X-O Manowar: Valiant 25th Anniversary Special #1
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The good
Great character development for Shanhara. Detailed and intriguing history. Want to know more about Shanhara now
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The bad
Almost nothing about internal transformation to Shanhara
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The ugly
- Total score
X-O Manowar: Valiant 25th Anniversary Special #1 reveals the origin of Shanhara, Aric’s unstoppable armor and how the Vine came into possession of it. It opens up with a young girl named Shanhara and her father fleeing the planet Genin as it falls to destruction. He tells her that where he’s taking her no one will be able to find her before putting her in cryogenic sleep on their spaceship. She awakes decades later to discover that her father didn’t sleep, and as a result he kept aging. He says that he did it so he could continue to work on solving the problem. He created the armors to be a perfect combination of machine and plant in order to help people suffering from the bone plague, and she was one of them. However the armors eventually evolved and became conscious, and started taking over the bodies of those infused with it creating a new species. He never intended for the destruction that would eventually follow but he has the solution to protect her. He found a primitive planet, Loam, where the species have a hive mind so no armor could ever bond with them and she’ll be able to live in place. But he tells her that she has to surrender to the process she’s going through or else her mind will break, and if she embraces it her consciousness will live on forever in it. He dies before they arrive, and when she lives the spaceship she does what he stated, and as a result she evolves become a new species and one with the armor. Her father may have just intended to protect his daughter but this would be the start of a long process resulting in one of the greatest heroes ever: X-O Manowar.
Recent developments in the X-O Manowar series made me really interested in the history of Shanhara based on Aric’s growing bond with his armor. So I felt pretty excited to see Shanhara and her father at the beginning of this issue with the explanation that not only was he the creator but there were other armors. So much was covered in this opening sequence about the armors that shed light on even the Armor Hunters event while explaining what made Shanhara unique in terms of embracing the transformation and not having a shattered psyche. So in one fell swoop an engrossing mythos was created opening the door to so many possibilities through a touching story. I don’t know how character development stories rank for a hero’s armor or accessories but this issue made it completely clear that Shanhara was far more than just a suit of armor but an intriguing character. Robert Venditti also did an excellent job in detailing the history between Shanhara arriving on Loam and the Vine’s subsequent worship of the armor. Everything in this issue wasn’t new to me but the perspective was new and this story was very engrossing. And there was still plenty of action in it too. And despite being mostly backstory, this issue made me very excited for what’s ahead for Aric and Shanhara.
SUMMARY
X-O Manowar: Valiant 25th Anniversary Special #1 is an engrossing issue that does an excellent job with Shanhara’s character development making the armor more intriguing with a touching story. The history of Shanhara’s transformation as well as the Vine’s subsequent worship is detailed in an entertaining way that sheds light on the Vine’s behavior and Aric being chosen. I’ve been enjoying X-O Manowar and looking forward to every issue, and now I’m even more excited about what lies ahead for Aric and his unique armor, Shanhara.
Release Date: 6/10/15
Writer: Robert Venditti
Artist: CAFU
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