Review: Conan The Barbarian #16

Conan was exactly what I expected, and also not.

On one hand it is the story of a big, shirtless guy with a broadsword and an attitude that I had hoped it would be (not like that). There are kings and queens and secrets; men get shived and wars get waged and all the women –permitting they aren’t evil or witches or something-- are unbelievably beautiful.

It feels like an adventure story plain and simple, and for that I am happy. Superheroes are brilliant, I love them and they will always be my favorites of this zany medium in which you and I partake, but sometimes you have to spend some time with a Robinson Crusoe or a Robin Hood. A “real” man doing potentially real things. Reading a character like Conan I’m taken back to grade school summers spent in and around the local conifers reading adventure stories like these and it’s a good feeling. One that’s nice to have at all let alone getting to have it while working and in a form of storytelling I hold so dear.

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First Look: Dark Horse Comics on Sale 5/15/13

Huge week from Dark Horse! We'll have a group review for Dream Thief and damn near everything you see above will have a review as well. There's also a couple of extra previews for some trades and hardcovers out this week that arent' show above so get ready for some surprises. Usually I'll pick out a few books I'm looking forward to, but it's basically what you can see. Now... READ!

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Title Announcement: Conan and the People of the Black Circle

Dark Horse announced today that two of the hottest names in comics, writer Fred Van Lente and artist Ariel Olivetti, will reunite for a Conan epic like no other!

In Conan and the People of the Black Circle, a four-issue miniseries set a decade after the current Conan ongoing series, fans will find Conan like they’ve never seen him—fully painted by Olivetti!

“I’m thrilled to be working from one of the best Conan stories Howard ever wrote, with the most interesting female lead and one of the Cimmerian’s most compelling adversaries,” stated Van Lente. “But what I’m most excited about is seeing what Ariel Olivetti does with my scripts—he was born to draw Conan, and his painted artwork should attract anyone who doesn’t know anything about Conan or Robert E. Howard but just loves things that are awesome.”

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First Look: King Conan - The Hour of the Dragon

If there is one creative team that you want adapting Howard's only Conan title, its this creative. Truman, Giorello and Villarrubia work wonders with each other so this is a no-brainer to any Conan fan to pick up. In the mean time though, you should check out the preview after the jump.

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Review: Conan The Barbarian #15

Here we go with another lesson where Conan learns just how hard it truly is out here for a pimp in the fifteenth issue.  The siege of Shem is now brought to a temporary cease-fire as both sides front like the warring has not been taxing and ya know they just need a smoke break or whatever. Conan who we last left in pretty shitty shape following a quasi "successful" infiltration of the walls of the great Shemite fortress his boo Belit, lies hidden within so to speak. Really imagine it like this: you're Mario and on your last life just barely made your way through the last castle and gave Bowser one for then the Princess is like...."I don't know this big goofy fuck" then a big ass gang of koopa troopas mudhole stomps the shit outta you while she watches like " damn, I feel kinda bad but uh..gotta do whatcha gotta do right?" and that pretty much catches you up to speed for #15 here.

Awakening from said ass-whooping and a much needed light to no coma (props if you see what I did there), Conan is back on his grind to get what he came for and get gone war campaign be damned! At the same time the reader is given an account of the origin of the so called “Woman on the Wall” aka Belit. Now while I wasn't too shocked about anything revealed in her origin so far I will say it didn't take away from my enjoyment of it either. In fact while not the most in-depth it does provide us with more insight as to what would harden a beautiful woman just enough to make her a match for Conan while not overdoing it and becoming a Red Sonja rip-off kudos to Brian Wood for that one.

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Review: Conan the Barbarian #14

When we last saw Conan he'd just been “caught slipping” and forced to join a raiding army bent on capturing Shem, the place where his would-be baby momma is now held up and revered by warriors on both sides of the conflict. Shit ain't gotten much better for everyone's favorite Cimmerian here either as we pick up where we left off. Tormented by his longing for his “boo”, being "indentured" to a bloody damn suicidal siege he cares nothing for except the chance to see his beloved Belit again. Conan is definitely got both hands firmly wrapped around the shit end of the stick here. Although we do see some of the "old" Conan shine through this go around despite the fact that he's all caught up like Usher over Belit.

