Conan the Cimmerian #6

It's always weird going home after you've moved away and been on your own for a while. It's not like you're going home - it's like you're visiting relatives. By that point, "home" is where you are, not where you're from.

Well, that was my experience - your mileage may vary. It doesn't mean you don't still love your parents or your family - it just means your life is going through changes.

That's exactly where Conan the Cimmerian finds himself in this story. He's returning home to the cold land of Cimmeria for the first time after years of adventures in the lands to the south and east of his home.

The first seven issues of this series tell the story of his return, and it's not exactly a warm welcome. He has to fight past invading warriors of the Aesir, and tries to rescue a young woman who is caught between two tribes.

Conan's story parallels a flashback about his grandfather, Connacht, who also wandered through other lands before returning home. The art on the flashback is handled by the masterful Richard Corben, who's at the peak of his skills, especially at this kind of gritty, larger-than-life story.

The art on Conan's story is managed by Tomas Giorello, whose only failing is having to stand next to Corben. But Giorello's art does just fine on its own, and captures the grim, dark world of Cimmeria.

The story is managed by writer Tim Truman, and he's doing a great job balancing the stories of Conan and his ancestor, and building on the tension caused by Conan's homecoming.

Conan's creator Robert E. Howard knew well that you had to have an emotional connection to a character in order to care about his or her fate - and Truman is following that rule, giving us a look at Conan's background and showing that he's more than a monster-fighting barbarian. But don't worry, the likelihood of him settling down to raise little barbarians looks slim.

Grade: B+