Conan The Barbarian #10
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Declan Shalvey (cover by Massimo Carnevale)
Colors: Dave Stewart
The life of a pirate has its good times, and bad times, too. Plundering, killing other pirates, and evading the law are the good times, but when you see a derelict ship and pick up a sickly dude that wreaks of death, that might come back to haunt you. The ship’s seer, N’Yaga, tells Bêlit that death is approaching, but then when Conan hears of this, he tells her that it’s just nonsense. Well, that bunch of “nonsense” might be the downfall of the Tigress and her crew! Blood, sex, booze, and magic (Hey, isn’t that a Red Hot Chili Peppers album?) are all within these pages!
As previously stated, Brian Wood has a firm grip on how to tell a good Conan story. This issue didn’t have very much action, but did start to lay the groundwork for some trouble between Conan and Bêlit. One can tell that there’s trouble on the horizon for this couple, and not even their heated passion can stop it. Wood is still cementing the relationship of Conan and his lover, but it’s probably about time to move on from that. The scene where Bêlit questions Conan’s place at her side is great. Conan responds exactly how you’d expect him to, but that doesn’t take away from the depth and significance of the conversation.
Welcome, new artist Declan Shalvey! A new artist, but really, much of the same great work as in the previous issues. He has a style that is very conducive to this genre, and hopefully he’ll stay on for a decent run. Now, on to the cover. Carnevale is a great cover artist, but this cover is quite strange. The cover from Conan’s chest up, is great. An awesome skull, and Conan looking tough. The problem lies below that aforementioned area. His right hand leads you to believe that his lover may have given him the crabs, and his left hand is in a very awkward position. Not to mention his sword prominently displayed dangling over his wiener.
Overall, another solid issue from Wood, and the addition of Shalvey on art will keep things rolling. Both guys are doing good things right now, so Conan should be on everyone’s pull list going forward! Rating 3.5/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
