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September 10th, 2018 Uncategorized 1 Comment »

A Prophecy, A Huge Scorpion & A Black Shadow

Review: Conan the Barbarian #55 – “Shadow on the Land!”

Conan #55 – “Shadow on the Land!”
(EDITOR’S NOTE:
Welcome to Countdown to Conan,
a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular
Cimmerian to Marvel Comics. We’ll be reviewing issues of Marvel’s
original Conan the
Barbarian series weekly
until Marvel releases their first new Conan comic books in 2019. This
review is written by Bob
Freeman.)

While the Crimson Company storyline
started out promising, this installment felt too “comic-booky”,
for lack of a better word. Despite a few clever exchanges of
dialogue, which Roy did so well, the plot came across tired and too
over-the-top for a Conan tale. The Cimmerian, I feel, works best at
street level. Giant sentient shadow monsters are a tall order. Even
the art seemed uninspired.
Of note for this issue was the added
bonus of the legendary Gaspar Saladino’s lettering to the cover.
Gaspar was most notable for his work at DC, but in the mid-70s he
lettered the majority of the first pages of Marvel’s output with
occasional cover additions.
Review: Conan the Barbarian #55
Conan, Tara the Acrobat and Yusef, sole
survivors of an encounter with the Nameless City’s Shadow Thing, ride
back to Ronnoco. Conan tells Tara of the prophecy he heard concerning
the Black Shadow. Meanwhile, at Belzamo’s castle, the
king’s son prepares for his wedding to the kidnapped Pergonian woman
Yvonna. She, however, has no intention of marrying Belzamo’s foppish
son, Vanni.
Conan, arriving at last to Ronnoco,
consults with Murilo, the captain of the Crimson Company. The
barbarian believes that he has deciphered the prophecy and defies
orders to remain in the city, stealing Murilo’s horse and galloping
across the desert until the horse dies from exhaustion.
He comes upon the Crystal Scorpion
statue they had defeated in an earlier adventure and the Cimmerian
surmises that to awaken the statue he must drive the blade that slew
it into its brain.
Proving Conan right, the scorpion comes
to life and clamors off across the barren plain toward Ronnoco.
Back at the city-state, the Black
Shadow attacks Ronnoco with a vengeance, swallowing its citizens
mercilessly. Murilo and the Crimson Company unleash a volley of
ineffectual fire arrows against the fiend as the monster grows larger
with each victim it consumes.
Finally, the Crystal Scorpion arrives
and attacks the Black Shadow. With each sting from the Scorpion’s
tail, the Shadow gets weaker and smaller until it finally becomes but
a whisp, floating away on the air.
During the battle, however, Vanni
kidnapped Yvonna and escaped into the nearby hills, fearing for his
life. Conan, returning to Ronnoco on foot, comes upon the foppish
prince and slays him, returning Yvonna to the city-state, where she
is eventually reunited with her people. She stands up for herself,
refusing to be a pawn on a chessboard and peace is agreed upon.
Conan, fearing long, boring months and
years of peace ahead parts with the Crimson Company, as he and Tara
ride off to find some new adventure. Young Yusef is convinced to
follow after them by Murilo, knowing the boy’s affection for the
acrobat, and the three joined ride off into the sunset.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Wow, this was just…bad. I hate to say
it, but this was a rare instance when Roy Thomas just dropped the
ball. The Scorpion consuming the sword into its brain was plain
silly, as was the Black Shadow itself, but my biggest complaint was
Conan coming upon Yanni and Yvonna in the hills outside Ronnoco after
the prince had kidnapped her and fled the city-state. Contrived
circumstances such as these pull a reader right out of the story, not
that one was ever in this one to begin with.
The art was solid, if not inspired,
throughout. Palmer and Buscema work well together, but too much story
demanded too many panels and the art seldom had a chance to breathe.
It was very claustrophobic and with so little room to maneuver in
panel, the coloring sometimes muddied the art.
The cover was similarly adequate while
not spectacular. Gil Kane was the penciller here, but Tom Palmer’s
inks all but remove all trace of his line work. This is not as good a
match as Palmer over Buscema, but it’s serviceable. I find Conan a
bit awkwardly posed The Black Shadow was just not a compelling
subject matter and it shows.
I remember picking this issue up off
the magazine stand in Cain’s Sundries when I was nine years old. It
didn’t strike my fancy then. It does even less so now 43 years
later.
On a scale of 1-10,
I’d rate this issue a 5.75. This issue inspired no confidence
and if not for the art, I’d not be willing to look at it again. On
eBay, this issue was readily available for less than $2.
Alba Gu Brath – BF
(aka The Occult Detective) 
September 10th, 2018 Uncategorized Comments Off on REVIEW: A Ring, Conan Vs. Conan & A Murderous Shadow

REVIEW: A Ring, Conan Vs. Conan & A Murderous Shadow

Conan #54 – “The Oracle of Ophir!”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Countdown to Conan, a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular Cimmerian to Marvel Comics. We’ll be reviewing issues of Marvel’s original Conan the Barbarian series weekly until Marvel releases their first new Conan comic books in 2019. This review is written by Wally Monk.)


This issue continues the storyline involving Conan, Captain Murilo and Tara. It’s a much better story than the previous adaption of “Kothar and the Conjuror’s Curse,” and I’ll be sad to see it end.


Conan’s companions in this story line are campy cariacatures of sidekicks. Tara, the youthful and brass yet bumbling jester and Captain Murilo (who originally appeared in Conan the Barbarian #11) are welcome distractions. Typically, Conan’s “sidekicks” are women with ulterior motives or fellow warriors (or thieves) with the same.


