter resemble highly detailed photographs.

 

Troy Peteri enhances this artistic smorgasbord with an appealing selection of lettering. Dialogue from speakers emerges as uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons. Those unseen speak through blobby black fields with white lettering. Shanhara’s thoughts float in puffy bronze clouds. I liked how Troy grouped the dialogue symmetrically and appreciated how the sound effects enlivened Sharp's all too often static scenes.

 

Final Thoughts

X-O Manowar Unconquered #1 delves into the rich history of Aric of Dacia. Galactic events and strange, new characters invite comparisons with director John Boorman’s movies Zardoz and Excalibur. While much is glimpsed only through mist and fire, this first issue promises a unique and cosmic rebirth for Valiant’s flagship hero.

 

Rating: 8/10

To view the preview art and another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

X-O Manowar Unconquered #1 Preview

 

Cover A by LIAM SHARP

X-O Manowar returns with a new creative team, new adventures, and a completely different look. As ever, the good folks at Valiant Entertainment are determined to bring you something you've never seen before. Here's a sneak peak at this cosmic new series, in which Aric finds new foes to fight, and new empires to conquer. Enjoy!

Trippy, right? Offhand, it reminds me a little of Psi-Lords. Will we like it? Will it rock our Valiant world? Find out on March 22, 2023!

Now here comes the blurb. Friends, non-Romans, lift your cups and drain them dry! All hail the glorious blurb!

X-O MANOWAR UNCONQUERED #1
Written by BECKY CLOONAN and MICHAEL W. CONRAD
Art by LIAM SHARP
Letters by TROY PETERI
Cover A by LIAM SHARP
Cover B by NIMIT MALAVIA
Cover C by WILL STAEHLE
Pre-order Cover by BOB LAYTON
1:250 Leather Variant by TRAVIS ESCARFULLERY

Warrior. Slave. Liberator. King. Aric of Dacia has lived many lives. Now his past, present, and future collide as Valiant’s X-O MANOWAR returns in an unforgettable new series.

• Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, and Liam Sharp bring X-O Manowar to new planets, old villains, and brutal destinies.

• X-O Manowar is alone in space and stranded on a distant world, battered and defiant, but never defeated.

• Put the king back on his throne as X-O Manowar charts an epic return on its 30th anniversary.

On sale March 22nd | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+

Book Of Shadows #4 Review

 

Cover C by Travis Escarfullery

Book Of Shadows #4 Review

Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artist: Vicente Cifuentes

Colorist: Nick Filardi

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover Artists: Rafael Albuquerque, Vicente Cifuentes, Travis Escarfullery and Kelley Jones with José Villarrubia

Publisher: Valiant Entertainment

Price: 3.99

Release Date: February 22, 2023

 

Deadside spirits possess Shadowman and Punk Mambo. More attack Gilad Anni-Padda—the Eternal Warrior—and Dr. Mirage. Can Persephone—newly birthed from a sentient Deadside—defeat Exarch Fane and the Book Of Shadows? Let’s crack open Book Of Shadows #4 and find out!

 

Concept drawing of Persephone

 

Story

This issue opens with Persephone fleeing Exarch Fane’s supernatural forces. Shadowman and Punk Mambo pursue her, reduced to flesh-eating zombies. Words—thoughts—accompany her flight: thoughts revolve around fear. Readers may find the opening narration confusing, but it's Shadowman talking, not Persephone. That becomes clear when his shadow loa casts the unwanted spirits away. Now Persephone isn’t alone anymore. Shadowman stands with her. That's a good thing, as Exarch Fane sees her inexperience as a weakness he'd willingly exploit.

 

While Book Of Shadows #4 continues Shadowman’s story, it’s also a team book. I can't analyze individual hero performances without giving away essential plot details. Some characters inevitably come off better than others. As the Book of Shadows made Exarch Fane its thrall, it's hard to rate his performance. Bunn wound the stakes so high and packed this four-issue series with so many characters that it's hard to assess the outcome. While I have no significant qualms with the story, I wish everything hadn't passed in a breathless rush.

 

Cover art by Maria Llovet

 

Art

Vicente Cifuentes conjures smoke and ground fog with penciling, stippling, and crosshatching, creating a mood and atmosphere that rivals a Ridley Scott film. Skeletal spirits swim through rivers of hellfire. “Keep your eyes closed, Marion! Don’t look!” Direction lines accompany every sweep of Shadowman’s scythe and the spirits of the dead burst from bodies like tendrils of darkness. “We’re dead, dude.” Sadly, a few character portrayals suffer, but a large cast gives an artist less time to master everyone’s likeness. Still, characters are expressive and treated consistently.

 

Light streams across zombie-filled streets. Demons burst from Shadowman’s chest in a maelstrom of magenta and lavender. Punk Mambo’s pink hair brightens every panel in which she appears. An orange glow from nearby fires tinges the sky with yellow and green. Eternal Warrior’s green cape reflects radiance from the swarming white-hot skeletal spirits. Every page pops with vibrant color that elevates but never overwhelms, thanks to Nick Filardi.

 

Cover art by Kyle Hotz

 

 

Sound effects. Colored letters in white dialogue balloons. Shaky text. Bold lettering for volume and inflection. Veteran letterer Dave Sharpe uses every tool in his tool chest to communicate emotion, possession, and the rising stakes without unduly shrinking words or adopting a stylized font. After all, it is his black narrative boxes with white lettering that helps us realize we are reading Shadowman’s thoughts and not Persephone’s as this issue begins.

 

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage

  

Final Thoughts

Seeing Eternal Warrior's earlier battles with Exarch Fane—instead of hearing about them second-hand—would have strengthened his role. Readers could have empathized better with Persephone had Valiant given her more time to grow and mature. This series certainly could have benefitted from more standalone stories and a longer run. Yet this epic story with outstanding art has brought together more heroes—and given each a chance to shine—than any other series Valiant has produced post-pandemic. If Book Of Shadows #4 proves the last chapter of Cullen Bunn’s Shadowman saga, I’d say he ended on a high, wouldn’t you?

 

Rating: 9/10

P.S. I hope no one is confused by the additional art and store exclusive covers. I just thought it would be fun to share them with you again to celebrate the series' finale. For more covers for Book Of Shadows #4, see my review at Comic Book Dispatch

Book Of Shadows #4 Preview

 

Cover A by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

The fate of the universe hangs in the balance in BOOK OF SHADOWS #4!

EXARCH FANE has control of SHADOWMAN and PUNK MAMBO, leaving only PERSEPHONE to stand between Fane and the completion of his Dark Feast! 

 

 

 

ETERNAL WARRIOR and DOCTOR MIRAGE are in Fane's stronghold looking for a weakness that can bring the evil necromancer down but time is running out quickly!

 

 

BOOK OF SHADOWS #4
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Art by VICENTE CIFUENTES
Colors by NICK FILARDI
Letters by DAVE SHARPE
Cover A by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Cover B by VICENTE CIFUENTES
Cover C by TRAVIS ESCARFULLERY
Pre-order Cover by KELLEY JONES

On sale February 22nd | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+

 

 

Enter The Deadside

 There are many ways to visit the Deadside. 

Today, maybe I'll try this one.

 

Book Of Shadows #3 Review

 

Book Of Shadows #3 Cover B by David Romero

 

Book Of Shadows #3 returns us to the realm of magic, monsters, and mass destruction. Exarch Fane and his hellhounds are blazing a trail of devastation upon the earth. Can Shadowman, Persephone, Punk Mambo, Doctor Mirage, and Gilad Anni-Padda (the Eternal Warrior) end the reign of terror?  

Books have power. This is especially true with the Book Of Shadows. Exarch Fane may hold this magical book, which manifests as a skeleton. But who controls whom?

 

LETTERING

While most of the lettering comes as easy-to-read upper-case lettering, the flowing script of the Book Of Shadows will prove more difficult. Thankfully, the font size is large, and won't strain your eyes as you parse what the skeleton (the ultimate audiobook) is telling Exarch Fane. Further on in the issue, you'll discover why Dave Sharpe made the Book Of Shadows lettering looks the way it does.

 

COLORING

Nick Filardi's graduated colors and tones imbue Book Of Shadows #3 with incredible realism. Our heroes, the villains, and the hellhounds leap off the page. Some pages take on the beauty of stain glass and light sources are always clear.

 

ART (PENCILING & INKING)

Vicente Cifuentes' characters are well proportioned and highly detailed. Heroes look heroic, and villains look suitably villainous. Backgrounds are nearly always filled in. Page composition pleases the eye. 

It's not hard to be drawn into this issue, if you'll excuse the pun.

 

STORY 

Earlier issues have set the stakes. The souls of those Exarch Fane kills are not passing on to the Deadside. Nor will all the souls on all the Earth satisfy the Book Of Shadows. The artifact imbues Exarch Fane with power, but the longer he uses it, the more it destroys. Ultimately, all worlds--the entire universe--could be sacrificed to feed its insatiable hunger.

At the heart of this series resides Persephone, a woman birthed from the Deadside. She wields enormous power. Yet she lacks memories, identity, and cannot call on all the difficult life-lessons of growing-up to aid her decision-making. Can Shadowman aid her in becoming a responsible force for good?

Cullen Bunn imbues this series with powerful artifacts. In addition to Fane's Book Of Shadows, Punk Mambo wields the Ring Of Soloman, and the Eternal Warrior now carries the Abyssal Sword. Bunn melds the ancient realm of magic with modern science in the way he describes the ring's power.

 

 

CONCLUSION

Book Of Shadows #3 follows the ongoing drama between Shadowman, Persephone, and Punk Mambo. In addition to Persephone's struggles for identity and growth, both Doctor Mirage and Gilad Anni-Padda reveal different aspects of their characters. The stakes prove so dire that even Shadowman lightens the mood with a little humor. 

This is a gorgeous book, crackling with action and drama. Full marks to Valiant Entertainment and the entire creative team for Book Of Shadows #3.

Dragon Dave 

BOOK OF SHADOWS #3
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Art by VICENTE CIFUENTES
Colors by NICK FILARDI
Letters by DAVE SHARPE
Cover A by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Cover B by DAVID ROMERO
Cover C by TRAVIS ESCARFULLERY
Pre-order Cover by KELLEY JONES

Exarch Fane, an ancient, otherworldly warlord, is intent on sacrifi cing our world to satiate his hunger. Only a team of mystic heroes stands in his way. But while three heroes—SHADOWMAN, PUNK MAMBO, and PERSEPHONE—attempt to stop Fane from forging the Chain of Ruin, DOCTOR MIRAGE and the ETERNAL WARRIOR pass through the veil of death to discover the BOOK OF SHADOWS’ terrible secrets.

On sale January 25th | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+