The price of mercy.
Creative Staff:
Story: Cullen Bunn
Art: Sergio Dávila
Colors: Michael Atiyeh
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
What They Say:
After returning to the Kozaki camp, Conan and Taraslan discover a grisly scene—the chief has been murdered, and by none other than his own conniving son Kyrylo! As the murderous brother flees the camp, his true motivations will be revealed. Superstar writer Cullen Bunn (Harrow County, Uncanny X-Men) and artist Sergio Dávila (Red Sonja, Swords of Sorrow) team up to bring a new chapter of Conan’s story to life!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
After narrowly escaping death by snoo-snoo at the hands of an evil sea hag, Conan, Taraslan, and Oksana return to the Kozaki tribe only to discover Taraslan’s father—the tribe’s hetman—dead, his body burning on a pyre while Kyrylo, Taraslan’s younger brother, exults in his new position as leader.
Kyrylo’s plan might have worked if not for the Cimmerian’s presence. All the schemes and deals in the world can’t stand up to the iron will and battle prowess of the barbarian the tribe took in a scant three issues ago. With Taraslan wounded (and, truthfully, too weak and untested), Conan confronts Kyrylo in his place, cutting a bloody swath through the treacherous son’s henchmen and restoring Taraslan to his rightful place as hetman.
Conan planned on throwing Kyrylo on the pyre, but Taraslan stops him. Although he claims that Kyrylo will be executed for his crimes later, it appears that Taraslan just doesn’t possess the heart to see his brother dead. Perhaps the thought of losing both his father and brother in the same day proved too much, but regardless of the reason, it proves quickly to be a mistake.
The Ghul that Kyrylo made a deal with two issues ago returns with a new offer for the would-be hetman, and using his magic, he frees Kyrylo. We don’t know what his terms are yet, but we do know that the Ghul’s focus has shifted to Conan, and nothing good will come of that.
I’m happy to report that Cullen Bunn and Sergio Dávila have finally found the right voice and attitude for Conan. The issue never wastes a moment. It moves smoothly from one plot point to the other, building in narrative intensity. They also show Conan as he should be: rude, disdainful of weakness and civilization, but also protective of those who need it, and bound by an iron-clad sense of honor and ethics born in the dark hills of Cimmeria. Although he treats Taraslan harshly, he does so out of a desire to temper the boy.
This raises an interesting quandary about Conan and the world he inhabits. Conan is a fascist figure: one who rules by strength of will and martial skill and cares little for consensus or even rule of law. In the real world, fascism is dangerous, but as we are seeing in the United States (and have seen time and again throughout history), fascism also allures. The idea of exercising power unfettered is seductive, and we condone—even exult—it when it is exercised in ways we approve. We only hate it when it inconveniences us.
This fascist element comes part and parcel with Conan and his world. It’s been that way since the first Robert E. Howard story. Its roots lie in Western views of masculinity and power, and that serves as another problematic area. Taraslan is weak both physically and mentally. In fact, Kyrylo is so physically imposing and socially dominating that I don’t quite believe that he’s the younger brother. Everything about him screams eldest sibling. Taraslan is sentimental, trusting, and merciful, and time and again these qualities lead him to his doom. If not for Conan, the boy would have been dead ten times over, and at the end of the story he once again turns to Conan to save him from the mess he’s created.
Taraslan and the comic’s attitude towards him make for a dangerous statement: that mercy, trust, and sentiment are at best foolish and at worst ruinous. Time and again we see that Conan and his hyper-masculine and fascist attitude and actions are not only superior, but actually necessary to survive and lead in Hyborea.
What makes this all interesting is that I can’t tell if Bunn is consciously playing with these themes. As I said before, fascism and borderline toxic masculinity come part and parcel with Conan and his world, so he might simply be writing in the vein and using the playsets Howard furnished him with in the original stories. However, there exist glimpses where the story seems to be interrogating these concepts, and if that’s the case, then that will prove to be a fascinating subtext to the more overt and fanciful sword and sorcery action. It will be interesting to see how Taraslan turns out at the end of this story: will he fully adopt Conan’s philosophy, stay true to himself, or find some middle ground?
Not continuing with this interrogation of the fascist elements of Conan would be a wasted opportunity, but even if Bunn doesn’t, he still gives us a rousing tale of blood, thunder, betrayal, and sorcery, which is what we paid to see. Sergio Dávila really delivers the goods, especially with his backgrounds and his action scenes. He does a great job of conveying the power, speed, and panther-like grace of Conan, giving us hurricane in the form of a man: a wild, elemental engine of destruction governed by his passions and his clear sense of right and wrong. This creative team definitely gives us one hell of a show.
Before going into my summary, I wanted to give a shout out to cover artist Admira Wijaya. His cover is great, but I especially like it because he draws Conan wielding his Atlantean sword from the original Schwarzenegger movies. I suppose it’s a little silly for me to get excited about that, but it’s a cool sword that I’ve always associated with the character. So nice Easter egg, Wijaya!
In Summary:
Conan the Slayer #4 delivers the goods, giving us a rousing tale of blood, thunder, betrayal, and sorcery. Fans of good, old-fashioned sword-and-sorcery will find much to like here. Dr. Josh gives this an….
Grade: A
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 26th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
