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Published by: Dark Horse Comics
Released on: June 25, 2014
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Brian Ching
Cover artist: Philip Tan
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Just when you thought Amboola was out of the picture, there he is right on page one. Doh…page two puts him back in the shadows for good. The pig demon summoned up by the witch responsible for his wife's and baby's deaths makes short order of him and this is good news for Thuthmes. He lets the people draw their own conclusion that their enemies did the deed and that would get rid of another person he wants out of his way.
Conan's allegiance lies with who pays him the most, and he appears to swap sides from one warring party to the other, but maybe he's up to something other than the obvious. There are a lot of players in this tale and it's just starting to gain momentum. Amboola's people want revenge, and Thuthmes wants the king out of the picture, and just where Conan falls into all this is still to be seen, since this new turn of events has occurred. And then there's the ghost of Belit to contend with, a ghost Conan seems to be finding comfort in being haunted by.
This is morphing into a fine Conan tale, full of a host of characters and a twisting plot that is now really starting to come together. Van Lente's script has a nice blend of humor and action, and Brian Ching's artwork continues to please by way of babes, beasts, and bloodshed. His pig demon is pretty creepy to boot. And as usual, this reader hates the way he draws Conan. Panels without the Cimmerian…love Ching's style. Panels with the barbarian...just can't get on board with how Ching draws him. The rest of the illustrations he puts down outweigh the complaint, so I'll continue to suck it up and keep reading this fine comic.
