“INTO THE CRUCIBLE AS THE MARCH TO KHITAI BEGINS! Conan has faced many foes since leaving Cimmeria, but the greatest challenge lies ahead!  A perfect jumping-on point for new readers as Conan finds himself in a city in the mystical Uttara Kuru, further on the eastern border than the young barbarian has ever traveled.  And with the new city comes new dangers!  Unfamiliar with the language, Conan inadvertently agrees to be the latest entrant to the Great Crucible.  The people of the city support their foreign champion…but what deadly traps does the Crucible hold, and what will Conan sacrifice to overcome his ordeal? Writer JIM ZUB (SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN, AVENGERS: NO ROAD HOME) and artist ROGÊ ANTONIO (CONAN 2099, X-MEN RED) lead Conan on an all-new journey, as we begin a new era for CONAN THE BARBARIAN into undiscovered country!”

By BOB FREEMAN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

Here we are, at long last. With Aaron and Asrar’s arc behind us, we welcome a new creative team to Marvel’s flagship Conan title — Jim Zub and Rogê Antônio. Both are talented creators, but then, so were Aaron and Asrar. Will this pair breathe new life into what has largely been a disappointing reunion between the House of Ideas and Howard’s Cimmerian?

Let’s find out, shall we?

The cover is not a promising start. There is skill there, but E. M. Gist’s Conan is too stiff. The anatomy looks off to me. The sword is at an odd angle for the Cimmerian’s hands. His face is brutish — almost Hulk-like. And the hair is unnatural. I don’t like it. Unfortunately, my comic shop didn’t have the alternate cover by Toni Infante which I find much more appealing. Of course, searching the internet, that cover variant appears to be selling for $15, so I guess I’ll pass.

But one should not judge a book by its cover artist, so let’s see what Zub and Antônio have for us.

Part one of Into the Crucible, “The People’s Champion”, begins with some solid prose from Jim Zub and Rogê Antônio’s art is solid enough. It’s a tad more cartoonish than I generally prefer, but there’s good energy from the illustration, coupled with interesting and varied facial expressions.

So far, so good.

The lettering from Travis Lanham is consistent and non-invasive, while Israel Silva’s coloring is warm and inviting. Silva really enhances the art and takes some of the edges off, creating a pleasurable experience.

As for the story itself, I am intrigued. Tackling a young Conan, slightly more than 15 years of age, he’s brash and over-confident, and easily duped by his being in a foreign land and not understanding the native tongue. It’s a great set-up, and the inclusion of an interpreter helps keep the story grounded.

Once we find Conan inside the Crucible itself, he is in his element. Conan has always been a character with great instincts and quick reactions, so placing him in a death-trap, D&D-esque dungeon is a slick move on Zub’s part, considering his background in roleplaying games. He gets to synthesize the character’s strengths with his own.

I enjoyed the issue, but it certainly seemed to fly by far too fast. The March issue won’t get here soon enough.

I give this issue 8.5 skulls of my enemies. Zub and Antônio are off to a great start. Highly recommended.

I should point out, a firmer editorial hand would be nice. Some of the punctuation is a little dodgy at times, and being an Oxford Comma man, well, the lack of one on the title/credits page had my nape hairs on end.

Also, the lack of a prose tale waiting at the back of the book was met with a touch of disappointment. I had become accustomed to capping off the comic with some fresh Hyborian pastiche, even if the quality of such varied greatly.

I guess my end-cap will be reading some of Scott Oden’s latest Grimnir novel — Twilight of the Gods.