Review: King Conan – The Hour of the Dragon #5

Those seemingly unconnected plot points in the earlier issues of Hour of the Dragon finally start coming together in issue #5, and yet this issue still manages to introduce new characters and intrigues. Also, this issue has settled those doubts about this series that I raised in my earlier reviews. The story of Hour of the Dragon is fast-paced and full of rival characters all vying for Aquilonia and Nemedia, but in this issue it doesn’t seem as rushed as it was in the previous ones. The most important exposition has already been told, so this issue gets a chance to move the plot forward. King Conan: the Hour of the Dragon #5 is another great issue from Timothy Truman, Tomás Giorello, and José Villarrubia. 

So far, the Hour of the Dragon has featured Conan escaping from prison with Zenobia; in this issue we see the flipside of that, with Conan helping an Aquilonian noblewoman flee from what were his own prisons. Of course, this time he’s more prepared and better armed. But before that, there’s a brief but unusual scene when Conan re-enters his capital city in disguise. Not to spoil it further, but the little exposition that is delivered this issue comes from a secretive priesthood and a certain rival to Conan’s throne who show up towards the end of the comic. They don’t say much that readers don’t already know, but it’s important stuff nonetheless.

There’s plenty of blood in this issue too, and of course to go with it are those grotesque faces that only Giorello can draw. The faces of Giorello’s characters are always distinctive, and he’s one of the few artists who really gets Conan’s features right.

If there’s one complaint I have about the artwork in this series, it’s that Villarubia’s color choice is sometimes odd, especially for backgrounds. Many scenes in this issue feature no background aside from a color or a gradient, and it’s a bit jarring to see bright blue, followed by dimmer olive green in a scene that talks about the “dim light” and shadows of the night. Like in the last issue, the dark environment doesn’t really come through in the artwork. But the action in this issue does all take place under what appears to be a full moon, so I guess it shouldn’t be all that dark anyway.

That’s a minor complaint though, more just artistic choice toward bright colors and contrast than anything else. If you’ve been keeping up with King Conan, you can be sure that this issue doesn’t disappoint for the $3.50 cover price. The story is finally going somewhere, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing even more new characters in the next issue. Only one more issue remains in the six-part Hour of the Dragon, but the story won’t be over until the next six-issue series.

Danilo Culibrk, aka Augustus, is a staff writer for the Red Shirt Crew. He misplaced the Heart of Ahriman when he reorganized his shelf, but he’s yet to be free of its sorcerous powers. You can follow him through Khitan jungles on Twitter at @Augustusing.