On the heels of two important news stories concerning everyone’s favorite Hyborian age barbarian comes this collection. The two news stories I’m talking about? The rights to publish Conan comic books have reverted back to Marvel and Conan is returning to the silver screen thanks to Amazon. This collection brings us the run of Brian Wood and Fred Van Lente on Dark Horses version of the character. I’m a long time fan of the Marvel comics and magazines and wouldn’t trade them for anything, but for almost twenty years I’ve been able to continue revisiting the fantasy world of Cimmeria thanks to the awesome talent at Dark Horse. I loved their run on the classic character.
The Creative Team:
Brian Wood’s take on Conan is radically different from what has gone on before (Marvel.) This volume opens with Nightmare of the Shallows. Which is an excellent way to start this volume since the Cimmerian and Bêlit are forced to relive some of their most intimate and personal memories and their bond is threatened by powers beyond their control. Some purists had a few problems with Wood’s take but overall this run was a smashing success and even though 19 issues of his run aren’t directly taken from Howard’s classic, I feel that he stayed true to the spirit of Conan. This is the conclusion to the epic Queen of the Black Coast. Fred Van Lente was given the daunting task of succeeding Brian Wood’s celebrated run on Conan and I must say he admirably took control of the series in a very smooth transition that resulted in some excellent storytelling.
Davide Gianfelice, Brian Ching, Paul Azaceta, and so many others I can’t name them all in this review but each gives their own unique touch to the Conan mythos. It’s probably not easy to transport us convincingly to another age and era. But these fine illustrators make it look easy. there are so many highlights in these 400 + pages that it’s hard to name them. The fate of the crew of the Argus is eerie and the sea monster’s attack is a thrilling scene to be sure.
In Conclusion:
If you’ve never read Conan in any form, this is a good start as we see a young, fresh-faced once and future king at the beginning of his great adventure. Much like when Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone. He’s not yet the somber and brooding barbarian and it’s interesting to see the events that would turn him into the hardened warrior we’ve all come to know and appreciate. It’s a collection a lot of fans have been clamoring for that has finally arrived and one of the best adaptations of a Robert E. Howard story into this medium. I can only wonder how Marvel is going to top Dark Horses celebrated run. **** (8.9 rating)
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Writer – Brian Wood, Fred Van Lente
Art – Various
Colors – David Stewart, Michael Atiyeh
Letters – Richard Starkings, Comicrafts Jimmy Betancourt
Publisher – Dark Horse Comics
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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