In many ways, this (and the previous two issues) remind me of the Conan the Adventurer live-action series. Nothing is too serious, and the plots are too cheesy to be taken as seriously as some of the earlier issues. It’s also a good, fun build-up to the introduction of Belit in two issues, as the “Pirates of the Black Coast” tales begin a darker and less light-hearted era in the Conan the Barbarian comic book series.

Review: Conan the Barbarian #54
In the last issue, Conan, Captain Murilo and Tara kidnapped the crotchety Princess Yvonna, who was en route to be married to the prince of Carnolla. Carnolla and a fellow city-state, Pergona, would be united with the marriage. The kidnapping was prompted by Belzamo, king of Ronnoco (a rival city-state) who believes that by having his own son Vanni marry the princess, it would elevate him and his kingdom, leaving him in a politically stronger position. Belzamo also commissioned the men to find the Ring of The Black Shadow, which would also help enforce his power.
But Yvonna isn’t having it. She says she’s not going to marry Vanni – and as she talks to Conan and Murilo, a horse comes galloping into town with a weary rider. The rider is Yusef, the sole survivor of the expedition to find the Ring of The Black Shadow, and he wants to see Murilo right away!
Meanwhile, Murilo and Conan are meeting with Belzamo in the throne room, showing off the captured princess. Once again, Yvonna confirms that she will not marry Vanni with a well placed heel in the prince’s foot! Tara barges into the throne room with Yusef to tell them the tale of the giant shadow creature which decimated their mercenary band and took the ring for itself.
Conan suggests that with the news of the giant shadow beast, the king needs an oracle and not an army. The oracle can tell him where the ring is and what the future brings. Sounds like a good mission for Conan and his band – so the king’s son, Prince Vanni, suggests Conan should go. Murilo tells Conan to take Tara and Yusef with him (adding that he’s tired of Tara’s juvenile antics!)
Approaching the the cave where the oracle lives, Conan and his group are trailed by a misshapen dwarf, who remains hidden out of sight. A massive guardian is stationed at the entrance, and he exacts a toll from anyone who wishes to speak with the oracle – the visitor’s sword arm!
Being too much of a price to pay for Conan, the barbarian engages the giant in battle. Defeating him, he takes the giant’s ornate, magical sword and begins to crawl through the narrow cave entrance in search of the oracle.
Conan finds himself in the presence of a cowled skeleton who speaks in riddles, and soon Conan has had enough. He prepares to take his leave, bringing the riddle back to Belzamo.
Returning to the cave entrance, Conan notices that a new guardian has taken the giant’s place – it’s a replica of the Cimmerian himself! Confused, the barbarian raises his newly found blade to fight against his own doppelganger.
What was the riddle of the oracle? What could it mean? And which Conan will win this battle?
CAPSULE REVIEW: When John Buscema focuses on detail, the result is inspiring. The splash panel of this issue is a fantastic rendering by Buscema, primarily because he tries to flesh out the background of the City of Ronnoco. It’s amazing how the page looks more like a piece of art than a stereotypical “comic book” splash panel.
I also enjoy the inks and coloring of Tom Palmer and Phil Rachelson. Both bring out the best in Buscema’s line work and draw the reader into the artwork as much as Roy Thomas’ fun scripting draws one into the story.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue a 7.4. Copies were available on eBay for less than $5.
As always, I am – Wally (AKA Paint Monk)
September 9th, 2018 Uncategorized Comments Off on Roy Thomas Tackles A Classic HP Lovecraft Yarn

Roy Thomas Tackles A Classic HP Lovecraft Yarn

Saturday Night Shivers Review – Tower of Shadows #9 (Marvel, 1971)

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Saturday Night Shivers, a weekend feature at Paint Monk’s Library. In the spirit of Elvira, the Ghoul, and other horror movie hosts, we’ll be featuring a review of one classic horror comic each week. All horror stories we review are from books approved by the Comics Code Authority. This installment is written by Wally Monk.)
Sadly, our friend “Digger” doesn’t show up in this issue. The gaunt, pasty-faced mortician who served as narrator of Tower of Shadows and its successor Chamber of Chills doesn’t appear in this issue. For those of you unfamiliar with “Digger,” he appeared to be Marvel’s equivalent of the Crypt Keeper, who served as narrator in many of the EC Comics horror titles in the 1950s. 
This issue, instead, opens to the narration of writer Roy Thomas and  artist Tom Palmer. They’re illustrated on the opening splash page, ready to introduce the reader in first-person to their adaptation of a famous HP Lovecraft short story called “Pickman’s Model.”

Three other stories round out this issue. The second story, called “I Dared to Enter the Haunted Room!” was a reprint from a story in Tales to Astonish #17, written and illustrated by Don Heck. A third story – “The World That Was Lost!” – was drawn by Jack Kirby with inks by Christopher Rule, reprinting a story from Strange Tales #69.


Finishing up the book was another reprint from Strange Tales #69 called “The Threat From The Fifth Dimension,” scripted and drawn by Steve Ditko.

For the purposes of this edition of Saturday Night Shivers, I won’t be reviewing the reprinted stories, only the original material by Roy Thomas and Tom Palmer. 

