All fled, all done….
Creative Staff:
Story: Fred Van Lente
Art: Brian Ching
Colors: Michael Atiyeh
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
What They Say:
The senses-shattering conclusion to Fred Van Lente’s epic Conan run!
In an act of vindictive desperation, the imposter queen Salome intends to sacrifice her twin sister Taramis—the rightful queen—to the demon Thaug, and then unleash the vile beast on the populace. Can Conan save Taramis and her kingdom before it’s too late?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Okay okay okay okay okay, I know I’m ridiculously late with this review. I had Legionnaire’s Disease. Get off my back.
But neither rain nor sleet nor me being sicker than a mangy wolf on crack will keep this reviewer from writing about the final issue of one his favorite runs in comics. I’ve not exactly been coy or subtle with my love of this creative team, so why start now? I’m already sad that this team is no longer telling Conan stories.
However, I come not to bury this comic, but to praise it. Issue 25 brings to close the adaptation of “A Witch Shall Be Born,” one of the most iconic Conan stories written by Robert E. Howard. Over the course of five issues we’ve seen Taramis, rightful queen of Khauran, imprisoned and replaced by her evil twin sister, Salome—a dreadful and wicked witch. We’ve seen Conan ousted from his position as captain of the city guard and crucified outside the city walls. We’ve seen the fall of Khauran to Salome’s decadence, and the bravery of the few still loyal to the true queen. We’ve seen Conan build an army from nothing, and now we get to see him take back the city.
Van Lente’s script has been incredibly faithful to the original text, and Ching and Atiyeh bring it to wonderful, vibrant, gory life. To date, I’ve written twenty-two reviews for this title, and I’ve officially run out of superlatives to lay on this team. They’re just that good.
This is a comic that has consistently fired on all eight cylinders. Van Lente has been one of my favorite comic book writers since his co-run on Incredible Hercules with Greg Pak, and for my money, he just keeps getting better. I’ve loved his work on Archer & Armstrong and Ivar, Timewalker as well, but I think that there’s a special alchemy here with his collaboration with Ching and Atiyeh. They really complement each other and bring something unique and vibrant to the table.
Maybe there’s something about the material that brings out the best in these creators. There’s no dearth of Conan stories out there. Marvel published about a gajillion comics in the 70s and 80s, and there were a host of writers who took up the Conan franchise—L. Sprague de Camp being the most prominent—and, of course, there were three movies, a television show, and a cartoon. Dark Horse has also published some great stuff. I still love Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord’s initial run. Taking that all in mind, it’s difficult to believe that there’s any new ground to be trod here, and that’s partially true. This creative team doesn’t set out to reinvent the wheel or impart some radical new take on the character and his world. They just set out to tell damn good stories, and that’s exactly what they did. They tapped into something visceral here, and it comes through beautifully.
In Summary:
Because this is the final issue, I thought it fitting to leave the final(ish) words to Robert E. Howard. This was his final poem:
All fled—all done, so lift me on the pyre;
The feast is over, and the lamps expire
Goodbye, Conan the Avenger; you will be missed.
Grade: A+
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 27th, 2016
MSRP: $3.50
