Writer: Tim Truman
Artist: Tomás Giorello
Colorist: José Villarrubia
Cover Artist: Andrew Robinson
Genre: Action/Adventure
Publication Date: March 28, 2012
Format: FC, 32 pages
Price: $3.50
King Conan has built his empire by brawn and by blade, but there are dangers that lurk in the shadows of his throne that cannot be slain by the Cimmerian’s steel. Assassins are at his chamber door, and Thoth-Amon--back to the height of his power--is summoning fearsome fiends from the fiery pit! If he is to survive the night, Conan will need to enlist the aid of the gods!
As a Robert E Howard fan, I eat up every Conan comic I can. Some are great, others are just good. To this date, I haven’t read a bad one, and with something as formulaic as Conan, it’s hard to imagine that I ever will.
King Conan #3 is one of those “good” Conan stories. It’s got all the makings of a great Conan comic with its swords and sorcery, but it’s the story telling that keeps it from greatness. Having read the Phoenix in the sword story before starting this comic, I couldn’t help but see that the story was inconsistent in its pacing, and at times felt poorly put together. This doesn’t drag it down too far because the art looks great, and as I said before, it follows the Conan formula very well.
The beginning starts with a story being told about Conan. In this instance, it just happens to be Conan telling the story, which adds even more to it. I won’t divulge much in the ways of spoilers, but let’s just say it has evil wizards, a few scenes of violence, and an interesting section in the middle with some excellent art depicting some very Lovecraftian creatures from the dark recesses of space. How can you go wrong with this?
King Conan #3 isn’t going to win any new readers with this story, but it’s not going to drive away any consistent readers either. While it may be somewhat forgettable, with its unseemly pacing issues, its still another tale of the raven haired barbarian!
Preview available here
3.5 Sheep
By guest reviewer: Joshua Mays
The sexy cover has me sold! Give me more barbarian! ;) Oh wait was there a story too?
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