If ever there was a reason to feel sorry for the Visigoths, “X-O Manowar #3” sure does a good job of doing just that. It takes a comic with a an interesting concept- a warrior from the Classical Era, and put him into a scifi powered suit- and makes it generic.
The comic begins right where the last issue left off: Aric and his men escaped from their cell and are wreaking havoc on the alien ship. They bust into the room where the alien’s sacred armor called “Shanhara†is kept, Aric puts it on and he becomes the only being in the universe that the armor does not completely reject. With the armor on, and Aric looking like Mega Man, having the ability to understand the aliens and his arm being regenerated, they make their escape.
As stated above, Aric looks like a grown up version of Mega Man- it is just silly. To top it off, he is just way too damn powerful in it. The aliens throw bombs at him and there’s no scratch on him. The story is starting to look a “chosen one†story that’s been done a thousand times. Unless Venditti has something else in mind, that’s what the direction the story looks like it’s heading.
Now where to begin with the ending to the issue. Once again, it’s one of those over-used tropes that’s been done to death.
At least the art still holds up to the same high standard as the previous two issues. The character designs still look good, the use of colors are still brilliant even the explosions in the fight scenes and all the little nuances in the background and the characters have are nicely executed.
“X-O Manowar†started off with a great story, but now it seems like the plot is going into familiar and unwanted territory. Not to mention Aric looking like a grownup Mega Man isn’t helping matters much. Venditti needs to save this series because it looks like it’s slipping into generic and forgettable territory.
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