King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #6 Review


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It’s all been leading to this, but does this adaptation close out a high note or tarnish the reputation of the franchise?  Read on to find out

The official description from Dark Horse:

Conan’s only hope to defeat the vile wizard Xaltotun and reclaim his throne is to find and recover the Heart of Ahriman, but he isn’t the only one seeking this magical jewel! Conniving thieves stay a step ahead—and in dark forests, beings fouler still stand in the barbarian’s way!

King Conan-The Hour of the Dragon 6_CWhen this volume began I had my share of mixed feelings, but it didn’t take long for them to be dissuaded by the gumption of this creative team. They more than proved their worth by the literary currency they spent in order to make this property a reality.  And despite the ending of this volume leaving lingering plot strands it still earns a plethora of praise.

Timothy Truman works hard to adapt this odyssey and he does a commendable job giving the piece a voice that pays respect to the heritage while standing on its own two feet.  The script complements the audience by giving us a simple to follow chase that sees our protagonist dragged further in a plot to reclaim his kingdom.  By the end, Conan, must come to his own conclusions regarding what path he must take.  And thankfully this barbarian king is no slouch to such parables.  In short: it’s a fitting but incomplete ending that’s sure to generate hype for the next portion.

2014 is just too far away, because I can’t stand the thought of several months where I don’t get to review illustrations by Tomás Giorello.  Throughout this series he’s been a light in the darkness that more than succumbed to the whims of the story and instead embraced the stance he was given in order to create something truly worthwhile.  He exceeds the quality of the text and builds a body of work that’s memorable even to the most discerning eyes.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #5 is a great comic that feels like a pause rather than a finale.  Recommended.

4/5

fourstar

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