X-O Manowar

X-O Manowar (Aric Dacia) is a fictional superhero created by writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, artist Bob Layton, and Jon Hartz. Current Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada was a key creator in the origin of X-O Manowar as seen in X-O Manowar #0. The eponymous comic book series published by Valiant Comics has sold more than 8 million copies to date.

X-O Manowar originally sold strongly, with sales as high as 800,000 copies for X-O Manowar #0. In 1996, Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant for $65 million and restarted the series under the Acclaim Comics banner. The publication of the second series ceased in 2002 due to Acclaim's financial difficulties in their video game division.

Issues #1-4 of the original X-O Manowar series were reprinted in a trade paperback, X-O Manowar: Retribution, which sold over 150,000 copies. Issues #7 and #8 were reprinted as part of the Unity Saga trade paperbacks.

In April, 2008, Valiant Entertainment released X-O Manowar: Birth, a deluxe hardcover collection collecting the first seven issues of X-O Manowar. The collection was digitally recolored and "remastered" from the original material and included a new story, "The Rise of Lydia," by Bob Layton, one the title's original artists. A press release from Valiantfans.com stated: