Comic Geek Update

I haven't done a "Comic Geek Update" in over 2 years (!) but a recent title caught my eye and the first two issues were simply fantastic.


Dark Horse Comics begins a fresh Conan saga with CONAN THE SLAYER, written by Cullen Bunn (of X-Men and Deadpool fame) with artwork by Sergio Davila (Red Sonja, Green Lantern). We catch up with Conan in the first issue as he is chased across the desert by a couple of assassins who he quickly turns to chop meat, although one of them manages to spear our favorite Cimmerian in the side. Conan barely makes it to a small village, where he is taken in an nursed back to health. The camp is run by Mykylo, who has two sons (Taraslan, who is overlooked by a strong warrior woman named Oksana, and Kyrylo, who is mad his father has accepted Conan into their tribe). A trio of Turanian hunters comes to the camp looking for Conan, and Kyrylo can't understand why his father didn't turn the barbarian over to them. He is convinced his father is no longer fit to be their leader.

The stage is set for some family schism, and this first issue features classic, brutal barbarian action. Lee Bermejo's beautiful cover art is also the most METAL comic book cover of the new millennium! (Crank up some MANOWAR or AMON AMARTH as you read these issues for maximum affect!).


The second issue begins with Kyrylo making a deal with a zombie-looking mystical being, then back at camp, Conan shows young Taraslan that he has much to learn about being a warrior. After some of the camp's scouts go missing, Mykylo sends Conan off to find them with Taraslan and Oksana and a couple of soldiers, but they run into a Turanian hit squad in a brutal sword / bow and arrow battle near the seashore. The issue ends when two huge monsters rise from the deep after knocking Conan out cold.

So far, Cullen Bunn's script has been a fine blend of classic Conan barbarian goodness and a supernatural subplot. And while I'm enjoying Sergio Davila's artwork, it seems at times he puts more into the side characters and villains than he does Conan...but that's a small complaint and not really a complaint at all (just the thoughts of an anal retentive life-long Conan fan).

Great stuff and I'm eagerly awaiting the 3rd issue, that features this amazing cover by Admira Wijaya: