Showing posts with label Tim Truman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tim Truman. Show all posts

Thursday, March 24, 2022

#IReadsYou Review: STARSLAYER #10: Grimjack Begins

STARSLAYER #10
FIRST COMICS

STORY: John Ostrander
PENCILS: Lenin Delsol
INKS: Mike Gustovich
COLORS: Janice Cohen
LETTERS: Janice Chiang
EDITOR: Mike Gold
COVER: Lenin Delsol and Mike Gustovich
32pp, Color, $1.00 U.S., $1.25 CAN (November 1983)

Starslayer created by Mike Grell

“Bounty”

Starslayer was a comic book series published by First Comics in the mid-1980s.  It began as a six-issue miniseries, Starslayer: The Log of the Jolly Roger, created by writer-artist, Mike Grell.  Starslayer focused on Torin Mac Quillon, a Celtic warrior from the time of the Roman Empire, who is pulled into the distant future by Tamara, a descendant of his wife after she remarried.  Torin joins the crew of the spaceship, “the Jolly Roger,” in their fight against the oppressive regime that is ruling the Earth.

Starslayer #10 (“Bounty”) opens on the planet, Corindubar, where Torin and Tamara hope to obtain a replacement for the cracked “infinity unit” in the Jolly Roger's warp drive.  They also find bounty hunters looking to claim the bounty on their heads, but unbeknownst to them, an immortal bounty hunter named Black Thom McKuen, is also stalking them.

Later, “The Rapter” continues to hunt the Jolly Roger.  Then, Torin and Tamara get stuck with a new crew mate, Crayne, owner of the recently destroyed space port, “Tao VII.”  And Crayne believes that Torin and Tamara owe him.

Meanwhile, the original owners of the Jolly Rogers, an old-Earth blood family, the D'Orsinis, want the ship back.  And the D'Orsini matriarch, The Comtessa Lavinia, alerts all family members in this quadrant – report any sightings of Jolly Roger.

THE LOWDOWN:  Reading the adventures of the Jolly Roger isn't really the reason I bought a copy of Starslayer #10, but I did enjoy the story and the art.  It is a frivolous and fun space opera; imagine Star Wars if it focused on Han Solo and Chewbacca's adventures as smugglers.  I might even go back to Starslayers's beginnings; I am really enjoying it.  I second what the former magazine, Comics Scene, said at the times, Starslayer is captivating.

I also discovered an interesting bit of information about one on this series' creative team.  Starslayer's lead artist at this point in its run, the British-born Lenin Delsol, is now an art educator, fine artist, and portrait painter.

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GRIMJACK
Created by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman

Mortal Gods
STORY: John Ostrander
ART: Timothy Truman
COLORS: Janice Cohen
LETTERS: John Workman
EDITOR: Mike Gold

The backup feature in Starslayer #10 introduces the character Grimjack, who would go on to appear in Starslayer issues #10 to #17.  Grimjack would later receive his own title in the summer of 1984.

Grimjack” is the street name of John Gaunt, a sword-for-hire who is also ex-paramilitary, war veteran, and former child gladiator.  Grimjack operates from Munden's Bar in the Pit, a slum area of Cynosure, a pan-dimensional city that connected all the dimensions (or multiverse) that existed in titles published by First Comics.

The introductory Grimjack story is the two-part “Mortal Gods.”  It is written by John Ostrander; drawn by Timothy Truman; colored by Janice Cohen; and lettered by John Workman.  In the story, the followers of the god of blood and war, “Zago,” have invaded the forest lands of the people called the “Kyrians.”  Zago plans to have the sands of his desert overrun the forest lands.  The Kyrians' high priestess, Elvana, seeks the help of their god, Manwyyes.

Elvana's spell and chanting somehow transports her to Cynosure, the city where the multiverse meets.  Cross a street and you might cross a dimension.  Someone points her to Grimjack as the man who can help her find her god, and what he shows her is utterly shocking.  Manwyyes is living as “Manny Weese” alias “Weevil,” a drunk, who also happens to be a friend of Grimjack's.  What's left is for Manny to reveal how he became a god and for Grimjack to kill Zago, a god.

THE LOWDOWN:  I have read very few Grimjack comic books, but I have been planning on getting into this character for decades.  I finally forced myself to start.  The first thing that strikes me about “Mortal Gods” is how beautiful Tim Truman's illustrations are.  The page design carries the reader's eyes across the pages, and the art has so many layers and such rich textures that I found myself drawn into the world of Cynosure.  The characters' expression are varied and feel authentic, especially Grimjack's.  This is the work of a young artist raring to go.

Janice Cohen rich colors make Truman's illustrations pop off the page and bring the world of Cynosure to life.  Readers familiar with Truman's work will recognize the artist's unique worm-inspired take on monsters and demons, and it all looks good under Cohen's colors.

Do I really have to say how wonderful the lettering by John Workman is?  No, I don't, because you already know that...

I do want to emphasize that Grimjack's debut is a 16-page story told over two issues, Starslayer issues #10-11.  This is the kind of serialized comic book story that will make some readers want to keep reading.  Combine Grimjack with the main Starslayer story, and the result is an off-beat, unique and delightful science fiction comic book … that I have waited too long to read.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Grimjack, Tim Truman, First Comics titles, and unique sci-fi comics will want Starslayer.

A
8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"



The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Friday, March 13, 2020

#IReadsYou Review: KING CONAN: Wolves Beyond the Border #1

KING CONAN No. 21
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ARTIST: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Tomás Giorello
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2015)

Wolves Beyond the Border: Part 1 of 4 “The Iron Crown”

Conan the Cimmerian (also known as Conan the Barbarian) was born in the pulp fiction of Robert E. Howard (REH), first appearing in the magazine, Weird Tales (1932).  In 1970, Marvel Comics brought Conan to the world of comic books, and with only few pauses, Conan comic books have been published for over four decades.

Many Conan comic book stores are adaptations of or are, at the very least, based on the Conan stories written by Robert E. Howard.  One of the most acclaimed Conan comic book writers of the last decade, Tim Truman, has taken an original REH story, “Wolves Beyond the Border,” to create the new comic book miniseries, King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border.  The artist for the series is Tomás Giorello, who has worked with Truman on earlier Conan comic books.  Series colorist is José Villarrubia, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft provides the lettering.

King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border #1 (“The Iron Crown”) opens in Tarantia, the capitol of the nation of Aquilonia, where an aged Conan is king.  Conan's bodyguards, Crassus and Dariun, wait in the shadows of the “Street of Dogs,” while their king lurks in the shadows of a den of thieves-type tavern.  In one of his dark moods, Conan spoils for a fight., but someone is also lurking and watching the king.  He is Gault, and he has come to tell a dark tale of a cursed crown, of the Picts, and of the wolves of the border.

The story “Wolves Beyond the Border” is a story that REH began writing in the 1930s.  It became a fragment that Howard did not finish, nor was it published in his lifetime.  Conan is mentioned in the story, but does not appear in it.  In a piece that is published at the end of this first issue, Truman writes that he has loosely based King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border on the “Wolves Beyond the Border” fragment.  That may not matter to many readers.  Truman also hints that he may use the story to connect REH's three most significant characters:  Kull, Conan, and Bran Mak Morn.  That may matter more to the fans of REH's fiction and to fans of comic books based on his work.

I am a huge fan of Tim Truman and Tomás Giorello fantastic comic book adaptation of Hour of the Dragon, the only Conan novel that REH every wrote.  Obviously, I was more than excited when I read about Truman and Giorello coming together again to work on King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border, and I am not disappointed by the resulting work.

Roy Thomas was the first to write Conan comic books, and I have always thought of him as the best Conan comics writer.  Truman is the next guy up for me.  He retains the power and sensibility of REH and if his prose, but Truman can also create original text that seamlessly blends with REH's words.  Truman's work has always mixed a sense of adventure that was every bit as imaginative and inventive as it was brawny.  He does that here.  Every panel is filled with language that strains against the grain, determined to break loose and to send the story careening off into adventure.

Giorello takes the muscularity of Truman's storytelling, delivering the most beautiful art work that surges the narrative forward.  Many of the panels are like small paintings, capturing the spirit of REH and the power of Truman's script.

OMG, I need a cigarette.  Four issues won't be enough, but, dear readers, we will have to take what we can get.  I heartily recommend this exceptional comic book to Conan fans and to readers looking for quality comic books.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Review: BUBBA HO-TEP AND THE COSMIC BLOODSUCKERS #1

BUBBA HO-TEP AND THE COSMIC BLOODSUCKERS No. 1
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Joshua Jabcuga (based on the novel by Joe R. Lansdale)
ART: Tadd Galusha
COLORS: Ryan Hill
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Joe Hughes
COVER: Baldemar Rivas
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Tim Truman; Baldemar Rivas; Tadd Galusha
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2018)

“Bubba Ho-Tep” is a 1994 novella written by short story author, novelist, and comic book writer, Joe R. Lansdale.  An “alternate history” tale, “Bubba Ho-Tep” was first published in, The King is Dead: Tales of Elvis Post-Mortem, an Elvis Presley themed anthology.

Filmmaker Don Coscarelli (Phantasm) wrote and directed a film adaptation of the novella, which earned a cult following.  Also entitled Bubba Ho-Tep, the film starred Bruce Campbell as Elvis and the late Ossie Davis as “Jack,” a black man who claimed to be the President John F. Kennedy.

Lansdale wrote a novel, Bubba and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers (2017, Subterranean Press), that was a prequel or background story to “Bubba Ho-Tep.”  IDW Publishing is currently publishing a comic book adaptation of the 2017 novel.  Entitled Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers, the comic book is adapted by writer Joshua Jabcuga; drawn by Tadd Galusha; colored by Ryan Hill; and lettered by Tom B. Long.  The comic book follows Elvis who works for a secret government organization, fighting monsters along with a team of operatives.

Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1 opens in the penthouse suite of a Las Vegas Hotel.  It introduces Johnny Smack, a bodyguard for Elvis Presley.  Smack narrates the story, claiming that Elvis retired from being a recording artist and music performer.  An “Elvis impersonator” now pretends to be the “real Elvis,” while the real Elvis pretends to be one of many Elvis impersonators.

Elvis works for a secret government agency, with his activities overseen by his manager, “The Colonel” (based on the real-world Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker).  President Richard Nixon calls “The Colonel” into his secret lair where he informs him about an alien threat that must be stopped.  However, this threat is unlike anything Elvis and company have ever faced.

Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1 is one of the best first issues that I have read this year.  It is already one of my favorite comic books of the last several years, so I hope that this first issue is not a fluke.  A blend of B-movies, weird fiction, Southern Gothic, monster movies, horror, and Elvis Presley subculture, Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1 offers a lot of background information and action for a first issue, especially since so many current first issue comic books amount to teaser trailers or vague prologues.  Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1 is only 20 pages long, but it reads like a 32-page tale.

I have not read Lansdale's original novel, but Joshua Jabcuga's adaptation delivers a superb first issue.  He made me immediately want to read the second issue.  Tadd Galusha's art has a funky vibe that reminds me of the art in alt-comics and Underground Comix that were homages to classic EC Comics.  Think the late Rand Holmes and underrated genius, Rick Altergott.  Ryan Hill's garish, day-glo and back-lit colors are perfect for the Bubba Ho-Tep concept.  Tom B. Long packs the thick dialogue and heavy exposition into neat boxes and balloons in a way that helps the weirdness of this comic book go down smoothly with southern fried aftertaste.

I highly recommend Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1.  I already hope that this team produces more Bubba Ho-Tep comic books series.

9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, November 12, 2018

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 14, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

SEP180318    BATTLEFIELD V JOURNAL    $19.99
JUL180498    BLADE OF IMMORTAL OMNIBUS TP VOL 07    $21.99
JUL180497    COLOSSAL KING CONAN HC    $99.99
JUL180493    COMPLETE ELFQUEST TP VOL 05    $24.99
JUL180494    CONAN OMNIBUS TP VOL 07 WITCHCRAFT AND WARFARE    $24.99
JUN180321    DOCTOR STAR & KINGDOM OF LOST TOMORROWS TP    $17.99
SEP180249    DR HORRIBLE BEST FRIENDS FOREVER #0 CVR A MOON    $3.99
SEP180250    DR HORRIBLE BEST FRIENDS FOREVER #0 CVR B FRANCAVILLA    $3.99
SEP180301    DRAGON AGE DECEPTION #2    $3.99
SEP180285    GOD OF WAR #1 (OF 4)    $3.99
JUN180372    HARROW COUNTY LIBRARY EDITION HC VOL 01    $39.99
SEP180270    JOE GOLEM #3 (OF 5) THE DROWNING CITY    $3.99
AUG188047    LCSD 2018 WILLIAM GIBSON ALIEN 3 #1    $3.99
SEP180273    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS MY AINSEL #8 CVR A FABRY (MR)    $3.99
SEP180274    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS MY AINSEL #8 CVR B MACK (MR)    $3.99
AUG180330    QUANTUM AGE FROM THE WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #4 CVR A TORRES    $3.99
AUG180331    QUANTUM AGE FROM THE WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #4 CVR B    $3.99
SEP180247    WILLIAM GIBSON ALIEN 3 #1 CVR A CHRISTMAS    $3.99
SEP180248    WILLIAM GIBSON ALIEN 3 #1 CVR B RIVERA    $3.99

Monday, October 15, 2018

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 17, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

JUL180478    BEDTIME GAMES #4 (OF 4)    $3.99
AUG180332    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #6 CVR A TOMMASO    $3.99
AUG180333    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #6 CVR B DALRYMPLE    $3.99
AUG180361    CALL OF DUTY ZOMBIES 2 #2    $3.99
JUN180362    COLOSSAL CONAN THE CIMMERIAN HC    $99.99
AUG180343    DISNEY FROZEN BREAKING BOUNDARIES #3 CVR A    $3.99
AUG180344    DISNEY FROZEN BREAKING BOUNDARIES #3 CVR B THOMPSON    $3.99
AUG180359    DRAGON AGE DECEPTION #1    $3.99
MAR180066    EMPOWERED & SISTAH SPOOKYS HIGH SCHOOL HELL #6 (OF 6)    $3.99
AUG180328    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS MY AINSEL #7 CVR A (MR)    $3.99
AUG180329    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS MY AINSEL #7 CVR B MACK (MR)    $3.99

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Review - KING CONAN: Wolves Beyond the Border #4

KING CONAN No. 24
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ARTIST: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Tomás Giorello with Jose Villarrubia
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2016)

Wolves Beyond the Border: Part 4 of 4 “The Worms”

Conan the Cimmerian (also known as Conan the Barbarian) was born in the pulp fiction of Robert E. Howard (REH), first appearing in the magazine, Weird Tales (1932).  In 1970, Marvel Comics brought Conan to the world of comic books, and with only few pauses, Conan comic books have been published for over four decades.

One of the most acclaimed Conan comic book writers of the last decade, Tim Truman, has taken an original REH story fragment, “Wolves Beyond the Border,” and has created a four-issue comic book miniseries, King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border.  The artist for the series is one of the best Conan comic book artists of all time, Tomás Giorello, who has worked with Truman on earlier Conan comic books.  Series colorist is one of the best Conan color artists ever, José VillarrubiaRichard Starkings & Comicraft provides the lettering for this miniseries.

In King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border, Conan is the aged king of the nation of Aquilonia.  He is alerted to a conspiracy involving his longtime enemies, the PictsKwarada, Witch of Skandaga, plans to gather the various Pictish tribes to her side, a confederacy that she will use to invade Aquilonia and eventually all the lands to the east.

In order to convince the other tribes to follower her, she needs the lost “Crown of Brule,” but not all Picts will follow her, in particularly, the Wolf Tribe.  The crown, an iron circlet, has come into Conan's possession.  In order to stop Kwarada's plot, Conan forges a tenuous alliance with an “old friend,” the high priestess Nai, and the war leader of the Wolf Tribe, Bril.

As King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border #4 (“The Worms”) opens, Conan and the wounded Bril travel through the forest in order to reach “Uamh-Dagon.”  There, Kwarada plans to sacrifice the boy, Brune, Bril's nephew and the next chief of the Wolf Tribe.  With the boy's life and an incantation, Kwarada hopes to raise a dark army from the bowels of the earth.

Robert E. Howard began writing “Wolves Beyond the Border” in the 1930s, but it remained a fragment that he did not finish.  Conan is mentioned in the story, but does not appear in it.  In a piece that was published at the end of the first issue of King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border, Truman wrote that he loosely based King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border on the fragment.  That may not matter to many readers.  Truman also hinted that he might use the story to connect REH's three most significant characters:  Kull, Conan, and Bran Mak Morn.  That may matter more to the fans of REH's fiction and to fans of comic books based on his work.

What really matters is that King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border is an excellent Conan comic book.  I consider Tim Truman, Tomas Giorello, and Jose Villarrubia to be the modern gold standard in Conan comic book creative teams.  How good is this comic book?  Well, I was sad when I came to the last page because I could have read at least one more issue.

Truman's sense of adventure is in evidence here, and as always, his story and script are imaginative and inventive.  Of course, Truman would never leave out the brawny storytelling that the best Conan comics require, but this isn't some phony masculine fantasy.  Wolves Beyond the Border can be enjoyed by anyone who loves Conan or the genre known as swords and sorcery.

Giorello takes Truman's script and creates the most beautiful art.  Giorello's graphical storytelling captures the essence of the world of Conan, where sullen-eyed, sword-wielding warriors, slayers, thieves, etc. tread the world.  Villarrubia's colors finish the process, adding the final touch that creates an undreamed of age of shining kingdoms spread across the blue mantle of the world like stars embedded in the firmament.

King Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border #4 delivers on the promise of the first issue.  Four issues are not enough, but still, they are four great issues.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for December 23, 2015

DARK HORSE COMICS

AUG150010     BPRD HELL ON EARTH TP VOL 12 METAMORPHOSIS     $19.99
OCT150065     BTVS SEASON 10 #22 MAIN CVR     $3.99
OCT150035     FIGHT CLUB 2 #8 MACK MAIN CVR     $3.99
MAY150108     GAME OF THRONES FIGURE JORAH MORMONT     $24.99
MAY150109     GAME OF THRONES FIGURE SANSA STARK     $24.99
SEP150105     GOON PLUSH     $19.99
OCT150051     ITTY BITTY HELLBOY SEARCH FOR THE WERE-JAGUAR #2     $2.99
OCT150052     KING CONAN WOLVES BEYOND THE BORDER #1     $3.99
OCT150037     PAYBACKS #4     $3.99
OCT150019     PLANTS VS ZOMBIES GARDEN WARFARE #3     $2.99

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 22, 2015

DC COMICS

FEB150240     BATMAN 66 #22     $2.99
DEC140386     BATMAN 66 HC VOL 03     $19.99
JAN150377     BATMAN 66 TP VOL 02     $14.99
FEB150238     BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT #3     $3.99
FEB150146     CONVERGENCE #3     $3.99
FEB150194     CONVERGENCE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #1     $3.99
FEB150196     CONVERGENCE BATMAN & THE OUTSIDERS #1     $3.99
FEB150198     CONVERGENCE FLASH #1     $3.99
FEB150200     CONVERGENCE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1     $3.99
FEB150202     CONVERGENCE HAWKMAN #1     $3.99
FEB150204     CONVERGENCE JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #1     $3.99
FEB150206     CONVERGENCE NEW TEEN TITANS #1     $3.99
FEB150208     CONVERGENCE SUPERBOY & THE LEGION #1     $3.99
FEB150210     CONVERGENCE SWAMP THING #1     $3.99
FEB150212     CONVERGENCE WONDER WOMAN #1     $3.99
FEB150281     EFFIGY #4 (MR)     $2.99
JAN150372     JUSTICE LEAGUE 3000 TP VOL 02 THE CAMELOT WAR (N52)     $14.99
FEB150272     MAD MAGAZINE #533     $5.99
FEB150287     SUICIDERS #3 (MR)     $3.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
NOV140348     BATMAN ANIMATED NBA CREEPER AF     $24.95
NOV140356     BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY IVAN REIS     $79.95

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Review: KING CONAN: The Hour of the Dragon #3

KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON #3 (#11 in the series)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Gerald Parel
EDITOR: Philip R. Simon
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S. (July 2013)

Adapts the novel by Robert E. Howard
The Hour of the Dragon Part 3 of 6: “Zenobia”

Originally serialized in the pulp magazine, Weird Tales, from 1935 to 1936, The Hour of the Dragon (also known as Conan the Conqueror), is the only novel Robert E. Howard wrote starring his signature character, Conan the Cimmerian.

Dark Horse Comics is adapting The Hour of the Dragon into comics as two six-issue miniseries.  The first is King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, and the second will be entitled King Conan: The Conqueror.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is written by Timothy Truman and drawn by Tomás Giorello, already acclaimed for the Conan comics they have produced together over the last several years.  They are joined by their stellar collaborators, José Villarrubia on colors and Richard Starkings & Comicraft on letters.

In The Hour of the Dragon, an aged King Conan recounts to the young scribe, Pramis, the tale of how he met his wife, the late Queen Zenobia.  At that time, Conan was King of Aquilonia, but a small band of conspirators against him revive Xaltotun, an ancient sorcerer.  The wizard uses his magic to help the army of Nemedia nearly destroy the army of Aquilonia.  But the king is not dead.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #3 opens in the bowels of the dungeons of King Tarascus’ castle.  There, Conan faces a man-eating gray ape; once again Zenobia, who freed him from his cell, comes to the rescue.  Meanwhile, Tarascus plots against the very creature that brought him victory over Conan – the wizard Xaltotun.  Little does he know that a free Conan is probably as dangerous as Zaltotun’s sorcery.

There is nothing new to say about King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon.  It was damn good to begin with, and this third issue is also... damn good

Writer Timothy Truman and artist Tomás Giorello are telling a story in bold masculine strokes with relentlessly muscular scenes, delivered in an unapologetically bloody visual language.  Yet with José Villarrubia’s colors, it all looks like a fantastic jeweled tapestry.  King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is the best Conan comic book from the best Conan comic book publisher.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


Saturday, June 29, 2013

Review: KING CONAN: The Hour of the Dragon #2

KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON #2 (#10 in the series)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Gerald Parel
EDITOR: Philip R. Simon
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S. (June 2013)

Adapts the novel by Robert E. Howard

The Hour of the Dragon Part 2 of 6: “The Haunts of Hell”

The Hour of the Dragon is the only Conan novel written by the character’s creator, author Robert E. Howard. The Hour of the Dragon (also known as Conan the Conqueror) is currently being adapted into comic book form by Dark Horse Comics. The novel will yield two six-issue miniseries. The first is King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, and the second will be entitled King Conan: The Conqueror.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is written by Timothy Truman and drawn by Tomás Giorello, already acclaimed for the Conan comics they have produced together over the last several years. They are joined by their stellar collaborators, José Villarrubia on colors and Richard Starkings & Comicraft on letters.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #2 opens in Tarantia, capital city of the kingdom of Aquilonia. King Conan continues to recount to the young scribe, Pramis, the tale of how he met his wife, the late Queen Zenobia.

The story once again returns to the long-ago, this time the aftermath of the battle at Valkia. With the help of the resurrected sorcerer, Xaltotun, a conspiracy against King Conan was successful in nearly destroying the army of Aquilonia. Now, the victorious army of Nemedia, however, is about to find out that the king is not dead. And Xaltotun does not want him dead.

Weakened by Xaltotun’s spells and imprisoned in a foreign land, Conan has lost his kingdom, and he could lose so much more. Now, his only hope may rest in the hands of a mysterious, harem girl named Zenobia.

I was ecstatic upon hearing that Dark Horse Comics was going to adapt into comics, Robert E. Howard’s sword-and-sorcery novel, The Hour of the Dragon, one of my all-time favorite books. After reading King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #2, my initial excitement about the series is truly justified. This is a great comic book. I wonder if writer Timothy Truman and artist Tomás Giorello can maintain this high level of quality through the remaining four issues.

The word to describe Truman’s adaptation of Howard’s novel is “meaty.” This is masculine, sword-wielding fantasy. No one’s contemplating an epic war in which elves, little people, and squabbling human try to retrieve some magical items from the really, really bad guy. This is get-your-hands-dirty fiction.

Yet Tomás Giorello brings the pomp and circumstance of epic fantasy to this story. He makes it as spacious and epic, as it is closed-in, sword to sword. With José Villarrubia’s colors, there is an elegant, bejeweled quality to the art that does not take away from the frenzied, masculine sensations in King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


Monday, May 27, 2013

Review: KING CONAN: The Hour of the Dragon #1

KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON #1 (#9 in the series)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Gerald Parel
VARIANT COVER: Sanjulián
EDITOR: Philip R. Simon
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S. (May 2013)

The Hour of the Dragon is the only novel featuring Conan the Cimmerian (or Barbarian) written by author Robert E. Howard, Conan’s creator. The novel originally ran as a serial in the pulp magazine, Weird Tales, from 1935 through 1936. The novel was first published in book from as Conan the Conqueror (1950, Gnome Press).

Dark Horse Comics is producing a comic book adaptation of the novel as two six-issue miniseries. The first series, King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, will be released to comic book stores this week (as of this writing). The second miniseries will be titled King Conan: The Conqueror.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is written by Timothy Truman and drawn by Tomás Giorello, already acclaimed for the Conan comics they have produced over the last several years. They are joined by their stellar collaborators, José Villarrubia on colors and Richard Starkings & Comicraft on letters.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #1 opens in Tarantia, capital city of the kingdom of Aquilonia. King Conan is visiting the burial chambers of his late Queen, Zenobia. It is there that a young scribe, Pramis, meets the king and begins recording the tale King Conan tells him – the story of how he met Zenobia.

The story begins in remote Nemedia, on the eve of the Year of the Dragon. In another crypt, a group of malcontents and conspirators, seeking help to capture the thrones of kingdoms they covet, summon a wizard dead for three thousand. Now, King Conan must face a traitorous alliance backed by the resurrected sorcerer, Xaltotun.

I was ecstatic upon hearing that Dark Horse Comics was going to adapt into comics, Robert E. Howard’s sword-and-sorcery novel, The Hour of the Dragon, one of my all-time favorite books. I think that the novel has only been turned into comics once before, in the early to mid-1970s by Marvel Comics.

I am happy with the resulting first issue of King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon. Tim Truman seems to have absorbed the essence of the novel, while relocating the best of Howard’s prose into comics. The novel does have some rough patches, in which the story meanders, so I wonder if this will show over the course of a 12-issue adaptation.

Personally, I’m ready to put Tomás Giorello’s name next to the great Conan comic book artists, Barry Windsor-Smith and John Buscema. Giorello’s art has the pen and ink texture of book illustration and a graphic style that captures the bizarre sensibilities of pulp fantasy tales. José Villarrubia’s colors complete the illusion that the art belongs to a bygone pre-World War II era of fantastic fiction. However, there is no mistaking King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon for a pastiche. This is real-deal Conan.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Only Conan Novel, "The Hour of the Dragon" Returns to Comics

DARK HORSE COMICS TO PUBLISH KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON!

ADAPTING ROBERT E. HOWARD’S ONLY CONAN NOVEL!

Dark Horse Comics is thrilled to announce the return of a fan-favorite Conan creative team. Writer Timothy Truman, artist Tomás Giorello, and colorist José Villarrubia are set to adapt Robert E. Howard’s only Conan novel in two six-issue miniseries.

The first series, titled The Hour of the Dragon will run through October 2013 and continue in a second arc titled King Conan: The Conqueror starting in February 2014.

More about The Hour of the Dragon: King Conan has faced many threats to his throne in Aquilonia—but none more deadly than a traitorous alliance backed by the resurrected sorcerer Xaltotun, at whose command mountains crumble!

With The Legend of Conan announced for 2014, King Conan is essential reading!