Review: Tower of Shadows #9

WARNING! SPOILERS FOLLOW
Story #1 – “Pickman’s Model”
Story by Roy Thomas – Art by Tom Palmer
Eliot meets his distraught friend Thurber on a street corner in Boston. Thurber is terrified and upset. He makes it clear that he’ll be very happy if he never sees a subway or a cellar ever again. Eliot expresses concern for his friend, offering to take him to a bar where he can get some food and calm himself down. The last time Eliot saw Thurber was leaving a New England art club with famous artist Richard Upton Pickman.
At the mention of Pickman’s name, Thurber bristles and tells Eliot never to mention the artist again. 
In the original Lovecraft work, Thurber is working on a monograph of sorts detailing unusual artists; in this story he appears as an art critic or admirer, who has taken an interest in Pickman’s work.
Once at a local watering hole, Thurber begins his tale. He doesn’t want to talk, but if he doesn’t share what he saw, he’ll lose his mind! Cautiously and nervously, Thurber begins to describe events from earlier that night. . 
Arriving at the art gallery, Richard Pickman decided to share his newest work with Thurber – a creepy drawing of a robed, eldritch monstrosity in a cemetery. Quickly, Thurber learned why the gallery was deserted – Pickman’s new work was just too frightening. 
Thurber tells Pickman that he’s got to be careful, as his extremely grotesque and terrifying drawings will get him removed from the art society. But Pickman scoffs at the suggestion, haughtily explaining that the other artists cannot appreciate real inspiration or his artwork.
He tells Thurber that there is more to show him, and ushering him out of the art gallery and into the back streets of Boston, Pickman plans to show Thurber his personal gallery and the source of his inspirations. 
The duo winds through the back streets of Boston en route to Pickman’s studio; Thurber remarks that the old buildings in this old quarter of the city probably stood before the time of the puritan Cotton Mather. Pickman scoffs, indicating that there are things beneath the city that existed long before Mather’s time.
Entering an old, dilapidated manor home, they climb some crumbling stairs and soon arrive at Pickman’s studio. Much of his recent artwork is even more grotesque than the photo he had just premiered at the art club. 
Thurber says that these pictures are offensive, yet show a realistic quality – he says, “You’re quite right, Pickman. For there’s such detail…such stark realism in these anguished faces – as I’ve never seen surpassed!“
Pickman explains that he uses many photographs for his artwork and then offers to take Thurber to see the studio where he completes his paintings. Before they head to the studio, Thurber notices a realistic drawing of a terrifying creature – and on the painting is a crumpled up photograph, which he examines and inadvertently puts into his pocket.  
As they descend the stairs, down to the cellar beneath the home and the artist’s studio, Pickman warns Thurber to be quiet. There are rats in the cellar, and they do not like to be disturbed. Pickman repeats this multiple times, but soon he says that Thurber has drawn their attention. Suddenly, as if in panic mode, Pickman tells Thurber to wait while he walks alone down a dark corridor with his gun in hand. He fires a few shots, then returns to Thurber.
The gun has scared off the vermin, he says, but they must now leave and return another day.
At the bar, Thurber reveals the real reason he is upset. The crumpled up “inspirational” picture he took from Pickman’s painting shows a real, living demon as the inspiration for Pickman’s painting. The “vermin” in Pickman’s cellar were not rats, but rather the stuff of nightmares!
CAPSULE REVIEW: The saddest part of this review is that “Pickman’s Model” is an excellent story by a talented team crammed into a comic book full of reprints. The other stories, while good, have already been told and were typical classic fare. You can’t be too harsh with the fantastic teams involved with them, but by the same token, they’re tales already told and effectively “filler material” for what would be Tower of Shadows last outing. It becomes Creatures on the Loose with the next issue, and it’s a shame Marvel didn’t close out Tower with a bang instead of a whimper.

Roy Thomas, in typical style, weaves a fantastic adaptation out of one of HP Lovecraft’s more popular short stories. The build-up to the end of the tale is fantastic, as Thomas’ narrative and Tom Palmer’s artwork take us through the old quarter of Boston and eventually into the dark basement that leads to supernatural horror. The drawings of the Lovecraftian horrors are dated, having that 50s horror comic book vibe, but are still things I wouldn’t want to see late at night as a kid reading comic books!

Pickman is drawn here as an evil version of Doctor Strange – a compelling character that Thomas’ could easily have built into stories of his own. Imagine what Roy Thomas could do with Richard Pickman as a recurring villain in a series of horror stories! 

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue an 6.5 – if the other stories were original or as good as “Pickman’s Model” this issue would be a contender for an 8 or higher.. On eBay, copies in ungraded condition could be purchased for $9-20 in most low to mid grades with higher grade copies carrying an average buy-it-now of $25. 
As always, I am – Wally (AKA Paint Monk)
September 7th, 2018 Uncategorized Comments Off on CBCS – Are There Problems? Or Are They Solid?

CBCS – Are There Problems? Or Are They Solid?

The Paint Monk Documents His First CBCS Submission From Start To Finish

I recently acquired a nice lot of lower grade Conan comic books online. The lot contained issues #1-7, with duplicate copies of #2 and #3. Having wanted all of these books for a long time (specifically Conan the Barbarian #1 and #3) I figured that having these two issues graded and slabbed would be a nice wall decoration for my meager room, even though they will (if I’m lucky) probably be graded in the 4-6 range. 
I’ve made my first submission to CBCS courtesy
of a friend who lives in the Midwest. Will they
live up to the hype, or are they struggling?
A friend of mine (who is not sequestered in religious life) agreed to take my Conan the Barbarian #1 to a CBCS representative attending a convention in the Midwest, where he could “physically” deliver the rare comic. It was turned over in late June – and CBCS accepted it into their system on July 13. The dashboard for CBCS states that I should allow “12 weeks” for processing. 
This blog post was prompted by some serious concerns going on over at CBCS own forums – it appears the grading, shipping and processing times have been crazy as of late, and I wanted to find – and document – if the service is good or genuinely having some problems.
Paint Monk’s Library will follow Wally’s
Conan #1 through the grading and
certification process.
In defense of CBCS, I will add that they are currently in the middle of a cross-country move from Florida to Texas. My decision to utilize CBCS versus either of their competitors was prompted by good experiences from some I know who use them exclusively for their grading and slabbing needs.
As of Wednesday, September 5, I sent an email inquiry to CBCS customer service. If you include the additional 2.5 weeks it took to accept my comic into processing, the 12 weeks have arrived or will within the next 10 days.
I have not yet received a response. I will keep you posted weekly on this blog as to progress and future contact with CBCS. Hopefully, this turns out to be a good experience for all involved. If not, you can make your own determination as to which grading service to use.
As always, I am – Wally (AKA Paint Monk) 
September 5th, 2018 Uncategorized Comments Off on A Stolen Princess, A Ring & Blackguard Brothers

A Stolen Princess, A Ring & Blackguard Brothers

Review: Conan the Barbarian #53 – “Brothers of the Blade!” 

