Conan-2099-1-featured-image.jpg Reviews 

“Conan 2099” #1

By | November 29th, 2019
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

With great confidence and skill, writer Gerry Duggan delivers a book that succeeds on multiple levels, while also unveiling a strong, smart version of Conan reminiscent of the character as he was originally written. (Warning: get your major spoilers somewhere else. You won’t find them below.)

Cover by Geoff Shaw
and Edgar Delgado
Written by Gerry Duggan
Illustrated by Rogê Antônio
Colored by Erick Arciniega
Lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham

EONS FROM HOME, THE BARBARIAN BATTLES THE CIVILIZATION OF 2099!
In the far flung future of 2099, will barbarism finally triumph over an endangered civilization?  When CONAN THE BARBARIAN entered the Marvel Universe with the SAVAGE AVENGERS, he stayed to conquer and claim his kingship in modern times.  Now cursed by a mystic to live beyond his years, when Conan’s new kingdom is threatened, he swings his blade once more!  But as the calamity in 2099 bears down on his secluded realm, will the future shock unseat the barbarian king?  An unforgettable chapter unlike anything you’ve ever seen in the saga of Conan!
Parental Advisory

Honestly, I picked up “Conan 2099” on a whim. As a result, I didn’t go into it with a particularly keen interest in how the world’s foremost barbarian might fit in the overall Marvel 2099 timeline, much less how this book might relate to the many other 2099-themed issues yet to be published before the end of the year. I just wanted to read a good, pulpy story about one of my all-time favorite heroes in an utterly atypical setting. Well, for him, anyway.

In one sense, I got exactly what I wanted: a compact, self-contained story set in a gritty, dystopian future that features plenty of swordplay and some interesting plot twists – not to mention, a killer final splash page. On top that, however, Gerry Duggan’s masterful script also beautifully situates this ostensible one-shot within the 2099 continuity, opening up a ton of future possibilities, offshoots, and potential storylines. Honestly, I’d even like to see this issue’s major narrative throughline – namely, the battle of wills that rages between Conan and the sorceress who’s cursed him – turned into an ongoing series. Despite the fact that their conflict is essentially resolved by the final page, the two characters play against each other extremely well, providing plenty of rich material for future struggles – even if those “future struggles” are actually set in the past.

Similarly, at the risk of putting too fine a point on it, Duggan’s version of Conan is extraordinarily well conceived and compelling; a powerful combination of strength, cunning, and nearly inhuman determination. Much closer, in many respects, to pulp fiction author Robert E. Howard’s original characterization of Conan the Cimmerian than many of his newer, more simplistic iterations. This is decidedly not the hulking, sullen brute who simply hacks his way out of trouble with a battle axe or broad sword. This is a Conan uses his brains as much as his brawn. His silence represents deep introspection and hard-won wisdom – a certain benevolence, even – not merely the proverbial calm before the storm.

Visually, other than a herky-jerky start in which several significant time shifts are not particularly well signified, illustrator Rogê Antônio does an excellent job of artfully setting each scene as Conan literally wanders the earth. Early on, a pastoral setting changes dramatically from one panel to the next, showing a planet under assault from its own unchecked climate. Later, a bleak post-industrial wasteland contrasts with and complements a sun-scorched wilderness strewn with bleached bones. Later still, Conan finally enters what appears to be, perhaps, the planet’s only functioning city; a gleaming tech oasis ominously patrolled by the creepy Public Eye. It’s definitely a lot to digest, but also a visual treat that expertly supports the story once you lock into the visual grammar.

Generally, Erick Arciniega’s colors are bright and vibrant. In fact, even his earth tones and grays tend to be luminous, almost as though you’re looking at a monitor that’s cranked up a bit too high. The intense yellows, oranges and reds of the barren desert work well, but the cooler tones of the urban environment almost feel too pretty. It feels desolate, more than decayed. Conan, by contrast, feels a bit drab at the start. By the same token, however, it definitely sets the stage for an amazing visual transformation once Conan comes to possess a certain otherworldly artifact. Dressed in gleaming pieces of metallic armor and bright red gauntlets – with a majestic, flowing cape and an ornate helmet – he seems like a new man, reborn and ready for action, on a quest for a new crown, wherever and whenever that might take him.

Final Verdict: 8.4 Whether judged as part of the Marvel 2099 anniversary event, a stand-alone one-shot, or a bridge issue to future series, writer Gerry Duggan delivers. “Conan 2099” is a fun, satisfying read with fantastic characters and intriguing plot twists.


John Schaidler

EMAIL | ARTICLES