Review – Conan the Avenger #22

Conan the Avenger #22 (Dark Horse Comics)
Writer:Fred Van Lente
Artist:Brian Ching
Letters: Richard Starkings & comicraft
Colorist:Michael Atiyeh
Cover Artist:Paul Renaud

(Click on the comic cover or red link to buy/bid from ALL available Ebay sellers)

Conan_the_Avenger_22
Conan the Avenger #22 – Click to Buy/Bid

Robert E. Howards’ stories sure have legs, and Conan has entertained us in novels and film, animations and comics for quite some time now.  Most people are only familiar with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s portrayal of the character, but there most certainly is more. The last time I read a Conan comic Roy Thomas was writing it and the character was still being published by Marvel.

Fred van Lente knows that every comic could be a readers first, as was the case for me with this one. This issue is just an example of damn good storytelling, and good comics craft. The book is well paced, and beautifully drawn by Brian Ching. Most notably is a splash page on pages 4 and 5 of a harem of lovely ladies that I am sure Mr. Ching took no smaller pleasure in drawing than I did in viewing.  The action is well done, with verve and great posing. The story is told in a third person narrative in the form of a letter warning of danger, revealing the underlying situation and moves the plot forward expertly and with beautiful language. I love seeing a creator employ the unique tools of the comics medium, and Van Lente uses a great dual narrative here, juxtaposing a beautiful visual story that goes between the macro plot of the current arc, and the micro story of this issue tying it all up expertly at the end.  I have not read other issues in this series, but this book will be going into my shopping cart on a regular basis from now on. If you love the comics form and good story you won’t want to take your eyes off this creative team, so hopefully you’ll enjoy it too.

Ian Powers is an American film Director and Producer based in China, who has a passion for Comics and stories well told. He is currently developing several film and Animation projects and now he’s thinking seriously about writing comics.

Follow Ian on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Axiomguy1

IMDB page: http://ow.ly/XqoGu

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