The relaunch of X-O Manowar in March is bringing about some big changes for both the title character and comic book publisher Valiant Comics, starting with a big status quo shakeup.

X-O Manowar #2 art by Tomas Giorello. (Valiant Comics)

X-O Manowar #2 art by Tomas Giorello. (Valiant Comics)

X-O Manowar #4 art by Doug Braithwaite. (Valiant Comics)

X-O Manowar #4 art by Doug Braithwaite. (Valiant Comics)

X-O Manowar #4 art by Doug Braithwaite. (Valiant Comics)

X-O Manowar #7 art by Clayton Crain. (Valiant Comics)

X-O Manowar #7 art by Clayton Crain. (Valiant Comics)

X-O Manowar #1 cover by Lewis LaRosa. (Valiant Comics)

X-O Manowar #2 cover by Lewis LaRosa. (Valiant Comics)

X-O Manowar #3 cover by Lewis LaRosa. (Valiant Comics)

“2017 is X-O Manowar’s 25th anniversary and [X-O Manowar writer Matt Kindt] had an intriguing idea,” Valiant CEO and Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani told IGN. “Instead of celebrating with a return to Aric’s status quo, let’s make the character a truly cosmic force to be reckoned with and thrust him into a whole new scenario – a lone human, bonded to an alien weapon, forced to fight on a hostile yet exotic extraterrestrial world. Matt and the five-strong art team of Tomas Giorello, Doug Braithwaite, Clayton Crain, Ryan Bodenheim, and Mico Suayan are doing something we haven’t seen yet with this character – making him a literal ‘man of war’ that’s about to take on not just an army, but an entire planet, over the course of 2017.”The series is utilizing the talents of five artists in order to deliver tight, three-issue arcs, which will be titled “Soldier,” “General,” “Emperor,” and “Visigoth.” Each arc will see a big turning point for the character and feature a different artist.Valiant editor-in-chief Warren Simons is enthusiastic about the new approach.“We have five exceptional artists on board before issue #1 is even launches, each of whom are brilliant talents who are absolute forces in the marketplace," Simons said. “Tomas Giorello, who is doing some of the most beautiful work of his career, kicks things off, with our ‘Soldier’ arc in issue #1, which is heavily influenced by movies like ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and ‘Unforgiven.’ The work Tomas is doing here is absolutely jaw dropping, and the response we've seen from his pages has been phenomenal.“The next arc -- ‘General,’ beginning in June's X-O Manowar #4 -- is by the tremendous Doug Braithwaite. Doug's a master storyteller, a fantastic draftsman, and one of the finest artists in the industry."Then for arc three -- titled ‘EMPEROR,’ beginning in issue #7 -- the brilliant digital painter Clayton Crain comes on board. That will take us to issue #9, and rounding out the year are the powerhouses Ryan Bodenheim and Mico Suayan.”When publishers utilize different artists on the same ongoing series, some readers find the change in style to be jarring, but Simons is confident that won’t be an issue.“If you're going to war with this level of talent, you've got a formidable book on your hands,” he said. “We saw a tremendous response to Bloodshot Reborn, which featured artists Mico Suayan, Raul Allen, Butch Guice, and Lewis LaRosa, so I'm confident this will be something special.”When Valiant was rebooted in 2012, X-O Manowar was the publisher’s flagship book that wound up with a 50-plus-issue run by writer Robert Venditti and artists like Cary Nord and Lee Garbett, a feat that Shamdasani says “made the series into one of the best and most acclaimed relaunches of the modern era.” With this reboot, the Valiant team is looking to use X-O Manowar to continue paving the path toward the future.One aspect of the relaunch will be introducing perks to readers. First, in order to entice fans to get into the series, those who pre-order the first three issues will receive an oversized and expanded version of the first arc at no extra cost.