Review by C.J. Bunce
In the Netflix South Korean historical fantasy Kingdom, a plague turns a village into zombies. Drop your favorite Cimmerian warrior in the middle of that kind of situation and you have the first chapter of Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone, a compilation of the opening chapters in the latest comic book series featuring that classic title, now available in a shiny, full-color, deluxe over-sized hardcover edition from Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures. Available now here at Amazon, the new series gets off to a raging start with a story by Jim Zub and illustrations by artist Rob De La Torre. If you’re a fan of the 1970s Stan Lee and Roy Thomas series from Marvel Comics, you’re going to love this throwback title stuffed with great artwork evoking your favorite classic Conan artwork.
Conan is only 24 years old, years before his legendary conquests. In a prologue he stands to defend Cimmeria from its latest threat, only to then leave on his own great journey and find himself. Is he after glory and adventure, or is he a survivor with a curiosity and personal code of honor that drives him to where he is needed most?
This story introduces a new warrior, Brissa, a brave, fierce Pict woman of the Gurian tribe. She has been tracking a force of her men, cursed by something unknown. This “Army of the Lost” is rabid and unyielding. Conan wants to seek aid from his own people, but is it already too late for them? What can Conan do but face his comrades, now reduced to unholy terrors?
I’m a sucker for those 1970s and 1980s two-page open title images, and De La Torre’s art brings back memories of classic fantasy comics. As for Zub’s story, Brissa is a fantastic adddition to the lore, and an interesting partner for Conan. I also like Conan teamed up with his own band of men, who reminded me a bit of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos–sword and sorcery style.
For sex and violence, this title is for adult readers.
Every panel features the heroic Conan, blood and guts and fantasy imagery. The two-page spreads are practically poster worthy, full of details in every corner and filled with characters. Francesca Baerald’s two-page fantasy map of the realm is exquisite.
This edition collects the first four issues of last year’s new monthly series. It features Jeffrey Shanks’ historical afterwords that accompanied each issue, a gallery of the 50 covers from the series in thumbnail size, plus full-size reprints of four retro covers from the series. And there’s more: some character sketches, an interview with Jim Zub, and two script pages accompanying inked, coloring and final drafts as an example of the writer and artist’s process.
It’s a great presentation of a series Conan fans should be reading. Fans of Conan in the comics will want to add this to your pull list at Elite Comics or your local comic shop. Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone – Deluxe Edition is also available now here at Amazon.
