A brilliant tale told with almost no dialog. And the dialog we see isn’t even English. The awesome art is the selling point for this great issue. The tale opens with our anti-hero anxious to get out of Cimmeria and seek adventure. This is the story that tells of Conan’s first venture outside of his home town. A young man that wants to see the world and the hardships he had to endure. An early story that’s never been told…before now!
The Creative Team:
Esad Ribic serves as writer and artist, first, let’s look at Esad the writer. The story unfolds with a gritty realism of an age where only the fittest of human beings survived. An age where men had to be men and had to rely on their wits as well as brute strength. The very first thing we are witness too after our Barbarian ventures out into the world is his fight with a wolf over his food for the night. One will become the hunter, the other, dinner. A savage time where survival depended on pure instinct! I love these type of stories and Marvel has another masterpiece on their hands. Great Stuff includes Conan gaining the respect of a wolf pack and his encounter with other wildlife.
Esad Ribic the artist: What a beautifully illustrated issue. The panels are almost photograph quality and are a breathtaking sight. Such care went into every panel. The illustrations are what make us stay on these pages as we admire the craftsmanship that went into each page. It doesn’t require reading and when there is dialog it’s in the natives own dialect. Highlights include Conan’s confrontation with a warrior and his final solution.
In Conclusion:
A must-have for any Conan fan. a pictorial odyssey from Cimmeria to a strange land and our anti-hero finally getting the action-packed life he had been craving for since he could remember. The only flaw for me is that the dialog isn’t in English and I wanted to know what they were saying. Not that we can’t tell what’s happening because it’s a straightforward tale that doesn’t really require much exposition. I also understand that in having the natives speak in their own tongue we’re feeling just as alien as Conan must have felt venturing out for the first time, but I still would have preferred a translation. HOwever, this is an awesome stand-alone tale and again the art is the reason to own this issue. ***1.2 (8.8 rating)
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer – Esad Ribic
Art – Esad Ribic’
Letters – VC’s Travis Lanham
Publisher – Marvel
Author Profile
- Kevin Given has studied with “ Longridge Writers Group †and “ Writer’s Boot Camp †a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the “ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter †franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of “ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter †# 1 and “ Files of Karl Vincent †# 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series “ Dracula Rising †(working title) and developing “ Foul Blood †into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given
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