Menu Toggle

Robert Venditti Suits Up For X-O Manowar’s 50th Issue

Article Image
There are certain issues in a series that are naturally landmark achievements, and X-O Manowar #50 (JUL162024) is no exception. The book is a flagship title for Valiant, and all you have to do is check out the number of hardcovers and trade paperbacks available to see that the character’s history is extensive, to say the least. In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview, writer Robert Venditti reflects on the book, his time on the title, and the number of people involved in the 50th issue to give Aric of Dacia his due.

X-O Manowar #50 (JUL162024) is in comic shops September 28.

**********

PREVIEWSworld: You’ve got not only had one of the longest writing runs in modern comics with X-O Manowar, but also the longest ever tenure on any single series in Valiant’s history. What are you building towards now with the series’ final arc in Long Live the King?

Robert Venditti: First, we want this final arc to be a good story that ties together a lot of the plot threads that we’ve laid out throughout the series, whether it be Enter: Ninjak, the Armorines, the Armor Hunters, and so on. But I also want to have it serve as a celebration of the entire run. I don’t mean that we’re spiking the football and talking about how awesome we are, but really revisiting a lot of the famous moments and plot points that people have responded to over the years. It hopefully gives people a tour of what the series has been all about and brings it to a satisfying conclusion.

PREVIEWSworld: The main antagonists of Long Live The King are The Torment. Who are they, and what makes them unlike any foe X-O Manowar has faced before?

Robert Venditti: The Torment are beings who readers thought were mythological up until they appeared at the end of issue #46. We’re going to find out about them, how they’re related to Aric and the armor, and why they’ve come to Earth. In a lot of ways, as much as what Aric has been through has been incomprehensible to a 5th Century Visigoth, this will be even more so. This is really going to stretch the bounds of the wider Valiant Universe and Aric’s place in it. Beyond that, The Torment are tremendously powerful, far more so than anything else we’ve seen at any point anywhere in the series. That’s saying a lot because Aric has gone up against giant robots and a planet made up of death machines and all sorts of other things.

PREVIEWSworld: Of course, this is all marching towards X-O Manowar #50 —a massive, oversized anniversary finale and one of Valiant’s most important single issues to date. What can we expect from this milestone, and what does it represent for the character?

Robert Venditti: We’re going to have a lot of surprises in the storytelling, but also with the roster of creative talent involved in the issue. This is a 56 issue-run that I’ll be able to look back on and be very proud of.

PREVIEWSworld: There’s also a colossal stable of artists contributing to the issue. Who will you be working with on your final chapter in X-O Manowar #50? Will any familiar faces from the past be returning for this issue?

Robert Venditti: Handling a lot of the main storyline will be Joe Bennett and Roberto de la Torre. But we’re also bringing in a slate of other artists to celebrate key moments from the series. Whether it’s Cary Nord revisiting Planet Death, Doug Braithwaite revisiting Armor Hunters (and there are several more as well), it’s also important to stress that the reason why these moments are being revisited is an integral part of the story. When I was sitting down for this issue, I knew that Aric would have an encounter that would involve him revisiting a lot of the things he’s done. My hope was that we could bring in the artists that drew these original storylines as sort of the last time we’re all on the book again. I couldn’t be happier that Valiant was able to make that happen.

Article ImageX-O MANOWAR #50 (64- PAGE SERIES FINALE!)
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI, JODY HOUSER, MATT KINDT, and FRED VAN LENTE
Art by JOE BENNETT and ROBERTO DE LA TORRE with DIEGO BERNARD, DOUG BRAITHWAITE, ROBERT GILL, TOMAS GIORELLO, CLAYTON HENRY, CARY NORD, JAVIER PULIDO, and RAFA SANDOVAL
Cover A (All-Star Jam) by CARY NORD, BOB LAYTON, BRANDON PETERSON, STEPHEN PLATT and 46 MORE X-O ALL-STARS! (JUL162024)
Cover B by PAOLO RIVERA (JUL162025)
Cover C by MARKO DJURDJEVIC (JUL162026)
Cover D by MARCOS MARTIN (JUL162027)
Cover E by MICO SUAYAN (JUL162028)
Cover F by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA (JUL162029)
Cover G by SHANE DAVIS (JUL162030)
Valiant x CGC Replica Variant by PERE PÉREZ (JUL162031)
Variant Cover by COLLEEN DORAN (JUN168832)
Variant Cover by CHIP ZDARSKY (JUL162032)
Variant Cover by PHILIP TAN (JUL162033)
Variant Cover by KAARE ANDREWS (JUL162034)
Variant Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ (JUL162035)
B&W Sketch Jam Cover by X-O ALL-STARS (JUL162036)

Follow Us Facebook Icon Twitter Icon