Tides of the Tyrant-King part 1 (of 4): Emerald Waters
The Thurian Age of Kull of Atlantis (from Robert E. Howard's The Shadow Kingdom).
Gonar the Seeker (the shaman from "Kings of the Night") sees the Woeful Eye coming towards Earth. Pict hunters and spearmen are awaiting orders.
The Hyborian Age of Conan.
CONAN OF CIMMERIA is enjoying a brewski in a busy bar. Conan follows Zuleika (the mysterious Circassian girl) into an alley. Zuleika is approached by a zombie, Conan kills the undead creature.
Zuleika needs more of a rare life-saving elixir to save her lover, Conan notices that the liquid mixture looks exactly like the Emerald Water of Thulsa Doom (last seen in the soul stealing lake in Conan the Barbarian (2023) #3).
Hydal aka Hydallan, now a retconned servant of Thulsa Doom, is seeking Conan... his mission: to slay the Cimmerian who terminated his master (way back in Conan the Barbarian (2023) #12).
Chinatown, London (Limehouse in the East End), 1924. (from Robert E. Howard's Skull-Face)
Suffering from post-traumatic stress, Stephen Costigan (American, World War I soldier, the cousin of Sailor Steve Costigan from Savage Sword of Conan (2024) #10, a hashish addict) passes his days in Yun Shatu's Temple of Dreams (a drug den on the northern bank of the River Thames).
Stephen sees in his drug-addled mind: the Woeful Eye coming towards Earth, Set's human form and "END WAR" Kull from Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #4.
Stephen follows Zuleika (the mysterious Circassian girl) into the street. Zuleika is approached by British intelligence officer John Gordon (Thulsa Doom's greatest foe, not James Gordon from "The Haunter of the Ring", not Batman's Commissioner Gordon). Stephen attacks Gordon, Gordon slugs Stephen and runs way.
Within the Temple of Dreams, in the hidden underground chamber/idol-room of mystery, as a reward for saving Zuleika, Thulsa Doom the Atlantean Necromancer offers his life-saving elixir to Stephen Costigan.
What I did like:
Someone is a fan of Asterix, Obelix and Cacofonix/Assurancetourix.
The Digital Exclusive edition of Tide of the Tyrant-King #1 includes an exclusive extract from GOLD FOR DARK GODS, the new novel from Jonathan French that ties into the massive narrative event, TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING!
Nice covers by Rob De La Torre, Utsab Chatterjee, Gerardo Zaffino, Jesus Merino and Stuart Sayger.
The Woeful Eye (Shuma-Gorath) feasts on stars now!
Skull-Face art by the late Glen Orbik.
Archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks talks Sax Rohmer's Dr. Fu Manchu, H. P. Lovecraft, Tevis Clyde Smith, H. G. Wells, Jack London, Philip Francis Nowlan, Skull-Face and Black Colossus.
What I did not like:
Once again, Hydal does absolutely nothing.
Zuleika does not mention Zani's displaced soul.
Zuleika does not appear on any of the covers!
Henchmen: Santiago, Ganra Singh, Li Kung, Yar Khan, Hassim and Yussef Ali do not appear. Disrespectful!
A new unnecessary Henchman is introduced: ZHONG. Lazy writing. Please adapt Robert E. Howard's Skull-Face properly or don't.
No Dark Agnès de Chastillon!
No Brissa of the Gurian tribe!
Where is the barbarian baby of Conan and Brissa?
I give it a 7/10. Much too confusing. Not new-reader friendly at all. Perusing Savage Sword of Conan #16 is required.
