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King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border #1-4
King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border
King Conan grows weary of the crown, and when an old soldier visits him with talk of a cursed relic and rumors of Pictish tribes preparing a full-scale invasion on Aquilonia's borders, Conan eagerly embarks on what could be his final adventure! Timothy Truman and Tomás Giorello expand on Robert E. Howard's unfinished "Wolves Beyond the Border" tale! Collects issues #1-#4 of the miniseries. "By Crom, this is Conan at his best!"-Kabooooom "Truly terrific artwork that is worth the cover price alone."-Big Comic Page
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2016
3 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Truman
533 books59 followersTimothy Truman is an American writer, artist and musician. He is best known for his stories and Wild West-style comic book art, and in particular, for his work on Grimjack (with John Ostrander), Scout, and the reinvention of Jonah Hex, with Joe R. Lansdale. Truman is currently writing Conan and is an instructor at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
Truman's first professional comics work was Grimjack with writer John Ostrander, for the independent comics company First Comics. Grimjack first appeared in Starslayer #10 in November 1983, before moving to his own series after issue #18 in 1984, and continued for 81 issues. Along with being a fan favorite and often imitated character, Grimjack almost single-handedly defined the "grim and gritty" action comic character archetype.
Truman has been continuously creative for more than 20 years, displaying his pulp sensitivities in his writing. In 1985, he created Scout, which was followed by Scout: War Shaman, a futuristic western. A year later, he relaunched the Hillman characters Airboy and The Heap for Eclipse Comics. He also developed The Prowler, a Shadow type character, and adapted The Spider for Eclipse. In 1991, at DC Comics he created Hawkworld, a reinvention of Hawkman. With author Joe R. Lansdale, he reinterpreted Jonah Hex as a horror western. In it, their creation of villain Edgar Autumn elicited a complaint from musician Edgar Winter. With his son, Benjamin Truman, he created A Man Named Hawken.
Truman was chosen by Dark Horse Comics to illustrate a newly completed Tarzan novel and wrote a story arc for the comic book. He also wrote virtually the entire run of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant Comics, after David Michelinie launched the book with its first three-issue story arc and subsequently departed the series. For the defunct SF imprint of DC, Helix, he created The Black Lamb. He also worked on a typical pulp adventure Guns of the Dragon, featuring Enemy Ace and Bat Lash; and wrote Star Wars at Dark Horse Comics. While at Dark Horse Comics, he took over the writing of Conan from Kurt Busiek in 2006, and after that series ended he started Conan The Cimmerian.
Truman's startling work, Simon Girty, Renegade was a two-volume black and white graphic novel that translated the horrors and triumphs of the American settler's western frontier in a fresh, interesting light. In bold, black and white use of positive and negative space, Truman appealed to both young and old audiences in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It was especially important for West Virginians that had been struggling against novelist Zane Grey's portrayal of Lewis Wetzel in an overly romanticized, florid light. Truman himself is an avid historian who dislikes nothing more than to see a drawing of a war using the wrong weaponry, and the second volume of his two-volume series on Simon Girty was devoted to the errors caught in his first volume.
Tecumseh! a graphic novel based on the West Virginia Outdoor Theater, is a colored graphic novel that shows the play from beginning to end. It renewed interest in the warrior in Appalachia. When asked why he used "Tecumseh" instead of "Tecumtheh" he explained he didn't want to explain to the mainstream audience the variance in spelling — the movement on pronunciation began with General William Tecumseh Sherman who came from a family that wanted to commemorate the warrior, but felt the lisping "Tecumtheh" would be unmanly.
Truman's first professional comics work was Grimjack with writer John Ostrander, for the independent comics company First Comics. Grimjack first appeared in Starslayer #10 in November 1983, before moving to his own series after issue #18 in 1984, and continued for 81 issues. Along with being a fan favorite and often imitated character, Grimjack almost single-handedly defined the "grim and gritty" action comic character archetype.
Truman has been continuously creative for more than 20 years, displaying his pulp sensitivities in his writing. In 1985, he created Scout, which was followed by Scout: War Shaman, a futuristic western. A year later, he relaunched the Hillman characters Airboy and The Heap for Eclipse Comics. He also developed The Prowler, a Shadow type character, and adapted The Spider for Eclipse. In 1991, at DC Comics he created Hawkworld, a reinvention of Hawkman. With author Joe R. Lansdale, he reinterpreted Jonah Hex as a horror western. In it, their creation of villain Edgar Autumn elicited a complaint from musician Edgar Winter. With his son, Benjamin Truman, he created A Man Named Hawken.
Truman was chosen by Dark Horse Comics to illustrate a newly completed Tarzan novel and wrote a story arc for the comic book. He also wrote virtually the entire run of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant Comics, after David Michelinie launched the book with its first three-issue story arc and subsequently departed the series. For the defunct SF imprint of DC, Helix, he created The Black Lamb. He also worked on a typical pulp adventure Guns of the Dragon, featuring Enemy Ace and Bat Lash; and wrote Star Wars at Dark Horse Comics. While at Dark Horse Comics, he took over the writing of Conan from Kurt Busiek in 2006, and after that series ended he started Conan The Cimmerian.
Truman's startling work, Simon Girty, Renegade was a two-volume black and white graphic novel that translated the horrors and triumphs of the American settler's western frontier in a fresh, interesting light. In bold, black and white use of positive and negative space, Truman appealed to both young and old audiences in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It was especially important for West Virginians that had been struggling against novelist Zane Grey's portrayal of Lewis Wetzel in an overly romanticized, florid light. Truman himself is an avid historian who dislikes nothing more than to see a drawing of a war using the wrong weaponry, and the second volume of his two-volume series on Simon Girty was devoted to the errors caught in his first volume.
Tecumseh! a graphic novel based on the West Virginia Outdoor Theater, is a colored graphic novel that shows the play from beginning to end. It renewed interest in the warrior in Appalachia. When asked why he used "Tecumseh" instead of "Tecumtheh" he explained he didn't want to explain to the mainstream audience the variance in spelling — the movement on pronunciation began with General William Tecumseh Sherman who came from a family that wanted to commemorate the warrior, but felt the lisping "Tecumtheh" would be unmanly.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 8, 2023
Wow! I never thought I would say this - every bit as good as the Roy Thomas/Barry Windsor-Smith run that set the standard - BY CROM! THIS IS A STOUT AND STURDY BOOK! If you have not done so check Timothy Truman out: should have MUCH MORE RECOGNITION than he has currently. Read his Scout series...AMAZING!
March 9, 2023
Very nice King Conan story. Great art and writing that captures the feel of Conan well. Very recommended
February 1, 2024
The King Conan series has been excellent. I've randomly read several different issues and they all seem to be stand-alone one shot stories. I appreciate this. This volume has an elderly King Conan recounting an adventure he had when he had to deal with a resurgence of the Picts.
A renegade Pict seeks to harness the tribes into an attacking force. Conan must join with the family of Brule, a Pict descended from the Chief's line, and a Pict witch to not only rescue the heir of the tribe but also recover an ancient crown.
Good story and very good artwork make for a really good comic.
A renegade Pict seeks to harness the tribes into an attacking force. Conan must join with the family of Brule, a Pict descended from the Chief's line, and a Pict witch to not only rescue the heir of the tribe but also recover an ancient crown.
Good story and very good artwork make for a really good comic.
June 23, 2024
One of the greatest Conan stories ever written. Tim Truman is simply, the best Conan writer in the last twenty years. Yes, even better than Roy Thomas. This is a Conan Howard would have been proud to write. There are so many Easter eggs in here, it will take several readings to catch them all. Brilliant.
January 24, 2017
Truman is simply the best writer of Conan stories that Dark Horse have in their stable of authors. It is unfortunate that he found the main Conan comicline's publishing schedule too hectic to keep up his quality (he would still have been better than any of the people who replaced him), but the extra time he has in the less regular King Conan series is a testament to what he can do.
Based on two unfinished storylines by Robert E. Howard, Wolves Beyond Border is a kind of a sequel to Beyond the Black River (one of the best Conan stories written by Howard). At his old age (older than Howard ever wrote him), King Conan returns to the Black River and meets many of the same people he got to know during his earlier adventures in the region. This time around, he is not killing Picts, but joining one of the tribes to help them in their fight against old enemies.
A great story, but perhaps a bit abrupt at some points, especially the end. I look forward to seeing more from Truman's pen soon!
Based on two unfinished storylines by Robert E. Howard, Wolves Beyond Border is a kind of a sequel to Beyond the Black River (one of the best Conan stories written by Howard). At his old age (older than Howard ever wrote him), King Conan returns to the Black River and meets many of the same people he got to know during his earlier adventures in the region. This time around, he is not killing Picts, but joining one of the tribes to help them in their fight against old enemies.
A great story, but perhaps a bit abrupt at some points, especially the end. I look forward to seeing more from Truman's pen soon!
May 3, 2025
4.5 Stars
I didn't think this was quite as good as the previous two volumes, but this was still top notch. This was based on a story fragment, so Tim Truman had to work to flesh the story out. I really liked the way the story linked Kull to Conan to Bran Mak Morn.
The Dark Horse King Conan series as a whole was excellent. It's too bad we didn't get to see more of it.
I didn't think this was quite as good as the previous two volumes, but this was still top notch. This was based on a story fragment, so Tim Truman had to work to flesh the story out. I really liked the way the story linked Kull to Conan to Bran Mak Morn.
The Dark Horse King Conan series as a whole was excellent. It's too bad we didn't get to see more of it.
May 3, 2017
The Perfect King Conan story. The love shows guys.
April 4, 2017
Finalazo.
January 20, 2023
A brutal story- Dark Horse conan is another level of dark and it works so well for the world. Conan fights the Picts over a controlling crown and finds he’s all too long for this world
May 14, 2017
One of the best volumes in this series, or indeed in recent years from the Dark Horse ongoing series. Strong writing, good storytelling, solid art - a complete book, which also ties in to some deeper elements of Howard's mythos and gives us a great whole package. This easily ranks up there with the earlier books in the main series which pulled me into these books, and while I have some curiosity about the adaptations of those of Howard's stories which have not been explored yet, I am strongly tempted to just call it a day and end on a high, much as this book gives us one last heroic tale for Conan.
June 20, 2017
I have now read the five volume series published by Dark Horse named King Conan. This was really a terrific group of graphic novels and the final book is probably the very best. In it Conan's links to Kull, Bran Mac Morn and Brule are established tying together Howard's Sword and Sorcery group of series quite nicely. The story line and artwork for this last volume are fabulous, with the art being perhaps the best of the five books. For an enthusiast of Howard's writing this is a must-read.
January 6, 2017
Based on two unfinished and self rejected tales from Howard, this story tells the tale of King Conan coming upon a circlet with a red Gem that belongs to the bloodline of Brule friend to Kull, a pair of famous characters from the distant past. The story is crisp with perhaps too abrupt an end but still excellent
December 31, 2017
Another excellent adaption by Timothy Truman and his artistic collaborator Tomas Giorello. The artwork is absolutely breathtaking and the story nails the character of Conan and the world he inhabits. This is a top notch series from Dark Horse, and rivals the work that Roy Thomas/John Buscema Marvel run.
August 11, 2016
Timothy Truman, Tomas Giorello, & Jose Villarrubia do an excellent job of bringing King Conan to life. The barbarianism drips from the pages. If you are a Conan fan you should love this.
April 10, 2019
Please let Arnie make a film out of this.
June 3, 2021
Último volumen de los dedicados por el magnífico trío Truman/Giorello/Villarrubia a adaptar al cómic las historias del reinado de Conan escritas por Robert E. Howard. Es, sin duda, el tomo más flojo. Aunque el dibujo sigue siendo magnífico en las composiciones grandes, hay viñetas que parecen hechas para salir del paso, bien dibujadas pero carentes de la excelencia habitual. El descenso de calidad en el guión es incluso más notorio. No sé si pueda, quizás, haber algo de cansancio en los autores, pero lo que sí es seguro es que la falta de Howard se nota, y mucho.
"Lobos allende la frontera" es una de esas narraciones inconclusas que luego fueron adaptadas y completadas. Lo hizo Sprague de Camp en "Conan el usurpador" y aquí Truman también lo intenta. Si bien vuelve a acertar en el cambio del punto de vista, yerra en el relleno de la parte final. El guionista le da a Conan el protagonismo que no tiene en el relato de Howard, pero la peripecia final resulta aburrida, con conversaciones continuas en mitad de la jungla y alusiones a un arbol genealógico picto que no tiene otro objetivo que enlazar a Kull, Conan y Bran Mak Morn. La disputa entre brujas tampoco da mucho de sí. Una de ellas incluso exhibe bolas de energía en las manos como un vulgar superhéroe.
La sombra de Robert E. Howard es alargada, podría decirse. La diferencia entre esta adaptación, que exige una aportación propia mayor, y las anteriores es evidente. Aun así, la valoración global de todas estas miniseries juntas es de sobresaliente.
"Lobos allende la frontera" es una de esas narraciones inconclusas que luego fueron adaptadas y completadas. Lo hizo Sprague de Camp en "Conan el usurpador" y aquí Truman también lo intenta. Si bien vuelve a acertar en el cambio del punto de vista, yerra en el relleno de la parte final. El guionista le da a Conan el protagonismo que no tiene en el relato de Howard, pero la peripecia final resulta aburrida, con conversaciones continuas en mitad de la jungla y alusiones a un arbol genealógico picto que no tiene otro objetivo que enlazar a Kull, Conan y Bran Mak Morn. La disputa entre brujas tampoco da mucho de sí. Una de ellas incluso exhibe bolas de energía en las manos como un vulgar superhéroe.
La sombra de Robert E. Howard es alargada, podría decirse. La diferencia entre esta adaptación, que exige una aportación propia mayor, y las anteriores es evidente. Aun así, la valoración global de todas estas miniseries juntas es de sobresaliente.
December 8, 2022
The art is absolutely chef's kiss. Thematically, King Conan has probably always been the most interesting Conan property as we get to simmer in reflections on a long and interesting life. Here we focus on fathers and sons, and no, it's not always wildly deep, but it's definitely worthwhile and more thematically rich than the average Conan tale.
September 8, 2016
The best team ever assembled that has worked on a Conan comic. EVER!
April 27, 2017
I have looked forward to reading Tim Truman's King Conan stories every year for the last five years. It looks like this might be the last one. Between Truman's lovely story and Tomas Giorello's gorgeous art these have been some of the best Conan adaptations ever. If you love Conan this one will be right up your alley. It links at least three great Howard characters, Conan, Kull and Brak Mak Morn into a narrative. A great story!
December 25, 2017
An aged Conan still believes that his brute strength can win!!!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews