'Age of Conan: Valeria' – Finch, Aneke, Troy (Marvel)


I hate leaving a decent tale unfinished (and yep, I have no problem doing it with tales that are the opposite, that's for another time though)... I did wonder which one I was getting when I started on the first two issues of 'Valeria' but by the second issue came to a close, I was ready to keep going and here I am. I went for the trade collection in the end as I had a good feeling about this book and... I was right.

This will probably be a shorter post than normal because I've already looked at the first two issues and bits of that still apply here. With that said, lets take a look at the rest of the story.

Journey into the Hyborian Age with the hero from the classic Conan story 'Red Nails,' in a story set before that fan-favourite tale! Before she became a pirate and mercenary - before she crossed paths with Conan and the Red Brotherhood - Valeria was a young woman from Aquilonia seeking justice for a crime gone unpunished. But as she makes her way in the cruel Hyborian world, proving herself against those who doubt her abilities, she will find more than she bargained for in her thirst for vengeance! Valeria's deadly fighting skills will be put to the test and her trust will be shaken as she hunts her brother's killer and comes into her own as a force to be reckoned with! Collecting: Age of Conan: Valeria 1-5

So... We've got to know Valeria a little bit and we know what has led her to the Mitran monastery. These next three issues give Valeria a chance to get her bearings and then it's back to solving that mystery we've been given. And I have to say... I knew there'd be a twist but I never once thought it would be that one... Wow. Without saying too much, the Hyborian world isn't kind to the people who live in it and that's generally to toughen them up. What Valeria has to face will either make her or destroy her and... there's no surprises there but that twist was all the surprise that I needed. Fair play to Finch for keeping it so well hidden and the focus elsewhere. Add a little bit of 'Valeria learning to do the right thing by people who can't stand up for themselves' and some derring do, that's more than ably illustrated by Aneke and you have a story that looks very slender (seriously, look at the size of the book if you get the chance) but is actually very compact and tightly told. There's not a lot to get to grips with but it's a very entertaining tale with enough character development in Valeria that I'd be keen to see where her adventures take her next, and I'd want Meredith Finch to tell the tale, and Aneke to draw it.

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