Jim Zub's The Conquering Crown part 2 (of 3): The Ill-suited Guest
Conan is now an Aquilonian General (Count Trocero/Poitain's new military leader), he has received word that King Numedides wants to see him at his castle in Tarantia (capital of Aquilonia aka The Flower of The West).
Conan and some of his Westermarck Wolves mercenaries arrive to meet the King.
King Numedides flatters Conan and thanks him for HIS victory. Conan mentions his fallen comrades, not wanting to take full credit for winning the great BATTLE OF POITAIN.
Conan is forced to mingle with the nobles of Aquilonia. The Cimmerian is introduced to the the obese Baron Dion of Attalus, Baron Maloric of Cantrium, the diminutive Count Volmana of Karaban, Lord Brocas of Conawaga, Count Ulric of Raman, Baron Thasperas of Schohira and Baron Phineas of Tauran.
King Numedides reveals to Conan that he received visions of a DARK FUTURE from The Woeful Eye. The mad King is aware that Shuma-Gorath aka The Woeful Eye (mentioned in Conan: Spawn of the Serpent God) has awaken (as seen in Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #4).
Conan suddenly recalls the BLACK STONE eye SIGIL. Numedides suggests that Conan should listen to Shuma-Gorath. A disconcerted Conan leaves the monarch to his ramblings.
The hare-brained minstrel Rinaldo and fire dancers perform for Conan, Numedides and the nobles.
Out of the blue, Numedides announces that Conan will lead a new army to invade and take over Zingara! A confused Conan criticizes the tyrant. The barbarian is against the idea of murdering innocents to enlarge Aquilonia's territory.
Conan is arrested for treason and Gromel, the giant captain of the Black Dragon Knights shackles and throws Conan in one of Numedides' dungeon cells.
Numedides sends assassins to silence the confined Cimmerian... they fail.
Captain Prospero of Poitain (King Conan's future right-hand man) helps Conan escape Numedides' castle, they plunge into the Khorotas river.
Conan of Cimmeria and his Westermarck Wolves are declared traitors to Aquilonia.
Fed up with their King, the people of Tarantia start rebelling. An insurrection (a rioter is even seen wearing a horned fur hat) has begun.
À suivre!
What I did like:
Venarium and The Black River are mentioned.
Dale Rippke (The Darkstorm Conan Chronology) gets another special shout-out.
Mitra mentioned.
Fine variant covers by Nick Marinkovich, Doug Braithwaite, Juan Jose Ryp & Federico Sabbatini.
Female characters appear... and two actually speaks.
Some humour.
Archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks talks Aquilonia, The Phoenix on the Sword, The Scarlet Citadel, The Hour of the Dragon and Beyond the Black River.
What I did not like:
Conan does not care/inquire about his Westermarck Wolves.
Doug Braithwaite's Berserker (Frank Frazetta's Conan The Conqueror) homage cover features a bloodthirsty horse. LOL!
No poem to explain that Conan's ruthless horse was born on the wrong side of the race tracks.
No pardons! No one gets pardoned.
An executioner cosplaying as Batman? Bizarre!
Three assassins that have no clue how to kill a man.
The BLACK STONE is never seen.
Women do not appear on any of the covers. Embarrassing!
No Thoth-Amon!
No Thulsa Doom!
No Shuma-Gorath!
The female mercenary still doesn't have a name.
I give it a 7.5/10. Am I watching the news or am I reading a Conan comic? The Barbarian barely interacts with the nobles. None of the characters are developed. Why must we be always fast-forwarding to the brutality or to the next adventure/event? A little uninspired and much too predictable... but it looks phenomenal thanks to Spanish penciller, Fernando Dagnino!
