#IReadsYou Review: CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1 (2023)

TITAN COMICS/Heroic Signatures

STORY: Jim Zub

ART: Roberto de la Torre

COLORS: José Villarrubia

LETTERS: Richard Starkings of Comicraft

EDITOR: Phoebe Hedges

COVER: Dan Panosian

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Roberto de la Torre; Artgerm; Patch Zircher; Mike Mignola; E.M. Gist, Dan Panosian; Jae Lee; Colleen Doran; Chris Jones; Dave Wilkins; Mark Schultz; Junggeon Yoon; Ian Nicholls; Eric Ray; Jay Anacleto; Chris Ehnot

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2023)

Suggested for mature readers

“Bound in Black Stone” Part I: “Scourge of the Dead”

Conan the Cimmerian was born in the pulp fiction of Robert E. Howard (REH), first appearing in the magazine, Weird Tales (1932).  In 1970, Marvel Comics brought Conan to the world of comic books via the title, Conan the Barbarian. With only a few pauses, Conan comic books have been published for the better part of five decades.

Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures are the new producers of Conan comic books, and they start with a new Conan the Barbarian series.  It is written by Jim Zub; drawn by Roberto de la Torre; colored by José Villarrubia; and lettered by Richard Starkings.  The new series finds Conan returned to his homeland of Cimmeria just when it faces a terrible new threat.

Conan the Barbarian #1 (“Scourge of the Dead”) opens in Northern Aquilonia, specifically at the outpost known as “Hauler's Roam.”  Recently arrived, Conan the Cimmerian is the closest that he has been to his homeland of Cimmeria in eight years.  But first, he must extricate himself from “the Bleeders,” the band of mercenaries of which he has been a part.

A weary Conan has returned to his homeland to seek rest and solitude, but a mysterious scout, Brissa, rides into Haurler's Roam” with a warning of an imminent threat on the march from the Pictish wilderness.  Will Conan and his new ally be able to hold off this new horde of invaders?

THE LOWDOWN:  Titan Comics has been providing me with PDF copies of their publications for review for several years now.  Their debut Conan title, Conan the Barbarian #1, is the latest.

When Marvel Comics resumed publishing Conan the Barbarian comic books in 2019 – for the first time since the late 1990s – I was somewhat exited.  I read a few issue, and while they did recall some of the best of classic Marvel Conan for me, I saw no reason to keep reading past the first six months of the revival.

Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures' debut Conan the Barbarian #1 seems a bit edgier than Marvel Comics' 2019 Conan the Barbarian... at least, in hindsight to me.  Part of it may be that writer Jim Zub's introductory story fits itself in with some of the literary Conan chronologies.  For instance, “Scourge of the Dead” references the “Sack of Venarium,” also known as the “Battle of Venarium,” which is depicted in the 2003 Conan novel, Conan of Venarium, written by Harry Turtledove.

Conan is apparently 14 or 15 at the time of the battle, but Zub may be setting his age at 16.  Eight years later, this story, “Scourge of the Dead” begins, and Zub references Conan's “twenty-four summers.”  In an interview, Zub said that this story takes place after the original Robert E. Howard Conan short story, “The Frost-Giant's Daughter.”  In some Conan chronologies, Conan is almost 30 at this point.

That said, by firmly planting Conan in a literary tradition, Zub makes this story feel like something substantial in the catalog of Conan fiction and storytelling.  This is something more than just another licensed comic book tie-in.  Also, having Conan face a seemingly unstoppable horde of ravenous killers also gives the story a kick.

The art and storytelling by artist Roberto de la Torre is what really sells Zub's script.  De la Torre's art here resembles of mix of the late John Buscema's Conan the Barbarian comic books and the late Joe Kubert's Tor comics.  De la Torre makes me feel the blood, violence, and the heat of bone-breaking, and he creates a sense of foreboding and then, terror when the horde strikes.

The art looks even more gorgeous under the colors of José Villarubia, one of the best and most skilled comic book colorists working in American comic books over the last three decades.  Richard Starkings' lettering is the cherry on top of this excellent graphics package.

Will I lose interest in this new series?  There is a good chance that I will, eventually, but I may stick around for longer than I did with the Marvel relaunch.  This new series is not standard Conan the Barbarian, and I like Conan enough to have watched three Conan films:  Conan the Barbarian (1982), Conan the Destroyer (1984), and Conan the Barbarian (2011), many times.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Conan comic books will want to try Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures' Conan the Barbarian.

[This comic book includes the essay, “Robert E. Howard and His Ages Undreamed Of,” by Jeffrey Shanks.]

A

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

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The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Titan Comics Returns "CONAN THE BARBARIAN" to Comic Books Shops on August 2nd

"Conan the Barbarian #1 COVER D." "Retro Theme" variant cover art by Patch Zircher.

ROBERT E. HOWARD'S LEGENDARY CONAN IS BACK IN A NEW TALE OF BRAVERY AND HEROISM! CONAN THE BARBARIAN FCBD EDITION LEADS INTO THE DEBUT ISSUE

Years after the battle of Venarium, a weary CONAN returns to his homeland to seek rest and solitude. However, a mysterious scout rides in to warn the Cimmerians of an imminent threat on the march from the Pictish wilderness. Will CONAN and his new ally be able to hold off this new horde of invaders?

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1 (ONGOING):

Writer: JIM ZUB

Artist: ROBERTO DE LA TORRE

Colorist: JOSÉ VILLARRUBIA

Letterer: RICHARD STARKINGS OF COMICRAFT

Publishers: HEROIC SIGNATURES & TITAN COMICS

FC, 32pp, $3.99, On sale: August 2, 2023

Issue #1 covers:

MAY231133 COVER A: DAN PANOSIAN

MAY231134 COVER B: ROBERTO DE LA TORRE

MAY231135 COVER C: ARTGERM

MAY231136 COVER D: PATCH ZIRCHER RETRO THEME

MAY231137 COVER E: MIKE MIGNOLA

MAY231138 COVER F: E.M. GIST

MAY231139 COVER G: WRAPAROUND HYBORIAN AGE MAP

MAY231140 COVER H: COLORED BLANK SKETCH

MAY231141 COVER I: FOIL CONAN MOVIE NOVEL REPLICA VIRGIN 

MAY231142 COVER J: 1:10 INCENTIVE: ROBERTO DE LA TORRE VIRGIN B&W INKS

MAY231143 COVER K: 1:25 INCENTIVE: DAN PANOSIAN VIRGIN B&W INKS

MAY231144 COVER L: 1:50 INCENTIVE: MIKE MIGNOLA VIRGIN B&W INKS

MAY231145 COVER M: 1:100 INCENTIVE: ARTGERM VIRGIN B&W INKS

APR238820 FOC JAE LEE VIRGIN

APR238821 FOC MIKE MIGNOLA VIRGIN

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#IReadsYou Review: THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #1

THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #1
DC COMICS/DC Black Label

STORY: John Ridley
LAYOUTS: Giuseppe Camuncoli
FINISHES: Andrea Cucchi
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Steve Wands
EDITORS: Mark Doyle, Andy Khouri, and Amadeo Turturro
COVER: Giuseppe Camuncoli with Marco Mastrazzo
VARIANT COVER ART: Jamal Campbell
48pp, Color, $6.99 U.S. (January 2021)

Rated: Ages 17+

1972-1995: Jefferson Pierce

Black Lightning/Jefferson Pierce is a DC Comics superhero character.  He was created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden and first appeared in Black Lightning #1 (April 1977).  Black Lightning's origin has changed since his debut.  He originally gained “electrical superpowers,” but he is currently depicted as a “metahuman” who was born with the ability to manipulate and generate electricity.  Black Lightning was DC Comics first Black superhero with his own comic book series.

Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) is the writer of The Other History of the DC Universe, a five-issue miniseries published under DC Comics' “Black Label” imprint.  The Other History of the DC Universe is drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli (layouts) and Andrea Cucchi (finishes); colored by José Villarrubia; and lettered by Steve Wands.   The Other History of the DC Universe is published in an over-sized format (8 1/2 x 10 7/8), in paperback with full-color interiors.

Inspired by the 1986, two-issue DC comic book miniseries, History of the DC Universe, this new series examines the mythology of the DC Universe and its iconic moments of history via the lives of four African-American characters:  Black Lightning, Bumblebee/Karen Duncan & Herald/Guardian/Mal Duncan, and Anissa Pierce/Thunder (the daughter of Jefferson Pierce); one AAPI character – Katana/Tatsu Yamashiro; and one Latino character – Renee Montoya.  The Other History of the DC Universe depicts sociopolitical threads as seen through the prism of DC super heroes who come from traditionally disenfranchised groups.

The Other History of the DC Universe #1 offers the story of Jefferson Pierce, the man who becomes Black Lightning.  It is a journey that chronicles Pierce as he makes his way from being a young track star to a teacher and ultimately to his troubled life as the superhero, Black Lightning.

The Other History of the DC Universe #1 opens the day a young Black man named Jefferson Pierce learns that his father has been killed, a moment which changes his life.  Pierce goes on to win the gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games.  He later becomes a teacher, but his life changes again when his in-born ability to manipulate and generate electricity suddenly emerges.

He eventually uses those powers to become the superhero, Black Lightning, but he discovers that he really does not fit in with the other superheroes of the time, such as the Justice League of America.  He even finds himself estranged from other Black superheroes, such as the Green Lantern also known as John Stewart.  And Black Lightning's struggles may destroy everything that he has as Jefferson Pierce.

THE LOWDOWN:  I am a fan of the television and film work of screenwriter John Ridley, but I have never read any of the comic books that he has written over the last two decades.  However, I have been looking forward to The Other History of the DC Universe since it was first announced a few years ago.  I must say that after reading “Book One,” it is not what I expected.

In a way, The Other History of the DC Universe #1 takes a view of superheroes the way the late Marvel Comics legend, Stan Lee, did.  Superheroes have “feet of clay,” and Lee often depicted his superheroes as having problems that originated in their civilian lives, sometimes coming forward before they gained powers.  For instance, there is the bullied, teen wallflower, Peter Parker, who became Spider-Man.

Ridley depicts Black Lightning as a superhero who wears a mask to hide his identity as Jefferson Pierce from the enemies he faces as a superhero.  However, Black Lightning is one of many masks that Pierce wears to hide his secrets – personal and professional – from everyone in his life.  His professional life includes everything that Pierce does, from being a teacher and mentor to being a superhero and a vigilante.  As his powers are now depicted as being inborn, Pierce seems more like a Marvel persecuted mutant than a shiny DC Comics superhero, and his life is a series of struggles, regardless of the roles he plays.  Normally, I would like that, but if I'm honest, I will admit that I wanted this alternate history to offer more superhero action than Black male angst.

I read The Other History of the DC Universe #1 as being about the trials and tribulations of a Black man living in a tumultuous time period that runs from 1972 to 1995.  If this comic book can be said to have a central point or theme, it is that maybe Black/African-American men put too much pressure on themselves, perhaps even more than the larger American society does.

The Other History of the DC Universe #1 is one of those comic books that tells its story via illustrations and text in caption boxes; there are no word balloons/bubbles.  In that regard, the art team of Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi delivers competent if not spectacular artwork, but the problem is that most of that art seems like nothing more than spot illustrations for prose.  I can't really call this comic book art “graphical storytelling,” because it isn't so much story as it is merely complementary to text that works like prose.  Luckily, this art is colored by one of the very best comic book colorists of the last 25 years, the great José Villarrubia.  Also, I think Steve Wands' lettering gives this first issue a much needed spark.

I am considering reading the rest of The Other History of the DC Universe, but it isn't a priority.  Still, part of me is curious about how John Ridley will present the stories of these other non-white characters.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Black superheros will want to try The Other History of the DC Universe.

B+
7 out of 10

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


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#IReadsYou Review: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: The Golden Child #1

DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: THE GOLDEN CHILD No. 1
DC COMICS/Black Label

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Frank Miller
ART: Rafael Grampá
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: John Workman and Deron Bennett
EDITOR: Mark Doyle
COVER: Rafael Grampa with Pedro Cobiaco
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson; Frank Miller with Alex Sinclair; Joelle Jones with Dave McCaig; Rafael Grampa with Pedro Cobiaco; Paul Pope with Jose Villarrubia
32pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (February 2020)

Ages 17+

Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (also known as DKR) was a four-issue comic book miniseries starring Batman.  Published by DC Comics in 1986, this prestige-format comic book was written by Frank Miller; drawn by Miller (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks); colored by Lynn Varley; and lettered by John Costanza, with the book covers drawn by Miller and Varley.

DKR told the tale of a 50-year-old Bruce Wayne, long retired as Batman, who dons the cape and cowl again to take on a new crime wave in Gotham City.  When an institutionalized Joker discovers that Batman has returned, he revives himself and begins a new crime wave of craziness.  Batman also battles Superman who is trying to force Batman back into retirement.

DRK was a smash hit, and from the time of its publication, it became a hugely influential comic book, especially on the editorial mindset of DC Comics.  There have been sequels to DKR, as well as other comic books set in its “universe.”  The most recent DKR comic book is Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child.  It written by Frank Miller, drawn by Rafael Grampá; colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by John Workman and Deron Bennett.  The Golden Child finds the heirs to the legacy of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel taking on adversaries of their predecessors.

Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child #1 opens three years after the events depicted in the nine-issue miniseries, Dark Knight III: The Master Race (2015-2017).  Lara, the daughter of Wonder Woman (Diana) and her consort, Superman, has spent that time learning to be more human.  After spending her life with the Amazons of Paradise Island, however, Lara has a great disdain for humans.  Carrie Kelley, the former Robin, has been growing into her new role as The Batwoman, after Bruce Wayne/Batman finally retired.

The Batwoman has been battling the Joker and his gang of Joker clones, who are in full rage as the day of the U.S. presidential election approaches.  [Although he is not named, President Donald Trump's image and presence are prominent throughout this comic book].  But Joker has found a new partner in a terrifying evil that has come to Gotham – Darkseid.  Now, Lara and Carrie must team-up to stop two evils, but their secret weapon, young Jonathan, “the golden child” (Lara's brother and Diana and Superman's son) is also the object of Darkseid's murderous desire.

I really like Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child, but not because of Frank Miller's story.  It is a hot mess of sound and fury signifying nothing.  It is like someone's incorrect idea that the sound of Jack Kirby is not big (in relation to Darkseid, a character he created), but is histrionics.  Miller does offer a few good ideas, and he is one of the few mainstream comic book creators that could get away with not only casting Donald Trump in a DC Comics title, but also portraying him in an unflattering light.  Teaming-up Joker and Darkseid is not one of Miller's good ideas, and Miller's portrayal of Lara and Jonathan is a mixed bag.  But I can tell that Miller really loves Carrie Kelley, a character he created in DKR.  She is glorious as The Batwoman.

No, I don't love Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child because of Frank Miller.  I love it because of Rafael Grampa, the Brazilian film director and comic book artist.  Grampa's style in Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child is a mixture of Frank Miller's graphic style in both Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and in his Sin City series of miniseries and one-shot comic books and also of Scottish comic book artist Frank Quitely's graphic style.

Grampa's gorgeous illustrations and compositions look even better under Jordie Bellaire's inventive coloring and varietal of hues.  But even all that pretty art can't create superb graphical storytelling from Frank Miller's mish-mash of a story, except in a few places – the Batwoman sections of course.  Carrie Kelley is absolutely spectacular in the double-caped, leathery Bat-suit, which also looks like an actual man-sized bat.

Well, you can't get everything, although John Workman and Deron Bennett also deliver some fine-looking lettering.  So I'll be satisfied with Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child #1 being one of the beautifully drawn and illustrated comic book one-shots that I have ever read.

8 out of 10

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

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#IReadsYou Review: KING CONAN: Wolves Beyond the Border #1

KING CONAN No. 21
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ARTIST: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Tomás Giorello
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2015)

Wolves Beyond the Border: Part 1 of 4 “The Iron Crown”

Conan the Cimmerian (also known as Conan the Barbarian) was born in the pulp fiction of Robert E. Howard (REH), first appearing in the magazine, Weird Tales (1932).  In 1970, Marvel Comics brought Conan to the world of comic books, and with only few pauses, Conan comic books have been published for over four decades.

Many Conan comic book stores are adaptations of or are, at the very least, based on the Conan stories written by Robert E. Howard.  One of the most acclaimed Conan comic book writers of the last decade, Tim Truman, has taken an original REH story, “Wolves Beyond the Border,” to create the new comic book miniseries, King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border.  The artist for the series is Tomás Giorello, who has worked with Truman on earlier Conan comic books.  Series colorist is José Villarrubia, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft provides the lettering.

King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border #1 (“The Iron Crown”) opens in Tarantia, the capitol of the nation of Aquilonia, where an aged Conan is king.  Conan's bodyguards, Crassus and Dariun, wait in the shadows of the “Street of Dogs,” while their king lurks in the shadows of a den of thieves-type tavern.  In one of his dark moods, Conan spoils for a fight., but someone is also lurking and watching the king.  He is Gault, and he has come to tell a dark tale of a cursed crown, of the Picts, and of the wolves of the border.

The story “Wolves Beyond the Border” is a story that REH began writing in the 1930s.  It became a fragment that Howard did not finish, nor was it published in his lifetime.  Conan is mentioned in the story, but does not appear in it.  In a piece that is published at the end of this first issue, Truman writes that he has loosely based King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border on the “Wolves Beyond the Border” fragment.  That may not matter to many readers.  Truman also hints that he may use the story to connect REH's three most significant characters:  Kull, Conan, and Bran Mak Morn.  That may matter more to the fans of REH's fiction and to fans of comic books based on his work.

I am a huge fan of Tim Truman and Tomás Giorello fantastic comic book adaptation of Hour of the Dragon, the only Conan novel that REH every wrote.  Obviously, I was more than excited when I read about Truman and Giorello coming together again to work on King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border, and I am not disappointed by the resulting work.

Roy Thomas was the first to write Conan comic books, and I have always thought of him as the best Conan comics writer.  Truman is the next guy up for me.  He retains the power and sensibility of REH and if his prose, but Truman can also create original text that seamlessly blends with REH's words.  Truman's work has always mixed a sense of adventure that was every bit as imaginative and inventive as it was brawny.  He does that here.  Every panel is filled with language that strains against the grain, determined to break loose and to send the story careening off into adventure.

Giorello takes the muscularity of Truman's storytelling, delivering the most beautiful art work that surges the narrative forward.  Many of the panels are like small paintings, capturing the spirit of REH and the power of Truman's script.

OMG, I need a cigarette.  Four issues won't be enough, but, dear readers, we will have to take what we can get.  I heartily recommend this exceptional comic book to Conan fans and to readers looking for quality comic books.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 5, 2019

DARK HORSE COMICS

APR190309    BEASTS OF BURDEN PRESENCE OF OTHERS #2 (OF 2)    $3.99
APR190226    BLACK HAMMER 45 FROM WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #4 CVR A KINDT    $3.99
APR190227    BLACK HAMMER 45 FROM WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #4 CVR B GREENE    $3.99
FEB190380    CITY OF OTHERS HC TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (MR)    $29.99
FEB190403    DANGANRONPA 2 TP VOL 03 ULTIMATE LUCK HOPE DESPAIR    $12.99
APR190215    DISNEY FROZEN HERO WITHIN #1 KAWAII CREATIVE STUDIO    $3.99
JAN190481    DISNEY PIXAR TOY STORY 4 TP    $10.99
FEB190376    DRAGON AGE HC MASKED EMPIRE DELUXE EDITION    $29.99
FEB190315    MIND MGMT OMNIBUS TP VOL 02 HOME MAKER AND MAGICIAN    $24.99
MAR190319    MINECRAFT TP VOL 01    $9.99
APR190256    SWORD DAUGHTER #7 CVR A OLIVER    $4.99
APR190257    SWORD DAUGHTER #7 CVR B CHATER    $4.99
JAN190463    WANDERING LUMINATIONS HC ART OF TARA MCPHERSON    $29.99

Review: A WALK THROUGH HELL #1

A WALK THROUGH HELL No. 1
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Garth Ennis
ARTIST: Goran Sudžuka
COLORS: Ive Svorcina
LETTERS: Rob Steen
EDITOR: Mike Marts
COVER: Andy Clarke with Jose Villarrubia
VARIANT COVERS: Andy Clarke; Francesco Francavilla; Robert Hack; Hoyt Silva; Goran Sudžuka with Ive Svorcina; Ben Templesmith
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2018)

Mature Readers

Created by Garth Ennis and Goran Sudžuka

“One”

A Walk Through Hell is a new comic book series from writer Garth Ennis and artist Goran Sudžuka.  The rest of the series' creative team includes colorist Ive Svorcina and letterer Rob Steen.  Publisher Aftershock Comics describes A Walk Through Hell as “a new kind of horror story for modern America.”

A Walk Through Hell #1 focuses on two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents.  The older agent is Special Agent Shaw, who is nearing her 40th birthday and who is still haunted by her last investigation.  Special Agent McGregor is younger; a male, he is still idealistic about his career.

Shaw and McGregor are assisting two fellow agents, Special Agent Goss and Special Agent Hunzikker.  When the two agents fail to stay in contact, Shaw and McGregor head to a Long Beach warehouse that Goss and Hunzikker were investigating.  When they arrive, they find the local police acting strangely and a warehouse where something peculiar and maybe unbelievably dangerous awaits.

A Walk Through Hell #1 is not so much a chapter as it is a teaser trailer for a comic book.  Garth Ennis has been one of the best writers of violent action comic books over the last three decades, so he has been treated like a prince of the realm... of American comic books.  DC Comics even allowed Ennis to liberally use the racial slur “nigger,” in the comic books he wrote for them, even when DC had no African-American writing DC Comics titles.  Ennis' comics are consistently entertaining, in a bracing sort of way and are often quite imaginative and sometimes poignant.

A Walk Through Hell #1 is just too cute and coy for its own good.  It offers 20 pages at a cover price of $3.99, yet the information AfterShock released about A Walk Through Hell does more storytelling than this first issue does.  No unknown or novice comic book writer would be allowed to deliver a first issue like A Walk Through Hell #1, no matter how good he or she was.  This is star creator privilege run amok.  Yet I know that, overall, this might be a good comic book when we finally get an issue in which something more than story cock-teasing happens.

Goran Sudžuka offers some solid drawing, and I would say good storytelling, if the storytelling here was not vague.  Colorist Ive Svorcina delivers some solid, moody and noir-ish colors that recall the coloring on classic DC Comics/Vertigo titles.  Rob Steen's lettering does as much to create atmosphere as Ennis' writing does.

Maybe next time...

