Jim Zub's Ghosts & Echoes part 1: The Sharpened Tooth (of The Woeful Eye)
Conan the Barbarian is not showing up in his own comic book this month! Let's find out why that is.
This is the origin story of SON OF THE TOOTH (a loyal assassin serving The Woeful Eye).
The Hyrkanian Steppes. SON OF THE TOOTH is born, the 11th child of a tribe leader, weak, small and plagued by nightmares and throbbing toothaches caused by The Woeful Eye.
SON OF THE TOOTH kills one of his older brothers. SON OF THE TOOTH removes a canine tooth (canines are also called EYE teeth) from his brother's jaw for The Woeful EYE and hides his brother's body.
Like Michael Myers (from Halloween (1978 film)), SON OF THE TOOTH kills one of his older sisters and like Michael Myers, the more he kills, the stronger he becomes.
SON OF THE TOOTH kills the rest of his siblings.
SON OF THE TOOTH goes on a hunting trip with his father, he tells his dad that he is the one who murdered his brothers and sisters. Father and son fight... SON OF THE TOOTH kills his father.
SON OF THE TOOTH returns to his village to see it gone, burned to the ground by the adults known as The Children of The Woeful Eye.
10 years later. The Red Wastes (from the 2011 Conan the Barbarian film. East from the northern coast of Shem). SON OF THE TOOTH brings the severed head of Chonzhe the Chosen of Mount Khrosha (the volcano west of Khoraja) to a Woeful Eye adoratrice (from The cult of the Black Stone).
SON OF THE TOOTH is told that the attempt to bring back Thulsa Doom failed miserably (way back in Conan the Barbarian (2023) #12) and that his next quarry is Conan of Cimmeria.
What I did like:
Variant covers by Doug Braithwaite, Roberto De La Torre, Martin Simmonds, Jesus Merino and Toby Wilsmer.
Female characters appear and speak.
Archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks talks Hyrkania, Turan, King Yezdigerd and Zamora.
What I did not like:
Where's Conan? Isn't this his comic?
A bald demon-dude with dreadlocks who collects trophies. Sounds so familiar... Get To The Choppa!
A guy wearing a tooth necklace is not scary. A dentist, now that is scary! A dentist's bill that's even scarier.
Why is SON OF THE TOOTH collecting fangs? Because he's a type of vampire? Who cares?
SON OF THE TOOTH should be collecting wisdom teeth, to gain extra wisdom. Another wasted opportunity!
SON OF THE TOOTH is not the greatest name, it's much too similar to Son of the Beach.
SON OF THE TOOTH murders 10 people and nobody from his small community catches on? Impossible! Lazy writing.
Women do not appear on any of the covers. Disrespectful.
The Woeful Eye adoratrice has no name. As expected.
SON OF THE TOOTH gets a full issue to himself, but Thulsa Doom cannot get a Tribute issue to honour the memory of James Earl Jones?
No advert for Conan & Dragonero #1 (of 7)!
Still No announcement that the CONAN NEWSPAPER STRIPS are getting collected in stunning hardcover volumes!
I give it a 0/10. Zero! You reap what you sow. Zub and Braithwaite, the blokes who make Conan hurt women, are back to introduce us to SON OF THE TOOTH, a vile and pathetic new Conan villain who is a child killer. This issue should be shunned by all. Violence against women and children is completely unacceptable. Save your money for THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #13 which features the return of Roy Thomas and Rob De La Torre!
