Compiled by Barry Reese
Version 2.5
Who is X-O Manowar?
Aric Dacia was a Visigoth barbarian in the 5th Century. He was the nephew of Alaric, a great barbarian leader who eventually sacked Rome. He had a wife named Diedre, who was killed during one of his sojourns into the past (see below). Aric found himself kidnapped by a race of aliens known to Valiant fans as the Spider Aliens. The Spider Aliens collected humans for foodstuff and Aric worked as a slave for them before stealing the mighty X-O class armor. The armor allowed him to escape from the Spider Aliens and flee back to Earth -- only to find himself in the early 1990s! Confused by the modern world, Aric found the sentient armor to be a very good guide. The armor taught him English and helped him adapt. While in the 20th Century, he fell in love with a beautiful woman named Randy Cartier and helped defend the Earth from all sorts of threats.
Wait, I thought X-O Manowar was a guy named Donovan Wylie?!
Nope, that's the other X-O. You see, the original X-O Manowar series ran from 1991-1997 when it, and the rest of the Valiant line of comics, was 'rebooted' by Fabian Nicieza. The X-O Manowar of this new universe was whiz kid Donovan Wylie and his own series lasted for almost two years. This site, btw, is dedicated to the original, and best, X-O.
What's this Orb Industries thing I've heard about?
On one of Aric's first adventures in the modern day, he encountered the employees of Orb. Orb was a dummy corporation run by the Spider Aliens, used by them to further their plan to use humans as food. Aric, with the help of a rogue Orb employee named Ken Clarkson, defeated this batch of aliens and he claimed Orb as his spoils of war. With Ken's help, Aric became CEO of Orb and further entrenched himself into the twentieth century. Orb was destroyed by the evil Crescendo in X-O Manowar # 44-47.
What was 'Birthquake'?
This was an attempt by Acclaim to boost interest in its Valiant heroes titles. It basically consisted of bringing in 'big name' writers and artists to overhaul the Valiant line. For X-O, it meant that Ron Marz, Bart Sears and Andy Smith were allowed to, over the course of four issues, destroy Orb Industries and the entire supporting cast of the book. This was meant to 'restore' Aric to his warrior status, but all it really did was alienate the fans who had grown to love Ken Clarkson, Randy Cartier and the other supporting cast members.
Did any 'big-names' ever work on X-O Manowar?
You betcha. In addition to Marz, Sears and Smith, the following all wrote or drew issues of X-O : Jim Shooter, Barry Windsor-Smith, Joe Quesada, Keith Giffen, Butch Guice and Bob Layton.
Did X-O ever return to the 5th Century?
Yes. Following a major Valiant crossover called 'Unity', Aric found himself back home. Unfortunately, Alaric and the others found the armored Aric somewhat frightening and eventually betrayed him. Their plot to kill Aric eventually resulted in the death of Diedre. Aric also 'returned' home via dreams and hallucinations several times over the course of the series. X-O Manowar # 0 is must-reading if you're curious about Aric's time back in the 5th Century.
What was 'Unity'?
Unity was Valiant's first major crossover, uniting all of its characters into one huge story. The action took place in the Lost Land, a region outside time and space. The main villain was Erica Pierce, aka Mothergod, who had similar powers to another of Valiant's main heroes, Solar. Aric's role in the crossover was somewhat peripheral -- he took over a small band of warriors and reverted to his more savage ways. At one point, he was nearly bitten in two by a 'bionosaur' (a cybernetically-altered dinosaur) and had to remain inside his armor or die. He got better, eventually.
Didn't X-O Manowar meet Iron Man?
Yes -- twice, in fact. X-O Manowar/Iron Man was published by Valiant, while Iron Man/X-O Manowar was released by Marvel. Both books were written by Fabian Nicieza, with the Valiant version drawn by Andy Smith and the Marvel one pencilled by Tom Grindberg. Basically, Crescendo teamed up with Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil to remake reality using the Cosmic Cube. This resulted in an amalgamated universe where Solar was a member of the Avengers, etc. Eventually, Aric saved the day and altered history so that he got the X-O armor back in the 5th Century so he could kick Roman butt. These issues are considered out-of-continuity by almost everyone, but I worked them into my fanfiction series.
Will Aric Dacia ever return in 'real' comics again?
He has already. This past December saw the release of Unity 2000 written by Jim Shooter and drawn by Jim Starlin. Mr. Shooter is attempting to reconcile the original Valiant universe (home to our Aric) with the later versions, creating a coherent Valiant Universe once more. We wish him luck. Whether or not this means that X-O Manowar will once again return as a monthly title is unknown at this time. UPDATE : The Unity 2000 series has, unfortunately, been scrapped. Acclaim hasn't paid Shooter for anything past issue three and has even gone so far as to scrap their entire comics division. It looks like X-O Manowar won't be returning anytime soon.
What the heck are these references to the VFA in your stories?
From 1998 through mid-2001, I was involved in a couple of fanfic groups : the Valiant 1 Fanfic Group and the Valiant Fanfic Association. As part of that involvement I sometimes referenced what was going on in other stories, by other authors. The Armageddon event that's mentioned in several of my issues is one example. Unfortunately, the V1F and the VFA are both gone now but I've left my stories in their original form. Hopefully, you'll still get some pleasure out of them.
Return to the X-O Homepage