Review: X-O Manowar #16
Creative Team:
Writer: Robert Venditti
Penciler: Lee Garbett
Inker: Stefano Gaudiano
Color Artist: Moose Baumann
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
The Issue:
In 398 A.D., Gilad Anni-Padda was Aric’s teacher. His job was to take the wild, and reckless warrior and help sharpen his ability. He was not to only make him into a better fighter but into a worthy successor to the Visigoth throne. The two are now reunited 1600 years later and they find themselves on different sides. Where before Gilad, the Eternal Warrior, attempted to train him now he attempts to stop Aric from claiming the territory because of the attention he’s drawing.
As always when two heroes meet in comics they fight. They fight hand to hand, and Aric’s technique is just as bullish as it was centuries ago. Gilad stops him with ease until Aric called on the Manowar armor to give him the advantage. With this power advantage he broke the Eternal Warrior’s arm. Defeated, Gilad tried once more to talk sense into Aric but was refused.
Elsewhere the Military Agency, M.E.R.O., observes the Visigoths. Instead of invading land Aric and his people farm the land. This is strange to anyone who is used to invasion meaning death. As they watch the Visigoths they get a call from Alexander Dorian, the Vine acquaintance of Aric.
What I Liked:
The flashback was really done well. It did a good job of establishing their relationship through showing it. This moment was centuries ago for the Eternal Warrior, but for Aric it hasn’t been that long ago at all. So it is no wonder that he still hasn’t developed into the king that Alaric hoped he would pass the crown on to.
It is followed up with their confrontation in the present. Gilad attempts to talk sense into him but Aric refuses to listen. This is where Robert Venditti has been at his strongest on this series. He does a great job writing Aric as a man out of time, and a man who can’t be bothered with logic. When Aric isn’t allowed to be aggressive the title really suffers.
The idea that Aric and his people would set up camp by farming and getting tents is hilarious. Not hilarious that it’s bad, but that it makes sense. They are completely out of touch with the times. Technology, and war strategy have come a long way in the past 1600 years and they don’t even know it.
What I Didn’t Like:
The characterization of the Eternal Warrior isn’t exactly consistent with what it was in Archer & Armstrong. A part of that could be that he was seeking vengeance for the death of the Geomancer and is he’s trying to protect him. Another part could be they needed someone to show reason here. It’s not as much that it got in the way of my enjoying the issue.
As I touched on earlier, when the book thrives when Aric is attacking. Here they attempted to have a romantic scene between Aric and Sanaa, a Visigoth who grew up on Loam, but it is very stilted. They share a talk about their past loves and then sex. It was just handled clumsily.
A big space ship arrives in Europe, this man in armor shows up and the only people who are watching them is a group in Utah? Why is that when Aric first came back to Earth there were fighter jets aiming at him? What changed about this now? While I thought it was funny that they simply set up camp, someone should have threatened them.
Grade:
Coatesvillain
Just a guy who was into this nerd stuff before it's popular. Now that is I'm just happy I have people to talk about it with.
