It was unusual for the creator of Conan the Barbarian - Robert E. Howard - to inject much in the way of romance into the stories about his most famous character.Oh, there are almost always female characters involved, but they were just temporary players in each story - by the next tale, a new cast was assembled. The first true love of Conan's life was Belit, the pirate leader from "Queen of the Black Coast."
This issue sets up the first meeting between those lovers-to-be, as Belit's pirate ship attacks a merchant vessel with a certain Cimmerian passenger.
It's not exactly a "meet cute" scenario, as Conan fights for his life, and death runs rampant.
It's more excellent work from the creative team of writer Brian Wood, artist Becky Cloonan and colorist Dave Stewart.
This isn't the typical Conan adventure, with musclebound brutes slamming against each other - it's a much more realistic depiction of a grim battle - brutal, animalistic and dirty.
As a longtime fan of Conan (going back to the Lancer paperbacks in the '60s), I'm really enjoying the varying takes on the character Dark Horse comics has provided.
Highly recommended!
Grade: A-
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