'The Cimmerian: Vol 1' – Morvan, Alary, Hautiere, Vatine, Cassegain (Ablaze)


I'm still not a hundred percent sure how this works as I thought Marvel had the rights to 'Conan'. And then another part of me is like, 'dude, stop questioning it, just sit back and enjoy the fact that there's more Conan...' ;o) So that is exactly what I decided to do with Volume 1 of 'The Cimmerian'. I'd already read 'Beyond the Black River' so was pretty sure that I'd be in for a quality and... you know what...?

BY CROM! Robert E. Howard's famous Cimmerian UNCENSORED! For the first time, Robert E. Howard's Conan is brought to life uncensored! Discover the true Conan, unrestrained, violent, and sexual. Read the story as he intended! The Cimmerian Vol 1 includes two complete stories, Queen of the Black Coast, and Red Nails, plus bonus material, in one hardcover collection!

In Queen of the Black Coast, Conan seeks refuge on a merchant ship, after being pursued for killing a judge. But soon after setting sail, the Cimmerian and his new companions face a threat: the legendary Belit, self-proclaimed Queen of the Black Coast! Soon finding himself smitten by the lovely Belit, Conan agrees to joins up with her and her crew to brutally pillage and sail the poisonous river Zarkheba, encountering ancient ruins, lost treasure, and winged, vicious monstrosities!

In Red Nails, Conan finds himself in the Darfar region, whose territory is almost entirely covered by a huge forest. Here Conan pledges himself a mercenary, promising his sword to the highest bidder, fighting alongside fellow mercenary and fierce female warrior Valeria. After a clash against a terrible dragon, the two go to a strange fortified city, apparently deserted...but the duo will quickly discover that a civilization lives hidden inside, and that the citadel hides a heavy secret.

For those of you who read through that blurb (and were wondering, really...?) the answer is yes, it is sexual. Not incredibly so but lets just say that you're left in no doubt as to what Conan and Belit are up to in 'Queen of the Black Coast'. I thought it was quite tastefully done myself but it is worth thinking about before you pick the book up, depends on how you like your 'Conan' I guess.

If you give it a miss then that's up to you but I'd say that you're missing out on a couple of classic 'Conan' stories that have been adapted very well to a comic book format. I'm not going to go on about the stories themselves too much (I mean, there's a post about 'Queen of the Black Coast' Here if you want, maybe I'll look at the original 'Red Nails' another time) but I'd say that both Morvan ('Queen of the Black Coast') and Hautiere ('Red Nails') are really good at picking out the main bits of plot and dialogue, giving their readers stories that hum with energy in just the way that I believe Howard would have intended). They both make sure that all the ingredients are there and just leave each tale to tell itself, that's all that's needed here.

And the art... This is always the tricky bit for me as I don't have the terminology on hand to back myself up. I loved it though, the style on show (both stories) is a real departure from what I've been used to, from Dark Horse and Marvel, and that's definitely a good thing as it's still very much Conan's world, just with a very distinctive spin on it. And that's all that counts at the end of the day, I'd love to see more from Alary, Vatine and Cassegain.

I think I've found a new series of comic books to start collecting and if you're new to Conan, I don't think this Volume is a bad place to kick off your reading. A couple of awesome 'Conan' tales wrapped up in some gorgeous artwork.

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