DC COMICS/Dark Horse Comics – @DCComics @DarkHorseComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Gail Simone
PENCILS: Aaron Lopresti
INKS: Matt Ryan
COLORS: Wendy Broome
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte
COVER: Darick Robertson with Tony Aviña
VARIANT COVERS: Liam Sharp with Laura Martin
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2017)
Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston; Conan created by Robert E. Howard
“A Crown without Mercy”
Conan the Cimmerian (also Conan the Barbarian) was born in the pulp fiction of Robert E. Howard, first appearing in magazine, Weird Tales (1932). Marvel Comics brought Conan to comic books in 1970, with the long running series, Conan the Barbarian.
Now, Conan moves into new comic book territory with the team-up book, Wonder Woman Conan. The series is written by Gail Simone; drawn by Aaron Lopresti (pencils) and Matt Ryan (inks); colored by Wendy Broome; and lettered by Saida Temofonte.
Wonder Woman Conan #1 (“A Crown without Mercy”) opens in the time when Conan was a child at the age of “eight summers.” He travels with his father, Conaldar, a blacksmith, to a conclave of clans. In this gathering of strangers, Conan sees the first truly beautiful thing in his life, a girl named “Yanna.”
Years late, the adult Conan – a thief, a reaver, and a slayer – encounters three men who are about to kill another man. He saves that man, who is named Kian, and they travel to the Aquilonian kingdom where they plan to witness a special warrior in a gladiatorial fight. She is a woman, a “Wonder Woman” from Conan's past, and their reunion may be that they are destined to die together.
I can't remember if I have ever read a Wonder Woman comic book written by Gail Simone, but I did read some of the excellent Conan Red Sonja, a four-issue miniseries she wrote that was published in late 2014 and early 2015. Simone is simply good at what she does, and that is writing riveting, engaging, clever, witty, and fun-to-read comic books. I remember that people loved her Wonder Woman, and I loved her Conan, and Wonder Woman Conan is something to love. My only complaint is that the first issue had to end.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that lovely art and strong storytelling by Aaron Lopresti. After more than two decades, Lopresti's art is highly-polished and professional, especially when it is inked by someone good, as it is here by Matt Ryan. Lopresti's art, especially his figure drawing, reminds me of such classic 1980s and 90s stalwarts as Bob McLeod, Jerry Ordway, and Dan Jurgens. Lopresti's solid compositions are the perfect graphical storytelling vehicle for a story featuring two great warriors, Wonder Woman and Conan.
Wonder Woman Conan #1 is fine start to what I believe will be an excellent crossover comic book. I think Simone and Lopresti will deliver, as usual.
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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