X-O Manowar #4
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Published by Valiant Comics
We are onto issue 4 of the new X-O Manowar series and we are at a new jumping on point for new readers. Instead of a new story this issue sort of feels like an in between issue. Perhaps this story isn't one that can be easily broken up into trades, which is fine by me. In this issue we get Aric of Earth leading his team of alien soldiers into battle once again, this time they must cross the lands of the Burnt Tribes in order to capture the president of their enemy the Cadmium. While Aric is currently aligned with the Azure people, not everything seems right with this arrangement. Will Aric's superior battlefield knowledge once again lead his team to a successful mission? Will we finally see the X-O Armour? Will there be awesome deaths! Maybe!
I like that this book is focusing on Aric the statesman just as much as Aric the warrior. The previous series really made Aric into a well rounded character, moreso then the original old school Valiant ever did, and I am happy to see that continues here. The story has been good so far, it's moving a little slow, but that's something I've come to expect with Matt Kindt's writing, a slow burn. My only real complaint about the series thus far is that while Aric is being portrayed really well, this supporting cast is really not making an impression on me at all. I honestly don't thing I could identify any of them without the handy guide that is in every issue. Even then as I sit here I am hard pressed to remember any of their names without looking them up. I saw some of Aric's people die in this issue, I don't know if they were someone I was supposed to care about. It's a minor problem really, I mean the book is about X-O Manowar, but I would like to know the characters that we are spending time with. Other then that this was another great issue of an already great series!
As much as I love Matt Kindt's writing, and that alone would be a huge selling point for me, the art is the real highlight here. It is fantastic! Every page is awesome. Look I'm no artist. I can barely draw Mickey Mouse, and I won't be able to tell you how the style differs from anything else, but I do know what I like. I don't like this art, I love it. The pages come to life with energy that you can just feel. I love the panel layouts, I love the way they aren't all the traditional boxes, and that the characters and action isn't always contained within the panels. Doug Braithwaite has outdone himself with this issue.
The art alone would make this book an easy 10 for me, add to that a really good story that feels like just a small piece of a larger story and we get a perfect book. I'm over the excitement of the return of X-O Manowar and I'm now just enjoying what is turning out to be a really great book. If you aren't buying it, you need to buy it.
Art by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Published by Valiant Comics
We are onto issue 4 of the new X-O Manowar series and we are at a new jumping on point for new readers. Instead of a new story this issue sort of feels like an in between issue. Perhaps this story isn't one that can be easily broken up into trades, which is fine by me. In this issue we get Aric of Earth leading his team of alien soldiers into battle once again, this time they must cross the lands of the Burnt Tribes in order to capture the president of their enemy the Cadmium. While Aric is currently aligned with the Azure people, not everything seems right with this arrangement. Will Aric's superior battlefield knowledge once again lead his team to a successful mission? Will we finally see the X-O Armour? Will there be awesome deaths! Maybe!
I like that this book is focusing on Aric the statesman just as much as Aric the warrior. The previous series really made Aric into a well rounded character, moreso then the original old school Valiant ever did, and I am happy to see that continues here. The story has been good so far, it's moving a little slow, but that's something I've come to expect with Matt Kindt's writing, a slow burn. My only real complaint about the series thus far is that while Aric is being portrayed really well, this supporting cast is really not making an impression on me at all. I honestly don't thing I could identify any of them without the handy guide that is in every issue. Even then as I sit here I am hard pressed to remember any of their names without looking them up. I saw some of Aric's people die in this issue, I don't know if they were someone I was supposed to care about. It's a minor problem really, I mean the book is about X-O Manowar, but I would like to know the characters that we are spending time with. Other then that this was another great issue of an already great series!
As much as I love Matt Kindt's writing, and that alone would be a huge selling point for me, the art is the real highlight here. It is fantastic! Every page is awesome. Look I'm no artist. I can barely draw Mickey Mouse, and I won't be able to tell you how the style differs from anything else, but I do know what I like. I don't like this art, I love it. The pages come to life with energy that you can just feel. I love the panel layouts, I love the way they aren't all the traditional boxes, and that the characters and action isn't always contained within the panels. Doug Braithwaite has outdone himself with this issue.
The art alone would make this book an easy 10 for me, add to that a really good story that feels like just a small piece of a larger story and we get a perfect book. I'm over the excitement of the return of X-O Manowar and I'm now just enjoying what is turning out to be a really great book. If you aren't buying it, you need to buy it.
A Look Inside
