BotTalk Reviews

Scourge of the Serpent part 1 (of 4): Stealing Faces & Finery, the epic new Conan event from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics continues. The Thurian Age of Kull (from Robert E. Howard's The Shadow Kingdom). Pictish warrior, Brule the Spear-Slayer is chilling with Gonar the Seeker (from Kings of the Night). Brule wants to know if Kull the Conqueror is a camouflaged Serpent-Man. Gonar reassures Brule that if he utters the unfamiliar words: "Ka nama kaa lajerama!", it will melt away Kull's human disguise, exposing him as a Serpent-Man.  Gonar glimpses three heroes from the Howardverse: Kull of Atlantis, Conan the Barbarian and Professor John Kirowan in separate time periods... all are prepared to take on Set's servants. Brule the Spear-Slayer is wearing the gleaming, mystic armlet of the dragon; he scales the walls of the royal palace, reaches Kull's window and verifies the King's humanity. Brule shows King Kull of Valusia that his palace is jam-packed ...

CHAPTER 1 58 BC. Helvetii lands (Switzerland). Marcus Coax/Crow, a gigantic horseshoe moustache-wearing Gaul that looks like the long-lost brother of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian, saves Sanian Divico (an Helvetii oracle) and her entourage from Germanic scouts. Sanian invites Coax to her village. Irika and Sanian spy on Coax, while Coax has a nightmare about his recent blood oath of vengeance.  Coax informs Sanian's father, Divico (possibly the leader of the Helvetian tribe of the Tigurini) that Germanic clans are gathering on the other side of Lacus Lausonius (Lake Geneva on the north side of the Alps). The Helvetians are sure to be raided and decimated before springtime.  Flashback!  75 BC. A Rhodian galley is intercepted by Cilician pirates, a 25-year-old Julius Caesar gets captured.  Farmakonisi (island in the Aegean Sea, Greece). Caesar makes the acquaintance of a clean-shaven Coax who does not know his own tribe because his parents were slaves, killed ...

Jim Zub's A Nest of Serpents part 4: The Nest Beneath Athyr-Bast (sorceress of the Outer Circle) is infuriated, she's been betrayed by a barbarian who was born on a battlefield!   Conan the Cimmerian and Zula the Darfarian are now wanted men looking for Set's subterranean brood. Zula surmises that Thoth-Amon must be breeding giant snakes somewhere and that he will be sending them out in bowls as "gifts" to his enemies (as seen in The God in the Bowl). Zula explains that the exorcised evil snake spirit twin of Conan (Conan the Barbarian #20) now lives in his magical amulet, masking his true aura from Set sorcerers. Conan and Zula kill three guards. Zula uses the power of his amulet to open a gigantic sealed H.R. Giger themed door. What could be lurking within? Conan and Zula find dozens and dozens of snake eggs. Man-Serpent younglings attack our heroes. Conan at last recalls the traumatizing events of The God in the Bowl. Zula's amulet is making the younglings ...

Sword-brothers, sword-sisters, your local spinner rack is once again showcasing another new issue of SSOC!  64 pulsating pages of barbaric savagery in black-and-white printed on newsprint! Inside this magazine you will find the following: THE COILS TIGHTEN an intro by Jim Zub Awe-inspiring art pin-ups: Conan the Barbarian by Max Von Fafner Spear & Fang by Ivan Gil Sailor Steve Costigan and Mike the bulldog by Gerardo Zaffino CONAN: TWICE PAID DEBTS part 1: The Traitor Returns by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite Shem. Conan is drinking with the Kozaki (mercenaries known as the "Free Companions").  10 years have passed since the events of Conan the Barbarian #18. Conan sees the traitorous thief, Tarnasha traversing the tavern. Conan follows Tarnasha outside, she stabs him in the back, they fight. Another Tarnasha sedates Conan with a tranq arrow. CONAN: TWICE PAID DEBTS part 2: Sacrifices by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite Conan awakens from a nightmare (featuring the slithery dei...

You know the sword-and-sorcery heist story by heart: From 1933, The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard. A strange, blood-freezing story of an idol that wept on its throne, and a valiant barbarian from the fringes of an elder civilization. What I did like: 25 impassioned paintings by French comic book artist and illustrator Valentin Sécher starring David Boistault as Conan. 1) The Maul neighbourhood, the City of Thieves, Zamora, street level. 2) In a tavern, a Kothian, a professional kidnapper schools a young Conan about the Elephant Tower that houses the great jewel called the Elephant's Heart (the secret of Yara's magic). 3) The lacerated corpse of the kidnapper. 4) Conan the Cimmerian hits the streets. 5) The temples of the City of Thieves (Arenjun) and Yara's impenetrable tower. 6) Yara, the high priest. 7) Yara's mysterious gardens. A Zamorian royal guard lies strangled. Conan encounters Taurus.  8) Conan converses with Taurus of Nemedia aka the Prince of all...

Jim Zub's A Nest of Serpents part 3: Power and Influence Zula from Conan the Barbarian #20 frees the Cimmerian from his chains! Conan suggests that they should kill Thoth-Amon. Zula wants to know all about Thoth-Amon's big plan. Since Conan is in Zula's debt, he will help the shapeshifter of the Black Kingdoms and then free Livia from slavery.  Zula plunges the enchantress Athyr-Bast into a deep mystic sleep and transforms into her doppelgänger. The impersonation spell will dissipate at daybreak. The Cimmerian masquerades as Athyr-Bast/Zula's armoured bodyguard. They depart to meet Thoth-Amon at his inner sanctum, Kheshatta's Dark Temple of Set. A whining wizard, a blood pact connaissance of Athyr-Bast detects that something is wrong with Zula's aura. Conan kills the escorts of the acquaintance, but gets hurt and Zula silences the sorcerer forever. Zula and Conan dump all three bodies in wine barrels.  Thoth-Amon offers Zula some Stygian wine, he refuses, Thoth-...

A seinen manga by Osamu Tezuka (Translation: Motoko Tamamuro & Jonathan Clements) Spoilers! Spoilers!  EPISODE 1: The Woman in the Box (Count Alucard/Dracula entrusts his mysterious niece, I.L/Aiel (pronounced "I’ll"), a vampire and actress who can change her physical appearance by slipping into her coffin, to a dispirited film director, Daisaku/Masterpiece Imari.) EPISODE 2: Moths (Can I.L cure Shihoko's husband from his freaky moth obsession?) EPISODE 3: The Messenger (I.L helps a cancer stricken woman find contentment one final time. Hyotantsugi (Gourdski) appears.) EPISODE 4: President Flareluno/Fralerno’s Treasure (Just before his execution, I.L will make Micronesia's former president believe that his Japanese wife Mayako never betrayed him. We get a The Reptile (1966) homage. Cornell Woolrich gets mentioned. Masami Fukushima, Shoji Otomo, Sakyo Komatsu, Hiroshi Manabe, Junnosuke Kishida, Tarō Okamoto and Shigeru Mizuki appear.) EPISODE 5: The Monster in Broc...

Sword-brothers, sword-sisters, your local spinner rack is once again showcasing another remarkable new issue of SSOC!  64 pulsating pages of barbaric savagery in black-and-white printed on newsprint! Inside this wonderful magazine you will find the following sparkling gems: Incredible art pin-ups: Conan the Barbarian by Valerio Giangiordano Kull of Atlantis by Geof Isherwood CONAN THE BARBARIAN & VALERIA OF THE RED BROTHERHOOD: THE SUNLESS ISLE part 1 by Patch/Patrick Zircher A direct follow-up to Robert E. Howard's Red Nails. Tascela, the princess of Tecuhltli lies impaled (by Valeria) on the floor. Old Tolkemec has been slain by Conan. The Xotalancas and the Tecuhltli have exterminated each other. Conan does NOT want to steal any of their possibly haunted jewels. Conan catches Valeria in his arms and they kiss. Conan thinks that they'll be on a ship before the Stygians open their ports for the trading season. The road to the coast is much too long. Conan of Cimmeria &...