Writer/Artist: Kurt Busiek, Greg Ruth
Publisher: Dark Horse, $24.95 HC
Innovative in it’s planning and beautifully illustrated, Conan vol 0 collects the series of issues Dark Horse published in-between the larger story arcs of the Busiek run. Meant to give the main series artist Cary Nord a break between arcs and to allow fleshing out of Conan’s earlier years, this volume can act as a perfect introduction to the character for new readers or simply as an extension of the current series for regular Conan fans.
Starting with Conan’s birth during the heat of battle, each individual issue jumped a few years further in Conan’s childhood giving greater detail to quick concepts barely mentioned or only hinted at by Robert E. Howard. From his first taste of blood to the ghosts of Brita’s Vale and ending with the Battle of Venarium, this set of stories is a fantastic addition to the entire Conan mythos.
Busiek can be a little hit or miss with me, but his entire run of Conan has been great and the coupling of his scripting with Cary Nord’s artwork has been brilliant. Greg Ruth’s art though is possibly the only choice that could have been made for this series as he was able to capture the sheer dull darkness and harsh living that could create Conan. Ruth creates epically dirty battle scenes that focus on the frantic, brutal, and bloody nature of Conan’s type of warfare.
If you like this then try: Chronicles of Conan, Savage Sword of Conan, Solomon Kane, Kull
Related Links: Greg Ruth
Printer-friendly version