Conan the Barbarian 2 Featured Reviews 

“Conan The Barbarian” #2

By | January 17th, 2019
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

The debut chapter of “Conan The Barbarian” set the tone and established the world of the series incredibly well. Even though the title had a great attitude and personality, the story and nature of the series felt stilted and generic. Given the important legacy of Conan’s tenure at Marvel and the greatness of the creative team for the series, expectations for the comic were impossibly high. Writer Jason Aaron, artist Mahmud Asrar, colorist Matthew Wilson, and letterer Travis Lanham are all back for the second installment of the series. Will the issue be able to capture the interesting nature of the character that the debut story missed out on?

Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Mahmud Asrar
Colored by Matthew Wilson
Lettered by Travis Lanham

BEYOND THE SAVAGE BORDER! CONAN finds himself beyond the Black River, surrounded by the warlike PICTS! But the tribesmen may be the least of his worries if he cannot fight his way through the demonic beasts slithering around the forest! The epic return of the mighty Conan continues…

It is rare for a series to establish so many characters and concepts in just one issue. “Conan The Barbarian” #2 explores what happens when Conan indulges in his most carnal nature and wanders into a context he’s more familiar with as a person. Aaron does an excellent job capturing the nature of Conan’s characterization that makes him more than just a death-mongering brute force of nature.

Artist Mahmud Asrar’s pencils look particularly inspired within the issue thanks to figures like The Ghost Snake. Asrar’s page composition and fluid movement make a filler script seem vibrant and important. Even motions like Conan swinging his sword towards a Ghost Snake are frantic and intriguing to observe. There is a splash page early on in the issue with The Ghost Snake that has a monumentally wonderful sense of scale from Asrar. Asrar ensures the talking head scenes in the issue are full of secondary actions and interesting framing as well.

Color artist Matthew Wilson lends an incredibly detailed palette to the book that is as bright as a Conan comic could handle. The dreary action scenes have a bright aesthetic making the book come off as serene in some of the most violent moments. Wilson ensures the monsters look different from some of the remaining characters in the story. Wilson is a great fit for Asrar’s really precise and beautiful figures in the issue.

One of the most intriguing moments in the issue was the characterization Aaron added to the second half of the story. Conan shows he has more than a few reasons for leading the life he does and earning the reputation he has. Aaron has considerable thoughts about the character that don’t come off as too melodramatic or dull. It is great to see Conan take a greater sense of agency in this issue as well. I hope Aaron is able to continue fleshing out the character of Conan in similar ways.

While the debut chapter of the series carried a really fascinating tone and sense of imagery, the new installment is able to package the character of Conan more cohesively. Due to the character arc Conan experiences, readers get a much better handle on his characterization and attitude. Readers see Conan reject a certain type of lifestyle and situation that greatly showcases who Conan is as a man. While the script for the first issue was endearing in its own right, Aaron’s decision to give a greater sense of characterization to Conan makes this installment almost feel like an entirely different series in its own right.

While this installment of the series is a rousing success and a great character piece for Conan himself, the main conflict doesn’t carry the same sense of weight or prestige. Readers only get a surface-level look at the overall plot and game plan of the series. While I want to believe the tale got off to a rough start and Aaron will be able to turn the series around, Conan’s adversaries in the coming issues don’t come off as treacherous or as sinister as they should.

Getting the story and art to come off as endearing for a core action hero like Conan is incredibly difficult. Thankfully, in the new installment of the series, author Jason Aaron is able to lend the character a story-arc and moment of the agency that humanizes Conan. Readers are given an entry point to invest in Conan emotionally that drastically changes the direction of the series. The comic features impossibly beautiful artwork from the full creative team that makes “Conan The Barbarian” truly feel like an important series. The imagery and strikingly beautiful colors of Conan will stick with the reader long after closing the back cover.

Final Verdict: 7.5 – “Conan The Barbarian” #2 lends the title hero a strong sense of characterization and vivid artwork.


Alexander Jones

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