A way to salvage XO
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- xodacia81
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A way to salvage XO
Here is my idea:
Page one-A darkened room, vague images. Noises. Flashes of light. A cigar burning.
Page two-New scene. A woman-vaguely familiar-sits at a desk, working. Next panels, a man-also vaguely familiar-searches through a closet.
Page three-The darkened room again. A man-VERY FAMILIAR-is supsended in a tube, similar to an iron lung. The Cigar is put out. A voice says "I have better things to do, but nothing as fun as my old past-time"
Pages four and five -A splash . The outside of Orb Industries. A press conference is being held. DOUG FRIEDMAN is celebrating 10 years since he cornered the technology market, 12 years since he came into control of ORB.
Page Six-the woman at her desk looks up, put on glasses and sees the conference on tv. She shudders. It's Randy. Next set of panels, the man in the closet comes across a memento. He hears the conf on the tv "Damn it, Big fella...we're sorry."
The point of this is...I would choose to adopt MOTA's idea for a virtual reality scenario and bring the characters into the present time. There would be 12 years of "backstory" to draw from. The first year or so could possibly concentrate on Randy and Ken trying to do something about Aric, examining fears and guilt over how they failed to get Aric out sooner. Maybe Harada has entered a bargain with Friedman which will turn sour and help lead to the corporate wars. (there had to be more than OMNI and HARBINGER) Where is the XO? Did Friedman give it to Harada? Does Friedman still have it? Maybe they have the armor, but not the ring and THAT is what is in the box that Ken has? Perhaps Ken and Randy have one piece each. Maybe Aric sent the armor away. There are a million ways to run with this. I know this is just speculation and fan fiction but what do other people think? I have more ideas about how I would run with it if this was the case. I'd like to hear others thoughts and discuss.
Page one-A darkened room, vague images. Noises. Flashes of light. A cigar burning.
Page two-New scene. A woman-vaguely familiar-sits at a desk, working. Next panels, a man-also vaguely familiar-searches through a closet.
Page three-The darkened room again. A man-VERY FAMILIAR-is supsended in a tube, similar to an iron lung. The Cigar is put out. A voice says "I have better things to do, but nothing as fun as my old past-time"
Pages four and five -A splash . The outside of Orb Industries. A press conference is being held. DOUG FRIEDMAN is celebrating 10 years since he cornered the technology market, 12 years since he came into control of ORB.
Page Six-the woman at her desk looks up, put on glasses and sees the conference on tv. She shudders. It's Randy. Next set of panels, the man in the closet comes across a memento. He hears the conf on the tv "Damn it, Big fella...we're sorry."
The point of this is...I would choose to adopt MOTA's idea for a virtual reality scenario and bring the characters into the present time. There would be 12 years of "backstory" to draw from. The first year or so could possibly concentrate on Randy and Ken trying to do something about Aric, examining fears and guilt over how they failed to get Aric out sooner. Maybe Harada has entered a bargain with Friedman which will turn sour and help lead to the corporate wars. (there had to be more than OMNI and HARBINGER) Where is the XO? Did Friedman give it to Harada? Does Friedman still have it? Maybe they have the armor, but not the ring and THAT is what is in the box that Ken has? Perhaps Ken and Randy have one piece each. Maybe Aric sent the armor away. There are a million ways to run with this. I know this is just speculation and fan fiction but what do other people think? I have more ideas about how I would run with it if this was the case. I'd like to hear others thoughts and discuss.
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From X-O Manowar 1/2 (That's the story we would have gotten INSTEAD of Crescendo and Alloy - though Alloy could have still been introduced as a clone of the Good Skin-)
I particularly like the part about Freedman/Friedman being a scientist. It can help to explain away Crescendo as part of a virtual reality scenario. And if he can clone the XO armor, he could have cloned Randy and Ken as well to make Aric think he killed them or something.
Another option would be for Crescendo and the Vizier to be Doug and his daughter's virtual reality avatars that they used to interact with Aric within the virtual prison.
After the Shadowman crossover, X-O will be involved in a major storyline dealing with the attempted takeover of Orb Industries. The previous owner of Orb, Doug Freedman, who was introduced in issue #36, will be coming back to try to not only take over the company, but also clone the X-O armor. "He's a scientist who deals with genetics, and he also has a major conglomerate under him." As the story moves along, Gonzales will be dealing with Aric's relationship with both Randy and Ken Clarkson - Orb's head of operations - in significant ways. Ken has to make a decision as to whether his loyalties lie with Aric or Freedman, now that Ken's arm has completely regenerated, and Aric has no control over him.
