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Valiant Teases First Year of X-O Manowar With New Art From Giorello, Braithwaite & Crain For ComicsPRO

Published Wed, 15 Feb 2017 10:30:45 -0600

Last updated Wed, 15 Feb 2017 10:37:28 -0600

The annual ComicsPRO conference is kicking off today in Memphis, TN, and, over at IGN, Valiant has begun rolling out the first of what I'm told are multiple announcements for the week.

First up, an early look at the next year's worth of artwork from the upcoming X-O Manowar series by Matt Kindt and a rotating cast of five artists across the first 13 issues. Beyond the first issue alone, the publisher has taken the unusual step of showing artwork from the first, second, and third arcs at once… As Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani puts it:

"When Matt turned in his first year's worth of scripts several months ago, we realized we had an opportunity: Why not give as many of our some biggest and best artists the chance to jump in and tackle the biggest Valiant series of the year? Meanwhile, Matt's idea for three-issue arcs is going to provide a sense of momentum that's rare in the era of decompressed comics – this series really does move like a juggernaut and every three months fans are going to find a new jumping-on point waiting for them on shelves."

The showcase begins with new artwork from April's X-O Manowar (2017) #2 by new Valiant exclusive signee Tomas Giorello (Conan, 4001 A.D.: War Mother):

…Then continues with the first look at June's X-O Manowar (2017) #4 – the first issue of the "General" story arc – by longtime Valiant mainstay Doug Braithwaite (Armor Hunters) with pages that also feature an appearance by none other than Divinity and Ninjak, from Kindt's other Valiant series…

…And wraps up with the first glimpse at series interiors by Clayton Crain (Rai, Carnage) from September's X-O Manowar (2017) #7 – the first issue of the "Emperor" story arc:

According to IGN, the new X-O Manowar will be Valiant's first truly cosmic in scope series with Kindt, honoring what came before, while reframing the character as "a lone human, bonded to an alien weapon, forced to fight on a hostile yet exotic extraterrestrial world."

Want to read the first issue a month before its release? Valiant will be distributing advance black-and-white copies to ComicsPRO throughout the weekend… So ask your local retailer if they're bringing any home, along with sundry shot glasses, promo materials, and, oh yeah, Valiant's "signature item," retailer-exclusive, powder-coated X-O Manowar rings.

X-O Manowar (2017) #1 by Matt Kindt and Tomas Giorello will arrive on March 22nd from Valiant.

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