Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Josh Adams's San Diego Comic Con Experience (Part 1)

      Zack Davisson
      August 2, 2005
      Columns, Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "Carnage" #2

      Zack Davisson
      November 19, 2015
      Marvel Comics, Previews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Singles Going Steady 7/11/2018 - Bye Felicia

      Zack Davisson
      July 12, 2018
      Archie Comics, Big Two, Big Two Reviews, DC Comics, Image, Indie, Marvel Comics, Reviews, Singles Going Steady
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.5

      Alphas 2.05 "Gaslight"

      Zack Davisson
      August 27, 2012
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • 2.3

      Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

      Daniel Gehen
      February 16, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Jimmy Palmiotti: Time Bomb and Power Girl - the Breast of Friends?

      Zack Davisson
      September 15, 2010
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • 5.0

      Classic Comics Cavalcade: R. Crumb: Conversations

      Zack Davisson
      January 23, 2014
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Infographic: Judge Dredd's Gear

      Zack Davisson
      January 26, 2015
      Infographiic, News
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Jeff Lemire's 'Roughneck' is a Journey to a Wilderness as Bleak as its Characters

      Zack Davisson
      April 11, 2017
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past
  • Collecting Profile: Blue Beetle
  • Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia
  • Collecting Profile: Kraven the Hunter
  • Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good
  • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

ADVANCE REVIEW: Conan: The Frazetta Cover Series #8

Zack Davisson
July 12, 2011
Reviews

ADVANCE REVIEW! Conan: The Frazetta Cover Series #8 will come out on July 13, 2011.

This is a perfect Conan comic book. Directly adapted from a Robert E. Howard story. An able art team that is familiar with the character and Howard’s world. And just for a little bit of frosting, a Frank Frazetta cover. In fact, I loved this comic so much I would put it up there with Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith’s adaptation of Red Nails. This is beautiful.

Conan: The Frazetta Cover Series #8 collects Timothy Truman’s adaptation of Howard’s Iron Shadows in the Moonlight that appeared in Conan the Cimmerian #23-25. Whereas the ongoing series generally expands and ties together original Howard stories, this collection slices out just the core piece without the preamble, as Howard intended. This is, as the saying goes, All Thriller, No Filler.

The story opens with Conan and Olivia — the princess turned slave that Conan rescued from Shah Amurath — seeking refuge on a small jungle island in the Vilayet Sea. They find an overgrown city populated by grotesque statues of black iron, as well as something alive stalking them from the jungle. Their attempt to flee finds them caught between pirates of the Red Brotherhood and the mystery of the black iron statues. And as night falls…well, the story is called Iron Shadows in the Moonlight, after all.

I have always loved Iron Shadows in the Moonlight. The tale has a perfect blend of raw Conan fantasy mixed with elements of weird fiction and an ever-so-slight Lovecraftian influence. In the story, Conan finds himself pitted against three enemies; the pirate Red Brotherhood, the jungle haunter (who I always found reminiscent of Thak from Rogues in the House) along with the supernatural terror of the iron statues.

Olivia is a strong Conan heroine as well. She isn’t quite on the same level as Belit, but she shows herself to be made of sterner stuff than her soft skin and silk apparel make her out to be. When drawn by Giorello, she also seems to have the magic ability of standing with her ass to the viewer no matter what the pose. It is easy to see what Giorello’s preference is when drawing women.

Truman made all the right choices in his adaptation, keeping some original Howard dialog and prose, distilling the story down to its raw elements and keeping the appropriate fantasy/horror mix. He basically allows Howard to stand alone, without getting in the way or adding anything unnecessary to the story.

The artist/colorist team of Giorello and Villarrubia have their act down. I was leery of these two when they first started working on Conan, specifically Villarrubia’s colors, but no longer. Giorello draws a dynamic, muscular Conan who is still human and expressive, while tackling the monsters and settings with equal fluency. His battle scenes are everything you want in a Conan comic, primal and relentless. Villarrubia’s colors give the series a light wash that lets you see Giorello’s line work and creates a mysterious and haunting mood.

And of course there is the Frazetta cover. Really, this collection would be five bullets even without it. Like many people, I came to Conan through the Frazetta covers, and it is nice to see “The Berserker” gracing a Conan comic book. It isn’t at all necessary to the book, but just gives it that little bit of extra “Conan” making a great book even greater.

Dark HorseJose VillarrubiaTimothy TrumanTomas GiorelloZack Davisson

Share On:
Tweet
Top 10 Worst Comic Book Movie Costumes
Dungeon Monstres vol 4: Night of the Ladykiller

About The Author

Zack Davisson

Related Posts

  • Dark Horse Presents: THE ART OF ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA

    Ashley Hurst
    May 30, 2020
  • Top 10 Comic Universes Outside the Big Two

    Daniel Gehen
    May 1, 2020

Latest Reviews

  • 3.0

    Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

    Daniel Gehen
    February 22, 2021
  • 4.5

    Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

    Daniel Gehen
    February 19, 2021
  • 2.3

    Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

    Daniel Gehen
    February 16, 2021
  • 4.3

    Review: RADIANT BLACK #1 Shines Brightly

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2021
  • 2.7

    Review: DEEP BEYOND #1 Can’t Commit to a Premise

    Daniel Gehen
    February 4, 2021
  • 2.0

    VINDICATION Falls Short of its Lofty Goals (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    February 1, 2021
  • 4.5

    DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2021
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
  • 4.5

    TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    October 29, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders