Conan the Cimmerian #1
Welcome to the first ‘’normal’’ issue of Conan the Cimmerian, the ongoing Conan series from Dark Horse comics. If the special number zero was just an introduction, things start to get on their way in this first issue. We get the first glimpses of the story and we can see both the art of Tomas Giorello and Richard Corben.
This number one issue that I have has a variant cover by Joe Kubert, and is currently unavailable at tfaw.com, but you can buy the one with the normal cover (you want THAT one, trust me).
‘’A bold new era begins!’’
Three years spend far away from home, three years in which Conan has been a thief, a wonderer, a mercenary. He has seen wonders, places and cities that he couldn’t have dreamed at before. He has adventured far beyond the imagination of anyone of his kin. But Cimmeria called him back. Cimmeria, land of darkness and deep night.
But his homeland doesn’t welcome him with opened arms. Bands of vanir robbers, roam the land, targeting any traveler that would be foolish enough to venture alone in the wilderness. In one on these encounters, Conan looses his horse, but meets a mysterious kind man, who comes to his help and shelters him in a nearby ruin. There, in the dim light of a fire and accompanied by a bottle of wine, Conan is being told a story. The story of his grandfather, Connacht. And now the art changes. From the clear crisp eye-catching art of Tomas Giorello to the intricate porcelain-like style of Richard Corben. These two art styles are worlds apart, they couldn’t be more different. And yet they coexist in the same book, telling stories from different times, of different heroes.
‘’’He was from the southern tribes, your grandfather. Not as hard and wild as yourself, I think’’.
Enter Conan’s grandpa! Well, and what a grandpa. Same spirited adventurous soul as Conan, but different. We are shown a man smaller and not so imposing as Conan, wearing no armor, not even a leather one. A spear in hand and a sword tucked under his cloth. And a small axe. And a knife. (Like a small funny fact, the grandfather looks like Chuck Norris when we first see him.) And yet, make no mistake, the man we see is as tough and savage in battle as Conan. He carries four weapons, and there are not for cooking.
And his adventures in the Bossonian marshes are amazing to follow. Soon he stumbles upon a gruesome sight. It looks like a savage morbid cult sacrificing two children for some forgotten god. And yet looks can be deceiving. By saving those two frightened kids, Connacht chews probably more than he can handle. What it follows gets closer to a horror story. And a lot of the intense and dark atmosphere is given by Richard Corben’s art, which I can say I like it desperately. More than Giorello’s. So I hope Corben’s run on Conan is long and prosperous. You will love it. It is an adventure in the unknown and into ancient occult. Great twist of story, switching much part to horror.
And the end, I can say that this new Conan comic-book series looks amazing. And while it was great to read Conan’s old adventures from the 70’s, I felt the need for the modern iteration of the barbarian as well. Digital colors. Modern artists. Shinny pages. A Conan fan like myself needs to read all to stay happy. Good thing that Dark Horse offers those old Conan stories collected in omnibus format. It makes perfect team with the new adventures of Conan. Until the next issue, keep dreaming shinning kingdoms, frozen wastes and barbaric adventures.
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