Review: KING CONAN: The Hour of the Dragon #2

KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON #2 (#10 in the series)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Gerald Parel
EDITOR: Philip R. Simon
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S. (June 2013)

Adapts the novel by Robert E. Howard

The Hour of the Dragon Part 2 of 6: “The Haunts of Hell”

The Hour of the Dragon is the only Conan novel written by the character’s creator, author Robert E. Howard. The Hour of the Dragon (also known as Conan the Conqueror) is currently being adapted into comic book form by Dark Horse Comics. The novel will yield two six-issue miniseries. The first is King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, and the second will be entitled King Conan: The Conqueror.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is written by Timothy Truman and drawn by Tomás Giorello, already acclaimed for the Conan comics they have produced together over the last several years. They are joined by their stellar collaborators, José Villarrubia on colors and Richard Starkings & Comicraft on letters.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #2 opens in Tarantia, capital city of the kingdom of Aquilonia. King Conan continues to recount to the young scribe, Pramis, the tale of how he met his wife, the late Queen Zenobia.

The story once again returns to the long-ago, this time the aftermath of the battle at Valkia. With the help of the resurrected sorcerer, Xaltotun, a conspiracy against King Conan was successful in nearly destroying the army of Aquilonia. Now, the victorious army of Nemedia, however, is about to find out that the king is not dead. And Xaltotun does not want him dead.

Weakened by Xaltotun’s spells and imprisoned in a foreign land, Conan has lost his kingdom, and he could lose so much more. Now, his only hope may rest in the hands of a mysterious, harem girl named Zenobia.

I was ecstatic upon hearing that Dark Horse Comics was going to adapt into comics, Robert E. Howard’s sword-and-sorcery novel, The Hour of the Dragon, one of my all-time favorite books. After reading King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #2, my initial excitement about the series is truly justified. This is a great comic book. I wonder if writer Timothy Truman and artist Tomás Giorello can maintain this high level of quality through the remaining four issues.

The word to describe Truman’s adaptation of Howard’s novel is “meaty.” This is masculine, sword-wielding fantasy. No one’s contemplating an epic war in which elves, little people, and squabbling human try to retrieve some magical items from the really, really bad guy. This is get-your-hands-dirty fiction.

Yet Tomás Giorello brings the pomp and circumstance of epic fantasy to this story. He makes it as spacious and epic, as it is closed-in, sword to sword. With José Villarrubia’s colors, there is an elegant, bejeweled quality to the art that does not take away from the frenzied, masculine sensations in King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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Review: KING CONAN: The Hour of the Dragon #1

KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON #1 (#9 in the series)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Gerald Parel
VARIANT COVER: Sanjulián
EDITOR: Philip R. Simon
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S. (May 2013)

The Hour of the Dragon is the only novel featuring Conan the Cimmerian (or Barbarian) written by author Robert E. Howard, Conan’s creator. The novel originally ran as a serial in the pulp magazine, Weird Tales, from 1935 through 1936. The novel was first published in book from as Conan the Conqueror (1950, Gnome Press).

Dark Horse Comics is producing a comic book adaptation of the novel as two six-issue miniseries. The first series, King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, will be released to comic book stores this week (as of this writing). The second miniseries will be titled King Conan: The Conqueror.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is written by Timothy Truman and drawn by Tomás Giorello, already acclaimed for the Conan comics they have produced over the last several years. They are joined by their stellar collaborators, José Villarrubia on colors and Richard Starkings & Comicraft on letters.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #1 opens in Tarantia, capital city of the kingdom of Aquilonia. King Conan is visiting the burial chambers of his late Queen, Zenobia. It is there that a young scribe, Pramis, meets the king and begins recording the tale King Conan tells him – the story of how he met Zenobia.

The story begins in remote Nemedia, on the eve of the Year of the Dragon. In another crypt, a group of malcontents and conspirators, seeking help to capture the thrones of kingdoms they covet, summon a wizard dead for three thousand. Now, King Conan must face a traitorous alliance backed by the resurrected sorcerer, Xaltotun.

I was ecstatic upon hearing that Dark Horse Comics was going to adapt into comics, Robert E. Howard’s sword-and-sorcery novel, The Hour of the Dragon, one of my all-time favorite books. I think that the novel has only been turned into comics once before, in the early to mid-1970s by Marvel Comics.

I am happy with the resulting first issue of King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon. Tim Truman seems to have absorbed the essence of the novel, while relocating the best of Howard’s prose into comics. The novel does have some rough patches, in which the story meanders, so I wonder if this will show over the course of a 12-issue adaptation.

