XO Manowar to Ship in May from Valiant

XO Manowar #1 – Art by Esad Ribic

Okay, so this was announced about a month ago and I thought I had posted about it, but probably as a result of my heavy drinking and a life of head trauma events, I was mistaken.  So, anyway, here’s my post on Valiant’s announcement that the relaunched company will make XO Manowar its first new title, shipping on May 2nd.  The series will be written by Robert Venditti, with the artwork provided by Eisner Award winner Cary Nord.  Okay, now everyone act like this is the first time you’re hearing this.  <sigh>

For those that aren’t familiar with XO Manowar, it was one of Valiant’s flagship titles back in the day, so it makes sense that as the company is relaunched, XO Manowar is its lead off book.  To give you an idea of story and plot, here’s the official description taken directly from Valiant Entertainment’s website…

“Born into battle and raised under the oppressive thumb of the Roman Empire, Aric of Dacia is a beloved figure among his men and a leader of the Visigoth people. But when he’s taken prisoner after a brutal encounter with an alien strike force, he must capture the X-O Manowar armor – the most powerful weapon in the universe – if he’s to save his family and return to his people.  But when he arrives he finds 1,600 years have passed and the most primitive man on Earth – a man out of time – now wields a weapon capable of incalculable destruction.”

Robert Venditti, the writer of the series who’s best known for his acclaimed run on The Surrogates, recently gave an interview with iFanboy in which he was asked about what he enjoyed best about XO Manowar.  Here’s how he responded…

“Definitely the core conflict of the character.  Aric is a Visigoth warrior who’s captured and taken into space, where he comes into possession of the universe’s most powerful weapon.  When he returns to Earth, he finds himself in the modern day.  There is so much fertile storytelling ground there.  Plus, built into that concept is a combination of historical fiction and science fiction, two of my favorite genres.  How could I pass that up?

As for Valiant as a whole, this is an opportunity for me to relaunch not just a character, but help shape an entire universe.  Opportunities like that don’t come along every day.  It’s an enormous challenge—and it’s sometimes a little intimidating—but challenges are what make the experience of writing fun.”

And as for the art you can expect from Cary Nord?  Take a look at these unfinished pencils from the first issue of XO Manowar…

XO Manowar goes on sale May 2nd from Valiant Entertainment.  Going forward, I’ll absolutely be sure to be more timely with my Valiant/XO Manowar news.  Promise.  Now, back to having a few more beers before I head out for my local rock fighting league…