As we mentioned before, X-O Manowar is going big for its 25th issue, complete with a ton of superstar guests contributing, including J.G. Jones, Bryan Hitch, Justin Jordan and more. It’s going to be an epic release, and for you old school fans of Valiant, we have a special, exclusive treat for you: classic Valiant artist Sean Chen is providing a cover for the issue with the title dress of the book’s original run for the issue.
It’s a nostalgic blast of a cover, and as you can see above, it is totally awesome going back to the 90’s one last time before moving forward into the next era of the book. To help celebrate, we talked to Chen and X-O Assistant Editor Josh Johns about the cover and what X-O is really all about. Take a look below, and check out some additional, awesome art for upcoming issues below.
You’re someone who has a lot of Valiant ties, having previously worked on X-O in its last iteration for example. What made coming back to Valiant for this special event the right decision for you, and what does Valiant represent to you both today and when you previously worked with them?
Chen: Coming back to Valiant for the #25 issue was especially poignant for me. Honestly, I never properly appreciated the time I was at the old Valiant. I spent most of the four years there struggling to get better so that I could get a shot at Marvel or DC, which I considered to be “greener grass” I don’t think I was all that good of an artist back then. I also didn’t realize how great those characters and the Valiant culture were. For this reason, I have always wanted a “do over.” I had to wait quite a while before Valiant came around again, and it feels great to be able to revisit those characters with my artistic ability in a much better place.
X-O Manowar is and was the flagship character of the Valiant universe. What do you think, as an artist in particular, makes him such a notable and vital character, especially in today’s industry?
Your cover to #25 is an amazing throwback, hearkening this reader back to the days when Valiant first was blowing readers minds. When it came to this cover, what was your approach? How closely did you work with Valiant in terms of developing this piece? Did you work pretty closely together, or was it more of a situation where you were unleashed to do your thing?
Chen: The only directive I got was from Josh Johns was to use the classic armor and try to incorporate the number 25. Other than that, I felt like I was trusted to come up with something cool. I thought that using his reflection in a shiny floor would be a great way to bridge the two eras of classic and modern X-O
I love the X-O armor because it’s as unique as the character is. Flying armored superhero characters are a common comic trope. There is a kind of sameness to a lot of them. What’ s special about X-O is that the armor design takes its cues from the story. I love how its organic in feel and the metal segments mirror the wearer’s musculature. In drawing X-O, I try to avoid any notions that the armor is man made. This is what separates him from Iron Man and needs to be celebrated in how he’s depicted.
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This is the first time a Valiant book has made it to the quarter century mark, and it looks like the X-O Manowar team is celebrating in proper style with big guns like JG Jones and Bryan Hitch onboard for this issue. What makes X-O the flagship book for the Valiant line, and someone who stands out even amongst the other great characters at Valiant?
Johns: X-O Manowar is, frankly, just a very exciting character. We are talking about a Visigoth warrior displaced from his era and given the most powerful weapon in the universe in the modern day, so at the idea at the core of the series is very compelling. Add in Robert Venditti, who has been operating on a whole different level in our industry for some time now, paired with some of the best artists I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, and, honestly, the team has created a series worth celebrating. This was the series that was hand picked to spearhead the relaunch and reinvention of the Valiant Universe by our wonderfully talented Executive Editor, Warren Simons. Because of X-O’s popularity and large fan base from the original series, plus the incredible work that the current team has done, it certainly doesn’t surprise us that this title is going so strong at issue #25.
Johns: I think staying true to what made these characters work originally, while modernizing their core concepts has been the mission statement of Valiant since day one. Warren and Robert, along with our CEO and Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani, have poured their souls into creating a character that pays homage to what we all loved about the original run, while creating a something brand new, unique, and exciting for fans of both eras. I think Warren and Robert, along with an all-star cast of artists, have guided this book toward its most seminal run, and honestly, the best is still to come in my opinion.
Having someone on the book like Robert Venditti certainly makes your job easier, as he is a veteran with very interesting and exciting ideas for the direction of this book. 25 issues in, what do you think has stood out so far in his run, especially when compared to what preceded it?
Johns: I am extremely lucky to get to work with Robert on a day-to-day basis, and luckier to get to call him a friend. He is a hell of a guy and a consummate professional. What stands out from this run, to me, is the care Robert has given to building up Aric of Dacia as a complex and likable character while managing to lay the foundation of a brand new universe in the same breath. This is tough stuff, and Robert and Warren should be commended for the job they did in allowing the book to build into a wonderful story all the while planting the seeds that wouldn’t pay off until years down the line. (Wink wink, nudge nudge…ARMOR HUNTERS!)
On a side note, Robert and I are both avid college football fans, and we even attend game together from time to time. I want it on record that my Georgia Bulldogs are 3-0 over his Florida Gators during his run on X-O Manowar. Who’s that coming down the track, Rob?
Johns: While I am not familiar with this Quesada fellow, I am sure he did a fine job. Bob Layton is my jam though, and I actually have gotten to work with Bart Sears a good bit this year. I couldn’t be a bigger fan. In all seriousness, however, the people who made this book are legends of our medium (and it should go without saying that Joe Quesada is one of the greatest visionaries in the history of comics, by the way), so our goal is not to compete with that era, but to honor their work by making X-O Manowar the best it can be. That being said Cary Nord, Lee Garbett, Trevor Hairsine, and Diego Bernard have each brought a masterful approach to their chapters of the X-O Manowar saga and we’re privileged to have artists whose names can now be spoken in the same breath as the legends that preceded them on this title.
If issue #25 has all of this to offer – interiors from JG Jones and Bryan Hitch, a 48-page giant, and more – then I have to ask, what’s it all leading to? What’s coming, and what can you tell us about the big Armor Hunters story?
Johns: Shoot me a text later and I will tell you everything – no NDA can hold me back from revealing the pure bat #@$! awesomeness that is Armor Hunters. Literally the hardest part of my job these days is not telling every single person in the world how much I love what Rob and Warren have cooking for Armor Hunters. In my opinion it is one of the strongest and most exciting ideas to ever come out of the Valiant office.
X-O MANOWAR #25
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI with PETER MILLIGAN, JUSTIN JORDAN and More!
Art by DIEGO BERNARD with J.G. JONES, BRYAN HITCH, RAFER ROBERTS and More!
Covers by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC and BRYAN HITCHValiant delivers another must-read milestone this May with a blockbuster, 48-page celebration of X-O Manowar’s 25th issue…and an essential introduction to the comic book event of 2014 – ARMOR HUNTERS!
Find out why the galaxy’s most feared team of hunter-killers have journeyed across the stars to destroy the X-O Manowar armor and the Earth along with it in ARMOR HUNTERS: PART ZERO by Robert Venditti and Diego Bernard! Then, revisit the roots of Aric of Dacia’s transformation from Visigoth conqueror into the 21st century’s alien-armored guardian, as told by Robert Venditti & J.G. Jones! Plus, all-new tales of X-O Manowar by Peter Milligan & Bryan Hitch, Justin Jordan & Rafer Roberts, and much, much more!
$4.99/T+/48 pgs.
ON SALE IN MAY!
