CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #6

Review by: jmstump

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Size: pages
Price: 2.99

Alright after Paul wrote this fantastic article that can be found here.  I took it upon myself to not only read issue six of Conan but issues 0-5 as well.  Could you have read issue 6 by itself, yes, but it wouldn’t be as good.  This review is not just a review of issue 6 but issues 0-6.

I must say I’ve read some of the stuff that Busiek did, before the title switch, and I really liked it.  I also picked up the Rouges in the House story in issues.  It’s one of my all time favorite Conan stories, I even own the original from Marvel in the over sized giant issue.

So I started with Issue 0 which is a short .99 issue that is one of Robert E. Howard’s short stories.  The short is titled “Cimmeria” and is a great introduction to this story.  The nice thing about this is how you can still read issue one without having to read this one.  There is a reference but nothing past that.  I mean Conan kills people all the time so if you do skip this issue you’re not missing to much.  I recommend it purely because the short story it is based off of is fantastic.

Moving into issue 1 we get the dual story of this book.  I know that this book isn’t longer then a typical comic book, but with the two stories and how they are written, I feel like they are longer.  They just feel like beefy books with a ton of story.  It’s not like a lot of other comics with flashbacks where you feel a little ripped off.  No these books feel longer.  This is important as I feel like I get my monies worth out of them.  The dual stories mirror each other very well and are important to understanding Conan, his ancestry, and his sense of morality.  Yes, you’re not seeing things, I did use the word morality and Conan in the same sentence.

I’d like to mention the cover I purchased was the Joe Kubert cover.  Man can this guy still draw the awesomeness.  Is it sad that I think he can draw circles around his offspring?

Anyways this story continues on into issue 2.  We finally see how the two stories are interweaving at this point.  I really like how it was done and when I usually would see this coming a mile away I was too wrapped up in this book to notice.  I had a gasp moment during issue 2 and to be honest felt a little stupid for not seeing the twist.  This really goes to show to me that Truman is writing is really great.  I was immersed in the two stories and not paying attention to what was about to happen next as I do with other stories.

I want to go into issues 3-5 together.  These issues are where Conan meets up with Caollan.  We find out that this is the first woman that Conan has ever bedded down.  It is neat to see him treat a woman so differently then what we usually see.  I like to think that he knows if he treated Caollan like a sultry whore there would be hell to pay.  Truman does a good job of showing us this by having Caollan kick almost as much ass as Conan himself.  After reading these issues, I really hope this character is around for a long time.  Hell if they announced a mini series with her tomorrow, I’d buy it.  I’d like to mention that issue 4 has one of my favorite series of panels.  It is when the Skrae find the cave that Conan and Caollan are in.  The first is a Skrae upside down peeking its head into the cave.  The next panel is from its point of view of Conan.  I thought this was great.

Alright we’re now up to speed, now for issue 6.  This issue has been built up to for 6 issues counting issue 0.  Conan finally gets home and when he does there is the welcome wagon.  I really liked Conan’s mother in this book.  She is really in touch with her son and everything around her.  She’s a smart and playful old braod who lovers her son and his friend.  We’re also given more of the relationship between Caollan and Conan.  It’s obvious that they never really got over each other and that in the next issue there is going to be some hell to pay.  Back in issue 3 we found out that she was on the run and now we know that Conan isn’t going to just let someone come and take her away.

Lastly I would like to talk about the art.  I really love when books use two artists for something like flashbacks.  The stories between Conan and his Grandfather Connacht are both done by fantastic artists.  I would venture so far to say that I like the main story artist better then Cary Nord’s work on this book when it was just Conan.  The colors are beautifully done and make everything feel just right.  The lands of Cimmeria actually feel cold and abysmal as Howard first described them in his short story.  Also all of the covers by Frank Cho are great.  If he didn’t have problems with keeping a schedule I would love to see him do Conan one day.

So I took Paul’s challenge and I would have to say he’s 100% correct on this book.  If you liked Jonah Hex, Fear Agent, or anything with an Anti-Hero in it, you will love Conan the Cimmerian.  I want to go on to say if you love this one, please please look into Solomon Kane.  It too is a highly overlooked book and it’s only going to be a 6 issue mini.  Go check it out along with all of Conan the Cimmerian!

Story: 5 - Excellent
Art: 5 - Excellent

Comments

  1. Well met, my friend!  

    I’m glad you took on the challenge and I really appreciate your writing up such a comprehensive review.  Above and beyond. 

  2. Also, Thank god.  

    That’s a lot of money, and you would have hated me forever.  Can’t have that.  

  3. Nah, I wouldn’t have been upset about the money.  I don’t even really pay attention to how much I spend anymore.  It’s really the only thing I spend my money on at the moment and I’m always looking for new books to check out.

  4. Hearing the positive responce and seeing the price point has got me really interested. I will giver a go I think.  Soloman Kane has been rocking the body that rocks the party, getty better every issue, but where does Kull fit into this all? Anyone reading Kull and can compare it to Soloman Kane or Conan?

  5. I haven’t heard about Krull, but I have been thinking of picking it up.  If I do I will try to do something similar to this.

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