When we last saw X-O Manowar, he was sinking to the bottom of the ocean after a technological nanite monster thing hacked and shut down Shanhara (I’ll be honest, because of the gap in issues, the exact nature of the beast escapes me, but that’s the gist of what it was at the least).

There have been some ups and downs with the series so far, though the last issue of X-O Manowar started edging more toward the quality of the first couple issues; X-O Manowar #5 stays on the trajectory for the most part. The issue sees the resolution of the prior cliffhanger, and then takes things a little slower as we get some background on Troy that fleshes him out a little beyond the Tony Stark clone that he initially came off as.

One of the consistent strengths of X-O Manowar is just how much story that writer Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum has beed able to cram into each issue of the comic. Even with the ups and downs of the series, that’s been a solid constant. There are three main parts to this comic, and it benefits from not having either of those stretch on farther than is necessary as Hallum balances the narrative within the comic.

I’m going to borrow from the review of the previous book, and say that; “Emilio Laiso‘s art combined with Ruth Redmond‘s colouring is once again a high point in the comic, and they’ve plenty to sink their teeth into here; that Laiso can keep up with Hopeless’ story is impressive as the artist never once seems overwhelmed as the action flows with a smooth grace. The final panel in the book is breathtaking in its simplicity, and yet Laiso and Redmond deliver upon all the emotion you’re feeling and splash it down on the page (no spoilers here, because you need to get the full impact).”

The wait for X-O Manowar #5 was longer than I’d have liked, but nonetheless the comic continues to deliver a solid story. It’s not top tier just yet, but the creative team has shown flashes of that level of quality so I’m still hopeful that we’ll see the comic return to the heights the character is known for.

Story: Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum Art: Emilio Laiso
Colors: Ruth Redmond Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 7.9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW