Review: King Conan – The Hour of the Dragon #6

This is the last issue of the Hour of the Dragon, but this issue keeps adding to the story, instead of concluding it. Of course, this is really just the halfway point in Dark Horse’s adaptation of Robert E. Howard‘s Hour of the Dragon. The story continues in February as King Conan: the Conqueror, and I can’t wait. I may have expressed some doubts in previous reviews of this series, but this issue does not disappoint. This series is a classic Conan story from the team of Timothy Truman, Tomás Giorello, and José Villarrubia.

In this issue, King Conan sneaks out of Aquilonia into the still-loyal province of Poitain, just to take off alone again in search of the Heart of Ahriman. This month’s comic has ancient superstitions, magic and treachery, and even some undead for Conan to fight off. It ends the six-part miniseries on a high note, and I imagine the next six issues will be just as good.

The writing and artwork are just as good as before; if you’re already keeping up with this series you don’t need me to say it again. The team of Truman, Giorello, and Villarrubia is one of the better creative teams in recent Conan comics, and it shows in this series. The Hour of the Dragon is not an easy story to tell in just twelve issues, but judging by the first six, I think they’ll do a good job.

There isn’t much left for me to say about this issue except to recommend it. As always, the cover price is $3.50. Definitely pick this one up if you liked the previous issues. This goes without saying, but if you just now found out about this series, the first issue is a better place to start. The Hour of the Dragon is a classic Conan story filled with violence, magic, and even some political intrigue, and Truman, Giorello, and Villarrubia are well on their way to creating an excellent adaptation of it.

Danilo Culibrk, aka Augustus, is a staff writer for the Red Shirt Crew. He stole the Heart of Ahriman and fenced it to a wandering merchant. You can follow his boat down the Khorotas River on Twitter at @Augustusing.

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.

Review: King Conan – The Hour of the Dragon #4

I should apologize that in my previous reviews of this series, I never mentioned the excellent cover art by Gerald Parel. I’ll try to make up for that here. The cover of King Conan: the Hour of the Dragon #4 shows Conan fighting a giant wolf. It’s pretty awesome, and in a perfect world, that would be all you need to know about this issue. Unfortunately, the comic only features a wolf that’s slightly larger than average, certainly not big enough to hold a man in its jaws. Still, the rest of the issue is great. The last issue ended with King Conan riding off into the sunset to reclaim his kingdom, and in this one we finally get to see what’s happened in Aquilonia because of his absence. This issue introduces several new characters and sets up challenges for the Cimmerian, left “a king without a kingdom” after the battle at Valkia.

There’s some action in this issue, but for the most part it gives us backstory and informs events to come in the next few issues. Issue #3 ended without much direction, so it makes sense that this issue introduces some new events, but there are several new characters as well. This makes the story a bit more complex, but there are only eight issues left to tell it. I’ve said it before, but I’m still worried that this adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s Hour of the Dragon will lose a lot by being compressed into so few issues. There’s not much room for pause in this series; events fly past in just a few pages, but Timothy Truman does manage to highlight the most important parts of the story.

In this issue, the focus is once again on Conan dealing with magic, as well as political struggles. On one hand, there are at least three sorcerers trying to influence the outcome of his quest. On the other, the rival nobles of Aquilonia threaten to split the kingdom. King Conan has a lot to deal with before he can make good on his promise to return for Zenobia, but he’s faced worse before. At least this time, he might find allies in the loyal nobles of Aquilonia. Speaking of Zenobia, she, Tarascus and Xaltotun show up only once in this issue. They’re all still important, but I have a feeling we won’t be seeing much of them for the next couple of issues.

The artwork and colors are just as good as I’ve come to expect from Tomás Giorello and José Villarrubia. Like the previous issues, the artwork is dark and evocative. Giorello’s work always gives these comics a unique atmosphere, and this one is no different. 

If you’ve enjoyed this series so far, King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #4 is definitely worth the $3.50 cover price. Sure, it doesn’t have the giant wolf that the cover promises, but you won’t want to miss this issue if you’ve been following the story. I just hope that the rest of the story fits in the relatively few issues remaining. This series is already one-third of the way done, but it still feels like the story’s just beginning. 

Danilo Culibrk, aka Augustus, is a staff writer for the Red Shirt Crew. He thinks all comics should have giant wolves on the cover. You can use sorcerous powers to follow him through the eyes of a raven on Twitter at @Augustusing.

Review: King Conan – The Hour of the Dragon #3

While Hour of the Dragon #1 and #2 seemed somewhat slow-paced, issue #3 goes from one action scene to the next, with a few brief pauses for exposition in between. Conan still hasn’t found out exactly why Zenobia is helping him, but the comic does show a glimpse of King Tarascus’ plans. Xaltotun appears only briefly in this issue, but his role in the story is far from over. I shouldn’t really say more than that, but it’s difficult to discuss this issue without spoiling the plot. Well, Robert E. Howard’s original Hour of the Dragon has been in print for decades now, but for those who haven’t read it, here’s a spoiler-free review: Timothy Truman, Tomás Giorello, and José Villarrubia have created another good issue. King Conan: Hour of the Dragon #3 is full of action, and there are a few significant plot developments. If the first two issues intrigued you, pick this one up, but one more thing I should mention is a poorly-adapted scene in this comic, that I’ll spoil below. My full review, with spoilers, follows after the jump.

