X-O Manowar
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Overview
Image:X-O Manowar 01-00.jpg X-O Manowar is the popular comic book character from Valiant Comics who first appeared in February of 1992. X-O Manowar continued strongly with sales of an average of 300,000 books a month until 1996 when Acclaim Entertainment, who bought VALIANT for $65 million, started a new series under the Acclaim Comics banner.
The second series was equally as popular and featured a new take on the character. The second series stopped in 2002, when Acclaim shut down its comic book publishing division in anticipation of a bankruptcy filing after suffering heavy losses from video games such as BMX XXX and losing its sports game licenses. Dinesh Shamdasani and Jason Kothari are the current owners of the Valiant comics catalog.
X-O Manowar has seen his likeness transferred to many other mediums including toys, posters, rings and a best selling video game. The X-O Manowar & Iron Man in Heavy Metal video game is available for the PC, Playstation, Gamecube and more.
X-O Manowar was created by industry legends Jim Shooter (Former Marvel Editor in Chief) and Bob Layton (co-writer and inker of during the peak of Iron Man at Marvel.).
"Retribution", the first storyline that ran through X-O Manowar #1 through #4 was reprinted as a best selling trade paperback. X-O Manowar #0, the origin of X-O Manowar is one of the best selling comics of all time and has sold more than 850,000 copies despite a hefty $3.50 cover price.
Story
Image:Image11.jpg Aric, a fifth century Visigoth barbarian, is abducted by aliens and held captive aboard their starship. A fellow captive (named the map giver) carves a map into his hand that leads to the alien’s ultimate weapon and the only chance of escape - the Manowar class X-O armor.
Aric manages to fight his way to the X-O Manowar armor and with it escapes back to earth only to find 1600 years have passed. He is now the most primitive man on the planet, yet he wields the most technologically advanced weapon in existence.
With the X-O Manowar armor Aric is mankind’s only hope as the aliens prepare for an invasion of earth, but first he must learn to adapt to his new home - the modern world.
For a more detailed description visit the Visual Guide To X-O Manowar's Origin
Origin
Image:Bws xo manowar.jpg Aric of Dacia was a Visigoth barbarian born into the strife and war of the fifth century A.D. Rome is the center of power and have subjugated his people. A young Aric watched as Romans soldiers first slaughtered his mother and then, his father. He dedicated his life to destroying the Roman oppressors, riding into battle with his uncle Alaric. Little did he know, he was destined to become one of the greatest warriors of any era.
Some years later Aric took a Celtic slave, Deidre, to be his consort. He grew contented with her and his course in life, but shortly thereafter, things took a most unusual turn. On an evening’s ride, he came across a grisly scene. Demons of some sort were feeding upon his people. Heedless of the consequences, Aric strode forward to do battle with the strange creatures but was quickly subdued and taken aboard their alien spacecraft.
For some seven years Aric was held prisoner aboard their craft serving in its foul slave pens. At a refueling station several light years from Earth, he befriended a man known as the “Map Giver”. He used a discarded bone shard to carve a map into Aric’s palm, which would lead the barbarian to the alien’s greatest weapon. Aric fought his way to the X-O Manowar class armor and donned the control ring. With this living armor he was able to blast his way through the hull of the alien ship and return to the Earth he still believed was his home.
The time dilation effect of near light speed travel on the alien spacecraft meant that while only a few years had passed on board, sixteen centuries had come and gone on Earth. Everything Aric had ever known was gone – replaced by ‘modern’ civilization. He is now the most primitive man on the planet, yet he wields the most technologically advanced weapon in existence.
Further Developments
Image:X-o manowar 30.jpg It later became clear that the "manufacture" process for the X-O Manowar armor, which appeared not only self-repairing but also capable of spontaneous 'budding' to generate a new version of itself, involved the absorption of a sentient intelligence which became the armor's own sentience.
At first, Aric struggled to adjust to the late-20th-century Earth. He encountered a number of Valiant Universe heroes, befriending some and alienating others. Through a twist of fate, he wound up gaining control of Orb Industries, a dummy corporation founded by aliens.