Conan #53 – “Brothers of the Blade!”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Countdown to Conan, a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular Cimmerian to Marvel Comics. Weekly installments will be published until Marvel releases their first issue of the new Conan series. This review is written by Dean Plakas.)

This action-packed story begins with an army of mercenaries, known as the Crimson Company, being attacked by the citizens within the walls of Ronnoco. The army is under the command of Captain Murilo and his newest recruit, Conan! After a brief skirmish with losses on both sides, Vanni, son of Ronnoco’s ruler Belzamo, confronts the Crimson Company under a flag of truce. They are then invited into the city, despite being the recipient of a left cross by an irate Cimmerian.
In a closed meeting, Belzamo tells Murilo and Conan of the rivalry between his city-state of Ronnoco and the city-states of Pergona and Carnolla. The two rival cities plan an allegiance via marriage that would hurt Ronnoco. He hires them and their Crimson Company to kidnap Yvonna, the daughter of the Lord of Pergona, who is on her way to marry the son of the ruler of Carnolla. He believes with her captured and with the Ring of the Black Shadow (that the Crimson Company captured) in his possession, he would be a mighty ruler of a powerful city-state. Of the ring, he warns Conan and Murilo that no man should touch it. He informs them also about The Brothers of the Blade, cruel blackguards hired to ensure Yvonna’s arrival at the wedding. He further warns them that the three men each have a different body part replaced with metal, allegedly by black magic.


As they depart Ronnoco, Conan reveals his plan to infiltrate the camp of the Brothers of the Blade by sneaking in as a beggar with his squire, the young Tara.. The execution of his plan is quickly ruined by a suspicious Clawfoot who assaults Conan and Tara. Conan and Tara find themselves in a fight to the death with the Brothers of the Blade. In the heat of the fight, Tara kills Clawfoot; the first man she has ever killed in her young life. The other men in the camp prevent her from helping Conan fight the other two brothers, making it a fair fight as possible.


Eventually Conan kills the other two brothers and the Crimson Company rides in to take care of the rest of the guards at the camp. It could have been worse for Conan and Tara had the guards at the camp not been honest men and jumped in the fray during their battles with the Brothers of the Blade.


Conan and Tara would have been heavily outnumbered in the battle. Fortunately, the guards did not attack them. Unfortunately for the guards, The Crimson Company attacked them. With Yvonna now in their possession, The Crimson Company and Conan head back to Ronnoco.


In the epilogue, a giant shadow demon kills all but one man of an expedition searching for the men entrusted by The Crimson Company with the Ring of the Black Shadow. The man escapes on his noble steed to warn of its dangerous existence.


CAPSULE REVIEW: The cover could have been better composed. The three brothers would have been more menacing if they were drawn attacking Conan at different angles and from a bird’s eye view with Conan surrounded by them. Plus, the eyes of a couple of the characters on the cover seem to be misdirected. Conan looks as if he’s looking past them instead of at them and Steel-Skull appears to be looking directly at the reader of the comic book. Clawfoot’s foot doesn’t seem very threatening either; it doesn’t even appear to be made of metal as depicted within the issue either.


The names of The Brothers of The Blade are pretty simple as well. Unimpressive, uncomplicated, and basic names of a character is a tell-tale sign that a character in a Roy Thomas Conan story won’t last more than a few panels against Conan. Steel-Skull doesn’t even have a blade, he just has a steel helmet on the top of his head. Conan’s helmet is more threatening as it has bull horns on it, by Crom!


As for Clawfoot, he didn’t even fight Conan, although he did throw a knife at our Cimmerian. Tara is the one who fought and killed Clawfoot. He lost his life to a 17 year old girl who never killed anyone before. Clawfoot, Steel-Skull, and Slicer … these are not names that sound as threatening as “The Devourer of Souls” or “Thoth Amon.” The names of these three brothers of the blade are very simple names that are more “adjective” than they are “noun”…. but they are still an improvement over “Shammash the Invincible” from an earlier issue.


While on the subject of humor, we are exposed to more of Conan’s funny, sarcastic side in this issue. We also see more of his disdain for civilization and archers. It’s clear that his preference is to fight man to man. If he were a soldier in more modern times, he would not be a fan of snipers given his views on archers, which is ironic as he is a fine shot with a bow and arrow himself.


Frank Springer did a fine job inking John Buscema’s pencils both on the characters and the backgrounds. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Springer’s embellishments on Buscema’s work and he didn’t disappoint whereas the coloring by Janice Cohen did. Most of the coloring was good, but there were errors, particularly when it came to the white stripes on the pants of Clawfoot.


Overall, an entertaining well crafted issue. On a scale of 1-10, I’d give this issue an 8. On eBay, copies were available for less than $5.


“ And this story shall also be told.”-The Wizard in Conan the Barbarian


– Dean Plakas


September 5th, 2018 Uncategorized 3 Comments »

Our Bloggers Pick Their Favorite Conan Covers

Paint Monk’s Library Bloggers List Their Favorite Classic Conan Covers

It’s no secret that Gil Kane, John Buscema, Barry Windsor-Smith and others left a legacy in illustrated Conan comic tales with the House of Ideas. And each action-packed story was wrapped up inside a full-color cover. Each of the bloggers here was asked to select one “favorite” out of the 275 different covers that graced the original Conan the Barbarian comic book run.
Ironically, two of us selected the same cover, and it’s probably not one people would expect. 
Our selections are posted here. What do YOU believe was the best Conan cover? Please tell us in the comments section below! 

Conan The Barbarian #11
Selected by John Jack
“If you weren’t aware, I collect covers with gorillas on them, and one of my favorite such issues is Conan the Barbarian #11, “The Talons of Thak!” It’s the first re-telling of the Robert E. Howard tale “Rogues in the House” and features a spectacular fight of man vs. beast! Great story, killer cover.” (John also pointed out that his copy of Conan #11 is signed by Roy Thomas. Lucky! – Wally, Editor)
— John Jack
Conan the Barbarian #96
Selected by Dean Plakas

According to blogger Dean Plakas, this “breaking the fourth wall” style cover is his favorite. He adds that both have deep black manes and both can rip your heart out – Conan with his vorpal blade and the lion with its razor-sharp teeth. 
Conan the Barbarian #188
Selected by Joeseph Simon
One of the many great things about associate editor Joeseph Simon is that he does everything differently, and picking his Conan cover is no exception. Joeseph said that he refuses to play “favorites” but was happy to share his LEAST favorite Conan cover with our readers. 
At the time this cover was published, Marvel was celebrating their anniversary – so all their comics at the time got a special border, featuring many of the characters Marvel included in their books over the years. 
Joeseph doesn’t believe this did the cover any justice – and the second-grade pouting look on the barbarian’s face just makes it worse. Ironically, the original art for this comic book appears to be for sale by the owner on Pinterest – you can have the original art for this awful cover for a mere $3.1K.


Conan the Barbarian #100
Selected by Bob Freeman
“When I saw this on the newsstand, my jaw hit the floor. This was as impactful as Gwen Stacy or Jean Grey for me, more so. That cover encapsulated so much emotion. A beautiful piece of art.”
— Bob Freeman
Conan the Barbarian #127
Selected by Wally Monk and Troy Chrisman

“For some reason, this comic stuck out like a sore thumb for me on the newsstand and it’s the cover that got me flipping through Conan again. There’s something about Conan facing off with a massive polar bear that’s fascinating to me – maybe it’s just the perspective, and that Conan looks so overwhelmed.  I never did adjust well to Gil Kane’s interior art, but I always loved his covers.”
— Wally Monk
“This (cover) for me, too. There’s just something about the jagged edges in the artwork.”
— Troy Chrisman
September 3rd, 2018 Uncategorized Comments Off on A Fool, Murilo and The Ring of Black Shadows

A Fool, Murilo and The Ring of Black Shadows

Review: Conan #52 – “The Altar and the Scorpion!”

(EDITOR’S NOTE:
Welcome to Countdown to Conan,
a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular
Cimmerian to Marvel Comics. We’ll be reviewing issues of Marvel’s
original Conan the
Barbarian series weekly
until Marvel releases their first new Conan comic books in 2019. This
review is written by Bob
Freeman.)

This is a great
issue to cleanse one’s palate after the six-part Kothar tale. In this issue, we find Roy Thomas adapting a Robert E. Howard yarn, bringing King
Kull’s adventure “The Altar and the Scorpion” to bear for
everyone’s favorite Cimmerian to contend with.

This is a
solid adaptation from Roy. He takes some liberties, but as this was a
minor (and brief) Kull tale, he fleshes it out and makes it a great
addition to the Marvel Conan canon, further cementing the connection
between Kull and Conan.

Review: Conan the Barbarian #52
Conan travels to Belverus, capitol of
Nemedia, during the Spring Festival in hopes of signing on with a
mercenary company. As the Cimmerian learns from a stable-meister that
the Crimson Company is hiring for foreign wars, they are interrupted
by a scream from the marketplace where Conan discovers a wild bull on
the rampage. A fool distracts the beast, while the barbarian puts it
down by brute force, only to learn that the bull had been released
purposefully by Murilo, an old roguish acquaintance (Conan the Barbarian #11) from the House of
the Red Priest in Corinthia.

The fool, angered, attacks Murilo,
knocking him on his backside, while she skillfully avoids his
minions. Finally snared, the Cimmerian steps in to defend the
acrobatic waif. Murilo calls for the combat to halt, seeing the humor
in the situation. They retire to a nearby inn for drinks, where Conan
and the fool, Tara, agree to join the Crimson Company.

The Company travels to Ophir, where
Murilo recounts the tale of King Kull of Valusia and the great
Scorpion God. The Crimson Company is charged to recover something
hidden beneath the gold base of the God’s statue, and in short
order they come upon it. As they approach, the statue comes
to life, killing many men until Conan finally plunges his sword into the living statue to the
hilt, destroying the fiendish automaton.

In the aftermath, Conan and Murilo
discover the entry into the crypt beneath, where they discover what they were charged to find — the Ring of the Black Shadow.
Conan voices his concerns, his barbarian senses warning of danger
from the ring. Murilo aims to be true to his contract and leaves two
men to guard the ring while the rest of the Company travels back to
report their discovery.
Meanwhile, the ring perverts the
guardsmen, causing one to slay the other and claim the ring for
themselves, but then a shadow comes to destroy him, and far away,
Murilo scoffs at their fears over the sinister jewelry. Conan wants
no part of it and is happy to be far from its evil.

CAPSULE REVIEW: This was a good adaptation, taking a
minor story and breathing some life into it by inserting Conan. While
there’s a bit of info-dumping here and there, the writing is crisp
and nuanced.
As for the art, John Buscema was at
his penciling best throughout and Tom Palmer’s inks were a welcome
upgrade from what we had seen in recent issues. Phil Rachelson’s
colors were inspired and I really enjoyed his backgrounds in
particular. The cover is interesting, with some
flashy colors over art by Buscema and Palmer that were reworked a bit
by John Romita Sr and Danny Crespi.
This often happened when an artist was
visiting the Marvel offices. An editor would ask an artist to
touch up a bit here or there. It was certainly a far easier feat than trying
to have the original artist do so. The supposed “Bullpen” was a
myth created by Stan Lee. These artists all worked freelance and from
home, mailing the art in. Many covers (and sometimes interiors) had
bits redrawn by whoever happened to be on hand.

In this case, the cover is superb and I love the color work, especially the highlighting. On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue an 8. This was a fun, palate cleansing yarn. On eBay, this issue was readily available between $2-5. Purchase with confidence.

Alba Gu Brath – BF
(aka The Occult Detective)
September 2nd, 2018 Uncategorized Comments Off on Achlemedes, Turanians & Conan Joins the Kozaki

Achlemedes, Turanians & Conan Joins the Kozaki

Review:  Savage Sword of Conan #160 – “Brothers!”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Countdown to Conan continues – with Savage Sword! Because our readers asked for it, Paint Monk’s Library will be featuring occasional Savage Sword of Conan reviews during our Countdown event. This review written by Troy Chrisman.)
Dawn breaks in the Turanian steppes. Achlemedes, Servant to the Lord of Akif, begins his day by cursing the early sunrise, the daily gruel, and checking on the Kozaki prisoner hanging feet first over the edge of a cliff. The prisoner hasn’t given up the location of his kindred, but has mumbled enough to make him useful to Achlemedes’ search and worthless enough for the loathsome dog to order him untied and sent to his death.
“Conan, a son of Cimmeria, now rides with the Kozakis…”

Meanwhile, the search for Kozakis leads a group of Turanian troops on loan to the Lord of Akif to seek out a rumored rogue band and harass a small village. While turning the town inside out, they root out a “coward” in Conan, who promptly dispatches a Turanian head with a sweep of his two-handed sword. The Cimmerian emerges along with three Kozakis – Araq, Iman and Tolku – an unlikely band that formed when Conan met up with the trio while evading the King of Koth. The foursome drives off the invading Turanians, but not without Conan saving Araq’s hide, even though the aged Kozaki offers anything but thanks.
While the village celebrates the rogue foursome’s victory with coin, wine and free “unspoiled ladies” brought in by a handler, Conan spies a hooded stranger approaching and greets him with a sword tip within inches of his face. It is Dimitri, the son of Makoy, a Kozaki Conan rode with and called friend, nay, brother. Dimitri also carries a note from his father, asking the Cimmerian to take care of the young lad in the event of the elder’s death, which came at the hands of the Turanians.
Conan agrees to watch after the lad, but not after first finding some real drink and a lady to his liking.
Conan and the three Kozakis leave the village in the morning, but first decide to split up and head for a sanctuary where the main body of Kozakis await. With Achlemedes’ agents searching throughout the steppes, the group know they will be hunted and possibly captured. They vow any captive is to be presumed to be dead and to perish with the secrets of the sanctuary and the others intact. Any man captured and released can only be a traitor – a fate punishable by death.

Conan splits from the group and while quickly contemplating abandoning the Kozakis, he sticks to the plan and rides for the sanctuary, but not alone. Dimitri and his female “friend” from the previous night, Pasha, tag along.

Meanwhile, we find that Achlemedes is actually the brother of the Lord of Akif, and tells his loathed kin his troops have not only uncoveed the Kozaki sanctuary ocation, but also have tagged Dimitri and believe he will unveil Conan’s location. The Lord knows the emperor of Koth has a bounty on the Cimmerian and would offer favor for his demise.

Conan, Dimitri and Pasha find a trading post where the youngsters escape an attempt to thieve from a seller’s cart, thanks to the Barbarian’s steely scowl which causes two Turanian guards to turn the other cheek.

But Achlemedes’ spies follow the trip and report to their leader, setting up an ambush. As Conan and his group ride to a local outpost and gate to pay tribute to the deadly Ghamud tribe – hoping to pass on their journey to the sanctuary – Turanian riders unmask themselves. Thundering after the trio, Dimitri’s mount is felled and Conan offers him and Pasha his horse while he turns to face the oncoming horde with cold steel. The numbers overwhelm Conan and he is taken captive.



Conan is captured – but before turning him over to his lord and brother, Achlemedes locks him up in a tower for safekeeping. The Cimmerian plans his vengeance even as he grows weaker and awaits the vultures. Meanwhile, Dimitri and Pasha arrive at the sanctuary only to find scattered bodies and Araq, Iman and Tolku, who quickly accuse him of being “the one” who lead to the Turanian massacre of half the Kozaki horde. Dimitri tells them Conan has been captured, not he, leading Araq to spit the word “betrayal” and call for payment by death.


As Conan sits in the forgotten tower, a sandstorm has raged, covering the old, rotted timbers with crushing weight. Boards break, stones crack and crumble, and the floor gives way. Crawling from the rubble, the Cimmerian is focused on nothing but Achlemedes. And sweet vengeance.

After meeting with his brother to report the Kozaki massacre and the capture of Conan, Achlemedes retires to his room, only to find his councilor and friend slumped over with a bloody note pinned to his back with a dagger. Conan is coming for him.


Achlemedes escapes the palace, hoping Conan finds his brother first, but spies the barbarian in the palace plaza. He tries to ride him down, but Conan stands his ground, avoiding the oncoming steed and spilling the Turanian from the saddle. Two more guards are dispatched by Conan before he finally faces Achlemedes alone.


