X-O Manowar #35 Discussion

[Keith]

Well, RIP Loam... The Vine have now gone all Battlestar Galactica on us.

That was great... action from word GO. Dead Hand is a threat Aric can't defeat, so let's see what happens when he raises an army of X-O Manowars!

Great start to April's comics!

[BugsySig]

Thought this was a very good issue. I liked the personal moment between Aric and the Vine woman.

Looks like Aric will be recruiting the other Armors to help against Dead Hand. Looking forward to that.

Only gripe is the art was a little hit or miss this issue. But solid overall. Also, a typical VDitti XO book where there is a lack of dialogue for several pages at a time.

[bygranddesign]

X-O is always a solid read - and this was another good issue.

I'm a huge Diego fan .. but I don't think this was one of his better issues. They have multiple inkers listed - I think that hurt the art in spots - some places it looks great - some places the inking looked a little dark and the action panels were a little muddled.

But its a bit nit picking - overall a very good issue in terms of art. Some really great splash pages - and The colors were really awesome - as usual from FEARtheREBER!)

The writing was good - I like that Aric was taking responsibility as protector of Loam.

Him ditching Saana without saying goodbye was interesting (i realize that this was issue #34 but just read both issues just now). I think there might be some rocky times ahead for Aric and Saana

The Priest continues to be a really cool character .. And i wouldn't mind a battlestar gallactica type storyline featuring him and the Vine in a one shot/or mini-series leading his people to another homeworld

[Sven the Returned]

Thought this was a very good issue. I liked the personal moment between Aric and the Vine woman.

Looks like Aric will be recruiting the other Armors to help against Dead Hand. Looking forward to that.

Only gripe is the art was a little hit or miss this issue. But solid overall. Also, a typical VDitti XO book where there is a lack of dialogue for several pages at a time.

Where would he find the other armors?

[blujay]

Best issue of Dead Hand, so far it's shaping up to be a great arc. I liked how much content this issue contained (specifically the vine child subplot and the ending pages illustrating Aric's growth as a character) given that X-O seems to be the most "decompressed" series Valiant puts out (I read #32 in under five minutes). Given the connection to Armor Hunters, I wonder if we'll be seeing Quartz or Helix again anytime soon.

Also, Loam is located in the Alpha Centauri system? I'm surprised they didn't mention this earlier, they're a lot closer than I initially thought.

The only downside is that I have to wait another week for more Valiant, and a whole month for more X-O

[David_Cody]

I thought it was a pretty decent read. Thought it was a pretty quick read, though.

Keith,

Nice to see you can put "tnetennba" in a sentence.

[Sir Sandrick]

Really strong issue. Some great character building moments for Aric. Going to be very interesting where things go from here.

[Keith]

Keith,

Nice to see you can put "tnetennba" in a sentence.

Countdown Champion!

[Bone-A-Fach-ee]

This issue was fantastic! Despite what others are saying, to me it felt like quite a substantial read. Lots happened here.
Only gripe was the art at times. But what a well done issue.

[jmatt]

Wow, what a great issue. I really love the Space Opera stuff. Not only is this a good arc, but I love the entire direction of the title. X-O being the only book that can bring this element to the Valiant Universe (so far, Divinity on the horizon), I'm delighted that this is the direction they're going with it.

Enjoyed the touching moments as well. Amazing that the Vine have gone from being the villain to being Aric's ward.

Also liked Aric referencing the destruction of Loam as a funeral pyre, they need to keep playing up his past and his slightly anachronistic perspective. We need to keep up that 'man out of time' angle. And now we see some personal growth with his statement that he will not trade the lives of innocents of one culture to spare another.

Curious as to the 'army' he plans on bringing to bear. The other armors are as much a threat to Earth as is Dead Hand. Divinity seems like he could have the kind of power that could be useful, but it's unlikely the character will be developed enough and have finished his initial arc in time to be brought in.

[apainter]

Also, Loam is located in the Alpha Centauri system? I'm surprised they didn't mention this earlier, they're a lot closer than I initially thought.(

Yeah, I thought Alpha Centauri was a little too close to home to be harboring a starfaring race. We're starting to get a good look at what's actually there, so we may be able to detect any Loam-sized planets soon. (We've already spotted an Earth sized planet, but it's too close to Alpha Centauri B to be habitable.) Plus, they blew it up (but the "A" or "B" star?), although "we" won't know that for another 4 years and change. (Good news though: we know that Valiant Earth is still around in 4 plus years!)