6 out of 10

[This comic book includes a preview of The Lost City Explorers #1 by Zack Kaplan and Alvaro Sarraseca.]

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: LOVECRAFT: The Myth of Cthulhu

LOVECRAFT: THE MYTH OF CTHULHU
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

SCRIPT: Esteban Maroto – adapted from stories by H.P. Lovecraft
ART: Esteban Maroto
TRANSLATION: Anna Rosenwong
EDITORS:  Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon
COVER: Esteban Maroto with Santi Casas
ISBN:  978-1-68405-125-0; hardcover (February 2018)
80pp, B&W, $19.99 U.S., $25.99 CAN (February 14, 2018)

Introduction to the Cthulhu Mythos by José Villarrubìa

Prologue and Preface by Esteban Maroto

Estaban Maroto is a Spanish comic book artist.  Maroto was the second most prolific contributor to Warren Publishing's line of horror comic book magazines (Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella) and worked for the publisher from 1971 to 1983.  Many fans may remember Maroto as the artist on DC Comics' seven-issue miniseries, Atlantis Chronicles, or perhaps for designing the “metal bikini” worn by Marvel Comics' Conan the Barbarian character, Red Sonja.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, better known as H.P. Lovecraft (1890 – 1937) was an American writer of horror fiction.  After his death, Lovecraft's writing became hugely influential and some critics, historians, and writers now regard him as one of the most significant 20th-century authors not only in the horror genre, but also in literature in general.

Back in the early 1980s, a Spanish publisher (Editorial Bruguera) planned a series of comic book adaptations of classic short stories from the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres.  Asked to contribute, Estaban Maroto decided to adapt three of H.P. Lovecraft stories that were part of a story cycle now known as “the Cthulhu Mythos.”  Those stories were “The Nameless City” (first published in the November 1921 issue of the amateur press journal, The Wolverine); “The Festival” (initially published in the January 1925 issue of seminal pulp magazine, Weird Tales); and “The Call of Cthulhu” (first published in Weird Tales, February 1928).

Bruguera went bankrupt before publishing Maroto's three Lovecraft tales.  According to Spanish comic book artist and colorist, José Villarrubìa, the stories were eventually published in a Spanish children's comics magazine (Capitán Trueno).  In 2000, defunct American publisher, Cross Plains, published Maroto's stories with a new script written by legendary comic book writer and editor, Roy Thomas.  In 2016, Spanish media company, Editorial Planeta, SA, published Maroto's Lovecraft stories in an edition that satisfied Maroto and was entitled, Los Mitos de Cthulhu de Lovecraft.

Now, IDW Publishing is releasing an American edition of Los Mitos de Cthulhu de Lovecraft as a hardcover book under the title, Lovecraft: The Myth of Cthulhu.  It sports a full-color cover with the interior art reproducing Esteban Maroto's comics art in its original black and white.

Esteban Maroto!  H.P. Lovecraft!  I'm all in!  Lovecraft: The Myth of Cthulhu is the latest entry in IDW Publishing's catalog of gorgeous hardcover original graphic novels, comics art books, and trade collections.  These books are so fine that they are worthy of being sexed-up.  Seriously, Lovecraft: The Myth of Cthulhu is a gorgeous book, and I cannot stop looking through it.

As for the contents, Maroto's adaptations of Lovecraft are... well... lovingly crafted.  Almost decades after their creation, these comics are like treasures from comics days of yore, but they are also still vibrant in their design and conception and unsettling in the narratives they hold.

“The Nameless City” is a travelogue that I can best describe as blending Lovecraft with director Paolo Sorrentino's 2013 film, The Great Beauty.  It is as if the protagonist is traveling through the hideous beauty of the declining elder gods bourgeoisie.  In this story, Maroto's art is highly detailed, but the subject matter is impressionistic rather than literal.  Some observers have argued that the horror of Lovecraft’s fiction is that the reader visualizes the horror in his mind, rather than have an artist show them what that “Lovecraftian” horror looks like.

That observation is evident in the shadowy, misty, dream world of “The Festival.”  Here, Maroto art is sparse and elaborate at the same time.  It is as if the artist is creating a realist portrait of a surrealistic and nightmarish shadow land.  Crosshatching and line work emanate from buildings and walls like aurora borealis from a shimmery world that could just as easily be Hell or an other-dimensional Hades.

Maroto's blend of the literal and the impressionistic, of the dreamlike and of the waking nightmares culminates in “The Call of Cthulhu,” a masterpiece of a story within a story within a story.  In Maroto's graphical storytelling, the high art of Hugo Pratt meets the madness of Graham Ingels in a story that gave me chills by the time the last ten pages slithered before me.  The story's dark, inescapable destiny is visualized, so, yes, the graphics of the comics mediums can match the horrors that the reader's mind might fashion out of the end of “The Call of Cthulhu.”

I can only imagine what might have been if the original solicitor of this work had not gone bankrupt so early in the process of its project to adapt classic genre short stories into comics.  What Esteban Maroto did give us, however, is a graphics masterpiece of horror storytelling, so I appreciate what we do have all these years later.  Thank you, IDW.

9 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review - KING CONAN: Wolves Beyond the Border #4

KING CONAN No. 24
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ARTIST: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Tomás Giorello with Jose Villarrubia
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2016)

Wolves Beyond the Border: Part 4 of 4 “The Worms”

Conan the Cimmerian (also known as Conan the Barbarian) was born in the pulp fiction of Robert E. Howard (REH), first appearing in the magazine, Weird Tales (1932).  In 1970, Marvel Comics brought Conan to the world of comic books, and with only few pauses, Conan comic books have been published for over four decades.

