X-O Manowar #18

Writer Robert Venditti Artist Lee Garbett

 

Introduction

 

X-0 Manowar is building toward the upcoming Unity storyline with a vengeance. Head scribe Robert Venditti has not been messing around the series, a fair amount of world building has permeated the half dozen or so installments of the title. Frankly Aric Of Dacia has been portrayed as a fairly large jerk after the initial storyline of the series. The new Unity team is based around that central idea. This the penultimate chapter of the series before the new team is formed. Interaction with the characters has a large chance of reforming the very nature of X-0 Manowar. This series has some of the same flaws as writer Robert Venditti’s other title, Green Lantern. When the book debuted under the author it took several installments to start building steam, but the payoff is starting to become massive and also seems to be leading to some great resolution within the story itself. While this series may not absolutely capture the attention of readers, the resolution is finally seeming like it will occur sooner than later. The payoff seems imminent due to the fact that the scope of this title is widening dramatically. Alexander brings a political aspect of the book that gives readers something else intriguing to focus on.

 

Writing

 

This issue builds up a considerable amount of steam leading readers to think there will be something explosive incoming. It will be interesting to see if those not invested in X-0 Manowar will feel fulfilled when the first issue of Unity hits store shelves. One major problem that this periodical presented was the underwhelming cliffhanger. Most will see it coming from a million light years away, and it is something that could have been handled in a more cinematic manner by the creative team. This issue also hits on some of the same beats that those of the last couple of months have. By keeping the cards of the comic so closed to the chest plot wise, it is hard to as interested in this title as usual for me. The past few months have put the series in a patchy spot that could have been handled with more elegance with a lower page count.

 

Art

 

Readers should not be surprised that Lee Garbett has once again murdered the pencils in this book. Whenever the artist is attached to something, my pulse pounds with imminent excitement. The penciller has dynamic facial expressions that immediately draw the eye close to the page. Lines are clear and slightly scratchy. The artist captures a dynamic energy in a casual manner that captures an elegant sense of finesse lacking in some other colleagues over at the big two. Moose Baumann gives readers great colors that play to all of the strengths possessed by the pencils. This is a team that has made the past few installments of the comic incredibly fun to read. Fans of the superhero genre should hail Garbett as a legend for clean artwork and concise storytelling month in and month out.

Conclusion

There is no reason to stop reading X-0 Manowar at this point, but readers have the right to be frustrated by the plot not quite turning gears as fast as most would like. This will definitely read better in a collected format.