X-O Manowar #34
Writer: Robert Venditti
Artist: Diego Bernard
I’d heard so many great things about Valiant comics for so long that I finally decided to pick up their flagship title, X-O Manowar last month. Issue #33 was a decent issue that unfortunately felt a little too uneventful to get me onboard with this story. So I was hoping that the beginning of the new Dead Hand arc would spark my interest in this week’s issue. And despite feeling like a very short issue, I certainly enjoyed X-O Manowar #34 and will be back next month to see where this story goes.
Last issue was good in terms of character. It spent the majority of its pages developing Aric’s past life and I instantly liked this hero. He has the man out of time aspect of Captain America mixed with the masculinity of Thor and the armor of Iron Man (with a rich mythology surrounding it). He’s an appealing lead but we don’t get to spend too much time with him, here.
Robert Venditti writes the scene of Aric’s departure from Earth where he doesn’t come across as the best boyfriend. This unfortunately added some unlikeability to the character or just obscured his intentions. In spite of his wonky departure scene, I did like Aric through this issue. He had a good sense of honor and heroism.
Though, I did find it a little strange that he’s the only real player in the story thus far. I feel like to convey such a scope that Venditti is striving towards, you should include more than one character to rival the antagonist. Maybe this series will move across the universe and include more players or just give Aric a stronger focus. But the character in this issue didn’t interest me as much as I wanted it to.
But in terms of plot, Robert Venditti set-up a very intriguing story. This is definitely a set-up issue but the end brings an insane moment that establishes Dead Hand as an incredibly imposing threat and will definitely get the story flowing. The pacing is quick and though Venditti takes time to show a flashback that felt rather irrelevant, he doesn’t waste the pages allocated to the present. He gets straight to the point with this issue and I believe further issues of this story will benefit greatly from that.
Diego Bernard’s art is one of the stronger aspect of this issue. The principal strength of his pencils is his talent for drawing great scale. In the opening sequence of this book, he’s able to convey the magnitude of the battle and in the end, he perfectly renders Dead Hand’s planet form. He’s as imposing a structure as the Death Star and that’s a testament to Bernard’s talent.
I don’t know what I would think of this comic if I were a long time reader, but as a new-comer, this issue didn’t hook me as much as I wanted it too. Though, there are still some really good ideas spread throughout this comic. Dead Hand, is an extremely appealing villain force and his (their?) sheer power is displayed with great weight. I’m almost positive this story arc will turn out great, but this issue felt too brief to captivate me.
Artist: Diego Bernard
I’d heard so many great things about Valiant comics for so long that I finally decided to pick up their flagship title, X-O Manowar last month. Issue #33 was a decent issue that unfortunately felt a little too uneventful to get me onboard with this story. So I was hoping that the beginning of the new Dead Hand arc would spark my interest in this week’s issue. And despite feeling like a very short issue, I certainly enjoyed X-O Manowar #34 and will be back next month to see where this story goes.
Last issue was good in terms of character. It spent the majority of its pages developing Aric’s past life and I instantly liked this hero. He has the man out of time aspect of Captain America mixed with the masculinity of Thor and the armor of Iron Man (with a rich mythology surrounding it). He’s an appealing lead but we don’t get to spend too much time with him, here.
Robert Venditti writes the scene of Aric’s departure from Earth where he doesn’t come across as the best boyfriend. This unfortunately added some unlikeability to the character or just obscured his intentions. In spite of his wonky departure scene, I did like Aric through this issue. He had a good sense of honor and heroism.
Though, I did find it a little strange that he’s the only real player in the story thus far. I feel like to convey such a scope that Venditti is striving towards, you should include more than one character to rival the antagonist. Maybe this series will move across the universe and include more players or just give Aric a stronger focus. But the character in this issue didn’t interest me as much as I wanted it to.
But in terms of plot, Robert Venditti set-up a very intriguing story. This is definitely a set-up issue but the end brings an insane moment that establishes Dead Hand as an incredibly imposing threat and will definitely get the story flowing. The pacing is quick and though Venditti takes time to show a flashback that felt rather irrelevant, he doesn’t waste the pages allocated to the present. He gets straight to the point with this issue and I believe further issues of this story will benefit greatly from that.
Diego Bernard’s art is one of the stronger aspect of this issue. The principal strength of his pencils is his talent for drawing great scale. In the opening sequence of this book, he’s able to convey the magnitude of the battle and in the end, he perfectly renders Dead Hand’s planet form. He’s as imposing a structure as the Death Star and that’s a testament to Bernard’s talent.
I don’t know what I would think of this comic if I were a long time reader, but as a new-comer, this issue didn’t hook me as much as I wanted it too. Though, there are still some really good ideas spread throughout this comic. Dead Hand, is an extremely appealing villain force and his (their?) sheer power is displayed with great weight. I’m almost positive this story arc will turn out great, but this issue felt too brief to captivate me.
A Look Inside
