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Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Writer:  Arvid Nelson
Artists:  Lui Antonio
Cover:  Alex Ross

“Feast of Venom“:  This is to be an origin series for the character who was first introduced as a Kull villain in comics, but someone decided to take him and put him as the antagonist in the first Conan movie years later.  I didn’t see him again until the Red Sonja vs Thulsa Doom comic series but skipped on it due to my memories of the character I saw in the film.  So why pick up this issue here? Well, I heard that a Thulsa Doom movie was in the works a while back and that the title character will be played by Djimon Honsou (Gladiator, Stargate) which is who I immediately thought of when I saw this fantastic Alex Ross cover.  So in my quest to widen my comic horizons I decided to give Thulsa Doom a chance since there is no way the representation here could be worse than the movie right?

The book is basically split into two parts where in the beginning we are introduced to Thulsa as he crosses paths with some raiders that have potential slaves in tow.  When they try to take Thulsa captive they get more than expected from this sorcerer, and if that wasn’t enough they are all attacked by a hideous looking monster.  Thankfully the raiding party was being tracked by the soldiers from Maracanda where the captives came from and they help Thulsa defeat the beast.  After introductions are made Thulsa is asked to help get the people back where they belong, and as they walk a soldier asks what could have happened to destroy Atlantis so suddenly and cause all of this chaos across the regions. We see Thulsa with the hint of  a smirk on his face…

We are then taken to what is left of Atlantis where Lady Ancasta is emerging from a pool to receive the blood of a slave girl.  After drinking she speaks an incantation and her scarred face is made whole again and she is ready to go before the high council.  Upon entering the chamber she is chastised for allowing Thulsa to escape and that she will find him and bring his head back as proof.  However, another solution is brought before the council with the payment being Ancasta’s head.  It seems like a jilted Lord of Atlantis is jealous Thulsa was Ancasta’s lover instead of him, and after she taunts and embarrasses him he attacks her.  Not the brightest thing to do as she demolishes the guy and asks if anyone else wants her head as payment!

Not knowing what to expect from this title I was quite impressed with Arvid Nelson’s work and how easy it was for someone like me, with limited knowledge of Thulsa, to get into the story.  There was enough information given that the gaps were small and the story still flowed together well so I wasn’t left scratching my head questioning what was going on.  This first issue did more to redeem the character in my eyes than any one’s explanation of how “cool” Thulsa was in the Kull books or even the Red Sonja series.  Now when you throw in Lui Antonio’s pencils the book is just that much better!  From the opening scene to the end, each page is definitely worth a look or two as he helps move the story along.  Having only glimpsed at his previous work in Red Sonja I was glad to see it again in this title here.

Arvid Nelson’s Thulsa Doom has come a long way from the bland Hollywood interpretation we were given many years ago and I’m pretty interested to see where he takes the character in this origin series.  I’d recommend giving it a try especially if you are a casual fan of Conan and Red Sonja like myself, or even you hardcore guys and gals that love a little bloodshed, nudity, magic, and smart story telling!  Plus you can’t ever go wrong with an Alex Ross cover now can you!

Infinite Speech
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