"Randy and Aric kind of have it out, and decide if they should be friends or lovers, or not even talk to each other," Gonzalez says. Also, Lauren, the stripper from issue #5, will be returning to the series, to considerably worsen matters. This reunion will also give Rik Levins a chance to pencil another different character.
I particularly like the part about Freedman/Friedman being a scientist. It can help to explain away Crescendo as part of a virtual reality scenario. And if he can clone the XO armor, he could have cloned Randy and Ken as well to make Aric think he killed them or something.
Another option would be for Crescendo and the Vizier to be Doug and his daughter's virtual reality avatars that they used to interact with Aric within the virtual prison.
- xodacia81
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That's an idea. Also, remember in XO 43 where the strike team said "Crescendo is paying us" well, I think that it was originally going to be DF behind it. And, even so, it still COULD be. I would imagine there is a treasure trove of stories. Consider all the time Aric had already lost to the Spider Aliens. Now, he'd have to deal with even more of his life being "wasted" while a prisoner of the man that took ORB from him. I could definitely see a tremendous throwdown.ManofTheAtom wrote:From X-O Manowar 1/2 (That's the story we would have gotten INSTEAD of Crescendo and Alloy - though Alloy could have still been introduced as a clone of the Good Skin-)
After the Shadowman crossover, X-O will be involved in a major storyline dealing with the attempted takeover of Orb Industries. The previous owner of Orb, Doug Freedman, who was introduced in issue #36, will be coming back to try to not only take over the company, but also clone the X-O armor. "He's a scientist who deals with genetics, and he also has a major conglomerate under him." As the story moves along, Gonzales will be dealing with Aric's relationship with both Randy and Ken Clarkson - Orb's head of operations - in significant ways. Ken has to make a decision as to whether his loyalties lie with Aric or Freedman, now that Ken's arm has completely regenerated, and Aric has no control over him.
"Randy and Aric kind of have it out, and decide if they should be friends or lovers, or not even talk to each other," Gonzalez says. Also, Lauren, the stripper from issue #5, will be returning to the series, to considerably worsen matters. This reunion will also give Rik Levins a chance to pencil another different character.
I particularly like the part about Freedman/Friedman being a scientist. It can help to explain away Crescendo as part of a virtual reality scenario. And if he can clone the XO armor, he could have cloned Randy and Ken as well to make Aric think he killed them or something.
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It was, according to the solicit for the issue that appeared in Previews. It was changed during the lettering stage to set up Marz' crapfest.That's an idea. Also, remember in XO 43 where the strike team said "Crescendo is paying us" well, I think that it was originally going to be DF behind it.
There is clear potential for a lot of ways to pick up X-O 12 years after the end of the series without ignoring what happened, just change the context from face value to a virtual reality scenario.And, even so, it still COULD be. I would imagine there is a treasure trove of stories. Consider all the time Aric had already lost to the Spider Aliens. Now, he'd have to deal with even more of his life being "wasted" while a prisoner of the man that took ORB from him. I could definitely see a tremendous throwdown.
All the stuff in those stories that couldn't be known from public knowledge could have come from information that Ken gave Doug.
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- xodacia81
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I've got some ideas for some other series, too. As for XO, well, I have this idea cooking in my head. I believe that the initial story could run a good year or two and be very nice, especially as a launching pad for further story. It would bring the series back, establish it within the old continuity but you wouldn't have to have read 68+ issues in order to jump right in. New readers could jump on and understand everything by the end of the first issue, although it would be far from the end of the story. It would NOT be a simplistic tale, but it would not be overly complicated. Part of the series would be drawing on things that happened in the past 12 years, meaning that the NEW audience would be getting filled in on things at the same time as the old audience. The major foundation would be the old stories but the intervening time would play an enormous role and used often, particularly towards the start. I've got other things I'd do, but hey, it's just me and I'm not the one that owns the character. 

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You just described the same reasoning that is clear came into focus when doing the VALIANT Magnus series.xodacia81 wrote:I've got some ideas for some other series, too. As for XO, well, I have this idea cooking in my head. I believe that the initial story could run a good year or two and be very nice, especially as a launching pad for further story. It would bring the series back, establish it within the old continuity but you wouldn't have to have read 68+ issues in order to jump right in. New readers could jump on and understand everything by the end of the first issue, although it would be far from the end of the story. It would NOT be a simplistic tale, but it would not be overly complicated. Part of the series would be drawing on things that happened in the past 12 years, meaning that the NEW audience would be getting filled in on things at the same time as the old audience. The major foundation would be the old stories but the intervening time would play an enormous role and used often, particularly towards the start. I've got other things I'd do, but hey, it's just me and I'm not the one that owns the character.

