REVIEW: King Conan No.1 (of 6)

Jason Aaron penning the latest “King Conan” tale is no gamble, but a safe bet to get the next chapter of the Cimmerian champion out to readers stuck in the Hyborian age.
A safe bet because King Conan is directly in Aaron’s bag. Doubt that, and his “Journey Into Mystery” run speaks volumes for itself. The battle is gritty as Conan faces another high magic priest looking as if Kulan Gath had a son, but the gold here is in the flashbacks as Conan is shown to leave his homeland, become king through conquest, and eventually face down his greatest threat – having a son of his own.

Watching Conan teach Conn the importance of keeping a clean sword, obvious phallic implications aside, is the most intriguing part of the issue this side of dialogue. Yeah it’s dope to see Asrar pencil in a sorcerer’s arm getting cleaved off for the enjoyment of carnivorous amphibians, but should Aaron continue in the direction of revealing more of Conn(Conan’s son) and Conan’s story, then perhaps the overall mystery of why Conan is no longer king can be revealed. Odd to have a title called “King Conan” and pick up on the tale right where Conan is wondering around without a crown, but this is uncharted territory not expounded on in the Howard tales, so Aaron and Co. have free reign and a grand opportunity to etch their names in Hyborian history.

King Conan may be under the Marvel banner , but don’t expect any crossovers like the “Serpent’s Crown” or “Savage Avengers” (great as those stories are).
Nah, this is straight high adventure Conan and for those who want to read something that can best be described as neo nostalgia, Aaron has your fix right here.

Score : 4/5

(W) Jason Aaron (A/CA) Mahmud A. Asrar