Broken Frontier

Conan and a brave young scholar battle Thoth-Amon in this lead up to Truman’s ambitious "Rogues in the House" storyline.

Again, the Cimmerian, ruler of Aquilonia, Conan the Barbarian, faces off against one of the deadliest villains in the history of villainy: Thoth-Amon. This story takes place shortly after Conan defeats the hosts of Strabonus and beheads the wizard, Tsotha-Lanti. While escorting the brave scholar, Athemides, who helped Conan win the war, to the land of Pelius the Wizard, Conan and his band face not only the recently beheaded wizard, but his far superior counterpart, Thoth-Amon.

Timothy Truman knows Conan well. Every line bleeds manly posturing and arrogant ruling. The thing about Conan however, is that he can get away with such things and still be likable. Perhaps when you can defend every machismo soaked word with your fists and even your brains at times, you have earned the right to behave the way Conan behaves. Truman writes him unapologetically. Conan is what he is. There is no political correctness to Truman’s Conan; that would only weaken the character. Furthermore, Truman balances this serious, severe Conan with villains that can be simultaneously bumbling and frightening—not an easy task to be sure.

Speaking of difficult tasks, drawing Conan cannot be easy. There is such a rich history behind the character, and such a long line of iconic artists who have drawn, portrayed, painted, and molded him that it must be daunting to put pencil to paper on a Conan project. Nevertheless, Paul Lee makes it look effortless. His sketchy characters and emphasis on foregrounds tells the story of Conan well. It is not a pretty story, he is not a pretty man, and this is not a pretty land. The art is stark and powerful with just enough description to be grotesque and disturbing when appropriate. With Conan stories, more often than not, it is appropriate!

The latest incarnation of Conan has done nothing but live up to its predecessors. Any fan of the giant Cimmerian would be remiss to miss this strong build-up issue to next month’s "Rogues in the House" tale.