What was T1 if not the use of old stroies as part of the foundation?
THIS is the correct approach, the one that will work for VALIANT.
The important thing is to find a theme to go with the foundation, like "man vs state/man vs dogma/man vs faith" was the theme in Steel Nation.
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I think the theme of a new XO could be REDEMPTION. And it would be an exploration of that in all its various facets, focused on the CHARACTERS, particularly the relationships between people like Aric, Ken, Randy and a supporting cast. Just no GOATSManofTheAtom wrote:You just described the same reasoning that is clear came into focus when doing the VALIANT Magnus series.xodacia81 wrote:I've got some ideas for some other series, too. As for XO, well, I have this idea cooking in my head. I believe that the initial story could run a good year or two and be very nice, especially as a launching pad for further story. It would bring the series back, establish it within the old continuity but you wouldn't have to have read 68+ issues in order to jump right in. New readers could jump on and understand everything by the end of the first issue, although it would be far from the end of the story. It would NOT be a simplistic tale, but it would not be overly complicated. Part of the series would be drawing on things that happened in the past 12 years, meaning that the NEW audience would be getting filled in on things at the same time as the old audience. The major foundation would be the old stories but the intervening time would play an enormous role and used often, particularly towards the start. I've got other things I'd do, but hey, it's just me and I'm not the one that owns the character.![]()
What was T1 if not the use of old stroies as part of the foundation?
THIS is the correct approach, the one that will work for VALIANT.
The important thing is to find a theme to go with the foundation, like "man vs state/man vs dogma/man vs faith" was the theme in Steel Nation.

- ManofTheAtom
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I think that the theme is "man out of time", which really worked for the first four issues of the series.xodacia81 wrote:I think the theme of a new XO could be REDEMPTION. And it would be an exploration of that in all its various facets, focused on the CHARACTERS, particularly the relationships between people like Aric, Ken, Randy and a supporting cast. Just no GOATS
I'd like to have Aric come back with the Good Skin but have the armor loose the ability to insta-adapt Aric to the modern world like it did in issue 5 so that the character is forced to adapt to the world on his own.
Aric trying to use a Blackberry or an IPod, or DSL could be hilarious to see. With his short temper, he would crush them in his hands instantly.
"DVD?!? By Lugh's name, I had barely learned to use a VCR when I went away!!"
- xodacia81
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Man out of time is part of the concept, but the THEME would be a man out of time who feels, being a highly honorable man-after his own fashion-that he has let himself and his world, his "people" down. It would also be about how Ken and Randy feel they didn't do enough to save ARIC. But, I agree, it would be hilarious to see Aric getting ticked off at the "new" world. A LOT has changed since 1995(which is when he would have entered the VR scenario)ManofTheAtom wrote:I think that the theme is "man out of time", which really worked for the first four issues of the series.xodacia81 wrote:I think the theme of a new XO could be REDEMPTION. And it would be an exploration of that in all its various facets, focused on the CHARACTERS, particularly the relationships between people like Aric, Ken, Randy and a supporting cast. Just no GOATS
I'd like to have Aric come back with the Good Skin but have the armor loose the ability to insta-adapt Aric to the modern world like it did in issue 5 so that the character is forced to adapt to the world on his own.
Aric trying to use a Blackberry or an IPod, or DSL could be hilarious to see. With his short temper, he would crush them in his hands instantly.
"DVD?!? By Lugh's name, I had barely learned to use a VCR when I went away!!"
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I agree, that works too.xodacia81 wrote:Man out of time is part of the concept, but the THEME would be a man out of time who feels, being a highly honorable man-after his own fashion-that he has let himself and his world, his "people" down. It would also be about how Ken and Randy feel they didn't do enough to save ARIC. But, I agree, it would be hilarious to see Aric getting ticked off at the "new" world. A LOT has changed since 1995(which is when he would have entered the VR scenario)ManofTheAtom wrote:I think that the theme is "man out of time", which really worked for the first four issues of the series.xodacia81 wrote:I think the theme of a new XO could be REDEMPTION. And it would be an exploration of that in all its various facets, focused on the CHARACTERS, particularly the relationships between people like Aric, Ken, Randy and a supporting cast. Just no GOATS
I'd like to have Aric come back with the Good Skin but have the armor loose the ability to insta-adapt Aric to the modern world like it did in issue 5 so that the character is forced to adapt to the world on his own.
Aric trying to use a Blackberry or an IPod, or DSL could be hilarious to see. With his short temper, he would crush them in his hands instantly.
"DVD?!? By Lugh's name, I had barely learned to use a VCR when I went away!!"
