Venditti, Robert

AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:

4 out of 5

(1 book)

X-O Manowar: By The Sword

(Art by Cary Nord and Stefano Gaudiano)

Book one of the rebooted series, retelling the origins of X-O Manowar.  Aric of Dacia is a Visigoth warrior fighting against the Imperial armies of Rome when he and several of his fellow warriors are captured and enslaved by the alien race known as the Vine.  Taken offworld, Aric eventually leads a slave uprising which sees him seize control of a power suit of alien armour, the X-O Manowar.  However, when he finally returns to Earth he discovers that somehow sixteen centuries have passed in his absence.

I read the original 90s version of this story immediately before this one (although I've been an X-O Manowar fan since the crossover computer game with Iron Man) and its interesting to compare and contrast the two stories.  This book covers much more of Aric's life on Earth and as a slave than the original did and, as such, makes him into a far more compelling protagonist than he was previously.  I'm definitely a fan of the concept of a barbarian warrior getting hold of an advanced war suit and this is absolutely the better telling of that tale.

Although Aric is arrogant and headstrong, he's also determined and courageous, making him likeable enough that we can get behind him even when we can see that a lot of this is his fault in the first place.  The book also spends enough time showing us the hardships of the slaves that when Aric leads his rebellion, its a genuinely cathartic moment.

4 out of 5

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Valiant Comics (here)