X-O Manowar #9
Publisher: Valiant
Writer: Robert Venditti
Art: Trevor Hairsine
Issue #9 of X-O Manowar gives us the prelude to the upcoming “Planet Death” arc, but not only does it give us the set up to the arc, it continues to pack in the punches with some Grade-A kick-assery that Valiant has continued to brand its books with, making them some of the best comics in today’s market place.
The issue starts off with a great torture scene, as the Vine make their way towards planet Earth so they can reclaim the armor and wipe out all life there. Quickly, the story shifts to Manhattan where Alexander and Aric are lying low after last issue’s attack on the enemy in Britain. Alexander previously has been kicked out of the Vine mental collective, and now has no way of spying on them to know their plans. Aric decides to try it himself, and surprisingly, thanks to his continued bond with the armor, succeeds in getting in! The Vine seems just as surprised as Aric is, but before we know it, a Vine invasion ship is on Earth and launches their own armored warriors in an attack on Aric, leading to an awesome battle, from sky to the ground, across the city.
Issue #9 is another thumbs-up, high-five reading experience from Valiant. Preludes can be boring sometimes in comics, with just a lot of talking and plot set up, only giving us one or two big reveals, but nothing visually exciting. X-O Manowar has managed to successfully pull off a prelude that has an exciting opening, with the plot building/dialog set up in the middle, and a really exciting battle, filled with hyper violence and great fighting for the last portion of the book, capping it off with a big revealing cliff-hanger at the end. If all prelude stories were like Valiant’s, the comics world would be a much more entertaining place, and others should stand up and take note of the great execution Venditti and Hairsine have provided for us within these pages.
Issue #9 of X-O Manowar is out now in digital and print from Valiant!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Drew McCabe
drew@comicattack.net
