X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

An area for Valiant SPOILER-RELATED discussions.
Any books which have been published and are available may be discussed here. Recent book discussions may contain spoilers for those who have not yet read them.

Moderators: Daniel Jackson, greg

User avatar
jmatt
Mmm, I was drooling over Cooshie tonight.
Mmm, I was drooling over Cooshie tonight.
Posts: 11026
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:41:10 pm
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA!
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by jmatt »

What do we know about the origin of Antonius Axia, the protagonist of Britannia? We've been searching for a connection of this title to the rest of the Valiant Universe.

User avatar
Dallow Spicer1
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Posts: 2454
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2012 11:19:05 am
Valiant fan since: Mid 90's
Favorite character: X-O
Favorite title: X-O
Favorite writer: V-Ditti & Dysart
Favorite artist: Larosa
Location: United Kingdom
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by Dallow Spicer1 »

jmatt wrote:
greg wrote:Now this is the kind of speculation that makes Valiant fans awesome. :thumb:
We're gonna know for sure when he next sees Saana and she says something like "Aric junior? You know he died shortly after his birth. What's wrong with you? Don't you remember?"

If it pans out like this (and it's a stretch) Shanhara will have made up for the fact that she was responsible, even if indirectly, for his death. Then they can proceed without the animosity.

And now that I think about it, in the ocean panels, she's talking about having learned how to deal with her second-hand radiation problem. The very thing that killed Aric junior.

Wow, now I'm even starting to believe it.
I HOPE it is something along these lines as it sounds very interesting if it is. Certainly more so than the GinGr tribe in space all without bodies!

User avatar
Sunlight on Snow
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Posts: 2230
Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 1:11:03 pm
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by Sunlight on Snow »

jmatt wrote:I just looked back at the recent issue. To gain speed, Aric flies through the heart of a collapsing star, it is depicted as a black hole or perhaps a neutron star... as he approaches the event horizon he seems to stretch out. Time and space are going wobbly.

He exits the other side. Shanhara puts him into cryo-genic sleep. Black panel. Next we see him, Shanhara is telling him they have arrived at Earth.

While he's playing with the whales, we see the panel in question. It's seemingly out of place for the sequence, and there's no context for it.

Anything could have transpired in that black panel.
It only seems out of place but it's in the right spot. BAZ-L's family is the equivalent to the whales who are the largest creatures on Planet Urth. The giant robots are the whales of the galaxy. Both are majestic, peaceful, intelligent, social and gigantic beings... yet both are hunted and almost extinct. While Aric's home is long gone (centuries), BAZ-L's homecoming is the happiest moment in this issue. This is why the panel fits perfectly in the middle of this 5-page long sequence of peace and perfect harmony. For Aric, it's the moment when everything stands still and the moment before all hell will break loose again. Saana's with Volo now and they even have a (healthy) child and there's another war coming... and nobody is to be trusted! He's doomed!

User avatar
Sunlight on Snow
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Posts: 2230
Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 1:11:03 pm
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by Sunlight on Snow »

Volo is not to be trusted either. He's a traitor. He's behind all this (radiation poisoning). He wanted to be with Saana for a long time and always envied Aric. I never trusted the guy anyway. :lol:

User avatar
greg
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
Posts: 22861
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 9:39:27 am
Valiant fan since: Rai #0
Favorite character: Depends on title
Favorite title: Depends on writer
Favorite writer: Depends on artist
Favorite artist: Depends on character
Location: Indoors
Contact:
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by greg »

Sunlight on Snow wrote:Volo is not to be trusted either. He's a traitor. He's behind all this (radiation poisoning). He wanted to be with Saana for a long time and always envied Aric. I never trusted the guy anyway. :lol:
Tom
Marvolo
Riddle

User avatar
Chiclo
I'm Chiclo. My strong Dongs paid off well.
I'm Chiclo.  My strong Dongs paid off well.
Posts: 21667
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 1:09:11 am
Favorite character: Kris
Location: Texas
Contact:
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by Chiclo »

greg wrote:
Sunlight on Snow wrote:Volo is not to be trusted either. He's a traitor. He's behind all this (radiation poisoning). He wanted to be with Saana for a long time and always envied Aric. I never trusted the guy anyway. :lol:
Tom
Marvolo
Riddle
I hate that I get that reference. :mad: :oops: :cry:

User avatar
Sunlight on Snow
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Posts: 2230
Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 1:11:03 pm
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by Sunlight on Snow »

Chiclo wrote:
greg wrote:
Sunlight on Snow wrote:Volo is not to be trusted either. He's a traitor. He's behind all this (radiation poisoning). He wanted to be with Saana for a long time and always envied Aric. I never trusted the guy anyway. :lol:
Tom
Marvolo
Riddle
I hate that I get that reference. :mad: :oops: :cry:
I don't. Who is this? Alexa, ask google!

