JustFocus continues to present you the latest releases of Bliss comics after the Complete Bloodshot. Released at the end of April, here is the relaunch of X-O Manowar with this first volume From soldier to general written by Matt Kindt, and drawn by Tomàs Giorello and Doug Braithwaite. This title is published in the United States by Valiant Entertainment.
Back to life as a farmer
As we stated in the guide on Valiant, Aric is a Visigothic prince who wears alien armor making him an invulnerable character. New readers, fear not, you can follow this series without having read the previous volumes because Matt Kindt, the writer, changes direction. Aric gave up the armor. Disillusioned, he leads a farmer's life on another planet far from Earth. But from the first episode, external constraints force him to return to the path of war and regain his nature as a warrior leader. He becomes cannon fodder in a conflict that does not interest him. Aric finds himself fighting against a bourgeoisie that uses others for genetic experiments. However, his warlike merits quickly made him noticed.
The thirst for power
Aric hopes that his successes will allow him to return to his farm and his girlfriend, but we feel that little by little, he regains a taste for war. To survive, he needs armor in spite of himself. He talks with the armor who tries to convince him to use it again. For more discretion, Aric transforms the armor into a ring and, since he speaks to him, we immediately have a thought for Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. Betrayal surrounds him constantly, and Aric must get into intrigues to get out of it. He becomes captain and obtains followers unintentionally. He gradually takes a liking to power as he uses the armor.
A true science fiction tale
X-O Manowar takes place on an advanced planet. A flight chase is graphically very beautiful and captivating, because in addition, Aric risks being bombed. He lives on another planet but it's not just a setting. Kindt writes a real complex science fiction narrative with palace intrigues, social and ethnic struggles between peoples. The story ends with a cliffhanger with the appearance of strange alien monoliths.
A remarkable editing job
We must once again salute the fantastic editorial work of Bliss comics. In addition to a very complete summary that specifies for each episode who are the creative teams – some publishers would do well to be inspired by it – Bliss offers us indeed many bonuses, without any being anecdotal. In fact, we find ourselves with a real complete notebook revealing the other side of the creation of the title. There are of course all the covers of the 6 episodes, including the variants. Quite classic, there are also many sketches by cartoonists Giorello and Brathwaite. More original and very interesting, Bliss included the comments of cartoonist LaRosa on all his official covers, and those of the editors on a Braithwaite page. We can also read the interviews of Brathwaite and Matt Kindt, which reveal a lot about the future of the series. Finally, all the research on characters, means of transport and the planet by Braitwaite, Giorello and LaRosa are included.
X-O Manowar is therefore the superb beginning of a promising science fiction saga.