As for how Aric would find other Armors, he'd probably start with Malgam and go from there. There may be a way for Armors to communicate with one another over vast distances, probably using a variation of "the collective/gatherings".

Did anyone else notice Aric didn't have the vine-speak speech bubbles when talking to the Vine? I missed seeing that.

Art

[jmatt]

Did anyone else notice Aric didn't have the vine-speak speech bubbles when talking to the Vine? I missed seeing that.

Art

Yeah, I caught that too. But it's a minor detail.

[David_Cody]

Keith,

Nice to see you can put "tnetennba" in a sentence.

Countdown Champion!

I -literally- have the t-shirt. Though no one has approached me on it. Must be too obscure, but those who know......

[David_Cody]

Keith,

Nice to see you can put "tnetennba" in a sentence.

Countdown Champion!

I -literally- have the t-shirt. Though no one has approached me on it. Must be too obscure, but those who know......

[dornwolf]

Him ditching Saana without saying goodbye was interesting (i realize that this was issue #34 but just read both issues just now). I think there might be some rocky times ahead for Aric and Saana

T

I still think his wife will be revealed to be alive, cloned, or some how reincarnated.

[jxm640]

Also, a typical VDitti XO book where there is a lack of dialogue for several pages at a time.

I personally like the minimal dialogue for a couple of pages. I would like to see a silent isssue of some Valiant book. To show off the artwork and visual storytelling that Valiant has a very good grip on.

[hunter_peterson]

Him ditching Saana without saying goodbye was interesting (i realize that this was issue #34 but just read both issues just now). I think there might be some rocky times ahead for Aric and Saana

T

I still think his wife will be revealed to be alive, cloned, or some how reincarnated.

Hmm. She could still be on a Vine ship somewhere out there, I suppose. Either that or Aric will meet up with her if he time travels at some point. It would have to be perfectly executed to not seem strange.

I think I might actually prefer a Doctor Mirage guest issue where he talks to her ghost and sets her to rest. It'd respect the character and not make the plot jump through hoops to bring her through time.

EDIT: Changed my mind; he should meet up with the Doctors Mirage to talk to his dead loved ones, only to find that Deirdre is not among the dead...

[Captain Craig]

Well, RIP Loam... The Vine have now gone all Battlestar Galactica on us.

Had that exact same thought.

Looks like Aric will be recruiting the other Armors to help against Dead Hand. Looking forward to that.

Since Armor Hunters and the revelation of multiple ones I've had a very Nova/GL Corps type idea in my head and if VEI would possibly go that route? It would be a totally cool route to go if for no other reason than the armors have been vilified by Control and this would be a redemption route.

I'm also very curious to see what and if it's addressed about how this impacts the Loam Spiritual Core.
They now know, thank to Aric telling the Priest, that the armor/Shanhara is not unique. How does that affect them? What does it do their belief? Will the Priest tell them if he suspects it shifts the thinking of the society?

[Phoenix8008]

And can Aric pass on the 'Cure' Shanhara received to stop being parasitical to the other armors?

[hunter_peterson]

And can Aric pass on the 'Cure' Shanhara received to stop being parasitical to the other armors?

I think he can... I forget, was it Livewire that fixed Malgam or was it Aric?

EDIT: It just occurred to me that the Livewire jail breaking of the armor essentially transformed the organism from a parasite into a symbiote. So XO now has Iron Venom powers.

[String]

V-ditti has fashioned another terrific X-O, full of action but I also loved his inclusion of some actual science here. From the time delay of this stellar fight being seen by telescopes on Earth four years hence to the difference of dayside/nightside of Loam affecting the survival rate of the Loam colony ships, it just heightens the drama of the action being unfurled.

Jeez, Dead Hand being able to produce that amount of devastation from a star, without destroying it, that's some power right there. How they repelled Aric was impressive as well, so I'm looking forward to the X-O Army's eventual assault.

But what about the environmental samples that DH collected? Are they planning to re-cultivate the worlds they destroyed after they ensure the armors' destruction? Or are they simply collecting evidence that these worlds and civilizations existed in the first place?

[jmatt]

It just occurred to me that the Livewire jail breaking of the armor essentially transformed the organism from a parasite into a symbiote.

Is that canon? I don't recall them ever explaining, specifically, why Shanhara is immune.

