'Conan: Exodus and Other Tales' – Ribic, Tieri, Thomas, Busiek, Claremont et al (Marvel)

This last week has been a week for many things (mostly involving work) but it hasn't really the best week for getting a lot of reading done. I did read 'The Water' but looking back over the last few days, the posts tell the tale of a chap shattered after work and not up for an awful lot other than watching some telly. Which is fine but there are an awful lot of books sitting unread in my place. So...

I wanted to read at least one book by the end of the week but it had to be something fairly slim other wise it wasn't happening. I know I've moaned, in the past, about the Marvel 'Conan' books being a little too slender but this round time I knew this could really work for me. 'Exodus' is a very recent purchase and normally I'd have made it wait its turn but last night needed a short, sharp shot of 'Conan' so the book went straight to the front of the queue. And I'm glad it did...

Celebrate 50 years of Conan comics with all new tales by blockbuster creators! First, Esad Ribić delivers the never before told story of Conan’s first journey from Cimmeria! Fifteen winters in his homeland have toughened the young warrior, but his greatest challenge lies ahead. Braving the elements without food, shelter or weapons, Conan must learn to survive as nature itself conspires against him! Then, Frank Tieri and Andrea Di Vito send Conan on a hunt for a demonic sect in Argos! But he may doom the nation if he can’t solve a hellish mystery in time! And legendary Conan scribe Roy Thomas joins an army of top-tier talent including Chris Claremont, Kurt Busiek, Steve McNiven and Kevin Eastman to present larger-than-life adventures of the iconic barbarian!

I'm still very new to 'Conan' comics but fifty years... That is very impressive. To be fair, the comics (whether Marvel or Dark Horse) had the most solid foundations to build on, in Howard's tales, but even so, you have to admire that kind of longevity. At the same time, that's a lot of pressure on one slim volume of tales, marking an event like this. Luckily for us readers, 'Exodus' absolutely lives up to the standards of all the tales that have gone before it. There is a lot happening between these covers and each story is worth the time spent reading.

First up is 'Exodus' itself and having been burnt by misprinted comics, missing dialogue, in the past, it took me a few pages to realise that Ribic's approach was intentional. Slow on the uptake but I get there in the end ;o) 'Exodus' is all the more powerful without those words (even when Conan finds other people, they don't speak his language) as it forces the reader to really focus on what Conan is facing and how he battles past it. It's 'man against nature' and you wouldn't want to bet on either, Ribic keeps everything so well balanced. It really could go either way. Ribic's artwork here is lush and really expressive of Conan's ongoing struggle. I'd have happily read an entire book of this art but the artists to come are just as good at what they do.

Next up is a story with no name, all we're told is that it was originally featured in 'Savage Sword of Conan' #12. To be honest though, once I got into the tale, I wasn't really that bothered about what it was called; I just wanted to know whether Conan made good on his promises. Of course he does but what's of more interest is how the tale looks at how Conan's early naivety lands him in all sorts of danger. It's an interesting flaw in that it drives the tale (of mistaken identity) but at the same time, it also helps to fuel his legend. If Conan wasn't so naïve, he wouldn't get into the scrapes that build him into who he is and what he becomes. You can't argue with that and Tieri uses it to great affect as Conan doesn't just make little mistakes... Oh no, Conan only makes big mistakes but he fights to right them and that's where the fun is.

Di Vito's art took a little getting used to but I really liked the way he opens up the world by not drawing an awful lot of it. What you do see makes you wonder what else is out there and encourages you to fill in those gaps yourself. It also helps that he draws awesome monsters that Tieri is more than happy to pit Conan against.

The next four stories seem to fit together in that they all fill in gaps either from just before or after Howard's own tales (okay, I'm not 100% sure where 'Requiem' fits but I'm pretty sure it does). I would be hard pressed to pick the one that stands out here. They are all very thoughtful pieces, with a rich vein of 'Conan doing what he does best' running through them, that take Conan out of his comfort zone and ask questions as to how he will move through this new land. Okay, I do have my favourites... Chris Claremont's 'Die by the Sword' makes you realise that even though Conan inevitably wins all his fights, he always recognises the value of the lives that he takes from worthy opponents. I challenge you to read it and not have a little extra respect for Conan. A great little story then and not only does Roberto De La Torre draw a mean fight but he really captures the tenderness in that last conversation.

Kurt Busiek's 'In the City of Thieves' is a compelling tale of 'barbarian vs civilisation' that shows Conan's well honed sense of what to avoid is always to be trusted over the ambitions of so called civilised men who may be learned but have no common sense whatsoever. We could all learn a lesson from this I think ;o) I love the way that the story doesn't end so much as dovetail neatly into one of Howard's own tales. Well played Kurt, well played. Pete Woods' artwork is brilliant here, really capturing the opulence of the city while hinting at the darkness underneath.

I won't go into the other two tales in much detail here (I've got work in the morning and need to wrap this up soon...) but do read 'Aftermath – And A Beginning' and 'Requiem', both of which are well worth your attention.

Last, but by no means least, is 'Ship of the Damned' and DeKnight rounds the book off in some style with a pirate raid on a much larger and deserted ship... or is it? The raid is brilliant all by itself but the real joy of this story is the bittersweet feelings the reader has around Conan and Belit, one of whom has some notion of what is to come, and fights on anyway. I won't say much more than that, this is a story that you need to read for yourself I think. Lets just say that I highly recommend it, not least because Jesus Saiz doesn't hold back in his depictions of what lurks in the ship (it wasn't deserted at all but you knew that already, didn't you?)

There is so much to love in 'Exodus And Other Tales' that I'm quite frankly kicking myself a little for not reading it sooner. I got there in the end though and now I can tell you, don't hang around like I did. If you enjoy tales of Conan, or just Sword and Sorcery tales in general, this collection is required reading.