Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the complementary blog to the ODPH podcast. For this edition, we’re at the conclusion of the latest adventures of Aric of Dacia! That’s right, we’re checking out X-O Manowar #9 by DENNIS HOPELESS & EMILIO LAISO for Valiant Entertainment. This current arc has been a great read thus far, challenging our hero to deal with a disconnect from his sentient armor Shanhara. Without his armor working properly, Aric has been struggling to deal with the threat known as the Singualrity & we have now found out who’s behind his troubles and what this means for the world in general! Let’s not waste any more time and jump into this issue, shall we?

By the way, look at all the fantastic covers for this issue!

**X-O MANOWAR #9**
Written by DENNIS HOPELESS
Art by **EMILIO LAISO**
Colors by RUTH REDMOND
Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU
Cover A by RAHZZAH
Cover B by **MICHAEL CHO**
Pre-order Cover by **TYLER KIRKHAM & ARIF PRIANTO**
**On sale DECEMBER 15th | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+**
**Credit: Valiant Entertainment**

*** POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING ***

This issue picks up with Troy Whittaker, a tech guru and public relations friend, is about to achieve his plan of world conquering starting with New York City. The tale he weaves to the public is not the true reflection of past issue’s events. The Singualrity are assisting with this but haven’t realized they’re pawns apart of this scheme. When the people of NYC don’t comply to this “new order”, Whittaker lashes out.

Freed from his imprisonment by some allies, Aric makes one last attempt to stop Whittaker. Meanwhile, Shanhara (thought erased from existence) deals with the Singualrity about what is really going on. From here, readers are treated to a solid resolution. It wasn’t what I had expected but I definitely enjoyed the conclusion of this arc.

Hopeless closes out this arc in a very imaginative way. When we think of X-O Manowar, we think big action & how the barbarian from another time utilizes his futuristic armor to solve the conflicts. Hopeless presented Aric in a new light during this story. What happens when you take the man from the armor? Is the armor the hero or is he really one? The back & forth between Aric & Shanhara answered that. Creative story telling really drove this point home. Considering the teaser for the next arc, Readers shouldn’t expect the calm ending to last very long.

Laiso’s art delivered solid moments during this issue. His depiction of Whittaker in his armor really stood out. However, the strongest visual moments were when Troy & the Singularity brought down New York City. Readers had a full comprehension of what Whittaker was capable of doing & how important it was for Aric to win. It was a solid compliment to what was the overall story arc for this run.

Overall, the latest adventure of Aric of Dacia delivers on a strong conclusion with creative storytelling & solid visuals. It’s a no brainer to grab X-O Manowar #9 next time you head over to your LCS. 2022 is gonna be the Year of Valiant for a reason. Look no further than this issue as a reason why.

Let me know what you thought on Twitter. As always, thanks for reading!

X-O MANOWAR #9 (VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT)

Ken M