Personally, I’m ready to put Tomás Giorello’s name next to the great Conan comic book artists, Barry Windsor-Smith and John Buscema. Giorello’s art has the pen and ink texture of book illustration and a graphic style that captures the bizarre sensibilities of pulp fantasy tales. José Villarrubia’s colors complete the illusion that the art belongs to a bygone pre-World War II era of fantastic fiction. However, there is no mistaking King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon for a pastiche. This is real-deal Conan.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Only Conan Novel, "The Hour of the Dragon" Returns to Comics

DARK HORSE COMICS TO PUBLISH KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON!

ADAPTING ROBERT E. HOWARD’S ONLY CONAN NOVEL!

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!

Praise for Timothy Truman, Tomás Giorello, and José Villarrubia:
“With both King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel and King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword Truman, Giorello, and Villarrubia have been making some the greatest Conan adaptations ever made. I look forward to their next series. Hour of the Dragon, Dark Horse. Twelve issues. It will be beautiful” – Comics Bulletin

For a sneak peak at the variant cover and a full-color interior page, check out the exclusive on MTV Geek!

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


About Dark Horse
Founded in1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, Guillermo Del Toro and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

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Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: KING CONAN: The Phoenix on the Sword #1

"Old Man Conan"
KING CONAN: THE PHOENIX ON THE SWORD #1 (OF 4)
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Stakings & Comicraft
VARIANT COVER: Gerald Parel (Andrew Robinson-regular cover)
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S.

During his three-decade career in comic books, did the industry or the public ever consider Tim Truman A-list talent? By the breath and scope of his talent and his work, he certainly was/is, if it is even appropriate to categorize him with what are the usual and the standard in comic books. The terms “eclectic” and “diverse” seem a tad bit understated when describing Truman’s body of work.

Even as Lonesome Dove, Dances with Wolves, and Unforgiven made the Western cool again, Truman was looking at the past, present, and future of the Western and frontier storytelling (Jonah Hex, The Kents, Scout, Wilderness, etc.). Before Christopher Nolan and Guillermo del Toro, among others, were surprising people with their re-imaginations and interpretations of superheroes and classic fantasy characters, Tim Truman was bold and visionary on Hawkworld, JLA: Gatekeeper, and The Spider, among many.

In his comics, Truman, as a writer, artist, and writer/artist, offers muscular storytelling presented with surprising grace in beautiful graphics. So Truman is one of those rare creators who are actually ideal to create Conan the Barbarian comic books. Many are good, but few can capture both the splendor of Howard’s prose and the darkness and brutality of which this prose tells.

When it appeared in the cover-dated December 1932 issue of the famed pulp fiction magazine, Weird Tales, “The Phoenix on the Sword” became the first published story featuring the character, Conan the Barbarian. Tim Truman as writer and Tomás Giorello as artist have adapted that story in King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword, a four-issue comic book miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. The fourth and final issue recently arrived in comic book shops shortly.

King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword #1 introduces us to a gray-haired Conan, King of Aquilonia, and to Pramis, a scribe who is chronicling the story of King Conan’s rule. Conan tells Pramis of a time early in his reign – a time of unrest – and the story travels back to that time.

Although Conan freed Aquilonia from a despotic king, he is now despised by Aquilonians, from the common man to the elite. Rinaldo, the poet and bard, who once sang his praises, now stirs unrest against Conan and is part of a plot to unseat Conan and replace him on the throne with a pure blood Aquilonian, Baron Dion. The mysterious Ascalante is the ringleader, but even more mysterious is Ascalante’s companion, a long-time enemy of Conan, the wizard Thoth-Amon.

I find King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword to be an unusual Conan story. It is not as if I haven’t read a Conan story like this – one that is a conspiratorial drama, but this is not the Conan comic book norm. There is more dark drama here than there is edgy drama; in fact, the only fight scene is Conan’s palace workout at the beginning of the story.

That is not at all a bad thing. Tim Truman fashions a story filled with political machinations and intrigue, but at its heart, it examines what happens when you get what you thought you wanted and then find it to be a prison. As a monarch, Conan is trapped, and the interesting twist that Truman gives this story is that his enemies may be about to get what they wanted, but in the worst way.

Truman has a wonderful collaborator in Tomás Giorello, who takes Truman’s script and transforms it into comic book art that is a tapestry of exotic backdrops, a striking cityscape, strange costumes, and shadowy backrooms (includes a fine double page spread). This art is not only perfect for Conan, but for just about any Robert E. Howard story. Giorello could probably deliver a stunning comic book vision of Tolkien.

