Problems abound for Aric of Dacia. The Vine loyal to Commander Trill is attempting an inter-species war while simultaneously getting rid of X-O Manowar. In the end neither will work, but the damage that will be caused by all these machinations leads to great drama.
That being said Aric is tired and fed up. And while he’s dealing with Trill’s underlings everything he’s been building is being destroyed. The thing is what is he supposed to do? Every time one part of this overarching plot unravels, another knot takes its place. The man in that special armor just doesn’t know what’s going on. And in the Valiant Universe knowledge is everything. What’s even more disconcerting is the by any means necessary behavior of the Vine. They should take a page from the children in the previous issue. There seemed to be a sense of hope. Two different species able to get along despite their history. In this chapter Robert Venditti seems to purposely leave the children out signifying no optimism for any future of a prosperous New Visigoth.
The 45th installment of X-O Manowar leads to even more questions. One gets the sense that Aric will have to leave his responsibilities behind for a greater role in defeating a larger threat than the Vine. Although he’s one to give authority the middle finger Aric may be called upon to help defeat Toyo Harada. His power as seen in the “Imperium†series is going unchecked. And as skilled and capable as Amanda McKee is ultimately she will fail. Her personal relationship with Harada will be her downfall. Also consider the disappearance of Eternal Warrior and the self-exile of Bloodshot. Not to mention Archer and Armstrong being trapped in Armstrong’s man-purse.
Even though this world needs a team don’t hold your breath. They would be more likely to kill each other than defeat an opponent. Each of the characters have had their own dysfunctional pasts and distrust abounds. Barely able to be in a team-up situation Aric and Ninjak are struggling to get Trill and stop a potential war. Essentially, as complex as these characters are they are reduced to pettiness and mistrust. That just can’t work.
In the end, the journey is the most important thing. And as arduous as Aric’s journey is he will be successful – or not. Nothing in this universe is promised, major characters, as beloved as they may be can still be killed off. It makes for suspenseful reading and Venditti has no problem exploiting that.
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