Superheroes are constantly reinventing themselves, both in fiction and out. The long shelf-life of comic characters ensures that, if readers are missing their favorite character, they only have to wait so long before a new creative team is brought on to revamp a classic character. It's with this spirit that Valiant Comics has made their triumphant return, and it's only logical that they would start by relaunching their first breakout character, X-O Manowar. After a few delays, he has finally returned and in X-O Manowar #4 the character has never been better.
A strength of the relaunch is how friendly it is to new readers. For those unfamiliar, X-O Manowar is a fifth-century Visigoth named Aric who was abducted by aliens and forced into slavery. After leading a revolt, he steals his captor's most precious artifact, the sentient X-O Manowar armor. Together with the armor Shanhara, Aric finds himself trapped in the present where he defends the world. In his latest adventure by writer Dennis Hopeless and artist Emilio Laiso, Aric is confronted by a villain who is setting a trap for Aric in his new home of Harlem. Fortunately for Harlem, Aric is much smarter and far more resourceful than his enemies assume. Unfortunately for Aric, this new threat will go to any lengths to destroy X-O's reputation.
Much like the action-packed Shadowman relaunch, this issue is filled with interesting set pieces that both entertain and inform readers about the characters. How Aric handles the terrorists taking over Harlem reveals that this man out of time is no brute. Instead of showing rage when the villains take his adopted family hostage, Aric is cool and collected, not lashing out, but instead trying to make the terrorists look like total buffoons. It's a fun sequence that shows why X-O is Valiant's superstar.
The art is what sells it. Laiso has a talent for drawing faces and action. All of the characters' emotions are clearly readable and every action scene is easy to follow. It's with Laiso's artwork that the issue really transforms into something remarkable. The otherworldly and utterly alien scenes which end the book are dazzling and haunting at the same time. Readers feel Aric's desperation as the enormity of what he faces threatens to crush him. If this comic had no dialogue at all, every story beat would still be entirely understandable.
Of course, none of that is to suggest that readers would want to remove the dialogue. The writing here is sharp. The characters all have a distinct voice, ranging from Aric's calm authority to Shanhara's quiet reservation. All of it comes together to form something special. Due to the pandemic, readers have had to wait for X-O Manowar's return, but this proves that the wait was worth it. All of Valiant's relaunch has been strong, but X-O Manowar #4 isn't just strong, it's sequential storytelling at its finest.
Look for X-O Manowar #4 when it releases on January 27th.