Conan the Barbarian #30 (2023) review

Jim Zub's Ghosts & Echoes part 2: Trail of the Warrior

SON OF THE TOOTH (an assassin serving The Woeful Eye) is tracking Conan across Shem.

SON OF THE TOOTH knows that Conan destroyed Thulsa Doom aka The Necromancer-King of the BLACK STONE (way back in Conan the Barbarian (2023) #12).

SON OF THE TOOTH is disappointed that Conan is just a man working as a mercenary in Khoraja (southeast of Koth).

SON OF THE TOOTH spies on Conan as Dunick the Kothian picks a fight with Conan. Conan breaks Dunick's arm.

SON OF THE TOOTH spies on Conan as the barbarian beds a bar wench.

SON OF THE TOOTH spies on Conan as Conan kills Dunick's accomplices and a defenceless Dunick. Conan pays the city's sentries to look the other way.

SON OF THE TOOTH spies on Conan as Conan enjoys a meal and drinks FOUR carafes of vino.

The still sober Cimmerian finally confronts SON OF THE TOOTH! We learn that Conan and SON OF THE TOOTH share an interest in voyeurism.

Do Conan and SON OF THE TOOTH become best friends? Nope.

Is It Safe to say that SON OF THE TOOTH still craves one of Conan's canines for his eye teeth collection? Yes.

À suivre!

What I did like:

Conan the Barbarian: Tides of the Tyrant-King #0 in stores May 2, 2026!

THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN: REFORGED will continue! #5 will be in stores June 17, 2026!

Doug Braithwaite draws Ninurta with his thunderbolts.

Cool covers by Ivan Gil, Doug Braithwaite, Stephen Green & Kyle Hotz.

Female characters appear and one actually speaks.

Archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks talks Shem, Anu, Ishtar and Bêlit the pirate Queen of the Black Coast.

What I did not like:

The Woeful Eye, Thulsa Doom and Brule the Spear Slayer do not appear.

The Woeful Eye adoratrice does not appear.

The tavern wench has no name. As expected.

No advert for Conan: Gold for Dark Gods (a Tides of the Tyrant-King novel) by Jonathan French!

Still No announcement that the CONAN NEWSPAPER STRIPS are getting collected in stunning hardcover volumes!

I give it a 7/10. Zub builds up SON OF THE TOOTH as this skilled assassin... and Conan spots him immediately. 5 pages of tracking was a bit much. Did we really need 8 pages of Conan fighting clumsy sellswords AND a flashback page? More plot, less dawdling, please.

Transformers #28 (2023) review

Kirkman Kills The Transformers! Well, not all of them, yet! With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, he now takes the writing reins of the flagship Transformers comic series as well, with Dan Mora now on pencils and Mike Spicer still on colors. In this twenty-eighth issue, Megatron has a freakout, Arcee gets a promotion, Miles Mayhem tries his darndest to get a spin-off, and SOMEONE DIES. FOR REAL. PERMANENTLY. Whut-oh. Yeah, Kirkman finally gives in to his Walking Dead and Invincible pedigree and brings on the gore here, for both human and Transformer alike! After I felt like he was being remarkably restrained for his first three issues, he really goes for it here and it’s... I dunno... kind of on the nose, maybe? I guess he wanted to show that his run will be chock-full of consequences too, but I feel maybe his choice of victim was a little flawed and a real shame. The victim is a Transformers character that is known for getting the shaft usually...

Solomon Kane: The Original Comics Omnibus Vol. 1 review

Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane, the dour English Puritan Swashbuckler, gets a revised complete collection of his classic Marvel suggested for mature readers sword and sorcery adventures. The omnibus is available in two versions: with a Mike Mignola dust jacket (available everywhere) or with a direct market Howard Chaykin dust jacket (only available from comic book stores). Inside this magnificent hardcover you will find the following: Stories in full color: Kane versus looter Le Loup (Red Shadows by Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin) Kane versus looter Le Loup (Red Shadows by Robert E. Howard, Ralph Macchio, Steve Carr and Bret Blevins) Kane versus a werewolf (And Faith, Undying... by Ralph Macchio and Bret Blevins) Kane versus kidnaper Sir George Banway (Blades of the Brotherhood by Robert E. Howard, Ralph Macchio, Bret Blevins and Al Williamson) Kane versus Prince Ali-Ben Ar (The Prophet by Ralph Macchio, Mike Mignola and Al Williamson) Kane versus vampires/zombie...

Transformers #34 (2023) review

How do you propose I get to the comic store this week? On My ROLLER SKATES??? The bold new era for the Autobots and this book continues! Robert Kirkman, chief architect of the Energon Universe, writes the flagship Transformers title and Jason Howard takes over as regular penciler for this new story arc with Mike Spicer on colors. Howard had previously drawn issues #13 and #14 of this book, along with many covers. In this thirty-fourth issue, we meet Doctor Henri Arkeville, Thundercracker and the Aerialbots set out on a quest, and Shredhead and Cliffjumper bite off more than they can chew! Doctor Arkeville? Really? Yep! Kirkman’s appreciation for the Sunbow cartoon continues as he formally introduces Doctor Arkeville into the story, and much like Miles Mayhem, he just has to take a swing at General Flagg! Flagg’s in an ornery mood after learning that Optimus gave up the Matrix and is a less powerful ally now, so he doesn’t take kindly to being attacked. He still offers Arkeville Mayhem’...

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