As far as the story goes, perhaps the most interesting scene in this issue is when Tarascus finds the magic gem that appears to be the source of Xaltotun’s power. This story won’t just be Conan against the sorcerer; Tarascus knows he can’t trust such a powerful wizard, so he needs some leverage for the likely betrayal. Or maybe Tarascus just wants Xaltotun out of the way now that he’s served his purpose: capturing Conan and defeating the Aquilonian army. 

But thanks to Zenobia, that first goal has backfired on the Nemedians, as Tarascus soon finds out, in what is perhaps the weakest scene in this comic. Conan attacks, but fails to kill Tarascus with his first stab, and has to fight off the king’s bodyguard. After this, he doesn’t go after the king, but decides to run away from the rest of the guards with Zenobia. The way the comic is drawn, Tarascus seems only a few feet away from Conan, running for his life and screaming for the guards. A few pages later, Conan kills Tarascus’ bodyguard by throwing a dagger into his throat, from at least a few feet away. Couldn’t he have done the same to the fleeing king?

In Howard’s original novel, this scene makes a bit more sense. The bodyguard isn’t present in the original, and the room is lit only by a candle on the table. Conan slips and knocks the table over, putting out the candle. Tarascus manages to escape in the darkness, as Conan does not know the layout of the palace. 

taken from http://www.darkhorse.com

Maybe it would have been difficult to draw Tarascus and Conan fumbling in the dark, but the way the scene changes from the original just makes Conan seem cowardly. In the original, he fails to finish off Tarascus because he doesn’t know which way the king went; in this comic it’s not as clear. Sure, Conan is wounded from the fight with the ape earlier, but that’s never stopped him from vengeance before. It seems more like he’s afraid of the palace guards. “Instead of settling my score with Tarascus, I’d kicked up a hornet’s next,” King Conan narrates. “To save my hide, I had no choice… but to run!” 

The rest of the issue is pretty good though. There’s plenty of action, and the artwork is just as good as previous issues. There’s also a clever flash-forward near the end of this issue, using Conan’s face to frame the shift in time. The aging King Conan looks very different from the young King, but he’s still recognizable. This issue is well-done for the most part, but there just isn’t that much to talk about except for the point when the storytelling falls flat. If you’re already following this series, the $3.50 cover price and that one disappointing scene probably won’t keep you away. 

Danilo Culibrk, aka Augustus, is a staff writer for the Red Shirt Crew. He wouldn’t let a few guards stand between him and vengeance. But hornets, maybe. They’re nasty. You can follow his escapes from monster-infested dungeons on Twitter at @Augustusing.

Review: King Conan – The Hour of the Dragon #2

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #2 picks up right where the first issue left off: Conan faces off against the Nemedian army and the mysterious wizard Xaltotun. As with the first issue and the rest of this series, Timothy Truman, writes this issue, Tomás Giorello does the artwork, and José Villarrubia the colors. Most of my comments about the writing and artwork in my review of the first issue still apply, so I won’t repeat myself here. Instead, I’ll discuss what’s different in this issue as well as significant plot developments, hopefully without spoiling too much.

When we last saw him, King Conan was staring down the entire Nemedian army with only a sword in his hand. So, a typical day for the Cimmerian. The battle began in the first issue, but only now does Conan actually enter the fray, refusing to surrender even after his army has been routed. But it doesn’t work out for him this time, thanks to the sorcerous powers of Xaltotun. Conan finds himself in the prisons of the city of Belverus, where he meets Zenobia. Readers of the previous issue probably remember she was mentioned as Conan’s first queen.

This issue has just enough pages to show how Conan and Zenobia met, but it doesn’t go any further into their relationship. This comic spends more time with a recurring theme of Conan stories: the power of magic against Conan’s strength and wits. Here Conan has been imprisoned by an arrogant and incredibly ancient wizard; on top of that, Conan’s own army thinks he was killed in the battle. But Conan’s been in worse situations before. What makes this time different is the political angle. Xaltotun hasn’t trapped Conan without reason; Conan is a king now, and the sorcerer wants to use him for political gain. Xaltotun’s intentions aren’t completely clear yet, but it’s fairly obvious that he wants to rule, not just help the Nemedians. 

Also, I mentioned the narration in the previous issue as being a bit lackluster. Perhaps I spoke too soon. In this issue, it’s back to first-person narration by Conan himself. This kind of narration is a bit unusual for Conan, but it seems to work pretty well in this series. It adds a bit of personality to a comic that is otherwise very similar to other Conan stories, at least for now. There have been some hints at what might happen next, and there’s probably more to Xaltotun than is apparent at first glance. Hopefully the next few issues will go more into his character and motivations, as well as those of Zenobia. 