The Turanian curses his brother as he hurdles himself at the barbarian – and Conan slices off his sword arm with a quick strike, finding retribution with a swipe of a blade through Achlemedes’ chest.




Having disposed of the Turanian, Conan turns to find the waiting swords of the Kozaki trio. Araq attacks the barbarian’s turned back, only to eat a sweeping blade. Conan warns the others in turn to put down their swords, but first Iman is dispatched, then Tolku with a well aimed cleaver.


After besting the Kozakis, Conan is challenged by Dimitri, who wields a sword and the false belief Conan is a traitor. The Cimmerian tells the boy to drop the sword, but the youth steps forward, lifting the weapon for a desperate swing. Conan plants the flat of his blade on the youngster’s forehead, knocking him unconscious. The barbarian then plans his departure while the boy sleeps it off, only to have Pasha ask to be taken along…


Whoa! That’s a rather…ahem…unusual line to end a comic book with, isn’t it? 



CAPSULE REVIEW: A predictable, but enjoyable story has our barbarian and readers counting the minutes until Achlemedes finally twists on the end of Conan’s blade. The alliance with the Kozaki trio seems tenuous at best – after all, Conan is almost always in it for himself as far as friendships go. But in the case of Mokav, Conan honors his friend by taking on the youngster and Pasha. And of course we knew Conan would eventually wind up with the girl.


The artwork is solid with nice shades and even hints of Gil Kane wide eyes and features. The death of Alchemedes is drawn well with “retribution” in the panel.


The story and art earns a rating of 7 out of 10.


A portfolio in the issue by Ernie Chan earns 10 out of 10 for one of the series’ greatest artists. The panels include a great ape, a dragon, a gladiatorial brawl and Conan wrestling a camel.


– Troy Chrisman

August 31st, 2018 Uncategorized Comments Off on A Bird Talks, Unos Falls and A Queen Is Restored

A Bird Talks, Unos Falls and A Queen Is Restored

Review: Conan #51 – “Man Born of Demon!”

(EDITOR’S NOTE:
Welcome to Countdown to Conan,
a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular
Cimmerian to Marvel Comics. We’ll be reviewing issues of Marvel’s
original Conan the
Barbarian series weekly
until Marvel releases their first new Conan comic books in 2019. This
review is written by Bob
Freeman.)

Finally, we’ve reached the end of Roy
Thomas’ adaptation of “Kothar and the Conjuror’s Curse” by
Gardner Fox. When I got the assignment to review this issue I first
revisited all the previous issues in the arc and tracked down a copy
of Fox’s Kothar tale for comparison.
Quite frankly, neither the original
tale nor Thomas’ re-imagining of Conan in the stead of Kothar work.
It’s not a good mix at all. Despite Gardner Fox’s obvious attempt
at a Conan homage, the characters are different enough that this
blend just falls far short of Howard’s creation and the mostly
stellar work Thomas had done in adapting the character thus far.
It’s just not a good story. The
pacing is haphazard and, while there are some great ideas in the
tale, none of them really come to fruition, and that carries over
into Thomas’ adaptation. Roy did an admirable job of translating
Fox’s tale and mapping it onto the Hyborian Age, but ultimately,
this has to rank as the worst collection of issues in the run to
date.
WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS!
Review: Conan the Barbarian #51

Conan arrives at Unos’s palace with a
covered cage and demands to see the regent that he might give him a
gift. The Cimmerian pushes his way into the palace where a bored Unos
allows him to speak. Conan reveals his “gift” — a magical
talking bird who informs Unos that Stefanya, rightful ruler of
Phalkar, still lives, and the previous regent was killed in a plot by
the court wizards, Thalkalides and Elviriom.
The bird also tells Unos he was born of
demonic magic, given form by the unholy powers of Belthamquar and
Thelonia. The wizards demand Conan’s immediate execution, but Unos
now fears the wizards’ treachery.


Away from the castle, the bird
shape-shifts back into the sorceress Lupalina, or Samandra as she was
known previous, and she and Conan wait for Unos in a tavern, who
comes seeking help in defeating the wizards. Lupalina/Samandra
summons the demons Belthamaquar and Thelonia, who slay the wizards
for their son. Unos, in “gratitude,” kills Samandra.
Meanwhile, Conan picks up Stefanya and
escapes with her back to Ravengard. The barbarian knows that once
Unos is rid of the wizards he’ll turn his attentions to her, the
rightful heir of the province.
The two of them recover the body of
Zoqquanor but are set upon by Unos in the wild. The regent
disintegrates the flesh from Conan’s skeleton, but, thanks to the
magical amulet, the barbarian miraculously regenerates. Unos conjures
vines to entangle Conan, then turns to Stefanya. Sensing her
connection to the wizard Zoqquanor, he attacks the body, injuring the
girl.
As she writhes in pain, Conan finds the
strength to break free of the vines and he grapples Unos, capturing
him in a mighty bear hug. The amulet sears through Unos’s flesh,
destroying him. Conan then places the amulet around Stefanya’s neck,
and she is brought back to life.
Conan then rides off into the sunset,
charging Stefanya to bury Samandra and to say a prayer over her and
to let the sorceress know that they will meet again in the afterlife.
Stefanya is heartbroken as she watches the barbarian ride away.
CAPSULE REVIEW: The less said about the story, the
better. Let’s look at the art. The cover, which features a great,
kinetic scene from Gil Kane, is a winner. The incomparable John
Romita Sr was brought in to rework the faces. Over all it’s a good
blend and a fun cover that could have used a better colorist’s
hand, but it was the mid-70s so we’ll let that slide a bit.
As for the interiors, John Buscema
continues to be the definitive Conan penciler for me, but Dick
Giordano’s inks over Big John’s pencils seem rushed and
incomplete. The legendary Terry Austin was charged with inking the
backgrounds and performs this task admirably. I really like Glynis
Wein’s colors for this issue, particularly in the more fanciful,
astral sequences.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue a 6. Nothing special here, and you need only read it if you’re a completist. It would have rated a little higher if only the inks hadn’t been so disappointing. On eBay, this issue was readily available between $5-8. Purchase only if you must.
Alba Gu Brath – BF
(aka The Occult Detective) 
August 29th, 2018 Uncategorized 2 Comments »

