When it comes to 80s movies, there is no bigger star than Arnold Schwarzenegger. The actor came of nowhere and made a name for himself. Bodybuilders have tried to make their way into movies but rarely are they ever taken seriously. It was not until he showed up in a documentary about his bodybuilding career (Pumping Iron), that movie producers saw potential.
Then came his first few forays into acting. Action movie fans took notice when he starred in Commando. The movies which I felt fans saw his star power were his Conan The Barbarian movies. Those movies were cheesy but they were also action packed and showed what he could do in a sword saga. Jason Aaron and Mahmud A. Asrar return to the Cimmerian as he faces a deadly foe in King Conan#1.
We find Conan marooned on an island at the edge of the world, a place where maps hadn’t been charted in that part of the world yet and seemingly desolate. As he looks for shelter, right when he is about to start a fire, he finds he is not alone, as Thoth-Amon attacks with a snake dagger, looks to bleed out the former king. A skirmish occurs between the two, and as death may be knocking, his life flashes before his eyes, as his memories of every triumph and tragedy replay in his mind. By the issue’s end, right when Conan was set to strike the deathblow to Thoth-Amon, an unusual dark magic takes over the island, awakening every dead body.
Overall, King Conan #1 is an exciting debut, especially for fans of Conan. The story by Aaron is dense, and contains multitudes of well developed characterization. The art by the creative team is dripping with awesomeness. Altogether, a good old fashioned sword saga that has some high fantasy elements, with everyone’s favorite Barbarian.
Story: Jason Aaron Art: Mahmud A. Asrar
Color: Matthew Wilson Color: Travis Lanham
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – TFAW
Source: Graphic Policy
