X-O Manowar Annual #1

Artist: J.G. Jones, Pere Perez, Mike McKone, Adam Gorham, Roberto De La Torre Read Full Review

With the main series ending in a couple of months at issue #50, this isn't the best introduction to the character, but it does contain a very good story, and there's also some pretty interesting pieces of theValiant puzzle revealed here as well. Read Full Review

The writing is strong and the art is very good, so this is definitely a strong entry in the annals of modern annuals - but it's still not up to the classic version. Read Full Review

Overall, X-O Manowar Annual 2016 #1 is worth the read for all the little things we get to explore from all corners of the X-O Manowar's world. The very thing that give us more insight to things overlooked, or things that have a lot more relevance that you probably aren't seeing from the main title. Read Full Review

The X-O Manowar Annual 2016 #1 should be on your short list this week. Solid, entertaining, and well-executed, this annual is a good expansion upon the X-O lore. Read Full Review

Overall, this annual does everything a good annual should. Read Full Review

Venditti and Roberto de la Torre wrap up the issue with the picturesque "The Torment," an agreeable pseudo-origin of the Vine and the sentient Shanhara armor, but the four-page story is largely a setup for the upcoming arc in the main series. Nonetheless, "X-O Manowar Annual 2016" #1 delivers a beautiful full-length story plus some nice bonuses; it's a shame that such a comic only comes around once a year. Read Full Review

I definitely recommend this annual to be added to your pull-list on May 19th, especially if you have never read X-O Manowar or have been out of the loop for some time. This is a great jumping off point, so jump in and enjoy! Read Full Review

Gizmo

May 23, 2016

-- PROLOGUE // THE ORIGIN OF X-O MANOWAR: A one-page recap, works well for it's purpose, I think it recycles the original interior art. -- CHAPTER ONE // HERITAGE: Gorgeous artwork Pere Perez supports this emotional story. The occasional boyhood story for Aric is welcome, it strengthens the foundation of Aric's character. -- CHAPTER TWO // THE PRISONER: A story surrounding Jamie Capshaw, she doesn't get much character exploration in X-O, so this is welcome. It's a creepy story and well executed. -- CHAPTER THREE // TAKING A MEETING: A little humorous, but humanizes the vine hybrids in a way that hasn't been flushed out yet, but keeps them evil at the same time. -- EPILOGUE // THE TORMENT: A short tease for this The Torment, some big dark b ad dudes from Vine scripture. It's not much, just enough to get me curious about X-O #47. -- OVERALL: This is all supplementary material, I'd recommend it for new readers or if you don't want any holes in your collection. If you're watching you checkbook, you're okay to skip this, you're not missing anything essential. more