Even as a fan of the wider Valiant universe, I admit I came into Unconquered as a relative newbie to the lore of X-O Manowar. But considering the strength of the company’s books over the last few years, I relished the opportunity to fill this gap in my knowledge. Through comics like the more recent volumes of Shadowman and Ninjak, I’ve come to greatly appreciate the rich tapestry of Valiant, as well as the company’s willingness to reinvent and reinvigorate its characters for a modern audience. Here, the title character is presented as almost a universal absolute, an eternal hero who will always show up when he’s needed. There’s a cosmic importance to his every move.
But because of that status, Aric has seemingly become jaded. He might have a bit of a death wish, but he wants to do one more great thing. That’s a hell of a note to start a book with, and it immediately makes this story compelling, even as it drops readers into the deep end of a cosmic struggle in progress.
Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad’s script immediately launches into a story about a hero on the edge, and although the book doesn’t get too deep into Aric’s backstory and motivation, it does go a long way toward showing us his frame of mind. We learn some important bits of character background during Aric’s continued conversations with his armor, Shanhara, and the dialogue between the pair is one of the highlights of the debut issue. There’s a cynical quality to this tortured hero, albeit one that still feels strangely admirable. Here is a man who can’t help but continue to do the right thing until it ends him. Aric does not fear death itself, only the idea of an ignoble one.
And then Liam Sharp’s art takes these classical and heady concepts and turns them into something downright biblical. Every aspect of this book grants the character greater cosmic purpose. There’s a massive sense of scale here, which is brought to blistering life in the way that only Liam Sharp’s artwork can convey. The book quite literally begins in a time consumed by flame, then takes us to the present day to see our hero rocketing towards a comet on a suicide course. The spread that shows us the heavenly body Aric is about to intercept feels so impossibly giant that it filled me with dread just looking at it.
Much like he does with his Starhenge series, Sharp imbues each page with a sense of cosmic importance, reminding the readers that we can only see so little of the universe at once. The visuals of the book appear to be shrouded in the mists of time, just as much as Aric himself. When the book shows us the seer’s visions, they appear to surface through a fog of recollection, coming just enough into view that we can understand what’s transpired, even as the exquisite character acting shows us that they’re struggling with the truth.
The ultimate result is something that feels exciting and new for Valiant. The book offers little in the way of exposition, but fills in just enough gaps to get things moving and hook the reader. Even those like myself who are brand new to X-O Manowar will no doubt find themselves impressed by the title character’s determination and fatalistic attitude, which fascinatingly work in concert with one another.
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