Dark Horse Comics 2016
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Sergio Davila
Coloured by Michael Atiyeh
Lettered by Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Held captive by a pack of hideous troll brothers and their amorous sea-witch mother, Conan carved a gruesome swath through his foes and won his freedom. Then, with the Kozaki hetman’s inexperienced son Taraslan and the battle-proficient Oksana the only other survivors, the Cimmerian set out to return to their village. Meanwhile, a ghostly apparition seeks out Conan, following the trail of blood and carnage the barbarian has left in his wake . . .
Once again i’m more than pleasantly surprised by this series. I was a huge fan of the last run and so far Cullen’s writing of this is keeping that fandom alive and well. I love that Conan is harsh and unrelenting, he was just targeted for murder after all, but also using his brain and knows the strategic standpoint of moving quickly. Maybe it’s been ingrained in my brain from lack of exposure but that we’re seeing Conan as this smart, intelligent and more well rounded individual than we immediately think of.
Part of the thing that i’m enjoying is Conan’s more nomadic lifestyle. He comes across situations where he’s befriended and his skill sets are needed never to stay in one place for very long. Once he feels he’s gotten the most out of something he moves on and that this world is never lacking for those in need of him is fascinating to me.
Also fascinating to me is the work that Sergio and Michael are doing here. The attention to detail here is astonishing the way Sergio fills the pages and panels with backgrounds here really helps to flesh out the larger picture and set the tone, mood and feel perfectly. His use of page layouts with angles and perspective help control the flow of the story with aplomb. The characters themselves come to life exceptionally well and their facial expressions and body language do as much for their characterisation as the words do.
There’s something wonderful about the way Conan will stand up and fight for something he believes in. Whether it’s a man who has shown him kindness or just because it’s the right thing to do doesn’t seem to matter. He has a great moral code and sense of right and wrong and isn’t afraid to mete out his own brand of justice as he sees fit. This issue we see a culmination of things we’ve learned where one son hungry for power has set out to eliminate those who stand in his way.
Conan might be one of the most recognisable names around and yet I’d dare say most don’t know him as well as they might think. Cullen is challenging what you think you know about the man and is able to keep the stories, fresh, new and bloody entertaining. For as bloodthirsty as he may appear to be violence isn’t his first choice but it’s usually the one those choose for him. Of course seeing him as that worthy adversary that will make a name for you if you kill him does seem to have some motivation in the proceedings as well.
Pick up these issues or order the first trade and see why what you think you know may not be what is. Cullen, Sergio and Michael are bringing Conan to new heights here as the continue his adventures, they’ve cemented my fandom of the character can they do the same for you?