X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

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X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by Brapbrap »

What did everyone think? I thought it was the best X-O issue in a long time, actually explained the origin of the armors and tied together the conflicting origin stories. Seems like the armors gain powers from their hosts based on what the old guy was saying, so I guess the armor hivemind was derived from the vine's hivemind.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by greg »

It was a good issue, and I assume that the other armors were the result of the infections before Shanhara and her father left Gennin.

Not sure what would cause the Vine priests to tell the story of the Torment, since they could have just said "the armor came to us from the stars".

Also makes me wonder if the ship was destroyed by time/primitives... because the armor is a much smaller "gift from the stars" than that ship would have been.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by Brapbrap »

I think the torment were real, Shanhara helped Aric overthrow the vine when they became oppressive so helping beat back the torment would be in character. The only bit that wasn't true IMO was the armor coming from the hara vine, although it was right next to it.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by greg »

That's true, the Torment story could have happened during the millenia, causing an even stronger belief in the armor religion. As long as the wearer wasn't Vine, it would have been OK in the armor. If the wearer who defeated the Torment was infected, it's possible that it (became) is/was an armor that was hunted.

A second reading is really good... I like this issue a lot. :)

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by BugsySig »

Overall a good read, though I might have liked just a touch more background on Shanhara's people and the bone plague.

I agree with Greg. This issue gave us the origin of Shanhara while still leaving a lot of room for expansion on the Shanhara myth. Assuming we can believe most of what the Priest told us about the Torment, etc back during Planet Death, then I believe we can also assume someone comes along at some point and bonds with Shanhara. This would have to be a non-Vine obviously (and I still maintain it will be Aric in some Faraway situation). We also know Shanhara taught the Vine to use the Gatherings.

Also, I believe the Armors do come from the Hara vine. The father was studying both it and Shanhara to learn of how the process works. The Hara vine may have been engineered, but when the Armor's gained their own consciousness, it led to the destructive Armors who destroyed Genin and eventually those the AH were hunting. They also likely couldn't bond to a hive mind because they themselves are a hive mind (as we saw in Dead Hand part 3).
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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by bygranddesign »

This was a great read :clap:

This is pretty much everything I HOPED X-O Manowar #0 would be about - This was a true origin issue for Shanhara ... and answers a lot of lingering questions /tying up loose ends while also providing some new questions to ponder.

I do wish they mentioned something on The Torment. They didn't have to reveal anything - only mention it so we know its not forgotten. So we know its a plot point - that they will get to eventually.

Someone wore the Armor. Someone took down the Torment ... and SAVED the Vine people.

Its possible that its just an ancient story - that was simply made up - and got told so many, many times over many eons until they just started believing it - and incorporated into their religion.

Although - thats a realistic possibility. It doesn't make for a kick *SQUEE* story in the future.

Maybe The Torment will be the big bad villain in summer of valiant 2016 - and we will learn the truth about everything then. 8-)

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by jmatt »

Nice to have more (or most) of Shanhara's origin. But it was a very quick read.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by mateo107 »

it does seem to be leaving out a major episode from Shanhara's past. it seems unlikely the Vine would have worshipped an armor for millennia, let alone even known it was an armor, if it had just been sitting dormant that whole time.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by grendeljd »

If anyone is interested in hearing Dr Solar, Hawkeyeps & I discuss this issue along with Unity 19 in the latest OTV: Valiant Comics Review episode (in a fairly efficient 40 minutes) - follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr18/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We talk about the notable absence of The Torment. Be warned though - Hawkeyeps blows a gasket over Unity 19!! :o
I like to draw stuff... http://grendeljd.deviantart.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My wife likes to draw stuff too, and she is better than me! [I'm very proud of her]... https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sara-Dec ... ref=stream" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by QUARTZ »

mateo107 wrote:it does seem to be leaving out a major episode from Shanhara's past. it seems unlikely the Vine would have worshipped an armor for millennia, let alone even known it was an armor, if it had just been sitting dormant that whole time.
I think they knew because it turned into an armor and donned each doomed user for a short period of time before killing them, then reverted back to sphere form.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by Brapbrap »

i think the armor did bond with a vine once and that is how the armors got their hivemind, old guy said they gained consciousness by bonding with hosts so maybe they can get a hivemind by bonding with vine?
BugsySig wrote:Also, I believe the Armors do come from the Hara vine. The father was studying both it and Shanhara to learn of how the process works.
i think the hara vine grew from the little flower shanhara planted on her father's grave, so the armor was floating next to it and since the vine have a plant based religion they thought that the armor came from the vine.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by BugsySig »

Brapbrap wrote:i think the armor did bond with a vine once and that is how the armors got their hivemind, old guy said they gained consciousness by bonding with hosts so maybe they can get a hivemind by bonding with vine?
BugsySig wrote:Also, I believe the Armors do come from the Hara vine. The father was studying both it and Shanhara to learn of how the process works.
i think the hara vine grew from the little flower shanhara planted on her father's grave, so the armor was floating next to it and since the vine have a plant based religion they thought that the armor came from the vine.
The father places the flower in the sleep chamber with Shanhara. He then says he spent the decades studying her AND the plant. She then plants it in his grave where it grows into the full tree. We know the Armors come from the Hara vine because it sprouted a new one in XO #33 and in XO #34 a Dead Hand robot identifies the Hara vine as "Armor Vine. Do not sample. Leave for destruction."
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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by jmatt »

BugsySig wrote:a Dead Hand robot identifies the Hara vine as "Armor Vine. Do not sample. Leave for destruction."
That was my immediate thought, too. So the armors are an amalgam of technology and that particular plant species, the one she had in her cryo-tube with her.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by Dallow Spicer1 »

Fantastic one shot issue! Some very powerful moments....when the father died and Shanhara was left alone "don't leave me"......and when she accepts her fate and submits to the armour by curling up in a ball as the armour bonds with! Great stuff from VDitti.

Enjoyed the art by Cafu and colours by Reber!

4.5/5 :clap:

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by BugsySig »

jmatt wrote:
BugsySig wrote:a Dead Hand robot identifies the Hara vine as "Armor Vine. Do not sample. Leave for destruction."
That was my immediate thought, too. So the armors are an amalgam of technology and that particular plant species, the one she had in her cryo-tube with her.
Yes. I'm thinking the Hara Vine's "fruits" were always some kind of symbiotic armor, but never had their own consciousness. The when Shanhara's father engineered them specifically to treat the "Bone Plague" it caused them not only to bond with a host, but to develop their own consciousness which was wiping out the host's mind and body. Studying the plant and Shanhara led him to the conclusion that if she succumbed to the armor, instead of fighting it, she could maintain her consciousness. This is perhaps what has made Shanhara different from the other Armors.
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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by bygranddesign »

BugsySig wrote:
jmatt wrote:
BugsySig wrote:a Dead Hand robot identifies the Hara vine as "Armor Vine. Do not sample. Leave for destruction."
That was my immediate thought, too. So the armors are an amalgam of technology and that particular plant species, the one she had in her cryo-tube with her.
Yes. I'm thinking the Hara Vine's "fruits" were always some kind of symbiotic armor, but never had their own consciousness. The when Shanhara's father engineered them specifically to treat the "Bone Plague" it caused them not only to bond with a host, but to develop their own consciousness which was wiping out the host's mind and body. Studying the plant and Shanhara led him to the conclusion that if she succumbed to the armor, instead of fighting it, she could maintain her consciousness. This is perhaps what has made Shanhara different from the other Armors.
I like that. Good theory

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by Newton »

This was a good story, but a little too lean. I think we are overdue on exploring more of the vine and the armor itself so I was happy to get this nugget. I would have liked a bit more detail.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by jmatt »

Newton wrote:This was a good story, but a little too lean. I think we are overdue on exploring more of the vine and the armor itself so I was happy to get this nugget. I would have liked a bit more detail.
Same, the story could have been fleshed out so much more -- but it's kind of a one shot, so...

If I was telling this story over two issues, I would have had the first issue be about a family trying to save their sick child, with her just trying to go about being a normal kid as her father furiously works in his lab and much back and forth with the wife about what this armor device could do to her, etc.

Then, in the last panel, when they've decided to go ahead with the plan, calling her in from playing in the yard... "Shanhara! It's time for the treatment, honey! Come see your father..."

The gimmick of course being that her name is not revealed until the last panel. That would have generated crazy buzz with readers. I wish V-ditti would be this clever in his storytelling.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by greg »

jmatt wrote:I wish V-ditti would be this clever in his storytelling.
Something about this makes me want to translate it as follows...

I wish the professional fiction writer who is winning awards would do a better job, more like something that I, a guy who doesn't do anything remotely close to award-winning professional fiction writing, would do.

Whether or not that's true... it ran through my head. :lol:

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by jmatt »

greg wrote:
jmatt wrote:I wish V-ditti would be this clever in his storytelling.
Something about this makes me want to translate it as follows...

I wish the professional fiction writer who is winning awards would do a better job, more like something that I, a guy who doesn't do anything remotely close to award-winning professional fiction writing, would do.

Whether or not that's true... it ran through my head. :lol:
Yeah, I'm not a writer. I was just noodling around with an idea that would put the big reveal on the last page instead of the first.

But I am a reader, and I know when I'm being entertained.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by Shadowman99 »

Well, as much as some seem to feel that the issue should have answered a few more questions I was thrilled with the issue. Cracking read. Brilliant to have finally got the meat on the plate regarding the whole origin of the armour thing. And who really likes vegetables anyway right?

Don't really care that the Torment didn't feature in the issue. Another story for another day.
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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by first_citizenx »

I felt sorry for Shanhara; poor little girl being absorbed into the armor and all. :(

However, now I have confirmation that "Shanhara" is indeed a feminine name. I knew it! :)

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by FormerReader »

Really enjoyable issue! This was a well done origin story.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by ilzuccone »

i really enjoyed this issue. it was great to be reminded of XO's origin story which in my opinion is one of the coolest origins in comics.

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Re: X-O Manowar 25th Anniversary Special

Post by leonmallett »

BugsySig wrote:Overall a good read, though I might have liked just a touch more background on Shanhara's people and the bone plague.
...
That is pretty much how I felt too. There were answers, but in getting those, other questions were posed and left unanswered.
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