Lupalina, A Vision of Ursla & Torkal Moh’s Death

Review: Conan #49 – “Wolf-Woman”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Countdown to Conan, a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular Cimmerian to Marvel Comics. We’ll be reviewing issues of Marvel’s original Conan the Barbarian series weekly until Marvel releases their first new Conan comic books in 2019. This review is written by John Jack and Wally Monk.)


This the third part of Roy Thomas’ adaptation of “Kothar and the Conjuror’s Curse” by Gardner Fox. Of all the issues in this adaptation,  this one is perhaps the best in the story line and that’s not saying much – it’s the closest that any one of these issues comes to a complete, self-contained story.


It’s also the first issue in adaptation that is more than a dozen pages of Conan.


Back in Conan the Barbarian #11, the Cimmerian fought Thak the Ape in an epic battle that lasted a whopping five pages. Sadly, it takes Conan four pages in this comic to defeat some rats while  tied down with mere ropes and wooden stakes. It’s not a good day for Conan, and a mediocre issue for fans to read. 


(An interesting note about this particular review is that some parts were written by two different bloggers and that opposing thoughts about this issue will be very apparent in the capsule review! Diversity in readership is a great thing – and opinions always vary widely.)

Review: Conan the Barbarian #49

Conan is in a bind – figuratively and literally. He’s been tied down by Torkal Moh and his brigands and left as food for rats. The thieves took his sword, his horse and Stefanya – as well as the body of Zoqquandor which was being pulled behind Conan’s horse.


The barbarian struggles weakly against his bonds as the starving rats begin to move in, emboldened by his feeble attempts to defend himself, which intensify once the rats begin to bite in earnest. Suddenly, one rat inadvertently knocks over a nearby water pitcher. Conan reaches it and shatters the receptacle, using the shards to cut himself free.
Untied, Conan is reinvigorated by his success and knocks the rats away. Heading in the direction of Castle Ravengard, he angrily plans his revenge on Torkal Moh. As he walks away, Conan ponders what has happened, and here Roy Thomas is able to provide a brief recap for people who have just entered the ongoing story line.


Atop a small cliff, the Cimmerian spots a deer lapping at the waters of a small pond – and thirsty, he dives in. It’s then that he hears a the howl of wolves in the distance. It doesn’t take long before Conan is attacked by a small pack of the canines – only to have them called off by a strange woman clad in furs. 




The woman introduces herself as Lupalina, and she knows that Torkal Moh took Stefanya and Zoqquanor’s body, as well as the amulet that Conan had around his neck – the one he was taking to Phalkar. She knows that Conan is heading to wreak vengeance on Torkal Moh – and she jokes with the barbarian, asking if he plans to pursue the baron nearly naked and weaponless, as he appeared in the pool. 


Lupalina feeds Conan supper and the Cimmerian lies down for sleep. As he dreams, he dreams of Ursla, the woman of the north from her youth – the one who had polar bears for companions. She tells Conan in his dream to tell Lupalina upon waking that he once knew Ursla in the north. It appears the two are both wilderness shamans! 


The wolf-woman opens up to Conan immediately when the Cimmerian mentions Ursla – Lupalina is glad the arctic shaman approves of her helping him. It seems that Lupalina has reasons of her own for going after Torkal Moh – two wizards, Thalkalides and Elviriom, helped overthrow the old ruler of Ravengard and she has a score to settle. She won’t let the Cimmerian in on all of her secrets, though.


Together, the duo (with Lupalina’s wolves) head towards Ravengard Keep and manage to defeat one of Torkal Moh’s smaller mercenary bands along the way. Terrified, the villagers claim that the baron will kill them all. But Lupalina says that the villagers are going to help them overthrow the keep!


So how does Torkal Moh die? Will Conan find Stefanya and his missing amulet? And what is the secret that Lupalina is not ready to reveal to our Cimmerian?

CAPSULE REVIEW (By John Jack): Wow! What a great issue! From humble open to grandiose finish, this issue feels like a big anniversary issue, despite being a regular comic in the series. From Conan’s fight with the wolves to storming Ravengard, to the mysterious finale with Pthassiass, I’m really impressed with the story telling and art contained. 


The art by John Buscema and Dick Giordano is spectacular on every panel, with a garden of death at the end being especially excellent. Likewise the animals, often a low point in many issues, looks detailed and perfect.  On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue a 9. 


CAPSULE REVIEW (By Wally Monk): The interesting thing about two people reading a comic book is that sometimes they come up with strongly divergent viewpoints. For my part, this issue was mediocre at best, with typically good art by John Buscema but nothing that stands out. Once again, Roy Thomas tries to do too much in one issue, and the tale should have ended with the death of Torkal Moh – the rest could have been saved for issue #50. 


The story seems strangely non-Conan, as in the past we’ve seen Conan walking off into the sunset at the end of the story. Yet here in Roy Thomas’ adaptation of “Kothar” each issue is like a roller coaster that never stops, and we’re never allowed to take a deep breath between plot devices. On a scale of 1-10, I’d give this issue a 6.4. 


On eBay, copies of this issue were available in varying conditions for less than $10. 


There you have it – a capsule review from two bloggers, Siskel and Ebert style!