“We really wanted to reward the readers who go out there and pre-order a book with their local comic book shops. Retailers are the lifeblood of the industry, and it’s imperative that we keep finding new ways to support them. With the pre-order edition bundle, we’re incentivizing readers to make a commitment to us and to their local retailer. And these editions are filled with tons of extra value for the same $3.99 cover price. Not only are they filled with trade paperback-style bonus content like character designs, process pages and commentary, but we’re also cooking up some really exciting surprises that will make these must-haves for our most dedicated readers. This content is exclusive to the pre-order editions and, judging by our initial orders, it’s something we’re likely to repeat again. It’s been a huge success so far,” Shamdasani explained.Next, much like the Valiant Prestige format comics Divinity, Savage, Britannia and the upcoming Secret Weapons, the new Valiant Premium format will see X-O Manowar printed with high-grade cover stock covers and heavyweight interior pages. There will also be minimal ads and uninterrupted storytelling to smooth out the reading experience.“This is our flagship ongoing series in the Valiant Universe – it deserves a presentation worthy of that designation,” Shamdasani said of Valiant Premium.Shamdasani explained how the same principles that Valiant was rebooted under remain the driving force of the brand today.“We’re rededicating ourselves to our founding principal of producing a tight publishing line that emphasizes quality over quantity and makes each Valiant title on the shelf we feel like essential, event-level reading – hence, a year-long-plus plan for X-O Manowar that includes Matt Kindt alongside some of the industry's most talented artists.“We’ve also learned that in order to stay competitive and successful, we can’t just do the same things that other publishers are doing. We can’t relaunch our titles every six months. Instead, we want to craft long-form, yet accessible, stories where we can follow character’s on a journey, watch them evolve, and grapple with real consequences. You’ve seen us accomplish that in series like Archer & Armstrong, Ninjak, Harbinger and Bloodshot Reborn. Matt’s X-O Manowar is just the latest and greatest example of that strategy and it’s already paying off – the reaction to issue #1 has been tremendous and it’s already one of our most successful launches to date.“But it’s just the beginning… We’ve some major, major initiatives in store for 2017 that we’ll be sharing very soon. Let’s just say that X-O Manowar isn’t the only major Valiant icon celebrating a major anniversary this year,” Shamdasani said.Check out the solicitation information for the first three issues of X-O Manowar.Written by MATT KINDTArt by TOMÁS GIORELLOCover A by LEWIS LAROSA (JAN172113)Cover B by KENNETH ROCAFORT (JAN172114)Interlocking Variant Cover by MICO SUAYAN (JAN172116)X-O Manowar Icon Variant by J.G. JONES (JAN172117)Brushed Metal Variant Cover by MONIKA PALOSZ (JAN172117)$3.99 | 40 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PREMIUM | On Sale MARCH 22nd (FOC 2/27/17)Written by MATT KINDTArt by TOMÁS GIORELLOCover A by LEWIS LAROSACover B by KENNETH ROCAFORTInterlocking Variant Cover by MICO SUAYANX-O Manowar Icon Variant by KAARE ANDREWSBlank Cover Also Available$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PREMIUM | On Sale APRIL 26 (FOC – 4/3/17)Written by MATT KINDTArt by TOMÁS GIORELLOCover A by LEWIS LAROSACover B by KENNETH ROCAFORTInterlocking Variant Cover by MICO SUAYANX-O Manowar Icon Variant by DAVID MACK$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PREMIUM | On Sale MAY 24 (FOC – 5/1/17)And here’s the 2017 schedule for X-O Manowar:

X-O MANOWAR #1 | “SOLDIER” – PART ONE

MATT KINDT | TOMAS GIORELLO

MARCH 2017

X-O MANOWAR #4 | “GENERAL” – PART ONE

MATT KINDT | DOUG BRAITHWAITE

JUNE 2017

X-O MANOWAR #7 | “EMPEROR” – PART ONE

MATT KINDT | CLAYTON CRAIN

SEPTEMBER 2017

X-O MANOWAR #10 | INTERLUDE

MATT KINDT | RYAN BODENHEIM

DECEMBER 2017

X-O MANOWAR #11 | “VISIGOTH” – PART ONE

MATT KINDT | MICO SUAYAN

JANUARY 2018

Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN