Comic Review: X-O Manowar #23

X-O Manowar #23

Valiant Entertainment

Writer: Matt Kindt

Artist: Tomas Giorello

Okay, I get it, I do; it can be hard to manage a “new jumping-on point”. Somehow, you as a writer have to find that sweet spot where you can bring new readers up to speed without alienating an older audience with what is, to them, needless exposition. X-O Manowar #23,though, fails to deliver. Which really sucks because I’ve grown to love X-O and all his Guyver-y, Visigoth-y mojo, due in no small part to Kindt’s current run.

This issue’s supposed to be a jumping-on point for a new arc, “HERO”, but the change in quality is just jarring. It’s made especially more striking because the series had been more or less consistently good before this, with the preceding arc, “AGENT”, standing out as a particular highlight for me. Kindt has sort of been Valiant’s superstar writer, alongside the likes of Jeff Lemire and Rafer Roberts, and for good reason. When it comes to properties like X-O, Ninjak, Unity, and the like, Kindt’s become one of Valiant’s go-to writers when they need to bang out a high-quality book in record time. This one, though, is a misstep.

What absolutely isn’t a misstep, though, is the art by Tomás Giorello. As much as I liked Juan Jose Ryp’s work on the “AGENT” arc, Giorello is more than welcome here. I was first introduced to his work through another Valiant series, Ninja-K; I was blown away then and I’m blown away now. From the bright scenes in deep space to his almost Fank Frazetta-esque of our main hero, it’s obvious Giorello’s work is perfect for a series like X-O.

The issue itself isn’t all bad by any means. We even get to see the return of two of Valiant’s better-looking villains: Raun and Hesnid, two alien bounty hunters who clashed with Aric (the titular X-O Manowar) only a few arcs prior. We’re treated to a sequence of them attacking a flock of alien robots, as well as a tease for a new character, but something isn’t quite right. Kindt has a habit of using decompressed storytelling for sequences like this, which can work to his benefit. Here, however, it makes simple actions take almost entire pages to complete, creating a sort of artificial shortness that just eats up the page count. It feels like we’ve only just finished when the scene shifts to more of the same, just with Aric doing what Aric does best: brood and exposit to himself.

And then it ends almost as soon as it started.

I know Kindt’s got more planned, I know there are still elements that have yet to be explored that will no doubt be elaborated on in coming issues, but you can’t have an issue of just setup. It ends up reading like you waited for a prelude to a much cooler story that’s coming out next month.