If you have been following any of the Armor Hunters saga, Armor Hunters #4 is one you want to pick up. Everything finishes here. GIN-GR is down and her drones have been dealt with, but the Armor Hunters are far from being finished; they are ready to take down the M.E.R.O. ship and finish the planet. The heroes converge on this point, ready for a final battle.
This was pretty much the inevitable ending, given the Armor Hunters zealotry and the threat they pose. Venditti gives each of the heroes a part in the fight, and there are some snappy one-liners delivered as they battle. Aric gets some last minute encouragement to rejoin the fight and comes into his own here, moving from protector of the Visigoths to protector of the Earth. He also gets a tremendous showdown with Reebo, the Primary.
Braithwaite, as always, gives the different heroes their distinctive fighting styles. He also gives the Hunters, particularly the Primary, a level of nobility in the final confrontation, even as he categorically states that the Hunters plan on destroying the whole planet just to make sure Aric’s armor (and presumably now Malgam’s) have not led to contaminating the planet past the point of no return. As in previous collaborations between the two, Braithwaite and Venditti know when to give one another space.
Side note: I mentioned in an earlier review that I wondered why Aric’s armor hasn’t been trying to consume him. Apparently, it has been, and Livewire dealt with the situation when she wore it. It’s good to have that detail cleared up.
This is the conclusion to a summer crossover and as such, is not a standalone. If you have been reading the tale, you want it. If you haven’t, try picking up with X-O Manowar #29 which tucks in a trailing end on this arc and starts a new one. Oh, and if you are an ongoing reader? Don’t read X-O Manowar until you have read this one. Valiant means that little warning on the cover.
Writer: Robert Venditti
Penciler: Doug Braithwaite
Inker: Laura Martin
Colors: Laura Martin
Cover Artist: Doug Braithwaite, Tom Fowler, Trevor Harisine, Clayton Henry