Conan The Barbarian #11 Review
Summary: When you speak the name of a god wherever you go, the least that god could do is acknowledge your work... lest you make them!
4.8
Crom Worthy
How could death possibly hold Conan in it’s icy grip before he has finished his mortal adventures? Having seemingly met his end, Conan comes face to face with his God Crom! But the uncaring, unimpressed deity has no time for Conan… until Conan makes the harsh god take notice!
Writing
Of course Conan wouldn’t go gently into that good night. Faced with his demise, even whilst wandering the path to oblivion, Conan still rages with a desire to fight and when he finds himself before his God… not even Crom will stop the mighty Cimmerian! This sort of encounter is one I feel would be very easy to mess up. Either making it seem too comical or perhaps too far fetched, yet here it seems just about right. Crom comes across as just as uncaring as Conan has made him out to be and Conan remains as stubborn and defiant as we know him to be. The confrontation is satisfying and rousing in it’s content, to defy death and his own god for the sake of his people… how could we not grow even more respect and appreciation for Conan with such writing?
Artwork
Scale… scale is the key element in this issue. First the mountain that Conan must traverse, then the enormity of Crom before him. All of it wonderfully depicted by the hands of Mahmud Asrar. The colours are also well picked, mixing the cold blues with crimsons that give a sense of perhaps the sunset of life, or the ominous look of a sky aglow with the red hues of an approaching fire storm. The sheer size and presence of Crom as depicted here lends you to almost be able to feel the pages rumble with is every move and word.
Final Thoughts
To meet your maker is one thing, to meet a god and stand before them defiant, challenging and determined to do what you feel you must regardless of their dictate… that is courage, that is Conan! How could you not want to get the issue in which Conan stands before his oft named God and holds his own? This really is a must have… it sits perfectly fine as a stand along story that fits within the larger Conan mythology and can be enjoyed at any time regardless of what other story arc you might be reading. Highly recommended.
Comic Details
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Mahmud Asrar
Cover Artist: Esad Ribic
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy
Format: 27pgs, FC, Ongoing
Release Date: 20th November, 2019
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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