Jim Zub's The Nomad: A Tale of Conan the King
A mysterious migrant arrives in Tarantia, the capital of Aquilonia, he tells the guards that he wants an audience with Conan.
High councillor, Publius and King Conan (the Ruler of Aquilonia) welcome the pale stranger.
To obtain his "gift", Conan needs to offer his cadaverous visitor three days of hospitality.
Conan is well aware of Melnibonéans (Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné appeared in Conan the Barbarian (1970) #14 & #15), so he gives the frail drifter the benefit of the doubt, a chamber and servants.
Day 1 of the stranger's stay.
Pallantides, the General/Commander of the Black Dragons (the king's guardsmen) thinks that Conan has gone mad. Could the offbeat foreigner be a white wolf in sheep's clothing?
Conan defeats Pallantides in a sparring session.
Day 2 of the stranger's stay.
Queen Zenobia informs her Cimmerian husband that the newcomer is making her and her servants nervous... the nomad never eats, drinks or... fornicates.
Day 3 of the stranger's stay.
It's a stormy day (Michael Moorcock invented a Sword called Stormbringer), to lighten the mood, Conan decides to throw a party. The king toasts his eccentric guest.
The nomad finally makes his move, he sends Conan's soul to a dream Nether Realm (a Mortal Kombat reference)... to be tested. Will Conan's life be worth chronicling... is it legendary enough? We get a Testosterone-fueled recap of Conan's heroic accomplishments.
We see Natohk from Black Colossus, the alien Yag-Kosha from The Tower of the Elephant and the dragon/dinosaur from Red Nails.
The Battle of Venarium, Conan battles the Aquilonians.
The Frost-Giant's Daughter, Conan teaches two gigantic Smurfs some manners.
Rogues in the House, Conan is attacked by Thak the Ape-Man!
A Witch Shall be Born, Conan relives his crucifixion.
Queen of the Black Coast, Bêlit the Pirate Queen breathes her last breath.
Conan takes control (via lucid dreaming) and kills Bêlit's killer.
The god, Set shallows the Cimmerian... whole! Conan decapitates the giant snake by hacking his way out of its esophagus.
Beyond the Black River, Conan tangles with a tribe of Picts.
The barbarian demands to fight his challenger in his true form, the outlander appears before Conan, ready to rumble, armed with his two sickles (a Blue Öyster Cult "Black Blade" homage). The duel doesn't last long, Conan is the victor, the barbarian beheads (a Mortal Kombat finisher/fatality homage) the albino.
Conan is instantly brought back to his get-together... the vanquished vagabond has vanished.
The decrepit wanderer is now back home in his study/library (In Nemedia? In the city of Imrryr? In an alternate universe? Another time?). He begins to write down the adventures of Conan... so that they will never be forgotten.
What I did like:
Conan Stays Hungry just like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A Kwai Chang Caine homage.
An advert for Conan the Barbarian Vol. 1: Bound in Black Stone - Deluxe Edition (with a new intro by Roy Thomas). RIP, Renato Casaro, you will be missed!
The Blue Giant calls Conan a "Bastard", the other one says "Feed My Axe".
The New York Comic Con exclusive cover by Alfredo Cardona!
Nice variant covers by: Rob De La Torre, Doug Braithwaite, Jonas Scharf, Danica Brine and Fernando Dagnino Guerra!
Another Dungeon Comics (in Oakville, Ontario) exclusive variant cover by Canadian freelance artist Mike Rooth!
Numedides, former king of Aquilonia mentioned.
Tarascus, king of Nemedia from The Hour of the Dragon mentioned.
Women appear on four of the covers. Bravo!
Female characters appear... and three actually speak.
The fantastic fully painted art of Alex Horley.
An interview with artist Alex Horley and eight of his rough sketches!
Archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks talks The Nemedian Chronicles, The Phoenix on the Sword, The God in the Bowl, The Tower of the Elephant, The Frost-Giant's Daughter, The Scarlet Citadel, Queen of the Black Coast, The Pool of the Black One, Black Colossus, A Witch Shall be Born, Beyond the Black River, The People of the Black Circle, Harold Lamb, Alexandre Dumas, Rafael Sabatini, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, Unaussprechlichen Kulten, P. Schuyler Miller, John Drury Clark, The Kalevala and The Odyssey.
Fans of the storybook, Conan: The Thing in the Cave by Jack C. Harris, Dan Adkins & Gino D'Achille will appreciate this special issue.
What I did not like:
The aged Nemedian scribes working by torchlight from the Conan: Newspaper Strips (recently re-released in Brazil, France, Italy, Spain and Germany) are not shown.
Newcomers to Conan will be completely confused.
Atali (daughter of Ymir) does not appear.
Valeria of the Red Brotherhood does not appear.
The stranger only sits waiting for a couple of hours. I've waited longer to see my dentist.
No Thulsa Doom!
No Shuma-Gorath!
No humour.
We never see Conan's son.
I give it an 8/10. By the power of Crom's skull... Conan wins... Flawless victory! Zub pays homage to the Masters of the Universe golden super adventure books that were published in the 1980s and to the Mortal Kombat 1 video game from 2023. A self-contained tale that will entice neophytes into reading the original short stories by Robert E. Howard... it will unquestionably captivate long-time fans too. Get ready to be wrapped in the warm, totally awesome velour of nostalgia. See you soon with another exciting review!
