I've heard nothing but good things about the Valiant Universe and since my brain seems to give me this undying need to read every comic ever written, I eventually found a detailed reading list for the the entire Valiant line since 2012 (because I am a sadist) and dove right in with this first volume of their original flagship title, X-O Manowar. I had no idea what to expect, outside of a few comics written by Robert Venditti that I'd read before (primarily his Green Lantern and Flash runs).The s...

A wild ride, albeit a rather generic one: 2.5 stars for this barbarian in space.

This was such a great volume!It picks with this guy named Aric of Dacia as he is a visigoth and they are fighting the romans when he loses his close ones and even more surprisingly they get abducted by the aliens called Vine and they are forced to work as labor but one day they make plans for escape and he stumbles upon the Armor of Shanhara and using it he knocks them down and loses his companions and returns to earth only to see a changed world.Its a great volume and is a great origin start fo...

What a brilliant concept and execution. A 4th century warrior acquires holy alien armor? Adventure? Sword fighting? Space battles? Sign me up!So this is a relaunch of a well-established series. Like many newer comic readers I haven't read the original series, but this didn't hinder my understanding in the least. I think if I love this series I'll go back and read the old stuff, which is what I usually do. I won't ruin the plot, but I will say that it's a perfect blend of historical fiction, othe...

While I had no interest in this one I was surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. I think the midway twist really got me into the story. The way the story is allowed to jump around through different times keeps it interesting.

I've never read Valiant comics before and I am not familiar with the characters either. Went in totally blind. And I've to say, I'm pretty impressed.This is the first comic in the Valiant Universe and if the other characters are anything like Aric, this is going to be a great journey.The art is top notch, the storytelling is awesome and I loved the character. The series is heavy on graphic blood and I'd not recommend it to a younger audience. But somehow it draws you in with a morbid fascination...

3.5 stars if I could.I don't know jack in regards to the whole Valiant universe from the 90's. I don't know jack about the Valiant reboots of now. I do know, however, that this was a pretty fun read. I mean seriously, A barbarian in space?Yes, please!

Robert Venditti - writerCary Nord - illustratorStefano Gaudiano - inkerMoose Baumann - colorist(view spoiler)[In 402 A.D., brash Visigoth warrior Aric attacks an alien raiding party mistaking them for Roman soldiers in the dead of night. He and his companions are captured by the aliens and transported back to their homeworld to work as slaves. After years of grueling labor tending the alien fruit fields, Aric and his comrades attempt an escape. During their getaway, the escaped slaves encounter

Find this and other Reviews at In Tori LexI was pleasantly surprised by how great this time traveling, alien adventure is. It was funny, engaging and full of action. Aric is a wonderful protagonist who wants to defend the Visgoth people and his honor at all costs. When the story begins in 400 AD, Aric is Visgoth Warrior leading his men to battle. Despite being quickly captured by aliens and facing technology he has never seen before, he was able to  adjust to his circumstances and rise up to...

The inaugural kickoff to Valiant’s 2012 relaunch of their classic line, ‘By the Sword’ is that rare volume of comic that feels completely confident in its own narrative direction, even from the very first issue. Writer Robert Venditti and artist Cary Nord display a strong grasp on not only the basic tenants of the Valiant universe, but also on Aric as a character and his various complexities –from the very first pages of the series, it’s clear that both writer and artist know the story they want...

My first Valiant comic - a good start to a promising new Universe.An enjoyable read with some great action illustration, however I feel like a lot of key points were glazed over in this first issue, I’m hoping they are flushed out in further issues. I’m intrigued enough to continue with the next volume.

For deeper analysis, check out the Club Valiant episode on IFLC. It’s a channel I co-host with my friends: https://youtu.be/rgaInLcMY9w*****second read*****I love X-O.I’m doing a very serious Valiant readthrough where I read it all in order, because I’m interviewing Heather Antos soon for my YouTube and I don’t wanna sound like a schmuck... and I fucking love it. Valiant rules.I can’t wait to read the next 300 trade paperbacks!!!*******first read*******Bad fucking ass.It’s Spartacus, but with al...

The 2nd Valiant series in a row that I quite enjoyed the start of.

X-O Manowar volume 1 kicks off the new Valiant Entertainment comic line that restarted in 2012. I really want to get into Valiant comics but there aren't at on in the library system and I haven't started buying them yet. Amazingly this popped up in the library's database recently and I was exceptionally happy to finally give it a try. X-O Manowar is an Iron Man type of hero, he has a suit of armor that makes him strong, but the biggest difference is that X-O is from the 4th century. Aric is a ba...

This was my first Valiant Comics book, and I freaking loved it.

This supposedly relaunched the line for this company but I'm not feeling it. This was just okay, and didn't think that this was that great, to be honest. Am I missing something?

I had no idea what this was about when I started reading it. A friend recommended it to me as something that showcased Valient in a good light, and I decided to check it out. Looking at the cover I just assumed it was some sort of space thing, but it turns out it's some kind of Time-Travel/Alien Overlord/Roman Empire (actually the main character was a Visigoth fighting the Romans) mash-up. I also thought this was a new concept. It's not. This has apparently been a Valient title for quite some t...

Aric is a 5th century Visigoth warrior fighting the Roman Empire who have driven his people from Dacia, their homeland (modern day Romania). During a fateful battle, he loses his father and wife thanks to his brash, immature tactics and later, while leading a rescue party, he encounters what he believes to be a Roman slave vessel only to discover it's an alien craft. The alien race - known as the Vine - abduct Aric and a number of his people, taking them to their ships to toil as slaves, cultiva...

My first Valiant comic! It's awesome. I'm hooked. Let the fun begin.

Find this and many other reviews at Geekritique!I'm on a Valiant kick. And no, don't worry, I won't spam your feeds like I did last week with three reviews in a day. But that was fun. Valiant Entertainment is at the top of their game, in seemingly every book of theirs I get my hands on. And with their recent 5-film deal with Sony Pictures, many of their most acclaimed characters will be brought to life on screen. For those who don't know what their deal is, Valiant is a comic book company that w...