X-O Manowar, Vol. 5: At War with Unity

X-O Manowar (2012)

by Robert Venditti (Writer), Cary Nord (Artist), Vicente Cifuentes (Artist)

X-O Manowar goes head-to-head against the forces of Unity!
Aric of Dacia has fought to reclaim the ancestral lands of the Visigoths - and he has bled for it. But nothing he has faced before can prepare him for the combined might of Unity - and the deadly combination of Harada, Ninjak, Eternal Warrior, and Livewire!
New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (Green Lantern) and Eisner Award winner Cary Nord (Conan) reunite for a landmark, standalone story arc at the heart of Unity.

Collecting: X-O Manowar 19-22

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Comic Book, Action, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2014

About the author

Robert Venditti is a New York Times bestselling author of more than three hundred comic books and graphic novels. Some of his works include the monthly comic book series Justice League, Superman ’78, Hawkman, and Green Lantern for DC Comics, X-O Manowar, Armor Hunters, and Wrath of the Eternal Warrior for Valiant Entertainment, and the graphic novel Six Days, inspired by the story of his uncle’s participation in D-Day. He has also adapted Rick Riordan’s global bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus novels, as well as Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia and Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz. His graphic novel The Surrogates was adapted into a feature film by Touchstone Pictures, and his work on The Flash was the basis for season three of the CW television series.

Venditti lives in Atlanta, where he both writes and serves as a storytelling consultant for some of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 volumes in and I'm finally starting to like this guy.
Maybe.



I'd already read Unity, Volume 1: To Kill a King, so I knew how all of this would shake out. Still, it was worth reading from Aric's point of view because this seems to be a turning point in his away from his heavy-handed/douchebag personality.
Maybe.



At the very least, it seems like Venditti is steering him towards acting like a grown-up with responsibilities, instead of a petulant child with a big gun.


Ninjak and Livewire stole the show with their cameos, but I'm also digging this Colonel Capshaw chick. She just added an extra layer of spicy to the story, you know?
I'm afraid the same can't be said for Aric's bland love interest, Saana.
Bo-ring!

Overall, I'm definitely way more interested in this one now.

[ScottIsANerd (GrilledCheeseSamurai) · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I have really been loving this series. It's a great comic and the story has been wonderfully told alongside which we have been getting some spectacular art to help drive everything along.

Really, up to this point I have had nothing but good things to say.

That said - this fifth book really fumbled the ball.

I hate crossovers. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I am constantly cursing out Marvel for all their stupid ass crossover events. I thought Valiant, being a smaller publisher, I would be safe from being forced to go out and buy comics I wouldn't normally buy just so I could understand the comic I wanted to be reading.

I was wrong. This whole volume is a Unity tie-in. The only way I was able to wrap my head around what was going on (I didn't read Unity) was by the little 'previously' blurb they attached at the beginning of each issue.

Now sure, I could have read this alongside the Unity comic and everything probably meshed perfectly. The thing is, I didn't want to read Unity. So fuck you very much.

The other big problem I had, and we're getting into spoiler territory here, so be warned, was that everything Aric and his Visigoths were fighting for, in the end, didn't even matter. They wanted their homeland back and for 20(ish) issues they were standing their ground and refused to budge. By the end of this volume, they end up claiming some territory in Nebraska and were completely okay with that. They had some strange new food called cheese, and isn't it delicious? We are all so happy now. On that same note, at the start of the volume Aric loses his Manowar armour. Then at the end, the same people that stole his armour give it back to him with an 'oop's our bad, here, have it back now.'

What the fuck?

So really, I could have just skipped this whole volume and gone into the next one without even missing a beat. All I needed to know was that Aric is now fighting for the yanks, and they now live in Nebraska and love cheese.

Meh.

I dunno. It was just so hard to swallow. Maybe had I read Unity it would have been easier to accept.

Also - the art in the first issue was freaking hooooorrible. I have enjoyed Cary Nord's art before in this series - but this go around (especially issue 19) the art really hurt the book (IMO). Issue 20-22 were a little bit better, but it really felt like Nord was just rushing through his lines and didn't really give a fuck.

Anyways, with Unity now out of the way, I am hoping that we can get back into everything good that I love about this book.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aric and his Visigoths have annexed part of Romania to become their new home - a move which startles the rest of the world who sees their arrival on a Vine ship as the beginning of an alien invasion. And when Aric defeats a Russian attack with the XO Manowar armour, Toyo Harada, the Harbinger, decides to assemble a team called Unity to take him out, comprising of himself, Livewire, Ninjak and the Eternal Warrior. It’s XO Manowar vs. Unity!

