Crom! Conan is in a bit of a tight spot. Stealing an ancient cursed sword will do that in this issue Jim Zub, Luca Pizzari, Israel Silva and Travis Lanham show us the consequences the Cimmerian faces.
Sometimes you just need good fun fantasy. What could provide that better than a cult favorite warrior getting cursed? Well that’s what happens as Conan struggles to free himself from the cursed sword, Tooth of the Nightstar.
I have to start with something Zub has done really well on his run on the series so far. There’s the old adage in comics that every issue is someone’s first. Zub has done a great job of not only embracing that but ensuring that every issue is a satisfying story on its own. There’s enough information at the opening that I was able to catch up quickly, despite having not read last issue yet, and the conclusion gave both resolution to the main conflict and reason to return for next issue. I feel like this might be a lost art, as we often talk about transition and set-up issues, and writing for the trade.
More writers need to do this in modern comics.
Opening with Conan wearing samurai armor and battling through a horde of monsters, Zub crafts a paranoid story here that dances the line between horror and fantasy. Though the set-up is much more fantastic than Conan is used to it sets a tone for the story to come. The story that follows is extremely exposition heavy, with the cursed sword itself telling his origins. However, Zub weaves it in a way that feels more like a storyteller weaving tales in front of a fire than an info dump so while it has moments that drag, they pick back up again quickly.
Side note, more swords need names. I mean, how cool is the name “Tooth of the Nightstar”?
Pizzari’s art is a bit more of a mixed bag than the story. For the action and the creature designs, he really does strong work. The monsters attacking Conan have a weight to them, even as Conan effortlessly mows them down. The designs are engaging, evoking both the demons and aliens of the Marvel universe as well as Lovecraftian horror. However, as the issue wraps, his lines feel a bit too smooth, with Conan himself feeling more like a superhero than the grim warrior he is.
In the end, it was a fun issue though. It wasn’t perfect, but it was satisfying, and I’m enjoying the series more and more. This is the sort of story Conan needs in his time at Marvel, and I’ll be tuning in again to check further issues out.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