This comic book also includes a 4-page preview of Conan the Barbarian #1 by Brian Wood, Becky Cloonan, Dave Stewart, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft, with cover art by Massimo Carnevale.

http://www.ttruman.com/

I Reads You Review: KULL: THE CAT AND THE SKULL #4

KULL: THE CAT AND THE SKULL #4
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: David Lapham
ART: Gabriel Guzman
COLORS: Garry Henderson
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
COVER: Jo Chen
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S.

Kull the Conqueror (also known as Kull of Atlantis) is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard (who also created Conan the Barbarian). Marvel Comics published the first comic book adaptations of the character in 1971. Now, Dark Horse Comics has the license to published Kull comic books.

The publisher’s latest Kull comic book miniseries is Kull: The Cat and the Skull. This story is an adaptation of a Kull short story first published in 1967, “Delcardes’ Cat” (also known as “The Cat and the Skull”). The series revolves around Kull’s encounter with Delcardes, one of the most beautiful women in the Seven Kingdoms, and an even more interesting creature, Delcardes’ traveling companion, the cat named Saremes. Because it is rumored that Saremes is of the old race, Kull is anxious to hear her counsel, as he takes on a serpent cult that is rallying under a powerful and mysterious wizard.

As Kull: The Cat and the Skull #4 begins, Kull’s trusted ally, Brule, returns to the palace, as Queen Igraine lies stricken. Meanwhile, the great serpent carries Kull to the world beneath the Forbidden Lake, where he encounters an ancient people enraged at his trespass. However, it is here where Conan will learn more about the fortune-seeing cat. Also, the identity of his true enemy is revealed.

I did not read the first three issues of this miniseries. I had forgotten about its existence until Dark Horse Comics was nice enough to send me a box of comics and books for review, and Kull: The Cat and the Skull #4 was among the books. First, I must say that the art by Gabriel Guzman and Garry Henderson (colors) is quiet pretty. It has an old timey feel that recalls Burne Hogarth’s Tarzan comic strip and Alex Raymond’s work on Flash Gordon. Thus, Guzman and Henderson’s work looks as if it belongs to the era when the Robert Howard short story, upon which this comic book is based, was written. [“Delcardes’ Cat” was first published three decades after Howard’s death.]

As for the script for this issue, it offers what amounts to at least two issues worth of story, yet there is no tension and little sense of conflict. Writer David Lapham presents every confrontation here as a chance for conversation. Seriously, everyone talks, threatens, begs, or makes grand proclamations. It’s so odd… and a little boring, and that’s a shame. There are imaginative scenarios and scenes here and some interesting soap-operatic subplots, but it all sort of dribbles away to anticlimax.

C+

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Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan Take Conan to the Black Coast

WOODS AND CLOONAN CONQUER THE BLACK COAST!

Oct, 15th, NEW YORK, NY - If you never thought of picking up and reading Conan because it just wasn’t your style, then think again!

Dark Horse Comics is proud to announce a new era of Conan. Conan the Barbarian is a perfect jumping-on point for new readers—a bold, fresh take on the Cimmerian from the visionary creative team of writer Brian Wood (DMZ, Northlanders) and artist Becky Cloonan (Demo, Pixu)!

Wood and Cloonan will have Conan breaking hearts . . . and breaking faces!

In this sweeping adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s “Queen of the Black Coast,” the most-requested Conan adaptation, Conan turns his back on the civilized world and takes to the high seas alongside the pirate queen Bêlit, setting the stage for an epic of romance, terror, and swashbuckling. This is Conan as you’ve never seen him, and with the combination of one of Robert E. Howard’s greatest tales and the most dynamic creative team in comics, there has never been a better time to start reading!

Conan the Barbarian is on sale February 8, 2012.

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Leroy Douresseaux on CONAN: Island of No Return #2

CONAN: ISLAND OF NO RETURN #2 (OF 2)
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Ron Marz
PENCILS: Bart Sears
INKS: Randy Elliot
COLORS: Mark Roberts
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Stjepan Sejic
32pp, Color, $3.50

What do I hate about Conan: Island of No Return? I hate that it’s over. I also love Stjepan Sejic’s cover, which reminds me of the covers for The Savage Sword of Conan, one of my all time favorite comic books,

Conan: Island of No Return is a two-issue miniseries that, according to Dark Horse Comics, will act as an interlude to the main series, Conan: Road of Kings. Island of No Return follows Conan and half-sisters/thieves, Brenna and Venya, to a remote island that is supposedly home to the fabled treasure hoard of late Prince Mikkinos.

