So X-O Manowar came to a close this week with the fiftieth issue (reviewed here), which also brings to a close Valiant‘s X-O Manowar Countdown To #50 Giveaway that began with the 47th issue. Anybody who picked up a physical copy of the comics would get one of 50 mini art prints within their comic. Brett and I had a chat about the prints we received with the first round of the give away in X-O Manowar #47, and it was in the back of that comic that one of noticed a link to a secret(ish) page on the publisher’s website.

On that page was a mailing address to send off for an additional free micro print. All you had to do was send the fine folks at Valiant a self-addressed envelope. Despite the looming Canad Post strike, I sent just that off to the publisher and decided to see what would happen.

A month later, and still with no returned mail from Valiant, I figured that one of three thing had happened:

• I used the wrong type of stamp (sending mail to Canada from the USA requires a stamp we don’t have access too up here).
• The envelope got lost in the mail, either on the way to them or on the way back..
• They never sent it back.

Either way, after a month, I gave up hope and promptly forgot about the print ever coming back, and I went on with my life.

Four months later, I check my mail box and there’s a slightly battered blue envelope (yes, I sent them a birthday card envelope because I didn’t have anything else – I wish I had thought it was because that was one of X-O’s colours, but… yeah it wasn’t). Being a bit of an idiot, I assumed it was a belated birthday card from a relative who had no idea when my birthday is (it’s in March). So imagine my surprise, and childlike joy, when I opened it up and saw a mini print of X-O Manowar staring back at me (there’s a poorly taken photo below).

The offer for an additional micro print was a “while supplies last” thing, and how limited those supplies are I have no idea, but the feeling of participating in a mail in giveaway again after so many years is well worth the effort of finding the link in the back of the comic.

And no, I won’t tell you what it is.