Robert Venditti’s XO Manowar series is one of those near-perfect comics runs that are so rare to see but the fifth volume’s quality is heavily affected by the Unity Event making it an incredibly choppy read. Individually there’s nothing wrong with the issues in this book, but collectively they’re a jumpy series of episodes that someone not reading the other Valiant series, Unity, would have a devil of a time understanding.

This is how the book reads: 1) in the wake of the first attack by Unity, Aric’s leadership is challenged by a fellow Visigoth, Volo, 2) Aric has lost Shanhara which is now being controlled by Livewire as the Vine ship with Unity and the Visigoths on board sinks to the bottom of the ocean, 3) Aric and the Visigoths are prisoners in a “detention centre”, 4) Aric and the Visigoths are now free and have been given a parcel of land in Nebraska - in return Aric now works for Colonel Jamie Capshaw and MERO (Military Extraterrestrial Recon Outpost).

Not exactly a linear narrative, right? That’s because these are issues that fit in between the Unity issues rather than form a cohesive story on their own. If you’ve been reading Unity then fine, you’ll be able to fill in the blanks, but if not and you’re just following XO Manowar, then you’re going to wonder what the hell’s happening in between chapters!

Venditti’s writing and Cary Nord’s art are both as fantastic as ever so the issues themselves still look and read well. But as a collection, this one fails for being too scattered and messy a read, otherwise I’d be rating it as highly as the other volumes in the series. Crossovers ruin everything, guys, that’s why so much of DC’s output stinks!

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This does an outstanding job of supporting this event and setting up Armor Hunters. I feel like this was the moment when X-O Manowar became awesome and interesting. He was always cool... but this took him to another level and gave him some much needed character growth. He was humbled, learned a lesson and also did some bad ass shit.

I loved the art here. It was exemplary and moved very well. X-O is a truly unique “superhero” and I really can’t wait to see more of him.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun volume and mostly has Aric face off against the Unity, the valiant Superhero team. First he captures and fights Ninjak but Toyo Harada is here and he has his own motives and when Livewire takes the armor from him he is left with no choice but is imprisoned and has to find his way out of MERO control. But then we see the betrayal and alliances being forged and more on that end. One of the jarring things about this volume is that its a crossover so many scenes are told in "previously in.." segments but then again it doesn't hamper the reading that much but you can see that now that they are in US control and Aric has to work for US govt. Freedom comes at a price.

I love how this volume showed the impact of Aric wanting a land which led to so many wars and attacks from all sides and betrayals and Livewire getting the armor allowing Aric to self introspect and showing their bond and also establishing future events to come. Russians will be a big threat going forward as they have the alien tech. I like how the writer hits at the xenophobia that people have when it comes to unknown things even if they are humans. The art was good all around and getting to see other valiant heroes was awesome!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aric goes to war with Unity!



I mean, we already got to know two of these schlubbs in previous volumes, and from what I saw of the rest I was less than impressed. These guys are less Valiant's equivalent of the Avengers than their analogue to The Mystery Men.



I am still keen on the series, though, and definitely want to know where this new Visigoth connection with the good ole U.S. of A. is going in the next volume.

[Terry Mcginnis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like that you are forced to read other titles, such as Unity. X-O is great, and should be a standalone book.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tie-in with the first volume of Unity. The story alternates between the two volumes and has more focus on Aric reuniting his group, almost defeating Harada's team and his imprisonment. Also there is a greater sense of scale in what the superpowers of the world are planning.

Aric makes a deal with the US to receive some land he and his people can call home. It comes with a steep price tag. While his people are allowed to build their lives however they see fit, they are being monitored by 3 defense installations capable of wiping them out if Aric refuses to go on missions for the US. His first mission is to stealthily destroy the Vine ship to prevent the Russians from obtaining the technology on board. The mission is a success, but relationships are already strained between Aric and his US handlers.>

[Ramón S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Puuffff! Boring, very boring and the art work inconsistent, the beginning was really good but the end....