X-O Manowar played a major role in VALIANT's smash hit UNITY crossover. Aric chooses not to help the other VALIANT hero's defeat Mothergod (Erica Pierce) instead he builds a small empire in the lost land. Eventually, he is tricked by Mothergod and his people are slaughtered. Aric is almost killed by a cyborg-dinosaur and must remain within the X-O armor for 10 years to heal.
Aric and the X-O Manowar armor are sent back to Aric's own time by Solar at the end of Unity. Aric tries to convince his uncle Alaric that the Romans are nothing compared to their might now that he has the X-O but Alaric fears that no one man should have such power. Alaric and the Romans join forces but the weapons of the 5th century are no match.
In issue #28, the X-O armor is destroyed. Solar goes to Saturn to recover the armor he left there after defeating the alien he battled in Solar #7. This armor refused to abandon the remains of its deceased wearer, but had sprouted a seed, which Solar took. Those seeds can be used to create a new Manowar armor, but only through sacrificing a sentient being. Paul Bouvier consented to this sacrifice, so that Aric could continue his adventures with this armor.
Early Solicitation Information
Image:Xopromomed-1-.jpg Valiant produced a number of early previews of X-O Manowar. The one on the right contains panels that were never appeared in the comics. as well as an early look at the aliens (they are far more disturbing here).
The text reads:
CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN...DANGEROUS!
He was born a barbarian, raised an animal and trained as a killer. Now armed with the deadliest weapon of mass destruction ever created, he intends to defend his new home - Earth!
Characters
Not a complete list.
- Aric of Dacia
- Ken Clarkson
- Aliens aka Spider Aliens
- Randy Carter
- X-O Commando
- Ax
- Turok
- Alaric
Acclaim Comics Version
When Acclaim Entertainment rebooted all Valiant Comics properties, X-O Manowar was significantly altered. The character was now a modern-day scientist who wielded an X-O armor: an ancient artifact that had wound up in the custody of US government, captured from the Nazis in WW2.
In this series, the X-O Manowar armor is an artifact of unknown origin that has been worn by a myriad of warriors throughout history. It gives its wearer awesome destructive might and impenetrable defensive abilities that truly make it the ultimate weapon. But there was a price to be paid for such power; once bonded together, the armor slowly siphons the life essence of its wearer, leaving them little more than a burned out husk. Donovan Wylie solved this problem, but there are mysteries surrounding the armor that even his genius cannot unravel. Now, after a tactical error costs one brave man his life, Wylie is forced to don the armor and become the one thing he never wanted to be...a hero.
Video Game
Image:Xoironman.JPG The character was seen in one Acclaim Entertainment-developed video game, Iron Man and X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal, which also featured Marvel Comics' armored superhero Iron Man. In this game X-O Manowar and Iron Man battle together against a number of villains from both Ironman and X-O Manowar's comics. Trying to stop them from obtaining all fragments of the Cosmic Cube, a cube of cosmic energy so intense that if it fell into the wrong hands universal domination would be at their grasp. Thus X-O Manowar and Iron Man must team up against all odds to stop their enemies. X-O Manowar also reveals his old enemies the aliens, who created his armor... and they want it back!
Comic-book cover gallery
 X-O Manowar #0 |
 X-O Manowar #1 |
 X-O Manowar #2 |
 X-O Manowar #3 |
 X-O Manowar #4 |
 X-O Manowar #5 |
 X-O Manowar #6 |
 X-O Manowar #7 |
 X-O Manowar #8 |
 X-O Manowar #9 |
 X-O Manowar #10 |
 X-O Manowar #11 |
 X-O Manowar #12 |
 X-O Manowar #13 |
 X-O Manowar #14 |
 X-O Manowar #15 |
 X-O Manowar #16 |
 X-O Manowar #17 |
 X-O Manowar #18 |
 X-O Manowar #19 |
 X-O Manowar #30 |
 X-O Manowar #39 |
 X-O Manowar #42 |
 X-O Manowar #61 |
 X-O Manowar Retribution trade paperback |