X-O Manowar, Vol. 1

X-O Manowar, Vol. 1: By the Sword collects the opening four issues of Valiant Entertainment's 2012 series by writer Robert Venditti and artist Cary Nord, a cornerstone of the relaunched Valiant Universe. It introduces Aric of Dacia, a fifth-century Visigoth captured by an alien species and forced into slavery on a far-off world.

Aric's rebellion hinges on Shanhara, a sentient alien armour described as the most powerful weapon in the universe. Claiming it, he escapes and returns to Earth to find sixteen centuries have elapsed, leaving him a warrior displaced in time and driven by loss. The volume blends historical warrior fiction, science fiction, and superhero action into an origin story that reestablished X-O Manowar as a Valiant flagship.

Praised for its strong art and propulsive storytelling, By the Sword is the natural entry point to a 2012 series that ran fifty issues across roughly a dozen collected volumes.