X-O Manowar vol 2 # 1 1997 Fear Itself pg 22 by Sean Chen & Thomas Ryder

X-O Manowar vol 2 #1 February 1997
“Fear Itself” Pg 22 W/ photocopy of pencils
Inks over pencil on Valiant/Acclaim Bristol Board
Pencils: Sean Chen (Signed lower center)
Inks Thomas Ryder
Writers: Mark Waid (Signed lower right) & Brian Augustyn (Signed top left)

Major Rand Banion (the new Manowar) and Dr. Donovan Wylie work together to take on the terrorist group R.A.G.E. in "Fear Itself." Continued next issue. Written by Mark Waid & Brian Augustyn. Art by Sean Chen & Tom Ryder.

Donovan Wiley takes over the X-O mantle.

When Acclaim Entertainment acquired the comic series, X-O Manowar was significantly altered. The character was now a modern-day scientist named Donovan Wylie who wielded X-O armor, an ancient artifact owned by the United States government, having been captured from Nazi Germany in World War II.

Donovan Phillip Wylie, a technological genius, solves this problem for Project X-O, but there are mysteries about the armor not even his genius can unravel. After a tactical error costs one brave man his life, Donovan dons the armor and becomes the one thing he never intended – a hero.


In this series, the X-O Manowar armor is an artifact of unknown origin that has been worn by a myriad of warriors throughout history. It essentially gives its wearer indefinite power; however, the armor slowly siphons the life essence of its wearer, damaging their mind and body. The armor attaches itself to the wearer's nervous system and cannot be removed without killing the person wearing it. It can, however, be changed to its "metal" form at the wearer's will, but the metal is permanently grafted onto the wearer's chest. (It is unknown if the armor will activate if grafted onto another part of the body.)