Who doesn’t love an artist’s edition book? It’s a great way to cut through the noise of a classic story and appreciate an artist’s process in oversized black and white, letting the pencils and inks do the talking.
Valiant today announced, exclusively through ComicsXF, that it will publish an Artist’s Edition of 1993’s X-O Manowar #0, penciled by then up-and-coming artist Joe Quesada and inked by Jimmy Palmiotti.
Created by Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, Steve Englehart and Barry Windsor-Smith, X-O is more or less the answer to what if Conan the Barbarian got an Iron Man suit that was also kind of a Venom. Released during the first Valiant era and during the height of the speculator market, the #0 issue sold as many as 800,000 copies.
The Artist’s Edition comes as Valiant, now published by Alien Books, wraps up the plotlines and contractual obligations of the previous era via the Resurgence crossover and prepares to roll out a new wave of #1s next spring. We talked to Alien Books Director Matias Timarchi about that on a recent episode of The ComicsXF Interview Podcast. We also chatted with Resurgence writer Fred Van Lente at New York Comic Con.
“Before we reveal the future of the Valiant Comics line next month, we wanted to celebrate the incredible history of these characters,” Timarchi said in comments supplied by Valiant. “Shining a new light on Joe Quesada’s iconic X-O Manowar #0 in this oversized Artist’s Edition is one of the ways we’re respecting the past while paving the way for an exciting new future.
“Joe’s artwork is fantastic, managing to be both epic and personal at the same time, and being able to reproduce X-O #0 in a special Artist’s Edition and letting his pencils and Jimmy Palmiotti’s inks tell the story on their own, that was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.
“If people respond well to this release, we’ll explore doing additional Artist’s Editions and Facsimiles in the future when the moment calls for it and if the demand is there.”
Certainly, if Marvel, DC and even Archie can do Facsimile Editions, there’s room for Valiant to play as well.
The X-O Manowar #0 Artist’s Edition is scheduled for release in February. Check out covers below, and keep scrolling for the basic deets.
X-O MANOWAR #0 B&W ARTIST EDITION – JOE QUESADA (One-Shot)
SPECIAL ARTIST’S EDITION REPRINT OF THE LEGENDARY #0 ISSUE OF THE ORIGINAL ’90s X-O MANOWAR SERIES!
SEE COMICS LEGEND JOE QUESADA’S ARTWORK REPRODUCED IN ITS ORIGINAL BLACK & WHITE PENCILS WITH INKS BY JIMMY PALMIOTTI!
This special edition will contain no dialog, captions or word balloons and will be printed in oversized 7.15×11 format!
Aric of Dacia, nephew of Alaric, King of the Visigoths, is consumed by a relentless desire for vengeance against the Romans, who killed his parents when he was a child. Driven by his thirst to annihilate them, he launches a nighttime assault on what he believes is a Roman encampment, only to be captured by the Spider Aliens. This marks the beginning of years of enslavement. This prologue to “Retribution” (X-O MANOWAR #1, 1992) explores how Aric ultimately bonded with the powerful alien armor known as X-O Manowar.
Art: Joe Quesada, Jimmy Palmiotti
Cover: Joe Quesada (Recolored Edition)
Variant Covers: JQ B&W, JQ Recolored Virgin, JQ B&W Virgin
Final Order Cutoff: 01/20/25
On Sale Date: 02/19/25
Rated T+
28-page, black & white comic
Oversize 7.15×11 in
$5.99 U.S.
Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom.
