It’s Monday, which means it’s time for another new edition of Kickin’ It Old School, our weekly column in which we look to the past and review books from the original Valiant universe! This week, I’ll be discussing X-O Manowar #8
X-O Manowar #8
Published in September 1992
Written by Bob Layton
Penciled by Mike Leeke
Inked by Tom Ryder
Colored by Jorge Gonzalez with Mark Csaszar and Maurice Fontenot
Lettered by Ken Lopez
Edited by Jim Shooter
Synopsis:
Aric is attacking Mothergod’s base with his army, the Skammrs. He’s surprised to find Rai there, also seeking the converter that Aric is after. Rather than fight where they are, Aric invites Rai back to his base to fight over the converter before Mothergod is able to capitalize on the situation. Rai agrees and they set off. Back at the base, Magnus and Gilad show up to try to talk some sense into Aric. They ask him to stop playing into Mothergod’s manipulations and to just destroy the converter. After thinking it out, Aric does so.
As time passes, Erica prepares to execute a plan to separate Aric from the armor. She showers Aric and his men with loot, offering Aric his choice of women. As Aric lays with the woman he chose, Erica manipulates the Manowar armor to leave Aric and join her. Once they are separated, the attack commences, and Aric is bitten nearly in two by a Bionosaur. The armor responds and goes to Aric’s aid, holding him together while he and his men attempt to battle against Erica. They are increasingly overwhelmed and Aric is finally knocked unconscious in an explosion. He awakens four days later to discover that all of his men are dead and that it will take the armor ten years to make him whole again. He realizes that he cannot regain his empire, leaving him only with honor and revenge.
Review:
This issue has some very jaw-dropping moments. After the last few issues of Unity have focused more on the difficulties of the struggle against Erica Pierce, this issue saw several actions that had much bigger effects. As soon as they got to the Lost Land, Aric saw the opportunity to rebuild what he lost and he split of to pursue his own interests. Rai, Magnus, and Gilad were able to appeal to Aric’s intelligence and got him one step closer to their side. Later on, Pierce’s attack on Aric and his new people may have won the battle against Aric, wiping out his army and severely injuring him, but it caused him to align with the rest of her enemies, which will have a major impact on the whole picture of the war. Would Aric’s defeat have caused him to align with the rest if he had not seen them as noble warriors earlier in this issue? Magnus and Gilad’s tact in their approach may have been the best move they’ve made against Erica Pierce, gaining themselves a powerful ally who willfully wants to destroy Erica Pierce.
Join us next for the fourteenth chapter of Unity, Shadowman #5. It’s about time we find out the fate of Jack Boniface.
Originally from ValiantCentral.com
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