Conan the Barbarian #3 (2023) review

Jim Zub's Conan tale of the undead shows some signs of life, at last. But is it too late?

Conan frees a sliver of surviving Barbarians from the icy grip of the possessed picts, is able to get a minuscule amount of payback... but ends up in the soup, literally.

What I did not like:

Conan not solicitous about the fate of his family members or childhood friends.

All the unsightly covers except for the snake one by Roberto (and only from afar).

The old and infirm are still alive? Please! They survived the trip to the citadel? Stop insulting the reader.

Only men fight alongside Conan. No vengeful Cimmerian women? That's disappointing and also sexist.

I was getting a Conan the Barbarian (1982 John Milius film) vibe from the very first page.

Trying to appeal more to the casual movie fan than the Robert E. Howard scholar.

Still no Big Bad for Conan.

The letters page was too small and only featured sycophants. Competent creators and editors should crave constructive criticism. Please print some reviews that rub you the wrong way.

No Man-Serpents in bowls.

What I did like:

Serpent Men!

Is that Atlantean necromancer Skull-Face?

Thulsa Doom straight from Kull of Atlantis and the Schwarzenegger movie gets finally mentioned!

V (1983 miniseries) homage. Maybe.

I give it a 5/10. We better see both The Death's Head Tavern: A Solomon Kane Story by Nancy Collins and Caravan of the Damned by Chuck Dixon serialized in the upcoming Savage Sword of Conan magazine!

A Touching Tribute To The Late, Great, Bottalk Bulletin Board + Renaud FAQ!

The smartest and the most handsome podcasters on the Internet: The Fanholes and a collection of exceptional guests say au revoir to the legendary Bottalk board. Click to download or listen to this remarkable recording. And don't forget to get out your boxes of tissues! Thanks, guys! Much appreciated! Renaud FAQ

Void Rivals #17 review

Void Rivals Has Secrets To Reveal! It does and it continues here with issue # 17! Void Rivals is Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s sci-fi comic that tells the tale of two crumbling planets linked by a “Sacred Ring” (it’s not Halo), their peoples at war for generations. When a member of each culture are stranded together, the two find they must put aside their differences if they want to survive. This story takes place in the so-called “Energon Universe”, Skybound Entertainment’s initiative to relaunch properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe within a shared universe that also happens to include the original characters and setting of Void Rivals. In this seventeenth issue, the secret of Zerta Trion is revealed, Darak has a “friendly” chat with his father, and Proximus is on the rampage! Proximus? He was cool. He was! And that continues here as him and his new kid sidekick go on a quest together. It’s unclear exactly what Proximus wishes to get out of it, but he’s clearly no longer...

Transformers #18 (2023) review

Is Shredhead totally in my face? Yup! With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, noted writer/artist rolled-into-one Daniel Warren Johnson takes the reins on the linchpin of this initiative, the flagship Transformers comic series! Well, he maintains the reins on the writing of this series at least, as does Mike Spicer on colors. Jorge Corona has taken over regular penciling duties with a style all his own. In this eighteenth issue, Shredhead kills some guys you may have liked, Ultra Magnus boxes a helicopter, and the Decepticon civil war comes to an end with the return of… well, c’mon, you know. Does Shredhead arrive at the fireworks factory? There’s actually relatively little to do with Shredhead here, aside from an opening fight scene where he showcases how badazz he is by killing some name characters. One of the victims in particular I was kind of annoyed by, considering he just got his first new toy in decades and has always been a fan favorite f...

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