X-O Manowar #25 Review


It’s an all out celebration of the undisputed king of Valiant with X-O Manowar #25.

Official description from VALIANT:
VALIANT FIRST delivers another must-read milestone this May with a blockbuster, 48-page celebration of X-O Manowar’s twenty-fifth issue… and an essential introduction to the comic book event of 2014 – ARMOR HUNTERS! Find out why the galaxy’s most feared team of hunterkillers have journeyed across the stars to destroy the X-O Manowar armor and the Earth along with it in ARMOR HUNTERS: PART ZERO.

This is a great time to jump on board the X-O Manowar train as writer Robert Venditti and a bevy of talented comic book creators bring readers a double-size 25th anniversary issue. Venditti along with J.G. Jones and Matt Hollingsworth kick the festivities off with a concise and complete origin of X-O Manowar. Never has a single page origin story been so entertaining. Next Venditti and Bryan Hitch unveil ‘The Fate of Kings’ which is Aric’s reflection on recent actions and how his history and family shape his current world view as a hero with beautiful art and heartfelt storytelling. Venditti then gets to the entree in the first full on Armor Hunters story, ‘Burial.’, With top notch art by Diego Bernard, this story serves as a part zero for Valiant’s long-awaited event. Finally we get a better snapshot of who the hunters are and where they are headed next. Venditti really sets the tone of the series with this piece which feels like it’s going to be epic!

XO_025_COVERThe rest of the issue is a plethora of art, fun and information. There are some great art pieces from Barry Kitson, who presents an awesome Unity pin-up and a gorgeous Cary Nord X-O Manowar image. Justin Jordan gives readers a funny scene with Aric and Shadowman drinking in a bar and Andy Runton pairs his characters Owly & Wormy with the X-O armor. Cute, fun and light pieces which evens out the book as a whole. For those with the thirst for knowledge there’s plenty of information to drink up. A thorough data base of characters from Sean Chen and finally Venditti gives us excerpts from his original pitch on the series. It’s very detailed and literally only a fraction of what Venditti has planned for the series. Highly insightful and engaging. There is also a fantastic cover gallery of X-O from the very first volume. Longtime readers and fans will love this complete gallery of terrific and memorable art.

This book is a treat for longtime fans and it’s an amazing opportunity for new readers to get the foundation they need to jump in and prepare for Armor Hunters. This should be enough for anyone to get their fix of the amazing job Venditti has done so far and what he still has in store. If this doesn’t hook you nothing will. This is a perfect blend of history, action, anticipation wrapped in stunning and brilliant art. X-O Manowar #25 is a must-have in your Valiant collection!

OUR RATING
9
  • + Great selection of stories
  • + First full story of the Armor Hunters
  • - Could have used even more stories
  • + Great pin-ups and Cover Gallery

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