One of the most acclaimed Conan comic book writers of the last decade, Tim Truman, has taken an original REH story fragment, “Wolves Beyond the Border,” and has created a four-issue comic book miniseries, King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border.  The artist for the series is one of the best Conan comic book artists of all time, Tomás Giorello, who has worked with Truman on earlier Conan comic books.  Series colorist is one of the best Conan color artists ever, José Villarrubia.  Richard Starkings & Comicraft provides the lettering for this miniseries.

In King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border, Conan is the aged king of the nation of Aquilonia.  He is alerted to a conspiracy involving his longtime enemies, the Picts.  Kwarada, Witch of Skandaga, plans to gather the various Pictish tribes to her side, a confederacy that she will use to invade Aquilonia and eventually all the lands to the east.

In order to convince the other tribes to follower her, she needs the lost “Crown of Brule,” but not all Picts will follow her, in particularly, the Wolf Tribe.  The crown, an iron circlet, has come into Conan's possession.  In order to stop Kwarada's plot, Conan forges a tenuous alliance with an “old friend,” the high priestess Nai, and the war leader of the Wolf Tribe, Bril.

As King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border #4 (“The Worms”) opens, Conan and the wounded Bril travel through the forest in order to reach “Uamh-Dagon.”  There, Kwarada plans to sacrifice the boy, Brune, Bril's nephew and the next chief of the Wolf Tribe.  With the boy's life and an incantation, Kwarada hopes to raise a dark army from the bowels of the earth.

Robert E. Howard began writing “Wolves Beyond the Border” in the 1930s, but it remained a fragment that he did not finish.  Conan is mentioned in the story, but does not appear in it.  In a piece that was published at the end of the first issue of King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border, Truman wrote that he loosely based King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border on the fragment.  That may not matter to many readers.  Truman also hinted that he might use the story to connect REH's three most significant characters:  Kull, Conan, and Bran Mak Morn.  That may matter more to the fans of REH's fiction and to fans of comic books based on his work.

What really matters is that King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border is an excellent Conan comic book.  I consider Tim Truman, Tomas Giorello, and Jose Villarrubia to be the modern gold standard in Conan comic book creative teams.  How good is this comic book?  Well, I was sad when I came to the last page because I could have read at least one more issue.

Truman's sense of adventure is in evidence here, and as always, his story and script are imaginative and inventive.  Of course, Truman would never leave out the brawny storytelling that the best Conan comics require, but this isn't some phony masculine fantasy.  Wolves Beyond the Border can be enjoyed by anyone who loves Conan or the genre known as swords and sorcery.

Giorello takes Truman's script and creates the most beautiful art.  Giorello's graphical storytelling captures the essence of the world of Conan, where sullen-eyed, sword-wielding warriors, slayers, thieves, etc. tread the world.  Villarrubia's colors finish the process, adding the final touch that creates an undreamed of age of shining kingdoms spread across the blue mantle of the world like stars embedded in the firmament.

King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border #4 delivers on the promise of the first issue.  Four issues are not enough, but still, they are four great issues.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Review: TRILLIUM #2

TRILLIUM #2
DC COMICS/VERTIGO – @DCComics and @vertigo_comics

CARTOONIST: Jeff Lemire
COLORS: Jose Villarrubia (pp 1-19) with Jeff Lemire (p. 20)
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
COVER: Jeff Lemire
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (November 2013)

“Suggested for Mature Readers”

Chapter 2: “Binary Systems”

Trillium is a new science fiction comic book from DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint.  This eight-issue miniseries is created, written, and drawn by cartoonist and graphic novelist, Jeff Lemire.  Lemire described Trillium as “a time-spanning science fiction love story…” (Defy 2013 Preview – DC Comics)  The series focuses on scientist Dr. Nika Temsmith, who is an expert in xeniology (a kind of archeology), and is set in the year 3797, a time that finds humanity living in different solar systems.

Mankind is facing extinction because of a smart virus named “The Caul,” but a white-colored flower called, Trillium, can possibly save humankind.  Trillium thrives on Atabithi, and Nika is negotiated with the Atabithians, when an event tosses her back in time to the ear 1921.  There, she meets British World War I veteran and explorer, William Pike, at “the Forbidden Temple of the Incas.”

Trillium #2 (“Binary Systems”) opens with two humans from different millennia, unable to communicate with one another.  Nika thinks that she has been transported to another star system.  Pike thinks the strange woman before him is possibly part of a rival team of Norwegian explorers that is also looking for the legendary Incan temple.  What happens when they learn the truth about who, what, and when?

In my review of Trillium #1, I admitted that I am sometimes reluctant to grade or pass judgment on a first issue.  However, I was not shy about expressing my feelings and thoughts on the first issue of Trillium.  I still friggin’ love this comic book, and Trillium #2 proves that this series is really as good as I think it is, thus far.

I never thought I would enjoy a comic book that is almost entirely about two people who cannot understand each other’s language and can barely communicate, but I did, in this case.  I felt as frustrated as the characters are depicted as being, but I found that frustration to be hugely entertaining and compelling.

Jeff Lemire is giving us one of the best comic books of the year.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: TRILLIUM #1

TRILLIUM #1
DC COMICS/VERTIGO – @DCComics and @vertigo_comics

CARTOONIST: Jeff Lemire
COLORS: Jeff Lemire and Jose Villarrubia
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
COVER: Jeff Lemire
32pp, Color, $2.99 (October 2013)

Trillium is a new eight-issue comic book miniseries created, written, and drawn by cartoonist and graphic novelist, Jeff Lemire.  Lemire has described Trillium as “a time-spanning science fiction love story…” (Defy 2013 Preview – DC Comics)

So I’ll tread as lightly as I can, concerning spoilers:  Trillium #1 is a flip book, with Chapter 1 divided into two stories.  Flip Trillium #1 to the back cover, and it has another cover and opens to the second part of the story.

