Comics are awesome.
We pick up when they arrive back on Earth, where Aric of Dacia, the aforementioned prince-turned-King, has returned to Earth with the majority of his people. Essentially, this mini-arc beginning with this issue paves the way for Unity, which I've gone into detail already regarding their first contact with Aric. It also begins the return of the Visigoths back into regular society, and while this issue doesn't show their interaction with the world at large, or themselves on Earth, it does show some early intrigue about their re-arrival.
Still, the big selling point of this issue is the arrival of Gilad, aka the Eternal Warrior. He was also shown in Unity, and would be their leader throughout their twenty-five issue run. At the point of this comic's release, he did not have his own rebooted book in this Valiant universe, but did have appearances in Archer & Armstrong, I believe, so he was somewhat familiar to those reading Valiant at the time. Even if not, this is a pretty strong introduction for him as we see his immortality on display as well as sage-like wisdom. Gilad's arrival also allows for us to see that the Valiant universe is on the cusp of war.
We get to see Military Extraterrestrial Recon Outpost (M.E.R.O.) for the first time in X-O Manowar, and Colonel Capshaw is showing off her charming attitude of "if he wants to play, we'll play hard," leaving an implication that she had something to do with Gilad arriving to Aric. It is reasonable to think that Gilad would show up to Aric at a time such as this, but the timing with M.E.R.O. is too perfect, and given what we would see later with Gilad, it makes sense with his character.
The comic seems to carry three different big themes with it, and balances them all very well: the burden of leadership, the fear of a new home, and the issue of refugees.
The motif of leadership is shown symbolically as Aric looks around the museum and sees familiar gear from his time, and begins to feel the weight of what he needs to do. He has to find a home for his people, as it is his responsibility as the King. It's interesting to see how he thinks, and the comic manages to rationalize him for the reader, even though there is an undertone that he is willing to use his powerful alien armor on Earthlings to get what, he feels, his people deserve.
One of the best parts about Valiant Entertainment is how inviting they are. In all of their comics that I've read, they always open their first page with a detailed summary of what has been going on with the character before, introducing a new reader rather easily. This comic is not an exception, and this was actually the first issue of X-O Manowar that I ever read, and I felt I jumped on very easily. Immediately, I was hooked on Aric and the Visigoth's situation, and understood the burden on his shoulder. Without that introduction, I would have been slightly more confused. Had they never been to Earth, had Aric only just found these people, why wasn't he with them before? All these were already answered so I could just enjoy the book. Not to mention that each arc tells a near-complete story so that loose ends don't have to be constantly brought up in a confusing fashion. Things like this are what make Valiant, in my mind, a viable competitor in quality to Marvel in DC.
Back to the comic itself, the fear of a new home is shown in the people. It doesn't stick around too long as the book becomes a personal debate between Gilad and Aric, though you could argue that it is also evident in their discussion. The Visigoths, having just been tortured and abused by the alien overlord Vine, are worried about their return to Earth. When they finally reach the Earth's orbit, the remains of a destroyed Visigoth ship are there and many of the denizens get worried. When they arrive on Earth, they are hesitant to touch down.
Imagine being away from your home and coming back after several decades. Imagine how different it would be, and how awkward it is at first to return. Robert Venditti, does a great job displaying how worrisome the Visigoths returning home is for them. Here, though, Aric shows great leadership. He is strong, confident in the face of these odds. Yes, we the readers know that the only path here will lead to war, but it's still a great character moment for Aric to try and warm up to his people about Earth when they touch down.
The most intriguing theme I found in the comic was about refugees. Given where we are in the world now, it almost feels as if the comic were ahead of its time. What are we meant to do with an entire nation of people when they come home? Where do we put them, how do we acclimate them? Or do we not bother with them at all and let them just fester until they make a problem? Obviously this is a very hot topic, but I urge you to go out and seek this comic to see how Gilad approaches the problem. You certainly feel for the Visigoths who do deserve a home, but you also understand Gilad, who knows the hot state of the Earth in modern times, particularly in Eastern Europe where they have landed.
Lee Garbett handles the art for this issue, and does a pretty good job of it. He seems to be only able to draw faces of intensity, as the panels that stood out to me were of people being very serious or look coldly at someone else. As always, the Manowar looks very alien in design, but Gilad isn't wearing as much armor as he would later so it's a little off-putting for me looking back, but as a first time seeing him he still looks powerful as ever.
If this is the first Valiant comic you ever read, you're in good hands. If this isn't, you're still in good hands, perhaps even better. It might've seemed odd at the time for Valiant to start with this particular character, but given the depth required to understand him and get him going, it turned out to be a smart decision. Many other characters would come in and out of these books, like ya boy Colin King for a small arc,
The characters and their situations here are interesting and grip the reader very quickly, and the art is serviceable for the story. It leaves off on a good cliffhanger promising a fight (that the cover also teases but never follows through on for the most part), and hey, my issue also came with a pretty funny side-story about H.A.R.D. Corps trying to find their new leader. Definitely check this comic out if you're interested in looking at a story that is actually pretty relevant to where we are in the world now, or if you're looking to get into a new, great universe of heroes.
Next time, we re-enter the Marvel universe for one of New York's darkest chapters and we see how it affects the craziest of them all in Shadowland: Moon Knight #1. See you then!
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