Prior to the publication of the Soldier to General volume, Bliss comics had published the episodes of X-O Manowar in 3 integrals, the last volume of which was released on February 8. Justofocus had already highlighted this collection with the Complete Bloodshot and now tells you about the last volume of the saga of the barbarian in armor.
It's never too late to start
This volume can very easily be read even if you have not read the previous volumes, a quick summary at the beginning of the volume reminding you of the essentials. The well-organized book begins with a new arc where the world is recovering from an alien attack.
A little reminder for neophytes. Aric is a barbarian prince who was kidnapped by aliens, the Vines. He managed to escape wearing powerful alien armor but, returning to earth, he finds himself in the current world. Since the previous volume, he has been working with the G.Has.T.E. to destroy alien nests but he is still a barbarian who does not understand the subtleties of contemporary politics.
X-O Manowar is a series by Valiant, an American publisher that publishes monthly episodes. This complete includes more than 30 episodes on 800 pages. So there is not a single story but several arcs (stories spread over several issues) centered around Aric and his alien armor. In the same way, the cartoonists change even if the scriptwriter remains Robert Venditti.
A journey through space and time
Aric's armor arouses lust or concern on Earth which shows us in a very fun way the first arc. The Visigoth king must indeed fight against modern armor created by Zahn Enterprises. This shark of finance hopes to discover the secrets of the power of X-O Manowar. Zahn looks a lot like Marvel's Tony Stark but more perverse – the CEO wants to kill Aric to sell his armor for more. He is a joker, arrogant, partygoer and alcoholic. He allows himself some pretty funny jokes about the barbarian – he calls him Captain Cave, Arok.
The reader navigates in space because even though much of the narrative takes place on Earth, Aric also travels into space to protect other species. In the second arc, we discover that the armor is not unique but that armor hunters are pursuing them and that a planet, The Black Hand, destroys the armor. Aric must go into space to combat this threat.
We also walk in time. Some episodes focus on the past of the main protagonists of this science fiction tale. The first episode for example tells with the very nice drawing of Clay Mann the childhood of Aric of Dacia. We understand that Aric was not a born warrior but that he was formed by the fight against the Roman Empire. We later learn that the armor was born from the fusion between plants and a little girl.
A fun and profound story
Aric finds himself immersed in intergalactic wars, trying to calm tense geopolitical conflicts or even secret missions with another Valiant character, Ninjak. This series is breathless in the best of times. In these stories, we find not only pure action but also the marriage of Aric or a reflection on the place of finance in the world, the place of refugees – here extraterrestrials.
A prestigious edition
Bliss is still particularly generous with a huge pavement and hours of reading for an unbeatable price. In addition, it includes bonuses with all the covers and sketches of several cartoonists present in this volume.
Whether you have already discovered X-O Manowar or want to get started, this volume offers a change of scenery and a journey without even having to take a shuttle.
