X-O Manowar Vol. 1 #9 [Texless] (Variant Cover) (2013)

X-O Manowar Vs. Commander Trill

[X-O Manowar Vol. 1 #9 (Variant Cover) (2013)]

Writers: Robert Venditti, Fred Van Lente, Jody Houser, & Matt Kindt Artists: Joe Bennett, Roberto De La Torre, Diego Bernard, Doug Braithwaite, Robert Gill, Tomas Giorello, Cary Nord, Javier Pulido, Philip Tan, and Rafa Sandoval The day is finally here, and while it’s been publicized for quite some time that issue #50 would bring a…

X-O Manowar vol. 11: The Kill List by Robert Venditti (writer), Robert Gill, CAFU, and Francis Portela (artists), Bit (inker), Ulises Arreola, Andrew Dalhouse, and Brian Reber (colorists), and Dave Sharpe (letterer)

As Robert Venditti’s run on X-O Manowar winds down, the penultimate volume returns to almost the beginning of the series with another team-up with Ninjak much like their first meeting in Volume 2. Granted, it probably shouldn’t be that surprising given that not only does Venditti tend to structure his comics work for the long-term but also did something similar by echoing Homecoming in the previous volume.

Much like Enter Ninjak, The Kill List sees X-O Manowar and Ninjak (X-N Manojak?) team up in order to take down the Vine Plantings on Earth disguised as normal humans and acting under the radical leadership of Commander Trill. This time, however, the situations are reversed with Aric and Ninjak operating from a position of power, while the Vine plot to take down humanity in the shadows. The brilliance in this approach to writing is that it allows the author to show true growth in the character and the title.*

Aric himself is slightly less gung-ho, worrying over whether a group of Vine Plantings are innocent and expressing disdain for Ninjak’s more kill-happy ways. Further, the politics of the world play a much bigger role; there is continued tension between the Vine refugees and the Visigoths, and among the Vine there is strict philosophical divide between Commander Trill’s warlike faction and the pacifist group of the High Priest. Altogether, the plot is full of complexity and nuance, which demonstrates X-O Manowar’s own development.

If there’s failing to the book, it’s the way in which Venditti characterizes Ninjak and Aric’s relationship. Their interactions are icy and hostile, reminiscent of Enter Ninjak. The problem is that a great deal has occurred between the two since then, admittedly, elsewhere in the pages of Unity, The Valiant, Divinity, Book of Death, and Armor Hunters (much of which was written by Venditti himself), and given all that the two have been through Aric telling Ninjak that he “takes no pleasure in sitting at the table with you” seems completely uncharacteristic. Instead, they should be written as comrades with deep respect for one another even if they disagree with each other’s methods. Venditti does redeem himself somewhat by having Ninjak demonstrate unwavering loyalty towards Aric in the midst of a crisis, but everything leading up to it felt so incorrect that it took me out of the story, and thus, detracted from The Kill List as a whole.

Artwork for the titular story arc is provided by rising star Robert Gill. Given how little he had done before signing with the publisher and that he was the featured artist for the 2015 event Book of Death, Gill represents true, home-grown talent for Valiant. It’s not hard to see why the publisher thinks so highly of his work; no one is better at depicting graphic violence without making it gratuitous.** However, Gill also excels conveying emotion and I love the way that he depicts the Vine council (which takes place in their hive mind). The Vine have always had a really interesting design, but it’s often difficult for artists to distinguish them. While Gill fares no better than Cary Nord, Lee Garbett, or Diego Bernard in this regard, he does do an excellent job of conveying the emotion through the facial expressions of the High Priest and Commander Trill. Ulises Arreola (who, between him and Brian Reber, seems to color just about every Valiant title nowadays) provides his usual excellent color work.

In addition to the primary story arc, also included in Volume 11 are the clunky-titled X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special and Commander Trill #0. The former (for which Shanhara #0 would have been a better title) tells the origin of the Manowar armor itself. It’s a nice little story, well drawn by CAFU, and I’m glad to see it reprinted here. Further, I like the way that Venditti has slowly been revealing information about the armors throughout the series, while still holding just enough back. Here for instance, we have a fairly detailed origin of only Shanhara, and the reader is still left wondering about Shanhara’s exact connection with the other armors that we saw in Armor Hunters and Dead Hand. The Commander Trill origin, drawn by Francis Portela, is solid enough and gives the reader a bit more insight into the primary antagonist of this volume.

Overall, this was another strong installment of X-O Manowar that made clever use of its own history–in mirroring Volume 2 and also with the addition of other elements from the past such as the revamped Armorines–that nevertheless manages to advance the story in an interesting way. As good as the book is though, the ending is a problem. Essentially, Venditti brilliantly raises the tension over three issues which leads to outright violence in the final issue only to have the conflict interrupted by the untimely arrival of a bigger threat. Obviously, the writer has a clear intention in ending the arc on a cliffhanger, but the problem is that nothing is really resolved, and a bigger threat just makes everything that lead up to it feel pointless and like a waste of time. Granted, this could actually work depending on what Venditti does in the next volume. Thus, I reserve the right to change my mind after Volume 12, but currently, the ending left a slightly sour taste in my mouth after an otherwise good read.

*-Something which, unfortunately, happens far too frequently in comics, mostly due to the necessity of keeping characters and properties intact. Stan Lee said it best when he said that comics “sell the illusion of change.”

With the promise of a huge climactic event next month, X-O Manowar #49 has set the stage for readers and fans of the series

by Robert Venditti, Robert Gill, Ulises Arreola Offering up action and some surprising revelations, “One Truth Among the Species,” the finale of the “Kill List” arc will slay you with its murderer’s row of characters. X-O has been a thrill ride of late, with Aric partnering with Ninjak for wide-s...

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