Product Description: The Cimmerian finds himself ensnared in the dark intrigues of a city-state where the powerful will stoop to any depths to keep what they have stolen. When a young, idealistic noble offers Conan a ticket to freedom in exchange for a favor, Conan leaps at the opportunity - and into a labyrinth where he must fight to keep not only his word, but his very life. A favorite of fans and critics alike, the seminal Conan story "Rogues in the House" first appeared in Weird Tales. Now, writer Timothy Truman and artist Cary Nord bring you the tale of the Red Priest, as you've never seen it before.
Excellent book! Great book, as always has been this Conan series, enjoy it, because it will change soon.
Hopeful but not inspired I bought the hardcover collection and wish I hadn't. It's just a habit but this volume has broken me. I'm sure of that. This series, up until now, has had some good stories, good art and a promise of retained quality. That ship has sailed with this collection. I'd like to have a single factor to blame but it's pretty much everyone's fault, from editorial to the colorist the cylinders aren't clicking, here. It's not a terrible book but the coloring solidly pushes it to my below average rating. It's not for certain that Cary Nord's art is bad. The coloring muddies it so much that it's hard to fault his efforts, here. Tim Truman is a solid replacement for Kurt Busiek too. This adaptation is mired by lackluster art, that has great layouts but the particulars are ugly. Tim does crisp dialogue with a good framework for the story but it still bogs down. The finale of the story is the best part. It looks like Cary Nord wanted to go out on a high note. Tim has to share blame for insisting on putting his mark on the book by adding a plot thread that does nothing for this story that's high on plot and intrigue but low on action and adventure. The added thread is not necessary and definitely slows the pace of the story more than is warranted. Tomas Giorello, the artist on that part of the story is not a bad artist, but he's not a distinctive one either. And with the bland, slate grays, fudge browns, gun metal blues and dim reds dominating the color scheme for the entire tale he's just a straw man for an effort that is misguided from top to bottom. My opinion is that the story should have wrapped up in two, perhaps three issues, and not the four it's spread across. If anyone just has to have this book, for the sake of the much hallowed comic book continuity, knock yourselves out. It's a slog with a few nice touches. For what it's worth the next volume looks like it's a lot more fun, especially if gritty sword and sorcery horror is your preferred form of entertainment.
An excellent volume I had to respond to the individual who left a one star review, and provide a more balanced perspective, because he's out to lunch. These Dark Horse Conan comics are better (to me far better) than the regular Marvel series from the 1970s and 80s (Savage Sword was generally well done though). The artwork is fantastic, the dialogue is crisp, and most importantly the mood and sudden intensity of the scenarios live up to the spirit of Howard's writing.
It should be mentioned that the early marvel Conan's were generally better than the later part of the run, though sometimes Roy Thomas failed miserably in his writing, with original stories that were so unimaginitive (like the death of Belit) they didn't deserve publication. Marvel was NEVER the golden age of Conan.
I've read all of Howard's original material, almost all of the marvel run, and the all the Dark Horse Conans from the main title in recent years. The reviewer who gave one star must have got knocked in the head or something, because the talent of the writers and the artists simply oozes off the pages in this series. The suspense is gripping and the stories are a fine tribute to Howard's creation. If you liked the first four Dark Horse Conan trade paperbacks, then you'll like this one too.
Dire! Oh,well! It seems the new Golden Age of Conan has passed. The fifth volume in this outstaning series marks a severe dip in quality for what has been one of the best comic book series of the decade. This volume marks the departure of artist Cary Nord, one of the few artist to live up the the standard set by Frank Frazetta in the 1960's, but what makes this volume so dire is the awful coloring. Colorist Richard Isanove (replacing Dave Stweart) is usually one of the better colorist in the comic book industry, and does a good job on the first two chapters of this volume, but the coloring on the four subsequent chapters appears rushed and the heavy handed computer painting all but gobbles up the subtle pencil work it should be complimenting. I had hoped publisher Dark Horse would correct the coloring on the book before collecting this story arc in paperback, but this did not happen, and one of Robert E. Howard's better stories is left a mess. I hope future volumes of this series are done with better care, but judging by what has been released by replacement artist Tomas Gorillo, who fills in for Mr. Nord for one issue in this edition, there is not much to be optamistic about. Mr. Gorillo's art is flat and lacks the mastery displayed by Cary Nord or the myriad of fill-in artist who have stepped in over the course of this series to lend a hand, and who were all better suited to continue drawing the series. Tragic.
Superb Rogues in the House is the latest volume in Dark Horse Comics' continuing Conan comic book series; the series began with writing from the great Kurt Busiek and art from Cary Nord and Dave Stewart. In this volume, we find the reigns passed to writer Timothy Truman and artist Thomas Giorello. I was a little skeptical at first - Busiek had written the series with immense verve and respect for Conan and Robert E. Howard both, and Cary Nord's artistically sketchy pencils, accompanied by Stewart's intuitive digital painting, seemed to fit the series perfectly. For those who might be wary of this volume, don't be: Truman is exceptionally adept at crafting complex fantasy yarns, Giorello's art compares favorably with Nord's, and the digital painting talents of Richard Isanove are certainly up to the task.
This volume follows where volume 4 leaves off, with Conan and Nestor the Gunderman still in Zamora, City of Thieves, plying their trade as burglars whilst a noose of powerful political forces slowly tightens around them. Conan finds that his latest lady love, the fickle Jiara, is not to be trusted, and circumstances conspire to bring him in league with rebels seeking to overthrow the tyrannical king of the city. Plus, there are evil, intelligent monkeys to deal with (I'm not kidding...).
This is among the best volumes in the series thus far. Truman has a knack for mood and dialogue, and we immediately feel for even the most minor of supporting characters under his skillful writing. Giorello take over the artistic duties halfway through this volume, and while we notice a distinct shift in style, he still works within the tradition of excellence set by Nord. Truman's writing also has some sly asides in it - there is a great boxing scene in which Conan fights a man in a bar for money, and one gets the feeling this is a tribute to Robert E. Howard's many boxing yarns he penned.
I highly recommend this volume, and I hope you'll pick it up.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
