Heavy Helmet of Hope in Son of the Revolution

by Vince Brusio

A reluctant hero. Ever seen one? If so, you know the look.  That occasional distant stare. How heavy weighs the crown on one’s head? And is the helmet heavier than the crown? Does the hero who works for the crown have a heavier burden if he toils with an aching heart? Writer Joe Harris asked himself such pointed questions, and answers them in the one-shot Divinity III: Aric — Son of the Revolution (NOV161926) for Valiant Entertainment. In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview with Joe, he ponders what it must be like to work as a hero that is nevertheless powerless to affect real change that can benefit the people he “protects.”

Divinity III: Aric — Son of the Revolution (NOV161926) is in comic shops January 18.

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Vince Brusio: Valiant has a wide array of characters in its universe, so the tangents one could take with Stalinverse is endless. Why did you settle on telling a story for X-O Manowar as opposed to Bloodshot or Ninjak? Why the affinity for X-O Manowar?

Joe Harris: Well, Valiant Editor-in-Chief Warren Simons asked me to look at X-O Manowar — I suspect, maybe, based on what we did involving some Soviet-based action horror and Red Square destruction in my Oni Press series, Ghost Projekt some years back — and  I was thrilled. I've always thought of X-O Manowar as Valiant's flagship character, but I'd never thought about writing a story starring him before. I'm a fan of what Robert Venditti was able to accomplish over such a long run, so there are a lot of impulses that inform here. Plus Bloodshot, whom I love, is capably in the hands of Jeff Lemire, and Ninjak is getting some legendary treatment from Matt Kindt.

Vince Brusio: In looking at the cover alone for Divinity III: Aric — Son of the Revolution, we see how X-O Manowar is tailored to “fit in” with the Stalinverse Universe. Can you take us to the beginning of your idea for this book? Walk us through how you formulated, tinkered, or tweaked the Stalinverse concept to suit your plot for this one-shot.

Joe Harris: I had read Matt Kindt’s script for Divinity III: Stalinverse #1 and loved the alternate iteration of X-O Manowar. He only appears for a few pages, but so much of what we know about the character leapt off the page...even when he's not quite the same character at all anymore. His inner tragedy and pain of loss is still there, but he's channeled it differently, and into something more tragic altogether in the Stalinverse. Based on this sort of teased intro, I was able to craft a tale centered around how he might be the Soviet Union's greatest hero and living weapon and adopted son, but also someone who failed in his original mission to deliver his true people from bondage and to a brighter tomorrow and who, for all his power and passion, is made to support the dark future Soviet state without much choice.

Vince Brusio: The solicitation for this book reads that “the champion of socialism has singlehandedly consolidated the state’s military and political superiority at home and abroad.” That sounds like socialism just became communism. Will such an observation ever be addressed in this story?

Joe Harris: Aric has helped the Russians achieve hegemony over what may well be every corner of the Stalinverse. But I think it's more about empire and the cost of it, both to the national character and the individual soul.

Vince Brusio: “Sins, secrets, and tragedy” are said to be in store for readers with this story arc. That’s a tall order, and way too big a teaser to keep everyone in suspense until January. So end the cruelty, Joe! Throw us a bone. If you could geek for a moment, and go off on a scene that you think would really speak to people about the tension in this book, what scene would you let us see play out in a 30-second trailer?

Joe Harris: We're going to see Aric, the Soviet Union's living weapon and potentially favorite son, honored for his efforts to help secure the empire and future for the people. Here's where we harken to the aspirations of Marxism, I'd say, and we get the impression X-O Manowar is a team player. But when a military parade that would make Vladimir Lenin or even Kim Jong-Il blush goes very wrong, Aric is revealed to be both a pawn and player in a game that counts the pawns as lives in the millions.

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.