Ever since Valiant returned to comics in 2012, X-O Manowar has been the company's flagship title --- and for good reason. The idea of putting a visigoth from barbarian times into a suit of high-tech space armor and letting him just basically destroy everything that makes him angry with a sword made of lightning is pretty great.

Now, though, the relaunched X-O is closing in on its 50th issue, and to celebrate the occasion, Valiant has hinted at a jam cover that will involve 50 artists doing 50 different takes on Aric of Dacia and his radical space armor. Today, we've got a close look at five of the artists participating: Colleen Coover, Dave Bullock, Ramon Villalobos, Michael Walsh, and Pere Perez.

Check out their contributions to the cover below!

 

XO Manowar #50, Valiant Entertainment
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XO Manowar #50, Valiant Entertainment
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XO Manowar #50, Valiant Entertainment
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XO Manowar #50, Valiant Entertainment
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XO Manowar #50, Valiant Entertainment
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As for the other 45 artists involved in the cover, they remain to be seen, but the blending of styles that we can see just from this collection of five is pretty interesting.

In addition to being one of those big-number milestones, X-O Manowar also marks the final issue of the series, and with it, apparently, the four-year tenure of writer Robert Venditti. Venditti has been a cornerstone of Valiant since the relaunch, writing not just the X-O Manowar ongoing, but also serving as one of the primary architects of the company's major events. With the book being billed by the publisher as a "grand finale" - and with a stunt like gathering up fifty artists for a single cover --- they're banking on some pretty high stakes when the issue finally hits shelves.

X-O Manowar #50 will be out in September.

 

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