The other day we were talking about the Harbinger movie and I mentioned that in it we're most likely to see Pete send the foundation an email instead of a letter and see the foundation advertise themselves online instead of in print, and CJV commented that he had not noticed how much things had changed since the original comics came out.
Now imagine how Aric, a guy who spent 12 years in virtual reality, might feel when faced with how much the world had changed in that time.
That's Aric's things, to constantly be behind things and trying to adapt.
BTW, now that I think about it, the armor would not need to loose its ability to adapt Aric since, like him, the Good Skin would be suffering from the same problem as it would also have lost the same 12 years worth of time while stuck in Doug's laboratory.
This idea is one of the many advantages to the virtual reality suggestion because it helps bring the character back to basics without ignoring what came before, but using it for the story's advantage.
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I also think another idea could be that Aric or the armor could both be in serious trouble, healthwise. While alive, who knows how the "link" would be between them. Why? DF was a GENETIC scientist, right? Maybe he did some cruel experiments which drove Aric and the Good Skin just a little mad. This would not be a "forever-laughing-like-Renfield" type of setup, but more that Aric would be like a victim of torture. Maybe it wasn't VR but rather some sort of genetic manipulation which has kept his brain "fried and confused" for years and years. Of course, they could just start all over from just prior to UNITY. Oh well.
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I think that keeping Aric in an ever-changing virtual reality scenario for 12 years where he faced anything from meeting Iron Man to other equally-ridicolous environments is more than enough to drive him insane, while whatver Doug did to the Good Skin would be enough to drive it insane.xodacia81 wrote:I also think another idea could be that Aric or the armor could both be in serious trouble, healthwise. While alive, who knows how the "link" would be between them. Why? DF was a GENETIC scientist, right? Maybe he did some cruel experiments which drove Aric and the Good Skin just a little mad. This would not be a "forever-laughing-like-Renfield" type of setup, but more that Aric would be like a victim of torture. Maybe it wasn't VR but rather some sort of genetic manipulation which has kept his brain "fried and confused" for years and years. Of course, they could just start all over from just prior to UNITY. Oh well.
Clearly, whoever rescued Aric from his prison would have their work cut out for them trying to re-educate him and help him adapt back into the world.
And hey, from what we saw in Rai #0, they will succeed, and Aric will reclaim Orb for himself
Ho!!


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Gunny left the Armorines program at the end of the series, and Solar destroyed the Armorines upgraded suits toward the end of his seriesxodacia81 wrote:Maybe GUNNY could help bust Aric out.
"What happened to your men?"
"Dead. The program is finished. They made four new suits, DACIA. Only four. The goverment bigwigs had great acclaim for them, at first. But they were defective. Three are in deep storage and nobody can find the fourth"

I can see Doug replicating the armor and selling what he gets from it to the government, and Gunny could lead a rogue operation to rescue Aric... HOWEVER, since this would be the first XO story in 12 years, I wouldn't want to see too much crossovers, I think each reintroduction should stand on its own merits and be limited to each individual concept
Meanign that whoever rescues Aric should become part of the supporting cast, and Gunny doesn't qualify.
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Well, it was mainly meant as a joke but I think GUNNY, come to think of it, could be introduced. I know he left the program, but did he leave the military? Maybe he finds out what has been going on and starts to work with Ken and Randy on a way of aiding ARIC. The idea here would be to use an element of the past and integrate it more fully, into the fabric of the series in a way that is logical and moves things forward.
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I realize that, but the thing here is that it makes more sense for each revival to limit itself to using elements and ideas from the concepts themselves without using characters and ideas from other series.xodacia81 wrote:Well, it was mainly meant as a joke but I think GUNNY, come to think of it, could be introduced. I know he left the program, but did he leave the military? Maybe he finds out what has been going on and starts to work with Ken and Randy on a way of aiding ARIC. The idea here would be to use an element of the past and integrate it more fully, into the fabric of the series in a way that is logical and moves things forward.
I know that fan-wise it's cooler to use all characters from across the universe, but I don't think that would work well for a reintroduction.
Each story has to be able to stand on its own so that when it's read in one sitting or in the collection it can run smoothly without wasting too much time introducing a lot of characters and explaining who they are.
I think it makes more sense to use a new character or two that serve to rescue Aric and then get him re-aquainted with the modern world. After that they can bring back old characters.
Think of it as the Doctor Who revival, which didn't start using characters from the original series until they brought back the Daleks.
