X-O Manowar Vol 3 1

We will escape. And we will crush the Roman Empire, brick by brick. Finally they will know how it feels to be outmatched. Starting with the bastard who put my wife in chains.

-- Aric of Dacia

Solicitation[]

The all-new Valiant Universe kicks off with a landmark, oversized # 1 issue of X-O Manowar by New York Times-bestselling author Robert Venditti (The Surrogates, The Homeland Directive) and Eisner Award-winning artist Cary Nord (Conan)! Born into battle, Aric of Dacia — heir to the throne of the Visigoth people — has never known peace. After a brutal encounter with a mysterious enemy known as The Vine leaves him a prisoner on an alien world, the only hope Aric has of returning to his family and saving them from slavery is to seize a weapon of incalculable destruction and become X-O Manowar!

Blades and Open Fields[]

Appearances[]

Featured Characters:

Aric of Dacia (First appearance)

Supporting Characters:

Gafti (First appearance)
King Alaric (First appearance)
Rolf (Only appearance; dies)

Villains:

Roman Empire
- General Stilicho (Behind the scenes)
The Vine (First appearance)
- Commander Pith (Only appearance; dies)
- Commander Trill (First appearance)

Other Characters:

Vine High Priest (First appearance)
Vine Plantings (First appearance)
- Avagis (First appearance)
Visigoths
- Avagis (Single appearance)
  - Avagis unnamed mother (First appearance)
- Deidre (Aric's wife; mentioned only)
- Inga (Aric's mother; mentioned only)
- Unnamed scarred warrior (saying "Yes, my king.") (First appearance) (Cameo)

Locations:

402 AD
- Northern Italy
  - Battle of Pollentia
- Earth
  - Earth's Orbit
Space
- Unnamed planet

Items:

Aquilae (of the Roman legions)
Rolf's Sword
X-O Manowar Armor
- Shanhara (First appearance)
X-O Wolf Armor (First appearance)

Vehicles:

Vine Colony Ship
Vine Transport Vehicle

Credits[]

Writers: Robert Venditti
Pencilers: Cary Nord
Inkers: Stefano Gaudiano
Colorists: Moose Baumann
Letterers: Dave Lanphear
Designer: Rian Hughes (logos & index page)
Cover Artists: Esad Ribic (Regular / Gold / ODD), Cary Nord, Stefano Gaudiano & Ian Hannin (Pullbox), David Aja (1:20 / ODD), Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic (1:50), Arturo Lozzi (2nd / 4th), Cary Nord (3rd / ODD), Blank Cover
Editors: Warren Simons, Josh Johns (assistant)
Editor-in-Chief: Warren Simons

Synopsis[]

This article does not have a synopsis recorded yet.

Notes[]

This is Valiant Entertainment's first ongoing series since acquiring the rights of Valiant Comics.
The First Printing sold approximately 45.000 copies.^[1]
The battle in the beginning of this issue is a real historical event, the Battle of Pollentia.
The scarred Visigoth warrior is meant to be Gilad the Eternal Warrior. This cameo has been confirmed by Valiant CEO Dinesh Shamdasani^[2] and stated in various Valiant Universe Handbook.
This issue is reprinted in the collected edition X-O Manowar: By the Sword. It was also reprinted as "One Dollar Debut" in May, 2013 (First Printing), October, 2014 (Second Printing), and November, 2015 (Third Printing).
The covers of the Second Printing and the Second Printing Dollar Debut feature brand new artwork from Arturo Lozzi and Cary Nord. The Third and Fourth Printing cover are sketch covers based on existing artwork and the other Dollar Debuts are also based on existing covers as well.
The Blank Cover is a convention exclusive cover that was made available at HeroesCon (Charlotte, NC) in June 2012. It was limited to 1,000 copies only. It's a flipbook with Harbinger (Volume 2) #1 thus it actually has two blank covers or one wraparound blank cover.
Rian Hughes designed the new Valiant logo as well as the logos of all series (and IPs) launched during "The Summer of Valiant". He also helped designing the index page of this issue.

Quotes[]

Brother, how long have we wandered the lands of this cursed empire? When our Roman masters have use for us, they send us to die in their wars. When they have no use for us, they slaughter us themselves. Meanwhile, our children starve. Our women are made slaves... or worse. No more. Today, with our families at our backs, we defend these fields as if they were our own. We raise our swords, and we tell the enemy: No more. For your fathers and mothers, fight. For your sons and daughters, fight. And, finally, for a land to call home -- FIGHT!

-- Aric of Dacia

Patience. I can only kill one at a time.

-- Aric of Dacia

Swords did not stop the Huns from driving us out of our lands in Dacia... they will not help us gain a new land of our own. The Romans have Ballistae and Onagers. Cities with high walls. We have blades and open fields. It is not enough. It was... never enough...

-- Rolf

If Stilicho's dogs have come to pick over our bones -- we will make them choke on them!

-- Aric of Dacia

You beasts will find me much harder to defeat without your machines.

-- Aric of Dacia

We will escape. And we will crush the Roman Empire, brick by brick. Finally they will know how it feels to be outmatched. Starting with the bastard who put my wife in chains.

-- Aric of Dacia