Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
King Conan The Hour Of The Dragon #1 Of 6
Dark Horse Comics
Truman, Giorello & Villarrubia
King Conan starts its adaptation of the Conan novel by Robert E Howard with a strong effort that ties to the larger series that Tim Truman has been writing for a number of years now. The comic is a strong first issue that brings together the immediate threat while telling the story from the long view of an old Conan reflecting on the love of his life. The first issue is a good read and I can't wait for the next issue.
Truman has taken Conan on a quite roller coast ride for nearly thirty issues now and this adaptation seems fitting to lead the character into some unknown territory. Conan is the king and some old foe uses some black magic to produce an ancient evil aimed at taking down the former barbarian.
Conan is taken out early on but while he assumed his army could function without him he quickly learns the fate of his kingdom rests on his shoulders. Conan may be weak but his strength and character shine through nicely in this comic.
The book covers a lot of ground. In this single issue the threat is introduced, a new evil is born, the lay of the land is set, Conan is assaulted and Conan's army is ambushed. The issue is very wordy as a result. This isn't a negative but I can see how this might turn off the casual reader. The upside is that we really hit the ground running with this dense read.
The aspect of the book that I struggle with is the nature of the assault. Why is Conan left in the state he's in? Is it even possible to unleash the plague on him? I felt too much was left unexplained as the book ran through the plot setup so quickly.
The art is elegant in a timeless style. The issue of Conan looks like Frazetta could have painted it forty years ago or it looks like it could have been produced in the modern times. This is extremely difficult to pull off. The book has a worn out look to it that matches the weathered version of the lead character. This could very well be the death of Conan arc and the art is clearly up to the task.
Apparently the adaptation is to be completed in two separate mini-series. This first mini-series seems to be covering an awful lot of the source material. It will be interesting to see where this series evolves in the next issue or two. Either way this is a great glimpse into the distant future of the character as told by a very old, but still physically impressive Conan. I recommend giving this a chance.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
