Conan the Avenger #3 Review

Does this book strike true? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

A demon roams the streets of Shumballa—sent by mysterious forces to kill the popular commander of the city guard. When the king’s royal sister is accused of witchcraft, Conan comes to her rescue . . . but for what purpose?

* Fred Van Lente (Archer & Armstrong) ramps up Conan!

What strikes me about this entry is how human our iconic protagonist feels. In recent years creative teams have gone to new lengths with this fabled icon to attempt humanization. It might seem odd for a character that, at least for me, is more a force of nature than anything else but this latest outing proves even the best of us carry deep wounds. We shoulder heavy burdens that we have trouble shaking.

Fred Van Lente pens the script and the author knows exactly where to go in order to mine the inner depths of Conan while building up the threat around him. There are evil magics going on while our former corsair turned penniless wanderer continues to be haunted by a very specific ghost. And it’s from that wrinkle that we see the turmoil of a young man who’s lived so much in a short amount of time. And that makes the entire body of work interesting as the scribe fully embraces a push and pull inside our Cimmerian.

I’ll admit that my prior experiences with Brian Ching and his illustrations have often left me more than a bit underwhelmed. But in this instance I honestly feel like the talent has really found his niche with this barbarian. By Crom he handles some complicated moments with ease while offering up a display that speaks to the very heart of the text. And when the colors by Michael Atiyeh come into the fold I can readily say that I believe we’re left with a suitable albeit slightly quirky comic.

Conan the Avenger #3 continues to spin its wheels with a strong opening arc and sturdy creative team. So if you love adventure you’ll absolutely want this book. Recommended.