X-O Manowar #33

by Kalem Lalonde on February 06, 2015

Writer: Robert Venditti 
Artist: Rafa Sadoval

I read the first couple of issues of X-o Manowar but lost track of the series around issue 8. Which is really unfortunate because this is an extremely solid series by a writer whom I really like. So when I heard that this issue was a jumping on point, I told my local comic shop to put one aside for me right away. I was pretty excited to read this issue. And unfortunately, by the end of my read I was a little underwhelmed.

 Not to say that this is a bad issue, not at all. However, I had built my expectations up for an issue with action and advancements and what I got was a very quiet set-up issue. It was quite dumb of me to expect something more, considering next month is the beginning of a big storyline but unfortunately, it took effect on my reading experience. Aside from that, this issue has hooked me on this character. Aric seems to be inspired from Thor, with a man out of time aspect that is truly captivating. Said aspect was accentuated here as Robert Venditti took a big chunk of the issue to give us a flashback sequence with Aric and his wife way back in time. This scene was quite effective at establishing who Aric is and what his stance was in his first life. So in terms of character this is an effective way of getting new readers to continue reading this story. Unfortunately, in spite of an intriguing final page, this issue’s story doesn’t do much to hook new readers in.

Rafa Sandoval handles art duties here and he does a pretty good job. At times, his faces could get a little goofy-looking, but he draws solid action and pencils space extremely well.

X-O Manowar #33 is definitely a good issue, although it’s a little underwhelming for new readers. Robert Venditti does a good job at establishing Aric’s character throughout a long flashback sequence, but the slow story and set-up nature of this issue hold it back from being truly captivating. I’ll be back next month, though. I know that Robert Venditti won’t fail to provide us with a grandiose and epic event. Bring on Dead Hand!

Our Score:

7/10

A Look Inside