...

Yes! I knew it!

User avatar
Chiclo
I'm Chiclo. My strong Dongs paid off well.
I'm Chiclo.  My strong Dongs paid off well.
Posts: 21667
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 1:09:11 am
Favorite character: Kris
Location: Texas
Contact:
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by Chiclo »

Sunlight on Snow wrote:
Chiclo wrote:
greg wrote:
Sunlight on Snow wrote:Volo is not to be trusted either. He's a traitor. He's behind all this (radiation poisoning). He wanted to be with Saana for a long time and always envied Aric. I never trusted the guy anyway. :lol:
Tom
Marvolo
Riddle
I hate that I get that reference. :mad: :oops: :cry:
I don't. Who is this? Alexa, ask google!

...

Yes! I knew it!
My dishonour grows. :cry:

User avatar
Sunlight on Snow
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Rockin' out in Torquehalla
Posts: 2230
Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 1:11:03 pm
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by Sunlight on Snow »

The dancing with the whales. The whales. The whale. I couldn't stop thinking about the effin' whale!

Divinity #0! :o :atomic: :o

User avatar
greg
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
Posts: 22861
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 9:39:27 am
Valiant fan since: Rai #0
Favorite character: Depends on title
Favorite title: Depends on writer
Favorite writer: Depends on artist
Favorite artist: Depends on character
Location: Indoors
Contact:
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by greg »

Sunlight on Snow wrote:The dancing with the whales. The whales. The whale. I couldn't stop thinking about the effin' whale!

Divinity #0! :o :atomic: :o
Nice connection :clap:
But what does it mean? :hm:

User avatar
kinggirlfriend
5318008
5318008
Posts: 568
Joined: Thu May 11, 2017 5:20:12 pm
Valiant fan since: 2016
Favorite character: Gilad
Favorite title: Wrath
Favorite writer: Venditti
Favorite artist: CAFU
Location: Southwest Desert
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by kinggirlfriend »

Finally read the trade of this arc and wanted to chime in....

There's a panel before Aric takes off to go home that has him touching BAZ-L and saying something to the effect of, "I've transmitting to you the migration patterns of your people so you can meet up with them". I'm not sure why they are represented as just heads, but I take that panel in between the whales to represent BAZ-L meeting up with her people again. Like a whale's migration pattern.

The whole series is kind of perplexing. Really slick artwork but kind of a generic story and mostly something we saw done much better from Robert Venditti. Aric conquers planet and learns a life lesson. The end with the child nonsense really hurt it, IMO. The timeline just doesn't work, and without knowing he had a kid before he left it all seems very cheap and random. I still like to think the BOOK OF DEATH issue is in play so it makes it all that more confounding.

Great action scenes though and I really liked the Bounty Hunters, even if their whole thing feels very derivative of the Armor Hunters. I hope we see more of them down the road.

On the whole I'd say I liked it but it still felt like a waste of time unless something more grand comes out of it all. A lot of things still need to be addressed, did Aric or Shanhara gain the Torment's knowledge? What does Aric do now knowing his wife and best friend have a child together?

Can't say I'm eager to find out since the title's essentially been spinning it's wheels for a year. Last thing I want out of an ending is answering a question with more questions.

I like Valiant's flashback stories so I'm actually excited about the next arc, and the one following that that has characters from ETERNITY showing up sounds real neat. But it needs to ground itself and resemble the book it used to be if it wants me to stay on past that.

User avatar
greg
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
The admin around here must be getting old and soft.
Posts: 22861
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 9:39:27 am
Valiant fan since: Rai #0
Favorite character: Depends on title
Favorite title: Depends on writer
Favorite writer: Depends on artist
Favorite artist: Depends on character
Location: Indoors
Contact:
Re: X-O Manowar [2017] #14 Discussion

Post by greg »

kinggirlfriend wrote:The timeline just doesn't work, and without knowing he had a kid before he left it all seems very cheap and random. I still like to think the BOOK OF DEATH issue is in play so it makes it all that more confounding.
I re-read the Book of Death: Fall of X-O Manowar just now. When he tells Shanhara to leave Earth forever, he says "I WILL SEE YOU IN ETERNITY".

Is that a coincidence?
kinggirlfriend wrote:I like Valiant's flashback stories so I'm actually excited about the next arc, and the one following that that has characters from ETERNITY showing up sounds real neat. But it needs to ground itself and resemble the book it used to be if it wants me to stay on past that.
Perhaps X-O's fall into the star and "blackout" include something related to the Unknown (past or future) that he doesn't yet remember. :hm:


Post Reply