Jim Zub's Ghosts & Echoes part 3: RELENTLESS
In a dark alley in Khoraja (southeast of Koth), SON OF THE TOOTH (an assassin serving The Woeful Eye) has confronted his quarry: CONAN OF CIMMERIA... who has FOUR full bottles of wine in his system. The fighting commences.
SON OF THE TOOTH does an impression of Palpatine from Return of the Jedi (1983).
Like Michael Myers (from Halloween (1978 film)), the more SON OF THE TOOTH kills, the stronger he becomes.
SON OF THE TOOTH kills a city sentry... he absorbs the dead sentinel's soul strength.
SON OF THE TOOTH visits the Restful Raven inn to slay and steal another unfortunate's soul power.
Conan notices that SON OF THE TOOTH is somehow getting stronger.
The Cimmerian burns the face of SON OF THE TOOTH... another Michael Myers homage.
SON OF THE TOOTH slices up one last bystander to gain even more strength.
Weaponless, Conan goes to hide in the chamber of Emida (a Laurie Strode/final girl homage), she gives Conan her needle looking dagger.
SON OF THE TOOTH smashes Emida's door... another Michael Myers homage.
Conan jumps out the window with Emida under his arm (a Spider-Man/Amazing Fantasy (1962) #15 homage).
Mesmerized by the night sky's formation (the exact same one from the nightmare in issue #29), SON OF THE TOOTH... lets his guard down, Conan takes advantage of the opening to puncture the right carotid artery of SON OF THE TOOTH... a knitting needle to the neck Laurie Strode homage.
SON OF THE TOOTH falls off a balcony... one more Michael Myers homage.
SON OF THE TOOTH's cadaver is seen from above... one last Michael Myers homage.
Somewhere beyond time... the eldritch cosmic entity know as Shuma-Gorath/The Woeful Eye has at long last awakened (as seen way back in Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #4).
What I did like:
You can't kill the Boogeyman? Conan begs to differ.
Ymir and Ishtar mentioned.
Covers by Mahmud Asrar, Doug Braithwaite, Max Dunbar & Paolo Pantalena.
Female characters appear and one actually speaks.
The Final Girl has a name!
Archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks talks Khoraja, Koth, Mitra, Ishtar and Black Colossus.
What I did not like:
The cadaver of SON OF THE TOOTH does not vanish.
The cult of the Black Stone does not appear.
The Woeful Eye adoratrice does not appear.
No William Shatner cameo.
SON OF THE TOOTH's necklace did bupkis.
Still No announcement that the CONAN NEWSPAPER STRIPS are getting collected in stunning hardcover volumes!
The editor is not doing his job.
The issue is not dedicated to filmmaker/composer John Carpenter.
No letters page!
The ghost/spirit of SON OF THE TOOTH is still holding his weapons AND Conan is placed incorrectly in front of him.
Conan punctures the left carotid artery, yet it's the right one that gushes. Inconsistent.
I give it a 7/10. Zub's homage to Halloween ends. An actual Conan the Barbarian versus Michael Myers crossover comic book (The Cimmerian vs. The Shape) would have sold millions of copies.
