X-O MANOWAR: UNCONQUERED #2, from Valiant Entertainment on 4/19/23, finds Aric getting to know his “New Roman” captors while they scheme to take Shanhara for themselves as the ultimate weapon of conquest.
The Details
- Written by: Becky Conrad, Michael Cloonan
- Art by: Liam Sharp
- Colors by: Liam Sharp
- Letters by: Troy Peteri
- Cover art by: Liam Sharp (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: April 19, 2023
Is It Good?
X-O MANOWAR: UNCONQUERED #2 is a plodding, tedious example of a creative team overwriting the Hell out of a very simple story. There’s a seed of a good idea within the bloat, but the execution is so heavy-handed and just plain heavy, you feel like you’re reading a story while trudging through quickly setting concrete. If not for Liam Sharp’s jaw-dropping art, this issue would be a hard pass.
When last we left Aric and Shanhara, the badly damaged pair flew off to meet their attackers head-on. Now, despite putting up a good fight, Aric and Shanhara are captured and physically separated by their captors – an army of Roman soldiers who escaped the Vine and thrived into a formidable force soon after Aric’s escape years ago.
Yes, there is a seed of a good idea in there. Instead of Aric facing off against a generic alien threat or the Vine (again), this time, he faces off against his original Earth enemies in a completely updated context. Tying Aric’s past to the present adds an interesting twist to his history, and evolving an old enemy into a new threat creates an added layer of emotional conflict for Aric.
The idea behind the premise isn’t the problem. It’s in the execution where this issue falters. The dialog and narration are a slow, ponderous chore to get through. Every dialog exchange reads like a grandiose speech. Every thought comes across like a deep treatise on the meaning of life. If this issue was a stage play, you would accuse the players of overacting.
Still, a good portion of readers will come to this issue for Liam Sharp’s art. How is it? Mesmerizing. You can’t fault Valiant for tapping Sharp to turn in some of the best work of his career, and he delivers. Almost every panel in this issue is a wall-worthy painting. Admittedly, the richness in the painting style leaves some of the panels a little too dark, but the collection, on the whole, is a masterpiece.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our X-O MANOWAR: UNCONQUERED #1 review to find out how Aric wound up stranded, far from Earth.
We begin with a damaged X-O Manowar flying off to meet his attackers head-on. Despite his best efforts, neither Aric nor Shanhara is intact enough to ward off a missile attack, so they get captured. Aric regains consciousness later to find he’s aboard the Novus Romanus ship and physically separated from Shanhara.
During a meal at the invitation of his captors, Aric learns his host, General Cadmus, leads a Roman army who escaped the Vine years ago, shortly after Aric’s departure. The army accumulated ships and weapons over time to become a self-sustaining force, and now they want Shanhara.
We conclude the issue with threats, visions, and a warrior’s challenge.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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X-O MANOWAR: UNCONQUERED #2 is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous comic about Aric facing off against an old enemy who turned into a new enemy. However, gorgeous art is weighed down by abysmal pacing and ponderous dialog that drags the reading experience to a crawl.
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