X-O MANOWAR #8 (VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT)

Welcome back for another edition of Parlay Points, The complementary blog to the ODPH Podcast. For this edition, we’re continuing the saga of Aric of Dacia aka X-O Manowar! The latest run by DENNIS HOPELESS
& EMILIO LAISO for Valiant Entertainment has been a fun tale with Aric having issues with his armor, Shanhara. The simple problem has spiraled into a well crafted tale where the fate of the world looks to hang in the balance. Let’s see where the latest saga goes from here, shall we?

X-O MANOWAR #8
Written by DENNIS HOPELESS
Art by EMILIO LAISO AND JIM TOWE
Colors by RUTH REDMOND
Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU
Cover A by RAHZZAH
Cover B by CHRISTIAN DUCE
Pre-order Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
**On sale NOVEMBER 17th | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+**
**Credit: Valiant Entertainment**

*** POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING ***

The issue picks right up where last issue’s reveal of the true intentions of Troy Whitaker, Aric’s “ally” have now come to light. The Singularity have now made their move & it’s up to a freed Shanhara to try stopping them. The majority of this issue is told thru her eyes. Shanhara details what had been going on since she was tricked by Troy to eliminate her from discovering his plans. The rest of the issue is following Desmond Morris, who is carrying Shanhara in an orb trying to locate Aric, who was overwhelmed by the Singularity last issue. How they end this issue is a solid cliffhanger that should close this story out well. Get Ready!

Hopeless does an excellent job in fleshing out Shanhara’s story. Hearing her side of recent events gave this story a fresh take. It also gave Whitaker’s story a bit more seriousness in how detailed his plan was & how, if it comes to pass, will be. Desmond getting the “outsider looking in” role helped with establishing how dire the situation became.

Laiso & Towe split the art duties for this issue & each had great storytelling this issue. Both Desmond & Shanhara’s tales had a unique feel to them that all built up for that final page. It definitely will have readers excited for the finale of this story.

Overall, X-O Manowar #8 delivers on lighting a match that will set off a big finale for the latest adventure of Aric of Dacia. The last page will have you counting down the days till the conclusion issue drops. What a story being told in these pages. Make sure to grab a copy at your LCS!

Let me know on Twitter what you thought of X-O Manowar #8. As always, thanks for reading!

Ken M