[Anchorpete · Rating 4 out of 5]

X-o manowar is slightly different from your usual comic book. Its premise is certainly more unique than your average fair- Visgoth gets transported to the future in an alien jumpsuit. It feels more like an epic sci-fi story, as opposed to a superhero story with sci-fi elements. He doesn't really have a rogues gallery, the story is a fish out of water story, but with a very serious tone, as opposed to having aric always say things like "What is this internet thing you are talking about?"
This chapter is great, because it shows a new direction for the book to take, after they have basically done everything they could with Aric's one man war with the Vine. As long as the library keeps getting copies of these trades, I will keep reading them.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Crossover with Unity details the events from Aric's point of view as more people try to kill Aric, and he ultimately starts to see reason. The most notable thing here is a very disconcerting shift in art styles for the first issue in the collection, which is equally jarring as it returns to its more traditional style for the other titles. And much of the books focus not on Aric or his people, but the people fighting him (outside of the Unity characters). It's interesting, in that while Aric is ultimately the villain of the piece, everyone's motivations are painted pretty clearly. An interesting piece, and it really should be read at the same time as Unity Volume 1 to get the most out of it.

[Jim Leesch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The inevitable consequences of trying to establish a new kingdom in downtown Bucharest.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my least favorite editorial decisions in comic reading is when a crossover is collected across multiple titles, and isn't collected in a logical reading order. This volume of X-O Manowar is intended to be read in tandem with Unity, Volume 1: To Kill a King. I think you're intended to start with Unity #1, then read X-O Manowar #19, then go back and forth until the conclusion of this trade. It's a hassle. But if you read just this collection, there are huge gaps in the story that would make it a frustrating read.

The art in the first issue of this collection, by Cary Nord is the most beautiful art of any Valiant book so far. The thick lines, white backgrounds, and watercolor motif is perfect, and it's a shame that it doesn't appear at any other point in the crossover.

Vendetti's writing and plotting, while not quite on par with Matt Kindt's, is still very enjoyable here. His slow evolution of Airic was off-putting in the previous volume but starts to level out here as he goes from anti-hero making bad decisions to antagonist making bad decisions on what will hopefully be a journey back to anti-hero.

I certainly wouldn't recommend this as a jumping on point for Valiant, or for X-O Manowar. Nor do I recommend this be read without also reading Unity, Volume 1: To Kill a King. But as a combo, this is a fun crossover worth your reading time.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

[This review covers both X-O Manowar Volume 5 and Unity Volume 1]
Fresh off his return to Earth after saving his people from the Vine, Aric of Dacia has annexed Bucharest and wrecked global politics. Along come Unity, the Valiant universe's Avengers, to save the day.

Lead by Toyo Harada (the most untrustworthy person this side of Donald Trump), the team consists of Livewire, the Eternal Warrior, and Ninjak - you don't get guns bigger than that. But of course, this isn't as straight forward as you might expect. The fight against Aric is only the tip of the iceberg in this crossover, and lead to both a shocking plot twist and a new status quo for Aric himself on the other side.

The artwork in Unity itself is by Doug Braithwaite, and is lovely. There's an ethereal quality to his work (that isn't present in the pencils in the back of the book, so hats off to the colourist) but it's a great visual and he has an eye for interesting camera angles, especially in the claustrophobic confines of the Vine ship. The X-O issues are by Cary Nord, with finishes by Vincente Cifuentes, and they look...weird. The first issue is totally odd, with a really washed out colour palette, and the others all feel slapdash too. Nord's not been my favourite artist on X-O, but he's making a case for least favourite very clearly here.

This is a crossover that impacts both titles, and I really wouldn't recommend reading one without the other. Unity feeds directly into the X-O story, and the X-O story itself gives some much needed back-story that makes everything even more impactful.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good Valiant book but editorially this isn't easy to enjoy. This small book collects two parts of different storylines. Readers will have to buy multiple books to get the whole story. I still really enjoy Aric's journey into this crazy world (the present) but the Unity crossover is too soon into the run. Also looks like there is another crossover on the horizon. Cary Nord's art, which I usually like was less than great. It was much sketchier than normal with odd coloring choices. Overall, a decent read but limited by the editors.

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

X-O Manowar se ve envuelto en una batalla con los "Avengers" de Valiant Comics: Unity! Además ni siquiera todo el poder de la armadura puede hacer que Aric de Dacia pueda reclamar como su reino parte de Rumania. Es una línea de historia muy realista sobre como reaccionarían los países ante este superhéroe que llega del espacio con refuiados humanos de otros siglos.

