Review: Conan the Barbarian #3

Â Â Â By: Shawn Warner
I must admit before I began reading this current Conan series by Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar my exploration of Hyboria was extremely limited. I had read some of the classic Roy Thomas issues of the original Marvel run, the artwork always drew me in. As a child I loved the images of Conan by Barry Windsor Smith and John Buscema, however it wasn’t until a childhood friend of mine gave me a stack of his old Savage Sword of Conan magazines that my desire to really dive into this world was fully awakened. It was the covers by such masters artists as Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo and Joe Jusko just as much as the stories within these issues that brought this fantasy realm to life for me and after just three issues Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar and cover artist Esad Ribic have re-ignited the excitement I felt when I first discovered this character that is so unlike any other character in Marvel history.
Created by Robert E. Howard Conan the Barbarian only ventured into the Marvel Universe that would come to be known as the 616 a few times and those would be via the fantastic What If series, so Conan is not normally thought of as a Marvel character as such. Marvel has tantalized readers by pitting some of the biggest and best heroes of the Marvel Universe against the Cimmerian if only on the variant covers of its books to celebrate the return of Conan to the House of Ideas. Like the Star Wars license (which Aaron also wrote for 37 awesome issues upon its return to Marvel), Conan found a home at Dark Horse for decades and built a substantial library of titles there, not to mention a loyal readership, who like the fans of Dark Horse’s Star Wars books would now have to return to Marvel to continue following the adventures of these beloved characters.

The current issue of Conan the Barbarian begins with a flashback to a seventeen year old Conan who has been thieving his way through Nemedia, particularly the bordering mining towns. His felonious endeavors are rather abruptly curtailed by the local constabulary and Conan finds himself facing justice at the end of a rope. Red Tree Hill is known for the executions that are held there daily and the ravenous dogs that gather there in packs to fill their bellies with the freshly deceased danglers cut down from the gnarled branches of the great Red Tree that stood like a silent sentinel atop the hill. Conan is marched out, the noose hanging about his massive neck like some morbid piece of ancient formal wear, a necktie to die for if you will. However, the hungry dogs are not so easily fed when their dinner is to consist of Conan. The ensuing action is some of Aaron’s most inspired work. I have been a fan of his writing for quite some time, his Thor run is the stuff of legend, so when I say this Conan run has all the earmarks of being on par with Aaron’s Asgardian epic you know it is high praise indeed.

The one element I find most appealing about Aaron’s Conan is the dialog and the way he uses it to more deeply develop the character than past writers have, including Thomas. There is a kind of modernity to this Conan that allows us to empathize with him. Aaron doesn’t seek to smooth Conan’s rough edges, as we saw in the previous issue Conan has some racist views when it comes to the Pict, he is not exactly a feminist and to him laws are something to be broken or otherwise circumvented to obtain his personal goals. This character should be offensive on just about every level, but we still find ourselves not only rooting for him, but enjoying the heck out of his brutish behavior. This Conan is far less stoic than his former iteration, he has more swagger perhaps this is keeping pace with the times and presenting this “manly” character in an era when men feel they must apologize for possessing stereotypicalÂ “manly” traits, an era when men are bullied by their razor manufacturer to not be bullies themselves. Conan flies in the face of political correctness in a way that James Bond does, it’s not a political stance perse it’s just that some characters work in spite of themselves and Conan is one of those characters. He’s unapologetic and Jason Aaron captures that aspect of the character so well and he seems to be having an extremely good time doing it. While the fantasy aspects of Conan’s world are certainly present in Aaron’s narrative they are balanced so perfectly among the more realistic or almost historic elements giving the series an intoxicating vibe that is part Vikings part Game of Thrones. All the gritty realism Jason Aaron has come to be known for from such amazing series as Southern Bastards, Scalped and Men of Wrath is woven into his Conan, it is the primer that is at the base of this dark fantasy tale, the muse served by the strange beauty of these violent verses.

The visuals of this book are macabre and exquisite at once. Mahmud Asrar masterfully matches Aaron’s inspired pace with panels of such gorgeous and grotesque images that they call to mind the illustrations of Gustave Dore’ inspired by Dante’s Inferno. Asrar’s complex compositions organically consume the page, growing and spreading from panel to panel allowing the eye to follow along effortlessly. Aaron’s narrative unfolds so naturally through Asrar’s images in the way that is characteristic of the best creative teams. Matthew Wilson’s muted pallet of earthy tones and warm hues is the perfect compliment to Asrar’s vision of this world full of the wonderful and the vile. This book is everything it should be and somehow even more.

Overall the third issue of Conan the Barbarian continues to entertain on such a visceral level, every aspect of this book is working to tell the best possible Conan story and what more could you ask for. If you haven’t jumped on this series I would suggest adding it to your pull list as well as grabbing the three issues currently on the racks. This is going to be one for the ages, trust me True Believers. 5/5

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer- Jason Aaron
Artist- Mahmud Asrar
Colors- Matthew Wilson
Letterer- VC’s- Travis Lanham
Publisher: Marvel Comics