“Chapter 1: 3797 – The Scientist” is set in the year 3797, when a smart virus is poised to annihilate humanity.  Scientist Dr. Nika Temsmith (xeniology – a kind of archeology, maybe) knows that Trillium, a miracle flower, can possibly save mankind.  However, obtaining Trillium will require negotiations with restless natives.  In “Chapter 1.2: 1921 – The Soldier,” British World War I vet, William Pike goes into the jungle looking for “the Forbidden Temple of the Incas.”  He finds restless natives and strange doings.

Sometimes, I am reluctant to grade or pass judgment on a first issue, but I’m not afraid in the case of Trillium.  I friggin’ love this comic book, so I wonder if I’m missing something.  Is Trillium #1 really as good as I think, I ask myself?

I find the structure of the story, especially the use of the “flip book” format, really forces me to engage both sides of Chapter 1.  “The Scientist” is riveting, with its sense of desperation and doom, but also with a sense of wonder and exploration.  I don’t want to reveal anymore than I already have, but Jeff Lemire may have just presented us with the best science fiction comic book in a long time.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

#IReadsYou Review: SWEET TOOTH #1

SWEET TOOTH #1
DC COMICS/VERTIGO – @DCComics and @vertigo_comics

CARTOONIST: Jeff Lemire
COLORS: Jose Villarrubia
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
32pp, Color, $1.00 (November 2009)

Sweet Tooth was a comic book series created, written, and drawn by cartoonist and graphic novelist, Jeff Lemire.  At that time of Sweet Tooth’s debut, Lemire was best known for his Essex County Trilogy:  Tales from the Farm, Ghost Stories, and The Country Nurse, which were all published Top Shelf Productions.

Sweet Tooth was Lemire’s first ongoing series.  Published by Vertigo (the publisher of Lemire’s graphic novel, The Nobody), Sweet Tooth is a post-apocalyptic series that focuses on a human/animal hybrid child who pals around with a dangerous friend.  The series concluded with the publication of issue #40.

Sweet Tooth #1 opens ten years after a still mysterious pandemic ravaged America.  A boy named Gus is part of a rare new breed of human/animal hybrid that emerged from the devastation.  This breed is also apparently immune to the infection that still continues to kill.  Gus lives with his ailing father in a Nebraska state wilderness sanctuary.  Gus’ father is determined to keep his son living in isolation.  After his father dies, Gus is left to fend for himself, but not for long, as the hunters arrive.

In his “On the Ledge” essay, which appears in Sweet Tooth #1 (and all September 2009-dated Vertigo books), Jeff Lemire writes that “there are no tired, played-out stories – just tired and played-out ways of telling them.”  This is a frank admission from a distinctive voice in comic books that his latest work is – plot, characters, and setting – firmly rooted in the familiar subgenre of post-apocalyptic America.  Lemire, however, is correct about tired stories, and didn’t someone recently win a Pulitzer Prize for his post-Apocalyptic-set novel?

Lemire tells stories in a voice most comic book characters avoid.  His stories are both disquieting and alluring in the tranquil way in which Lemire weaves tales of a rural folk, a breed of people who are not often seen in comics, compared to other types.  There is beauty in the way Lemire depicts desperation; it is desperation that is as serene as the landscape of wide open farms, small towns, and woodland areas where much of the Essex County stories set.  Lemire’s stories aren’t so much forlorn or even melancholy as they are calm and settled.  No matter how sad the life of a particular Lemire character may be, the reader is drawn into the stillness of contemplation, introspection, and self-observation.

This is how Lemire will make Sweet Tooth such a unique take on the post-apocalyptic world.  Lemire’s unobtrusive way is not Mad Max, but he offers the reader the chance to find insight in every panel.  Each panel is a moment in time, not to be taken for granted.  In this way, perhaps, Lemire will show us the profound even in a hopeless world, where there just might be hope.

A-

[This comic book also contained an 8-page preview of the hardcover prose novel, Peter & Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham with illustrations by Steve Leiahola.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Review: KING CONAN: The Hour of the Dragon #3

KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON #3 (#11 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. (July 2013)

Adapts the novel by Robert E. Howard
The Hour of the Dragon Part 3 of 6: “Zenobia”

Originally serialized in the pulp magazine, Weird Tales, from 1935 to 1936, The Hour of the Dragon (also known as Conan the Conqueror), is the only novel Robert E. Howard wrote starring his signature character, Conan the Cimmerian.

Dark Horse Comics is adapting The Hour of the Dragon into comics as 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.

In The Hour of the Dragon, an aged King Conan recounts to the young scribe, Pramis, the tale of how he met his wife, the late Queen Zenobia.  At that time, Conan was King of Aquilonia, but a small band of conspirators against him revive Xaltotun, an ancient sorcerer.  The wizard uses his magic to help the army of Nemedia nearly destroy the army of Aquilonia.  But the king is not dead.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #3 opens in the bowels of the dungeons of King Tarascus’ castle.  There, Conan faces a man-eating gray ape; once again Zenobia, who freed him from his cell, comes to the rescue.  Meanwhile, Tarascus plots against the very creature that brought him victory over Conan – the wizard Xaltotun.  Little does he know that a free Conan is probably as dangerous as Zaltotun’s sorcery.

There is nothing new to say about King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon.  It was damn good to begin with, and this third issue is also... damn good

Writer Timothy Truman and artist Tomás Giorello are telling a story in bold masculine strokes with relentlessly muscular scenes, delivered in an unapologetically bloody visual language.  Yet with José Villarrubia’s colors, it all looks like a fantastic jeweled tapestry.  King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is the best Conan comic book from the best Conan comic book publisher.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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

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.

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: BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #43

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #43
DC COMICS

WRITER/ARTIST: Sam Keith
COLORIST: Jose Villarrubia and Sam Keith
LETTERS: Sam Cipriano
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Batman Confidential was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 2006 to 2011. Like Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Batman Confidential featured rotating creative teams, but while I read LotDK for many years, I only read a few issues of Batman Confidential.

