In the original Conan stories written by his creator, Robert E. Howard, our barbaric friend found himself... entwined, shall we say... with a different beautiful woman in every adventure. But with one exception (Belit), we never know what happens to those women between one adventure and the next. Like James Bond, Conan generally ends his adventures canoodling with his newest lady - and she's never mentioned again.
One of the challenges, I suppose, of the ongoing Conan the Cimmerian comic, is that the creative team has to deal with those messy details.
This issue wraps up a three-part story that shows us how Conan and Princess Yasmela ended their relationship - and as you might expect, it's not exactly a harmonious split.
Writer Tim Truman turns in another strong effort, showing how Conan falls out of favor with the Princess - and it's to be expected, since she is royalty, and Conan is far from it (especially at this point in his adventures).
Truman also provides more than half the art in the issue, and that's a treat, because his powerful, gritty style is perfectly suited to Conan's adventures. Tomas Giorello provides the art for the framing sequence, which has Conan is a very tough spot, struggling to survive. Dark, raw and unforgiving, his art fits well alongside Truman's.
Conan is a fascinating character - tough, unflinching, loyal to those who deserve it, and quick to deal with those who oppose him. He's direct and to the point (so to speak) - it's very refreshing and always entertaining.
With outstanding art and writing, this continues to be one of the best books on the stands. As I've said before, if you aren't already, you really should be reading this comic.
Grade: B+
6 comments:
Thanks for the wonderful review, Chuck. Much appreciated! I'll make sure that Tomas Giorello and our editors see it. -TT http://www.timothytruman.com
Tim, you're welcome!
I think you and everyone at Dark Horse has been doing a fantastic job on this comic. (And how cool is it to get to work with artists like Rich Corben?)
Appreciate the comment - stop by anytime!
This was a great issue for Mr. Truman's pencils. I have enjoyed his style since his days on Turok.
Nate, I don't remember Tim working on Turok (although it's certainly possible, since my memory's a bit dodgy in places) - you sure you don't mean "Scout?"
Sir,
He did Scout as well, but he also penciled a few issues of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant. His writing has been and continues to be solid. His writing made Turok very enjoyable.
Nate, thanks for the correction. Tim's done loads of great work - I'm a big fan of "GrimJack," "Scout" and "Hawkworld," to name just three - but I missed those issues of "Turok." I'll have to track 'em down!
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