Gathering a gang from amongst the other captive soldiers forced to ravage the walls of Shem, Conan decides you know what fuck whatcha heard I'm doing mah thang. Which is Conan doing some crazy shit that should get him killed right away, but instead makes him look like the baddest of asses. Plotting a three pronged stealth mission of sorts in order to get inside the walls of Shem, Conan takes the blatantly suicidal part for himself when he decides to climb right up the damn wall by hand and ninja his way into Shem. Backed up by a couple Joes sneaking inside as well via the sewers and an exceptional archer showing how snipers got down before scopes and shit were the norm, all seems to be going well.

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First Look: Dark Horse Comics on Sale 4/3/13

Kind of a light week from Dark Horse, but that doesn't diminish the quality of the titles. Obviously the big boy of the week is Abe Sapien who has spun off of Hellboy and B.P.R.D. into his own series. I'm looking foward to it! Also there is a great one-shot called Snow Angel that remind you that it's spring and to stop complaining about snow. Okay it might not do that, but seriously shut up about the snow. Spring snow prevents sumer fires kids. Now... READ!

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PR: Dark Horse Announces King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon

Dark Horse Comics is thrilled to announce the return of a fan-favorite Conan creative team.  Writer Timothy Truman, artist Tomás Giorello, and colorist José Villarrubia are set to adapt Robert E. Howard’s only Conan novel in two six-issue miniseries.

The first series, titled The Hour of the Dragon will run through October 2013 and continue in a second arc titled King Conan: The Conqueror starting in February 2014.

More about The Hour of the Dragon:  King Conan has faced many threats to his throne in Aquilonia—but none more deadly than a traitorous alliance backed by the resurrected sorcerer Xaltotun, at whose command mountains crumble!

With The Legend of Conan announced for 2014, King Conan is essential reading!

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #1 is on sale in comic stores everywhere May 29! 

Review: Rogues! #1

The absolute easiest way to describe Rogues! is to say that it’s Conan the Barbarian with a chick sidekick, but they’re thieves. Simple right? Simple and yet you’re wondering about the story already. Another selling point of the book is that it’s intended for an adult audience; not just in its dialog and violence, but in its graphic nudity. I have never seen Juan Jose Ryp’s mature drawings and I have to say that it was fucking amazing. The art is of course great, but thankfully so is the story. Now, if you’re done thinking about boobies let’s talk about boobies… imeanthe book.

The story kicks off with our two thieves Bram and the Weasel in a bar with Bram talking up the locals with tales of their exploits. He has two half naked woman hanging from his arm and the ear of every man and woman in the place. He begins to tell a story that Weasel (his female companion) has heard one too many times and has something chucked at his head. She eggs him on to tell them the one about the chicken and how he swore he would never tell this group of bastards. Now that the group is offended he must tell them about the cursed chicken.

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Review: Conan The Barbarian #10

Conan returns this week with a new story arc and a new artist. Now weather you are enjoying Brian Wood’s take on Conan or not, this is still a very consistent series. Personally, I like his Conan take as he doesn’t come across as a murderous Barbarian just looking to get that itch scratched. He’s a young man making the choices inexperience youth always make; sometimes he’s wrong and sometimes he’s right. This issue is about to change everything though.

The opening is the closest thing to a movie montage that comics have. Quick panels with short dialog and one word narration is all that there is, but it shows what Conan and Belit’s life has become since leaving Cimmera. The thing that now worries Beliet is boredom. She doesn’t want to lose Conan as they’re ship becomes more and more feared. It’s gotten to the point that other ships just hand over their treasures rather than dare fight them. Beliet has called upon her sage-esc advisor to help her see her future, but the answer to the question she didn't ask ends up being “The Death.”

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