[Kevin Smythe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, a crossover. I've been enjoying this series so much, and now a crossover. You get half the story (every other issue) in this trade. It seems like a crucial story to understanding a major change in what drives Aric; a shame it was handled this way. The art was beautiful, at least.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this makes a lot more sense out of the first volume of Unity. And together, they probably form a nice story. But neither one of them works real well separately. I really wonder why they aren't just collected into one volume...

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This includes the X-O Manowar issues of the Unity crossover. This is best read as part of the entire crossover fully included in the second Deluxe Edition, reviewed here

[Brannigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first crossover for this series and you really need the Unity volume 1 tpb to read along side this to really enjoy the story.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still early in the Valiant relauch...and they haven't quite figured out Tie-ins yet. None of these issues work well as their own stories, relying too heavily on Unity. The art is by a few different people and is genrally ok, except for the first chapter. Hopefully it gets better next issue.

[Ritinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

É na arte de Cary Nord que a trade conhece o seu ponto alto, bem diversa do habitualmente presente na «BD de Super-Heróis».
Perdoando-se a confusão Atlântico/Pacífico que surge no crossover com o Vol. 1 de Unity, X-O Manowar goza de boa saúde e recomenda-se.

[Des Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's worth noting that I read this and Unity vol. 1 simultaneously, and had I not, there would be clear and distracting gaps in the story. That's the nature of crossovers though, and as far as those go, this is one of the best ones I have ever read.

Volume 5 sees Aric of Dacia go up against a supergroup mobilized by the infamous Toyo Harada. What follows is an excellent X-O Manowar story, complete with the amalgamation of feudal warfare and sci-fi buzz that we've come to love. The ending is satisfying, comfortably wrapping up a long gestating story arc, while letting us dip our toes into new territory. The Aric vs Volo conflict is tied up as well, in the gorgeous issue 19, featuring brilliant artwork and hypnotizing colors from Cary Nord. I'm disappointed we don't see this style from him more often. The rest of the art, primarily a collaboration between Nord and Vincente Cifuentes, is grand, and more than serviceable.

Venditti continues his stunning run on X-O Manowar with another five star entry.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unity & The King (19-22, Unity 1-4). This overall crossover is a nice continuation of the events of X-O Manowar: Homecoming that refuses to hit any reset buttons, but instead continues to relentlessly push forward the narrative.

Of the two crossing over comics, X-O Manowar is the stronger. Venditti continues to do a superb job not just of characterizing Aric, but also of growing the character. As ever, I'm eager to see where the story of him (and his people!) goes next. Unfortunately, I wasn't thrilled by the artist on the X-O issues. He's not bad, but he's stylized enough that the art melds badly with Unity [8/10].

[Fahim Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Vols. 1-3. I liked Vol. 4 too but really that was more a setup for the Unity story. So it saddens me that I did not enjoy this story much. The story seems to have taken a turn for the worse and currently just seems aimless. I'm the type of reader that drops books at the drop of the hat and I'm seriously considering dropping this, because life is just too short to waste time on average comics when there's so many excellent comics out there. I'll give this until the end of Armor Hunters, if things still don't improve by then, well I guess I'll be done.

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd love to give this book a higher rating, it has some really great character building stories. However, it's also part of a crossover and those issues are not included, making this book choppy and unfinished. There was a progression of art coloring style beginning with a watercolor look that evolved into a brighter crisp coloring. I found the watercolor look added a surrealistic, more human feeling to an otherwise high science fiction book.

[Jin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This where some loose ends from Unity volume one were tied. The pacing of this series' story is remarkable, X-O Manowar doesn't tires in keeping its readers waiting for more! As long as Venditti and his team are doing this book, we can be sure that a lot of great stuff is in store. Cary Nord's art is exceptionally great. Next...Armor Hunters!"

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems to have been a crossover volume, which is unfortunate because it removes a significant amount f subtly from the very interesting political and ethical debates that surround the protagonist. This is the most comic bookish the series has felt to me thus far, despite all the explosions and aliens and clearly superheroesque happenings of the previous volumes.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only problem with this book is that you have to read it with Unity volume 1, or else you literally only get half of the story. Reading each collection separately, the reader gets a very choppy story that jumps around quite a bit. Taken together, the story is quite good.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly this might be better named Unity Fall-Out since those are the best parts, parts without Armor!