Review: Conan the Barbarian #20

Brian Wood had a promising start to his Conan run with Queen of the Black Coast. The first three issues stayed remarkably close to Robert E. Howard‘s original story, and the next three established the tone of Conan’s future adventures with Bêlit. However, everything past those first three issues has been new material written by Wood, instead of adapting anything from Howard. Admittedly, Howard’s Queen of the Black Coast isn’t long enough to fill 25 issues, but Wood’s original stories have been somewhat hit-or-miss. I enjoyed most of them, with a few exceptions. You can read my earlier reviews of this series for more details, but I think Black Stones is turning out to be one of those exceptions.

But before I get to what I didn’t like, I’ll talk about what this issue does right: the artwork. As in the previous issue, the artwork is done by Paul Azaceta and the colors by Dave Stewart. But in issue #19, there wasn’t a lot going on visually; in issue #20 Azaceta gets a chance to show off his unique style with a haunting full-page image, a few action sequences, and even some ancient magic. 

The artwork is great, but I can’t say the same for the story in this issue. It picks up with Conan and Bêlit fleeing from a fanatical cult after stealing a precious relic from them. They fight with the cult members a few times, then Bêlit accidentally finds out what the relic is for in the first place. I won’t spoil any more than that, but I find myself wondering what the point of this adventure is. After all, there’s only one more issue for Black Stones to conclude. I was almost worried that Brian Wood’s Conan run wouldn’t end by adapting the last half of Howard’s original Queen of the Black Coast, but then I saw the cover of (spoilers in the link) issue #22, and now I can’t wait for that issue. 

But what I’m trying to say is that Black Stones just seems like a story to fill issues until the finale. At the end of the current issue, the story takes an unusual turn, and I’m not sure how that will resolve into a meaningful plot point in just the next issue. So far, Black Stones has just been Conan and Bêlit investigating, then fighting against this cult, and it doesn’t seem to have much significance in the bigger picture, aside from perhaps the magic that we see used at the end of this issue. Brian Wood’s Conan stories have always been about the relationship between Conan and Bêlit, but Black Stones hasn’t added or changed much between the two of them. Will the next issue prove me wrong? Maybe, but I have the suspicion that the end of this story arc will feel forced or just weak, like the story about the impostor in Volume 14: the Death. 

I hope that won’t be the case, but the first two issues of Black Stones haven’t been very promising. Still, if you’ve been keeping up with Conan, this issue is worth the cover price of $3.50 just for Paul Azaceta’s artwork. If that doesn’t interest you, I have higher hopes for the upcoming Song of Bêlit. Brian Wood’s start to Queen of the Black Coast was excellent, and I’m really hoping that the end will be too. 

Danilo Culibrk, aka Augustus, is a staff writer for the Red Shirt Crew. He’s played enough D&D to know you should never open ancient relics just to see what happens. You can follow his trail through the Forest of Ghouls on Twitter at @Augustusing.

Review: Conan the Barbarian #19

The latest issue in the monthly Conan the Barbarian series continues the story of Conan and Bêlit that started in Queen of the Black Coast. I didn’t write a review of issue #18, but you can read my combined review of issue #17 and the TPB release of Queen of the Black Coast if you want to know what I thought of those. While the Brian Wood run of Conan has had its ups and downs, Conan’s adventures with Bêlit are shaping up to be one of the more memorable Conan story arcs in recent years. Brian Wood continues to prove that he can write good Conan comics, even though he often strays very far from Robert E. Howard’s original work, and the ever-changing lineup of artists keeps the series interesting. Paul Azaceta does the artwork, with colors by Dave Stewart, as Conan and Bêlit wander into a mysterious village and encounter a bloodthirsty cult in issue #19: Black Stones – Part One.

What makes Brian Wood’s Conan so different isn’t just the style and his interpretation of the character, but how his work has successfully diverged from Howard’s established story. In previous Conan comics, other characters only appear for a few issues before their path takes them elsewhere, or they die (mostly the second option). In the current series, readers can become more invested in characters other than Conan himself, as Bêlit and her crew are presented as fully-formed characters that lend their own perspective to the Cimmerian’s travels. 

Actually, these comics take place in the middle of Howard’s original Queen of the Black Coast; only the first three issues of Brian Wood’s run are directly adapted from Howard’s work so far. The rest is original material, though I imagine that the final issues of the series will conclude the adaptation Howard’s story. Brian Wood’s stories have been a mixed bag, but they stay true to the spirit of Conan for the most part. He clearly knows the character, and he wants to present those sides of Conan that haven’t been explored before. I didn’t really like the subplot with the impostor in Volume 14: the Death, but Conan’s ongoing relationship with Bêlit is always interesting, and from the first issues she quickly became one of my favorite characters in this series.

Paul Azaceta’s artwork in this issue is excellent. As with many of the other artists that have worked on the current Conan run, his style is unusual for Conan, just as Brian Wood’s writing is. Azaceta’s style is interesting, presenting characters and places with realistic features doing so by providing minimal details in rough lines of ink littering the page.

As for the events in this issue, I’m not really going to talk about them any more than I already have. This issue is the start of a new subplot in Conan’s ongoing travels with Bêlit, but there isn’t much aside from the artwork to make this issue stand out, for better or worse. If you’re already following Conan the Barbarian, you can pick up this issue for the cover price of $3.50. If you’re not reading this series but what I’ve said intrigues you, start with Queen of the Black Coast. This is a Conan series that differs significantly from previous comics, and so far the results have been mostly positive. I just hope that the ending stays close to Howard’s original story.

Danilo Culibrk, aka Augustus, is a staff writer for the Red Shirt Crew. He wonders why people think it’s such a great idea to poke around in cursed villages. You can follow his raids along the western coasts on Twitter at @Augustusing.