Aric Meets Alan-13 And The Sons Of The Bomb In X-O Manowar #20
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
X-O Manowar stands opposed to Atom-13 and the Sons of the Bomb. The Atom-13 and the Sons of the Bomb have invaded Earth, and Atom distrusts the mechanical suit that encases Aric. Manowar is in a bad place and is especially distrustful of invaders like these. Capshaw manages to keep them from killing one another, and Atom-13 explains how he got to Earth and what he is doing here. His wife is missing, and he believes David Camp is responsible. Capshaw convinces Aric to help Atom.
X-O Manowar #20 brings in guest stars to try and give Aric perspective and maybe put him back in his groove in light of the events of Harbinger Wars II and losing his wife to his best friend.
Matt Kindt has writing X-O Manowar down to a science, and this is another excellent issue of the series. Aric and Atom have an interesting dynamic, the villains they face are weird and interesting, and Capshaw is among the better of the hard-bitten military DOJ-type of character.
Manowar’s suit losing power is something inconsistent about this issue, though. It’s implied that Shanhara has less power in “New Eden,” a part of Australia in flux due to the weakened border between our world and “the Unknown.” However, it doesn’t seem to slow Aric down at all when the time for a climax arrives.
That’s admittedly a mild complaint, and the remainder of the comic as among the better issues of X-O Manowar in the high-quality comic series.
Juan Jose Ryp once again graces the comic with gorgeous artwork that does justice to the costumes of X-O Manowar and Atomic-13 and capitalizes on facial expression and body language. The visual design of New Eden is quite cool too. Andrew Dalhouse’s color work is vivid and bright, and it adds to the overall energy of the visuals and characters.
X-O Manowar #20 is another powerhouse issue in the Valiant series. The characters are compelling, the artwork is great, and the story is intriguing. This issue definitely gets a recommendation. Check it out.
X-O Manowar #20 comes to us from writer Matt Kindt, artist Juan Jose Ryp, color artist Andrew Dalhouse, letterer Dave Sharpe, cover artist Kenneth Rocafort, Alan Quah with Sean Lee of Komikaki Studios, Renato Guedes, and Whilce Portacio with Raymund Lee.