Review: Conan the Barbarian #3 (Vol. 3, 2019)
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Conan the Barbarian (2019) #3 Rating: 7 out of 10 |
By BOB FREEMAN
Paint Monk's Library Writer
I count myself a
Jason Aaron fan. In particular, I have enjoyed large parts of his
more than six years on Thor and the two years stint on Doctor
Strange. As such, when I learned Aaron was tapped to lead the
relaunch of Conan at Marvel, I was unabashedly thrilled, and
proclaimed as such anywhere and everywhere I could be heard.
Jason Aaron was
exactly what Marvel's Conan needed, short of drawing Roy Thomas back
into the fold. Or so I thought.
Look, I get it.
Robert E. Howard is a tough act to emulate. Other than the
aforementioned Roy Thomas, who has successfully navigated the
character? Tim Truman comes to mind. His runs, as both an artist and
writer, at Dark Horse were magnificent. Kurt Busiek did alright, as
did Joe Lansdale, but there were a lot of talented writers who
mishandled the Cimmerian.
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Tim Truman's "Wolves Beyond the Border" was an example of one of Conan's finest contemporary tales. |
I still think Jason
Aaron has the potential to be a great Conan author, but three issues
in, I'm just not feeling it. He does a fine job of name-dropping all
the right Hyborian landmarks, faiths, and cultures, and the plot thus
far is serviceable enough, but, trying to put my finger on it,
ultlimately it is the dialogue and prose that is leaving me flat.
It's too modern.
It's too wink-wink/nudge-nudge.
Reading reviews of
the comic, the trend I think, is that young people are digging it.
They like the art and the writing style. It suits them. A part of me
thinks, maybe I'm just getting long-in-the-tooth? Maybe I've
'outgrown' comics?
But, no, that can't
be it. Truman and Giorello's "Wolves Beyond the Border"
wrapped in March of 2016 and I would rate it as one of the finest
runs featuring Conan throughout the Cimmerian's storied history. The trade paperback is available on Amazon for around $30 and well worth the purchase.
I believe there's a
disconnect that can only be rectified by a restructuring of the
industry. There is a rot that has set in and it's well past time that
someone cut away the disease so that true healing can begin.
*Spoiler Alert*
SYNOPSIS: Conan the Barbarian #3 (2019)
A seventeen year old Conan finds himself in Red Tree Hill, a small
mining community, where the greatest crime a man can commit is to
steal gold. Having been captured during an aborted theft, Conan is
led to Red Tree to be hung until near death, then fed to hungry dogs.
The Cimmerian's impressive bulk puts too much strain on the ancient
hanging tree and the branch breaks. Conan fends off the city guard
and topples the Red Tree before the mob descends on him and he is
once more incarcerated.
Conan is being held until the head of the Watch heals so that he can
swing the axe to behead the barbarian for his crimes. Conan requests
a priest of Mitra to use as a human shield and escape, but the watch
commander kills the priest and blames Conan for it. One more crime to
add to the list.
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Is this the first time in Conan's history that Crom answered a prayer? |
When the time comes for the Cimmerian's execution, where he is to be
quartered with an axe, the watch commander gives him an opportunity
to pray to his gods and Conan shouts out, "Crom damn you!"
as a bolt of lightning comes down from the sky, killing the man with
the axe.
Conan then escapes, the crowd frightened by what they'd witnessed. It
is said the miners began worshiping Crom thereafter.
The issue ends as we see King Conan in the back of a wagon filled
with the dead, a guttural "Crom" whispered from his lips.
He is being taken by the Crimson Witch and her two child servants
back to their unholy lair where the fallen king will be offered up in
sacrifice to raise the death god Razazel.
We also get a third
installment of John Hocking's Black Starlight. In the previous two
entries, Conan and his companions had taken refuge in a deserted town
while on their way to Shem, but a mysterious intruder robbed
Zelandra's supply of emerald lotus and the Cimmerian sprang into
action.
Chasing the thief across the village and over a rooftop, Conan caught
scent of something strangely familiar. Passing a corpse in a ditch,
it dawns on him that it was the smell of Stygian herbs used in
mummification.
He turned as the undead thing rose up from the ditch. The Cimmerian
hacked the thing to bits, recovering his friend's emerald lotus, and
returned toward the docks.
CAPSULE
REVIEW: Well, it seems we get more of the same as The Life and Death of Conan
continues from Aaron and Asrar. The story itself is entertaining
enough, but it suffers from decompression. It does not take much to
imagine these three comics having easily been writ as a single issue
during the heights of the title in the 1970s.
I am noticing a theme in Aaron's approach. Last issue, we met a Pict
Shaman who waxed elegantly on the philosophy of barbarism vs
civilization while this issue we are introduced to a priest of Mitra
who proselytizes on the virtues of faith and the fate of one's soul.
And I think I've hit on the nagging problem I'm having with the title
so far, beyond my displeasure with the art and lettering. It's that
Aaron is not writing a Conan story first and foremost.
It seems to me that he has a story to tell and is using Conan
to do so. That's a big difference, in my opinion.
One of the things that made Conan sing for me as a young man reading
Howard original tales was that they felt real. There wasn't an
agenda. It was just the recounting of an adventure in a man's life,
albeit a larger-than-life man, but still.
Howard said that the Hyborian tales came to him as if they were told
to him round a campfire. That's what's missing. It's something that
people like Roy Thomas and Tim Truman were able to capture, and
something I hope Jason Aaron discovers before this series ends.
On a scale of 1-10 skulls of my enemies, I would rate this issue
worthy of 7.
Alba Gu Brath - Bob
Freeeman (aka The Occult Detective)
Good review. I think the story arc thing is killing the comic. Do we HAVE to wait 9 more issues to see if Conan lives or dies? If he dies, I'm not renewing my subscription.
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