Conan The Barbarian #5

“The Argos Deception Part 2” In the fair city of Messantia, Conan waits in a dirty cell for his execution. Moments before his hanging, the spectacle is interrupted by Conan’s lover, Belit, Queen of the Black Coast who has a proposition for the member of the high council. She suggests that the crowd came to see a show and the Cimmerian should fight for his freedom with an opponent of their choosing. Soon enough Conan, minus his trusty sword and chained at his ankles, is fighting for his life against a beast of a man who can eclipse the sun. For the members of the high council, Belit seems like a naïve & delicate flower who knows not what she does, but she is a predator and like all predators, she needs prey.

This is officially my very first Conan comic and I went in not having any expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t completely clueless about Conan, I’ve known about several series from Marvel Comics, I’ve seen both Ah-Nold movies (although I have not seen the newer version) and I know about Crom & Red Sonja. This is written by Brian Wood (The Massive, DMZ) who knows a thing or two about warriors wielding battleaxes & barbarians at war, just look at his work on Northlanders from Vertigo and you`ll see what I mean. Throughout the issue, Wood writes a captivating & necessary narration which paints a pretty and sometimes ugly picture of the city and the events that unfold that morning. I say necessary, because if you would remove the narration, you`d be left with a mindless action fight. Having said that, the battles depicted between Conan and his assailant are entertainingly bloody & bone-crunching as they get, I`ll bet they never showed this at Marvel (aren`t you glad the Comics Code Approval Stamp is gone?).

The illustrations are stunningly drawn by James Harren (Abe Sapien Vol. 2), with the help of colorist Dave Stewart (The Massive) depicts a visual feast for the eyes for the beautiful city of Messantia and it’s citizens. One of my favourite drawings is a bottom-page panel where Conan, beaten & scarred, sits miserably against the cold stones of his dungeon waiting for his execution. Very cool. The angles used to display the savage death match are also cleverly done and the final panels of said fight are not for the faint of heart. I truly believe, this is the way Conan was meant to be portrayed in a comic book. I absolutely loved the crap out of this comic and if you’ve never read a Conan comic, give this title a chance, you won’t regret it. From Dark Horse Comics. Pub. Date June 13, 2012.