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Kareem Ali 5

King Conan: The Conqueror #2

 

  • The good

    Electrifying action combined with excellent writing that conveys Conan's thoughts in a very relatable fashion. The corsairs

  • The bad

    Not even a glimpse of those pursuing Conan, which was a very interesting plot thread

  • The ugly

  • King Conan: The Conqueror #2 has Conan recovering from the near fatal beating he received last issue while trying to pursue the priest of Set who murdered the original thief who stole the Heart of Ahriman right under Conan’s grasp. It opens up with Conan drifting in a boat at sea as his strength is fading from the attack by Publio’s men. His physical strength isn’t the only thing fading as he reflects on his quick actions in taking a boat and giving chase to the priest and how prior to all of this he was once the king of these seas. And now he has none of that, and can’t even be lucky enough to have one of the seagulls flying over his drifting boat waiting for him to expire to come close enough so he could turn it into a meal. Before he passes out he thinks it’s over for him but when he wakes up he’s on a galley and being offered water to help restore his strength. However it’s not because he’s been saved but so he can become one of many slaves on the galley serving as an oarsman. At least the good news is the galley is headed in the right direction despite the master on the galley not caring about Conan’s quest when he’s informed. Conan might not be king of all he once was but he still has enough wealth to buy the galley although he is deemed a madman by the master. But when he refuses to become a slave he creates an uprising on the ship and it might just be what he needs to eliminate the doubt that overcame him while drifting at sea.

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    I was fully engrossed in the first issue and was captivated by its tale as the story threads were weaved together to create an unforgettable narrative, and when combined with the intense action there was virtually no fault I could find. I was so caught up in the world crafted in it I immediately drank straight from the milk carton after finishing it since I was so in tune with my barbarian side. Well, actually I didn’t do that but the point is I loved the first issue. The second issue started off in a similar fashion with the older Conan reflecting on this part of his life, and Timothy Truman has a way of conveying Conan’s thoughts in such a fascinating way where one can completely relate to the experience, and the words on the page form such a harmonious combination with the artwork in the panels one can’t help but fully enjoy it. And Conan being picked up by a galley made perfect sense because there was no way he would be able to catch up with the priest in his initial condition. And since the galley was full of men he once commanded as Amra the Lion it was the perfect mechanism for him to rediscover who he was, and when asked that question he would show the answer with actions and not words. And the action was spectacular during the revolt on the galley and I could feel the energy in the pages and understand why they were inspired. This was definitely action worthy of a Conan book. This was important to the extent that it gave life to what the older Conan relayed to the scribe in the first issue, and would be effective in painting a clear picture even for those who have never heard of Conan prior to this series. This issue was so much fun that I forgot about one of the story threads introduced in the first issue regarding those who were pursuing Conan and there was no progress on that front in this issue. Granted I don’t know what next issue will entail but even a glimpse of that would have been appreciated. But I feel like I’m splitting skulls, I mean atoms, at this rate as this series is thoroughly entertaining and I have high hopes for the rest of this series.

     

    SUMMARY

    King Conan: The Conqueror #2 is another excellent issue that takes Conan from a man drifting at sea full of doubt in his choices and restores him to his status as Amra the Lion in a very entertaining way. It wasn’t all gratuitous action as it connected back to what was mentioned in the first issue as part of Conan’s history and character growth, although it would have been just as enjoyable if a page was given to one of the more interesting threads introduced in that same issue. But after 2 issues in with Timothy Truman’s writing and Thomas Giorello’s artwork I have no doubts that this will remaining a very satisfying series.

     

    Release Date: 3/26/14

    Writer: Timothy Truman

    Artist: Tomas Giorello

  • Rating ( 9.5 )
  • Total score 9.5

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