“THE LAST STAND OF CONAN, DARK AGNES, SOLOMON KANE  & MOON KNIGHT! CONAN and DARK AGNES against the servants of SET in STYGIA! SOLOMON KANE and MOON KNIGHT encounter a bizarre relic – but will it aid their quest, or doom their compatriots? And what lurks in the mind of JAMES ALLISON?”

By BOB FREEMAN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

I had to go back and revisit the first two chapters in Conan: Serpent War because “Chapter 3: The Faithful and the Fallen“ seemed so different from its predecessors, and not simply due to having another new artist on board.

Though to be fair, the art was simply a let down across the board. New illustrator Luca Pizzari is a bad fit for a Conan tale. The artwork is too manga for my tastes and just altogether unappealing. It was a major turn-off.

While I have been critical of the overall art in this series to date, this is by far the weakest outing, making me almost nostalgic for Eaton and Hannah, or Segoria to have tackled this chapter instead. I hate to be so critical. I’m sure Pizzari did his best, but this did not work on any level for me.

And for the first time, neither did the writing. The story feels drawn out for no purpose other than to deliver an 80+ page trade paperback when all is said and done. While the plot is solid, here the first strains of poor pacing and dialogue begin to show cracks in the venerable Jim Zub’s handling of the characters.

Conan and Agnes’ banter has become bothersome, and their dialogue forced and unnatural. Kane and Moon Knight as well, though it’s Moon Knight that grates the worst. I don’t think Zub ever had a great handle on him, but here it is altogether worse.

As for the story, I like it just fine on the surface, but with each iteration it becomes more and more apparent that this would have been better served in 32 pages. Far too much padding… and let’s face it, with a revolving door of artists, there’s little to no continuity.

With a single issue remaining, I will be glad to see it end and I am anxious to see how Zub, and what I suspect will be another new artist, handle the grand finale. What started with so much promise has devolved into yet another misstep by Marvel in their most recent tenure with Howard’s legacy.

Looking at my previous rankings, the first issue garnered 10, while the second issue received 8.75 skulls of my enemies. Looking over the littered field of my bitter foes, I can only muster up the strength to deliver 6 for this issue and I take no pleasure in this.

I truly hope the end of Serpent War mirrors the first issue and we go out on a high note, otherwise my anticipation for Conan the Barbarian #13 featuring Jim Zub and Roge Antonio will be greatly tempered. It’s already strained based on E.M Gist’s cover art alone. Thankfully, what I’ve seen of Roge’s interiors has me excited still.

Even though I am critical about this issue, I continue to have faith in Jim Zub as an author. He has proven he has the skills to pull this off and I am rooting for him to deliver something truly special, something that will truly honor the enormous legacy of Howard’s greatest creation.