[hunter_peterson]

It just occurred to me that the Livewire jail breaking of the armor essentially transformed the organism from a parasite into a symbiote.

Is that canon? I don't recall them ever explaining, specifically, why Shanhara is immune.

They did. It was because Livewire turned the drive to consume the host off. It wasn't naturally like that- without her intervention the Armor Hunters were perfectly correct in their assumption that Aric would succumb to it. I think it happened in the Armor Hunters event itself.

Which kind of begs the question of how did other planets not have any technopaths capable of fixing the armors, especially given hat aliens such as Helix exist.

[bygranddesign]

It just occurred to me that the Livewire jail breaking of the armor essentially transformed the organism from a parasite into a symbiote.

Is that canon? I don't recall them ever explaining, specifically, why Shanhara is immune.

They did. It was because Livewire turned the drive to consume the host off. It wasn't naturally like that- without her intervention the Armor Hunters were perfectly correct in their assumption that Aric would succumb to it. I think it happened in the Armor Hunters event itself.

Which kind of begs the question of how did other planets not have any technopaths capable of fixing the armors, especially given hat aliens such as Helix exist.

This is going over old terrain .. but i'm not sure Shanhara/X-O was ever the threat that the Malgam armor virus was

1) If Shanhara was an all consuming threat - Why didn't shanhara destroy the Vine world? Someone used the Armor to wipe out the Torment. And then basically is went dormant for ages .. Just killing off the people that tried to use it ... until Aric took it over. Obviously it was being selective in finding a worthy host.

2) Aric has basically been in control since taking over the armor - It hasn't made him any more crazy than he already was. When Shanhara fixed his hand - it made it a human hand ..and not like the diseased monster Malgam became.

So I feel like there is a difference between Shanhara and the other armors ... I think Shanhara might be the original source armor ..and all of these other armors are just corrupted deviations/offspring of that armor. And perhaps Shanhara/X-O/Aric can bring all these other armors together and bring them under control.

[hunter_peterson]

It just occurred to me that the Livewire jail breaking of the armor essentially transformed the organism from a parasite into a symbiote.

Is that canon? I don't recall them ever explaining, specifically, why Shanhara is immune.

They did. It was because Livewire turned the drive to consume the host off. It wasn't naturally like that- without her intervention the Armor Hunters were perfectly correct in their assumption that Aric would succumb to it. I think it happened in the Armor Hunters event itself.

Which kind of begs the question of how did other planets not have any technopaths capable of fixing the armors, especially given hat aliens such as Helix exist.

This is going over old terrain .. but i'm not sure Shanhara/X-O was ever the threat that the Malgam armor virus was

1) If Shanhara was an all consuming threat - Why didn't shanhara destroy the Vine world? Someone used the Armor to wipe out the Torment. And then basically is went dormant for ages .. Just killing off the people that tried to use it ... until Aric took it over. Obviously it was being selective in finding a worthy host.

2) Aric has basically been in control since taking over the armor - It hasn't made him any more crazy than he already was. When Shanhara fixed his hand - it made it a human hand ..and not like the diseased monster Malgam became.

So I feel like there is a difference between Shanhara and the other armors ... I think Shanhara might be the original source armor ..and all of these other armors are just corrupted deviations/offspring of that armor. And perhaps Shanhara/X-O/Aric can bring all these other armors together and bring them under control.

It didn't destroy Loam because it was incompatible with their biology. It simply never was exposed to another species, because they worshipped it. Any human can use it. "Worth" seems to be only something the Vine ascribe to it. But of course, we haven't seen inside Shanhara's head, so maybe it does like Aric. But it's not the reason why it didn't do as nature demands of it... that was because there were no hosts for it.

That's actually untrue. It's been shown a bunch of times that while the exterior of Aric's body looks human, the regrown parts are organic metal. He's literally part armor now, even able to use a lightning sword summoned from his subcutaneous robot hand. EDIT: And Malgam was infected differently from an ordinary armor host, as the armor itself wasn't alive anymore. The other hybrids all look like standard XOs, with their changed body hidden underneath.

And he wasn't actually in control- it replaced parts without being asked and he behaved extremely recklessly until the armor was fixed. It's fairly heavily implied that Shanhara was influencing his behaviour to reproduce faster. Hence attacking a planet single-handed and invading Romania.

So yeah, I disagree- even if it IS the original armor, it hasn't been shown to work any differently from the others.