As Conan: Island of No Return #2 begins, Conan and the sisters learn that they aren’t the only ones on the island looking for treasure. As the stakes rise, Conan begins to wonder how much not to trust the sisters. If he thinks they’re dangerous, wait until he meets the thing guarding the treasure.

[This comic book includes an episode of “The Adventures of Two-Gun Bob” by Jim and Ruth Keegan.]

THE LOWDOWN: Because the second issue was very enjoyable to read, I can stand by what I said about the first issue of Conan: Island of No Return. Ron Marz has written a fast moving tale that has some of the best things that make Conan great – sword-fighting, sorcery, monsters, lost treasure, and treacherous gorgeous women.

Bart Sears, whose art I enjoyed in the first issue, actually improves. His sinewy pencils capture the sharp edges in both plot and character motivation, but in this issue, the compositions are more robust. They capture Conan’s brawny physique and cat-like grace and give power to the fight scenes. The inking by Randy Elliot, which seemed too heavy over Sears’ pencils in the first issue, actually improves and embellishes the best aspects of the art. I was not really crazy about the colors, but now the colors make this book sparkle and bring to life the ruins, rubble, and caverns that are the setting for this tale.

A

Leroy Douresseaux on SOLOMON KANE: RED SHADOWS #4

SOLOMON KANE: RED SHADOWS #4 (OF 4)
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Bruce Jones
ART: Rahsan Ekedal
COLORS: Dan Jackson
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
PIN-UP: Jim and Ruth Keegan
COVER: Guy Davis with Dave Stewart (Variant cover by Gregory Manchess with Dave Stewart)
32pp, Color, $3.50

I’ve just read my first Solomon Kane comic book in quite awhile (well over decade, for sure). I’m looking forward to more.

Solomon Kane is a fictional character created by author and pulp fiction writer, Robert E. Howard, who also created Conan. Kane is a Puritan who operated in the late 16th and early 17th century as a destroyer of evil in all its forms – human, inhuman, and supernatural. Kane first appeared in the short story, “Red Shadows,” which was published in the legendary pulp magazine, Weird Tales (August 1928).

Solomon Kane also appeared in several comic books and comic magazines published by Marvel Comics, from 1973 to the mid-1980s. There was even a miniseries, The Sword of Solomon Kane, which reprinted earlier Marvel Solomon Kane comics with some new stories. Dark Horse Comics returned the character to comics a few years ago.

Solomon Kane: Red Shadows is a four-issue comic book miniseries which adapts the short story of the same name. Seeking to avenge the death of a young girl in France, Kane travels to Africa to find her killer, Le Loup, a feared swordsman. Kane discovers that Le Loup has fallen in with Songa, a powerful leader of an African village. Kane finds an ally in N’Longa, a frail, ancient magic man, whose authority Songa usurped.

As Solomon Kane: Red Shadows #4 opens, Le Loup makes his move to kill Kane, but the shaman N’Longa has a few surprises still in store. Soon, it’s just Kane and Le Loup, left to settle their dispute like gentlemen – sword to sword.

While a comic book miniseries is a good format in which to adapt a short story, some individual issues of a miniseries may seem less like a chapter from a story and more like a brief collection of a few scenes. The fourth issue of Solomon Kane: Red Shadows reads as if it were mere leftovers from the foregone conclusion that is the end of this story.

Luckily (for the readers), scripter Bruce Jones delivers a fistful of violence in this last issue that gives the story some pungency and potency. By the end of the Kane/Le Loup duel, many readers will feel a little twinge of regret that it is all over so soon. Jones captures the madness, violence, and crazy magic that infuse Robert E. Howard’s work. Artist Rahsan Ekedal and colorist Dan Jackson transform Jones’ active script into gripping visual and storytelling.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

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Dark Horse from Diamond Distributor for July 6 2011

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAR110045 ART OF DOUG SNEYD LTD HC (MR) $100.00

MAY110026 CONAN LEGACY FRAZETTA COVER #8 $6.99

JAN110084 DOCTOR SOLAR MAN OF ATOM #7 $3.50

MAR110065 MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH DH OMNIBUS ED VOL 01 (RES) $19.99

MAY110028 SOLOMON KANE RED SHADOWS #4 GREGORY MANCHESS CVR $3.50