A few months ago, I was visiting a favorite comic book haunt and the owner gave me a freebie, Batman Confidential #43. It was the final issue of a five-issue story arc from Sam Keith (Batman Confidential #40-43), and although I hadn’t read the other issues, I was able to follow the story (“Ghosts: The Conclusion”).

The story involves a young woman named Callie who is being stalked by some kind of ghost or monster or monstrous ghost. Batman is trying to protect her, but there is the added complication that Batman has feelings for Callie. Why? It is because her tragedy is like the childhood tragedy that set Bruce Wayne’s life as Batman in motion or is it just love?

Once upon a time, I was a huge Sam Keith fan. I think that I stopped following Keith’s work after his work in Marvel Comics Presents and after the first few issues of The Maxx, which debuted in 1993 from Image Comics. My favorite work of Keith’s remains I Before E, a collection of Keith’s early work, which Fantagraphics Books published in two issues back in the 1980s.

Although known for his quirky storytelling and still quirkier drawing style, Keith is capable of evocative and poignant work. Ghosts is a Batman story, but at its heart, it is about people who are like lost souls, which both Batman and Callie are, trying to find safe harbor. This is one of those last issues that makes me want to go back to the beginning of the story.

The New 52 Review: CAPTAIN ATOM #1

"Chase Manhattan"

CAPTAIN ATOM #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: J.T. Krul
ARTIST: Freddie Williams II
COLORS: Jose Villarrubia
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
32pp, Color, $2.99

Captain Atom is a comic book superhero created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko. Captain Atom first appeared in Space Adventures #33 (March 1960) from Charlton Comics. He was Allen Adam, a military official caught in a scientific experiment and “atomized.” Allen acquired superhuman strength and endurance and the ability to fly and to project energy blasts, and he could also reform his body.

The character was later acquired by DC Comics and inserted into the DC Universe that came into being after Crisis on Infinite Earths. His civilian identity became Air Force pilot Nathaniel Adam, who had the same powers as the earlier Captain Atom. With the re-launch of the DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Captain Atom is back in a new comic book series.

As Captain Atom #1 (“Evolution of the Species”) opens, Captain Atom is in Chicago taking on what looks to be a four-story tall suit of battle armor. Suddenly, his powers do something quite shocking – something that shocks even the good Captain. Back at the Kansas-based Continuum, Atom learns some surprising/troubling news about himself and his new powers. Captain Atom is not, however, the only thing evolving.

Readers who dig into details and study comic book history know that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s classic comic book series, Watchmen, began as a project to revive some of the Charlton Comics characters to which DC Comics had then recently obtained ownership. Eventually, the main cast of Watchmen was based upon some Charlton superheroes. Watchmen’s usually-naked, blue-skinned, godlike Dr. Manhattan was based upon Captain Atom.

The bosses at DC Comics really haven’t made it a secret that they want sequels and prequels to Watchmen. Captain Atom, with his blue-skin and Ken® doll anatomically incomplete nakedness, is now like a version of Dr. Manhattan that DC can more freely play with for the time being. And the way writer J.T. Krul plays with Captain Atom, judging by the first issue, could be interesting, and I’m certainly curious about the direction of this series.

Meanwhile, the art by Freddie Williams II (pencils/inks) and the always-interesting Jose Villarrubia (colors) has an odd, but catchy quality. I’d like to see this book continue just to get more of their art… or they could get another assignment.

B

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
BIRDS OF PREY #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/birds-of-prey-1.html
BLUE BEETLE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blue-beetle-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/dc-comics-presents-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/legion-of-super-heroes-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #1

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Jeff Lemire
ARTIST: Alberto Ponticelli
COLORS: Jose Villarrubia
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: J.G. Jones with Hi-Fi
32pp, Color, $2.99

War of the Monsters Pt. 1: Monster Town, USA

DC Comics has a version of Frankenstein’s monster that is similar to the Boris Karloff monster in Universal Picture’s 1931 film, Frankenstein (directed by James Whale). The character first appeared in Detective Comics #135 (cover date May 1948) and was created by Edmond Hamilton and Bob Kane, based upon the character in Frankenstein, the novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

DC’s Frankenstein has been revamped a few times, the most recent being a version writer Grant Morrison made a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory. As part of DC’s re-launch of its superhero comics line, “The New 52,” the Seven Soldiers version of Frankenstein is the star of a new comic book series, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

As Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1 opens, the demonic invasion of Bone Lake, Washington (population 4,500) begins. At S.H.A.D.E. (Super Human Advanced Defense Executive), Agent Frankenstein gets his marching orders… and a field team, although he insists he works alone. Not anymore, big fella! Meet the Creature Commandos: the amphibian/human hybrid, Dr. Nina Mazursky; the werewolf, Warren Griffith; the vampire Vincent Velcoro; and the mummy and medic, Khalis. But can even this uber-motley crew stop an invasion that doesn’t die, it multiplies?

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. can come across as DC Comics’ version of the B.P.R.D. (Dark Horse Comics), Mike Mignola’s troubleshooters from his Hellboy franchise. Even if S.H.A.D.E. is a riff on B.P.R.D., Jeff Lemire, so far, can’t touch the inventive madness of Mignola and the writers that collaborate with him. If anyone on this S.H.A.D.E. creative team is close to Mignola and company’s lovely madness, it’s artist Alberto Ponticelli. He gives Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. a decidedly Eurocomics vibe, and the scenes in which he draws sci-fi tech, his art recalls legendary artist, Moebius, and that legendary manga, Akira.

Considering what Lemire did with Animal Man, I want to give Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. a chance because this could be a really inventive title. Ponticelli’s art will certainly be a joy to scrutinize.

B+