X-O MANOWAR #9 – Review

X-O MANOWAR #9, from Valiant Entertainment on December 15th, 2021, concludes the current arc with Troy’s nanite singularity taking over NYC, and soon… the world.

The Details

• Written By: Dennis Hopeless
• Art By: Emilio Laiso, Raffaele Forte
• Colors By: Ruth Redmond
• Letters By: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
• Cover Art By: Rahzzah
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: December 15, 2021

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Was It Good?

X-O MANOWAR #9 concludes the current run, wrapping up all the loose threads with a happy ending wrapped in a neat little bow. Whenever we reach the end of the arc, we take a look at the issue in isolation and the series as a whole.

In isolation, this concluding issue gets the job done in a sedate and familiar way. There aren’t any big set piece battles or mind-behind developments (read through to the next section for specifics) but the good guys win, the “family” is reunited, and the bad guys get what they deserve.

As far as reaching the destination, Hopeless gets there. Was the journey as satisfying as the destination? Not so much. You have to suspend more than a reasonable amount of disbelief when the battle commences, and the resolution around how the singularity is defeated borrows heavily from War Games (1983) without being a direct copy/paste. The echoes are there but it’s just far enough away to stand on it’s own. In short, there are familiar elements that are a little too familiar and action elements that strain credibility.

Looking back at the series as a while, it’s a mixed bag. The start of the series with the introduction of a Russian gangster terrorist bent on destroying Harlem was a more interesting premise than a comically unnecessary nanite singularity invented as a dupe. When you peel back the layers, everything about Troy Whittaker’s plan is simply a tech-based con for no purpose other than Troy’s megalomaniacal need to completely control every human on Earth. Again, it strains credibility for somebody to pull off a con that massive as a solo operation without anyone noticing.

That’s the crux of this issue and this series. Cool art and interesting ideas, but the story asks much too much for the audience to swallow without enough a foundation to make the plan make sense.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

To get the details on the penultimate issue, first read our X-O MANOWAR #8 review.

We begin with Troy readying a NYC-wide broadcast to spin the city’s takeover by the nanite singularity as an “absolute win” while Aric is bound and helpless inside the nanite stronghold (for the sake of the review, assume everyone and everything in this issue is inside, surrounded by, connected to, or a part of the nanite crystal ooze thingy). Troy’s spin rests on convincing the public that Aric went rogue and attacked the benign singularity. Rather than respond with destructive force, the singularity offered to take control of humanity as a gift of peace and order.

As Troy begins his broadcast, Desmond and his family attack the nanite “guards” to disrupt the broadcast. The attack is fruitless but it serves as enough of a distraction for Shanhara to connect with the singularity and convince it to stop helping Troy. Eventually, the singularity concludes that diversity of thought is innate to humanity and the resulting chaos, while natural, is distasteful. Control is futile, much like attempting to win a game of Tic-Tac-Toe.

We conclude the issue with Troy getting interrogated by his own creation, a departure for a better life among the stars, and Shanhara giving Aric one last lecture about his odds of success.

Final Thoughts

X-O MANOWAR #9 wraps up the current arc in a neat little bow, borrowing resolutions from classic sci-fi. The art is solid in this issue (and for the whole arc), but the story makes big things happen in a villainous plan motivated by no other than reason than “because he wants to do it”. Ultimately, the story strains credibility more than this reviewer can accept, resulting in an arc that ends cleanly but doesn’t satisfy.

Score: 6.5/10

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