A brief introduction to the Armorines

When Valiant announced that the Armorines were coming back with X-O Manowar #30 I was very excited. The events of Armor Hunters is a perfect setup to update the characters with a fresh take at the hands of Robert Venditti. If you’re not familiar with who the Armorines are, here’s a quick recap of the characters.

Like the name implies, the Armorines are an armored military force. They were first introduced in X-O Manowar #24, published in January 1994, but their first appearance as a team was in Armorines #0 published the following month as a pull-out insert comic (remember those!?) in X-O Manowar #25.

Origin

• The Armorines were created by the US government after they learned of the existence of the X-O armor. When Aric refuses to work for the US government, a plan, dubbed “Project Deep Freeze” is devised to capture Aric and his armor in a military base in Antarctica. The mission fails but enough data is gathered to create four armored suits that are to be worn by the Armorines team. Unlike other armors (X-O, Wolf class, and Commando class), the Armorines suits require copilots to help maneuver the suits as there is no onboard technology to do so.

Characters

• Gunnery Sergeant Harold “Gunny” Lewis is the oldest member of the Armorines having served two tours in Vietnam with the United States Marine Corps, experience which gives him the skills necessary to lead the team.
• Staff Sergeant Micheal Sirot is an NSA agent and only surviving member of the unsuccessful plot to capture Aric and steal his armor. His expertise is infiltration and hand-to-hand combat.
• Lance Corporal James Earl Williams, demolition expert.
• Lance Corporal Antonio Cordova, field medic.
• Sergeant Willaim Sturgess, unit leader after the departure of “Gunny”.

Series

Volume 1 (Valiant)

• 1994-1995 (13 issues) – written by Jorge Gonzalez with art by Jim Calafiore
• [su_button url=”https://www.comixology.com/Armorines-1994-1995/comics-series/10154″]Buy Armorines Volume 1 on Comixology[/su_button]

Volume 2 (Acclaim)

• 1999 (4 issues) – written by Omar Banmally and Mike Marts with art by Jim Calafiore
• [su_button url=”https://www.comixology.com/Armorines-1999/comics-series/19285″]Buy Armorines Volume 2 on Comixology[/su_button]