Praise for Timothy Truman, Tomás Giorello, and José Villarrubia:
“With both King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel and King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword Truman, Giorello, and Villarrubia have been making some the greatest Conan adaptations ever made. I look forward to their next series. Hour of the Dragon, Dark Horse. Twelve issues. It will be beautiful” – Comics Bulletin

For a sneak peak at the variant cover and a full-color interior page, check out the exclusive on MTV Geek!

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #1 is on sale in comic stores everywhere May 29!


About Dark Horse
Founded in1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, Guillermo Del Toro and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

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Friday, April 27, 2012

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: KING CONAN: The Phoenix on the Sword #1

"Old Man Conan"
KING CONAN: THE PHOENIX ON THE SWORD #1 (OF 4)
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Stakings & Comicraft
VARIANT COVER: Gerald Parel (Andrew Robinson-regular cover)
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S.

During his three-decade career in comic books, did the industry or the public ever consider Tim Truman A-list talent? By the breath and scope of his talent and his work, he certainly was/is, if it is even appropriate to categorize him with what are the usual and the standard in comic books. The terms “eclectic” and “diverse” seem a tad bit understated when describing Truman’s body of work.

Even as Lonesome Dove, Dances with Wolves, and Unforgiven made the Western cool again, Truman was looking at the past, present, and future of the Western and frontier storytelling (Jonah Hex, The Kents, Scout, Wilderness, etc.). Before Christopher Nolan and Guillermo del Toro, among others, were surprising people with their re-imaginations and interpretations of superheroes and classic fantasy characters, Tim Truman was bold and visionary on Hawkworld, JLA: Gatekeeper, and The Spider, among many.

In his comics, Truman, as a writer, artist, and writer/artist, offers muscular storytelling presented with surprising grace in beautiful graphics. So Truman is one of those rare creators who are actually ideal to create Conan the Barbarian comic books. Many are good, but few can capture both the splendor of Howard’s prose and the darkness and brutality of which this prose tells.

When it appeared in the cover-dated December 1932 issue of the famed pulp fiction magazine, Weird Tales, “The Phoenix on the Sword” became the first published story featuring the character, Conan the Barbarian. Tim Truman as writer and Tomás Giorello as artist have adapted that story in King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword, a four-issue comic book miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. The fourth and final issue recently arrived in comic book shops shortly.

King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword #1 introduces us to a gray-haired Conan, King of Aquilonia, and to Pramis, a scribe who is chronicling the story of King Conan’s rule. Conan tells Pramis of a time early in his reign – a time of unrest – and the story travels back to that time.

Although Conan freed Aquilonia from a despotic king, he is now despised by Aquilonians, from the common man to the elite. Rinaldo, the poet and bard, who once sang his praises, now stirs unrest against Conan and is part of a plot to unseat Conan and replace him on the throne with a pure blood Aquilonian, Baron Dion. The mysterious Ascalante is the ringleader, but even more mysterious is Ascalante’s companion, a long-time enemy of Conan, the wizard Thoth-Amon.

I find King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword to be an unusual Conan story. It is not as if I haven’t read a Conan story like this – one that is a conspiratorial drama, but this is not the Conan comic book norm. There is more dark drama here than there is edgy drama; in fact, the only fight scene is Conan’s palace workout at the beginning of the story.

That is not at all a bad thing. Tim Truman fashions a story filled with political machinations and intrigue, but at its heart, it examines what happens when you get what you thought you wanted and then find it to be a prison. As a monarch, Conan is trapped, and the interesting twist that Truman gives this story is that his enemies may be about to get what they wanted, but in the worst way.

Truman has a wonderful collaborator in Tomás Giorello, who takes Truman’s script and transforms it into comic book art that is a tapestry of exotic backdrops, a striking cityscape, strange costumes, and shadowy backrooms (includes a fine double page spread). This art is not only perfect for Conan, but for just about any Robert E. Howard story. Giorello could probably deliver a stunning comic book vision of Tolkien.

This comic book also includes a 4-page preview of Conan the Barbarian #1 by Brian Wood, Becky Cloonan, Dave Stewart, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft, with cover art by Massimo Carnevale.

http://www.ttruman.com/

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for March 28 2012

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

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