Conan the Barbarian Issue 19

 

- Writer: Jim Zub

- Penciler: Cory Smith

- Inker: Roberto Poggi

-Colorist: Israel Silva

-Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham

I've always really loved Conan the Barbarian. He was the first character that introduced me to the idea of heroes who aren't necessarily noble and classically heroic. All of us are connected to the natural world through our innate primal nature, but for Conan this connection is at a different level. He's a man unchained by the rules of so-called "civilization".

This issue, the 19th in the current ongoing Conan the Barbarian series, is a great place to jump in if you haven't already. Although there's obviously been some significant developments before this issue, it's the beginning of a new story, "Land of the Lotus" and anything the reader needs to know to get up to speed is right in the first two pages.

Our story begins with Conan, captured and beaten, being interrogated by soldiers. Conan has somehow, through means he doesn't know, made it across the guarded border of Khitai with a cursed sword. Unable to satisfy the guards, they loaded him into a wagon and began a journey towards his execution. On the way, Conan encounters a scholar named Meiwei of Paikang. Conan, being a foreigner who can flawlessly speak the local language (again, through means he doesn't know), immediately intrigues Meiwei, and the two form the shadow of a friendship.

After an intense battle with monsters, Meiwei steals the keys to Conan's cage and the following night, the they flee together into the jungle. The two manage to escape the guards, but the issue ends with Conan facing a pair of leopards which are certainly no less dangerous.

Admittedly, I'm very new to Conan in comic book form. Even so, I really enjoyed this issue. All of the swordplay and ceaseless adventure of the old Conan stories with none of the outdated (and, let's just say it, unacceptable even for the time) racism and tired stereotypes of the original stories. I'm glad I added this series to my pull list and I'm looking forward to reading the next one!