X-O Manowar #42 has Aric dealing with the aftermath of the assassination attempt on the High Priest and the resulting skirmish between the warring sides. This is exactly what Commander Trill wanted when he ordered the planting to attack. And even though the Colonel knows that there are plantings intent on causing chaos she has no choice but to put the fleet into attack mode in order to counter the Vine ships attacking from every direction. The Vine don’t know that there are plantings among the humans when their ships start attacking and all they know is that the High Priest is dying and they want revenge. Meanwhile Aric and Sanaa are trying to save the High Priest and seem to be the only ones attempting to do so. Aric isn’t sure what he should do considering how the Vine view him as the Chosen One and he’s second in command to the Colonel so humanity views him as its protector. The only suggestion Sanaa can give Aric is for him to use the armor to enter into the Vine’s mindspace and hopefully he can communicate with the High Priest before he expires. But what advice can he give Aric at this stage? And how can Aric stop a war between these two civilizations?

I was glad to see the Colonel keeping in mind that there could be plantings in the mix because that reflected the nuance that this complicated situation needed. But clearly this issue was action-oriented and the various ships attacking wasn’t disappointing. If you enjoy ship combat then you’ll like the action here. A personal touch was lacking in the sense that the impact on each side was only seen in terms of the destruction to these ships in this full-scale battle. So this issue didn’t get deep into the psychological impact on the Vine and it seemed weird they didn’t even attempt to tend to the High Priest and check his status.

That task was left to Aric and Sanaa, and reflecting on everything taking place was left to Aric too. I enjoyed how Aric was able to enter into the Vine’s mindspace not so much because of the conversation that he would have with the High Priest but because of the future implications of that. Aric’s need to communicate with the High Priest based on his doubt about what he should do next was a decent touch simply for the fact it added more gravitas to the current conflict. And it was also a perfect setup for Aric’s actions because as soon as I started to feel that this issue was slowing down I was energized due to what unfolded. And I admit, that was a pretty cool moment.

SUMMARY

X-O Manowar #42 is a solid issue filled with action and interesting developments that result in a satisfying conclusion to this story arc. It’s been a slow build up to the conflict between the Vine and G.A.T.E. but it’s an enjoyable battle while it lasts. Aric’s ability to enter the Vine’s mindspace is an exciting development and I can’t wait to see how this impacts the hunt for the plantings and inevitable confrontation with Commander Trill. This issue doesn’t explore the deeper ramifications of the Vine living on Earth but I assume that will be done in the next story arc. I’m just glad about this exciting new chapter in X-O Manowar.

Release Date: 11/25/15

Writer: Robert Venditti

Artist: Rafa Sandoval