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Granted. That's why I'm saying to establish things with Ken and Randy, then slowly introduce other elements. The idea here is to MAKE a guy like Gunny-who was a GREAT character-part of the NEW FABRIC of the series and to do so neither early nor late. I would say that introducing him after the first arc-which would end in failure for Ken and Randy-would be a good time. This would make Gunny an arrival in issue #5. He would not mount his attempt until later. Instead, there would be a slow build as he, Randy, Ken and whoever else all decided to get rid of Freidman and save ARIC once and for all. I'm not suggesting deluging the audience with old characters but rather re-introducing the ones that make sense within the story and which would draw on existing story in a way that would be exciting. SOMEONE in the government/military has to have Aric's back and it might as well be Gunny. Why? Because the military has always had a bug up a nasty crack about Aric and the armor. Once more, it draws on the history of the book.
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I think that the story should be a little more fast paced than that.xodacia81 wrote:Granted. That's why I'm saying to establish things with Ken and Randy, then slowly introduce other elements. The idea here is to MAKE a guy like Gunny-who was a GREAT character-part of the NEW FABRIC of the series and to do so neither early nor late. I would say that introducing him after the first arc-which would end in failure for Ken and Randy-would be a good time. This would make Gunny an arrival in issue #5. He would not mount his attempt until later. Instead, there would be a slow build as he, Randy, Ken and whoever else all decided to get rid of Freidman and save ARIC once and for all. I'm not suggesting deluging the audience with old characters but rather re-introducing the ones that make sense within the story and which would draw on existing story in a way that would be exciting. SOMEONE in the government/military has to have Aric's back and it might as well be Gunny. Why? Because the military has always had a bug up a nasty crack about Aric and the armor. Once more, it draws on the history of the book.
The first four issues should focus on Aric's escape, but it should not involve any characters from the previous series other than Aric and Doug (and maybe his daughter and Reese). Everyone else should be new characters that serve as proxy for the new readers.
These characters are the ones that ask the questions like "who are you? where you come from? how did you get here?" and other things that new readers would want to know.
If you use established characters, then they don't need to ask those questions because they already have the answers.
Reintroducing characters like Randy and Ken should be done organically within the context of the series, not the first story out of the gate.
For instance, as suggested earlier, all the information that Doug used against Aric could have come from Ken, so once Aric defeats Doug (at the climax of the fourth issue) he can go look for Ken to take his revenge on him for his betrayal (well, not inmediately after, of course. The first thing after Aric defeats Doug is his attempt at getting reaquainted with the modern world and getting to know his rescuers).
So, you have a four issue re-origin story, an issue about getting to know his rescuers story, and a confrontation with Ken story. That's a six issue story for the trade.
The reintroduction of old characters can happen after that.
Now, as for someone like Gunny, since he was a Viet-Nam vet he's be as old as Rambo in the John Rambo movie (same goes for the HARD Corps), so is it really worth it?
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Nope, no reintro of ARMORINES as such. I think that GUNNY was really the only one who ever connected with readers and that the ARMORINES were, much like the PSI-Lords and even the H.A.R.D Corps, better off as elements rather than focal points of ongoing titles. As far as pace, that was purely a hypothetical and as for new characters, I would intro new ones alongside old ones, so there are connections there both in the story and for new/old readers alike. My ideal first issue would end with the VR scenario breaking down, while Randy and Ken-after years of not speaking to each other-begin a correspondnce to save "the big fella" after a failed attempt several years prior. I'd use the issue to set up the older characters in new situations, to delineate Freidman as a character and to drop in a few new supporting players who will become major people. This MAY include a genius named Donovan Wylie who helped build the VR machine for DF and now maintains/watches over the project. If not, then whoever DID build it will have very deep future connections to ARIC. Perhaps, over time, they have come to wonder what they are doing and even begun planting suggestions in the VRS which make ARIC begin to try to break free on his own. All this would be set up within the first issue. It would be truly jam-packed but not overwhelming. It would leave the reader DEMANDING more and they WOULD get it with the second installment. That second book would likely begin to foreshadow the exact end of Friedman-yep, he's not gonna last. I didn't say die, although he MIGHT. He's not gonna be sitting around a penthouse like Luthor, though, waiting for ARIC to come after him. Like I said, there would be a throwdown of EPIC proportions between the two men. I do imagine a series of 3-4 issue arcs, each connected to the other and building upon what has come before. Aric, in fact, by the end of the first arc, would be out of the VRS but whether he is free of Friedman is another matter entirely. Oh, and I didn't even get to the very best part. In 43, the last thing you saw was KEN going under. There is a MAJOR story about ARIC there...the secret being...he and Randy escaped but had to go after KEN and THAT is where Friedman got Aric. There is another side to this story, but I'd like to hear comments first. Once again, just a possible scenario.