I think it will be difficult to judge Hour of the Dragon before the plot develops further. Truman and Giorello have their work cut out for them, adapting Robert E. Howard’s only Conan novel into only twelve issues. An adaptation like this is bound to lose some of the unique qualities of the original, especially with it being condensed the way it is. Truman and Giorello have introduced a quite a few characters and plot points in just these two issues, and they’ll have to make sure they can tell this story effectively and concisely with only the remaining issues. That being said, Hour of the Dragon #2 gets a recommendation from me. With a $3.50 cover price, it promises to be a great story for those who already read Conan. For those who don’t, issue #1 of this series is a better place to start. It doesn’t have much action, but it does set up the events of this series. Truman and Giorello have long-since proved that they know how to tell a classic Conan story, and Hour of the Dragon is no exception. 

Danilo Culibrk, aka Augustus, is a staff writer for the Red Shirt Crew. He knows that hokey religions and ancient wizards are no match for a good sword at your side. You can follow his quest to reclaim his throne on Twitter at @Augustusing or leave a comment below.

Review: King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #1

The Hour of the Dragoncontinues the adventures of Robert E. Howard’s Conan, and is adapted from Howard’s novel of the same name. The King Conanseries tells the story of the Cimmerian after he becomes king of Aquilonia, starting at a point much later in his life than Dark Horse’s ongoing Conanseries. The creative team of Timothy Truman, Tomás Giorello, and José Villarrubia returns in King Conan, and their work here is much the same as in their earlier Conanstories, from Rogues in the Houseto Iron Shadows in the Moon. If you’ve read those comics, you know what to expect. There are very few surprises here, but that’s by no means a bad thing with Conan. Truman’s writing attempts to stay faithful to Howard’s original stories, and Giorello and Villarrubia’s artwork is consistently great. This team knows how to write a Conanstory, and King Conanis no different just because the Cimmerian himself is older.

In the same style as the early issues of the Conan series, the stories of King Conan are framed as tales told by a character long after the events have passed. The difference is that those stories were told by Conan’s nemesis, Thoth-Amon. In King Conan, they are recorded by Conan’s scribe, Pramis, while the Cimmerian, now an aging king, reminisces about his past. In The Scarlet Citadel and The Phoenix on the Sword, this took the form of first-person narration by Conan. His descriptions gave the stories a uniquely personal tone. In the Hour of the Dragon, these have largely been replaced by the notes Pramis keeps. The narration here is more matter-of-fact; Pramis is writing a history of Conan’s reign, and it reads like one. The story seems to lose some of its potency, at least when compared with Conan’s rugged narration in the earlier issues.

There really isn’t much to say about the story itself; this issue is essentially an introduction to what promises to be a solid series. Several characters are introduced and a battle begins, but one of the most important characters in The Hour of the Dragon has only been mentioned so far. If anything is unusual about King Conan, it is seeing a much older Conan, at least in the opening pages.The stories he tells take place only a short time after he became king, and they read very much like any other Conan story. This comic features an ancient wizard and a dramatic battle, as many Conan stories do, but that’s about all that fits in the issue after the introduction of the characters and details of this particular adventure.

Giorello’s images and Villarrubia’s colors are, as always, vibrant and detailed. The artwork, much like Conan’s Hyborean world, is full of contrast and depth. The deep shadows of crypts compete with the glow of magic, and both create a sense of mystery. The cities of Aquilonia rise in the background of several panels, never in full detail but enough to suggest the scope of this world. Conan’s face is always fierce and determined, while the evil wizard is grinning and scheming; in other words, what you expect from a Conan comic. 

Taken from http://www.darkhorse.com

That’s probably the best way to describe The Hour of the Dragon: it’s what you expect from a Conan story. The writing and art are both good, but the story doesn’t have much complexity, at least so far. Hopefully, that will change in the next several issues; the best Conan stories are always deeper than they seem at first.

Would I recommend it? The $3.50 cover price gets you an introduction. This comic sets up the conflict, but the real meat of The Hour of the Dragon is coming in the next few issues. If you really enjoy Conan, go for it. This comic is adapted from one of Robert E. Howard’s own stories, and it promises to get more interesting over the next several issues. If you’ve never read a Conan comic before, this isn’t a bad place to start. There are a few references to Conan’s early adventures, but you don’t need to know very much backstory to enjoy this comic. Conan is the same as he’s always been. He just keeps treading and re-treading the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet.

Danilo Culibrk, aka Augustus, is a staff writer for the Red Shirt Crew. He knows it’s useless to pray to Crom, but he hopes that the next few issues are more interesting than this one was. You can follow his travels to distant Hyborean lands on Twitter at @Augustusing.